24

  Opinions will vary on whether objective standards exist for sizing up a flower arrangement,  but such a level of detail is clearly far too picky. Licensed florists are also allowed to peddle blooms in vending machines, but a “cut flower permit” is mandatory for each one. No illicit efflorescence has much chance of slipping through the Louisiana dragnet. Prohibition was not enforced with such dedication. An intrusive bureaucracy may warrant mockery, but Louisiana's regulatory excesses are not really anything to laugh about. They discourage enterprise and throw unnecessary obstacles in the way of people just trying to stand on their own two feet. Let us say a young woman has learned from her mother all there is to know about the art of cornrows. It would be a simple matter for her to ply her trade and stay off the welfare rolls by developing a loyal customer base. Instead she must make a choice between breaking the law and braiding on the sly, or twiddling her thumbs and makin...