Being a farrier isn't a bad trade. You make horseshoes and put them on horses, make a decent living, and you don't need a lot of formal education. You only need to be trained in that particular skill. At least that's what Bob Smith, owner of the Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School in California thought. Too bad the state of California disagreed.

The state has informed him that he could face fines or be shut down if he continues to accept students who don't have a high school diploma or GED. Why? "You don't have to know algebra to shoe a horse," Smith says. "You don't have to know how to read a novel to shoe a horse. Horses don't do math and horses don't speak English."

The Institute for Justice is taking California to court for violating Smith's first amendment rights. "Just like publishing a how-to book or uploading an instructional video to YouTube is protected by the First Amendment, so is teaching," said Keith Diggs, an attorney for IJ, in a statement. "By limiting who Bob is allowed to teach and what Esteban is allowed to learn, California has not only harmed the students most in need of an education, but also violated their First Amendment rights."

This is all too common, and the Foundation for Government Accountability is working to ensure that everyone has Freedom to Work. 

In Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey is working to make work available to more people without onerous regulations. "[of course] we want to protect public health and public safety, but if a regulation doesn't do that, it has got to go," he said,  "we want to clear the obstacles for our business owners."

These changes in Arizona will help people like Juan Carlos Montes de Oca, a cosmetology student who gave free haircuts to the homeless - until he was investigated for not having a license. "I think lawmakers should allow students to provide charity without fear of punishment," he said, "we should never be scared to do something to help somebody else because of the government." 

Whether it's haircuts for the homeless or teaching students to shoe horses, why is the government standing in the way of employment?