S. 277 is legislation to establish licensure and regulation of the music therapy profession. I fully appreciate the value that music therapy practitioners bring to children in need of this kind of treatment. I would even consider music therapy biblical, as scripture is full of examples of the value of music.
I am wary, however, of an attempt, in any profession, to overlay government regulation where the consumer themselves already can make informed decisions about the service in question. My experience is that every time a service is further regulated, its price climbs with no discernible growth in the overall quality of that service in the marketplace. Indeed, in many cases the quality of the service in question declines because of the lack of market forces that promote excellence.
The modern age of communication makes it nearly impossible for anyone offering a service for a fee to remain unknown to consumers. I find it impossible to believe that anyone offering this service would be able to hide from the scrutiny of their potential customers who, in their turn, could make informed decisions about the practitioner in question.
From the Middle Ages up through the 19th Century, the practice of apprenticeships, usually within guilded trades, not only afforded a young person the chance to learn a trade from a master but also gave that person credentials that strangers could rely upon since the strangers had no internet or even telephone communication. The modern age has erased the need for such a regimented and restrictive vetting process. It thereby has opened up the market place to nearly anyone with the skill and drive to achieve. It has, in short, led to a greater distribution of freedom, both to pursue happiness and to make informed choices from a vast pool of selections.
I will have a very hard time turning back to the manner of previous centuries when considering how consumers choose their products and services.
Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
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