OK, I'm at fault for "linking" CEU's to matters of integrity. Here's why:
As I see it, the State has little right to regulate commerce. Public Safety- OK, I can see minimum qualifications, bonding, and insurance.
However, going beyond that has been argued by Milton Friedman, Etal..., interferes with the free operation of the market, which will quite efficiently eliminate the incompetent. I agree with this thesis.
Every regulation is put forth with the idea that it will somehow "make things better." Well, for the CEU issue, we now have enough experience to be able to tell if the measures have any effect.
If such cannot be demonstrated, then the State has no right to require them. It has exceeded its' mandate.
The connection between CEU's and crooked contractors is built into the propaganda that an unlicensed contractor is, by definition, unethical. Require CEU's, and the guy without them is now unlicensed, thus lumped in with the unethical.
More to the point, unjustified requirements only add to the burden faced by the law-abiding.... giving the "trunk slammer" an edge. Qhich seems to be quite the opposite of what was intended.
