Here&#x27;s a quotation from the article:<p>&quot;Defenders of occupational licensing typically argue that the rules help protect consumers and workers, and that’s undoubtedly true in some cases. I want the people filling my cavities to know what they’re doing. But it’s hard not to suspect that in many cases, these rules serve another purpose: to make it harder for new competitors to enter the marketplace.&quot;<p>While the article seems to criticize rent-seeking behavior only in businesses and professions that require lower levels of education, if 
we combine this article&#x27;s statements with the often repeated claim that the US pays roughly twice as much for health care per capita as other developed countries it seems reasonable to ask: Is there a rent seeking problem in the medical and dental fields too?<p>OTOH, why does the article&#x27;s author want to deny the poor and less well educated segment of the small business community its fair share of the economic protection which occupational licensing offers?