Arise and rally to the Monks aid!!
From WWL
NEW ORLEANS -- An order of Benedictine monks sued Louisiana regulators Thursday for blocking them from selling handmade caskets because the monks are not licensed funeral directors. The monks of the 121-year-old St. Joseph Abbey, in St. Tammany Parish north of New Orleans, charge the state Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors is attempting to maintain a casket cartel, and that board members are mostly engaged in industry they regulate. They claim the regulations are unconstitutional. The monks planned to sell their wooden caskets for $1,500 or $2,000 to support the abbey. They tried to get an exemption from the regulations in 2008 and 2010, but legislators rejected the requests. A lawyer for the embalmers board could not immediately be reached for comment.
If I recall correctly the main State legislator that is opposing this owns Funeral Homes.
Update- Southern Appeal has something on this plus a vid. See Jealous monks are under fire from Louisiana for selling caskets
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Louisiana Catholic Monks Sue the State Over Free Enterprise!!! (Updated)
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4 comments:
Well well well.
In seminary we visited a funeral home a couple times to learn what goes on "behind the scenes". One of the things we learned is that you don't *have* to buy your casket from the funeral home. You can get a casket from a less expensive source and they would use it. I recall hearing that WalMart was actually getting into the business.
But this is not Virginia and apparently Louisiana does not allow that. I'm genuinely shocked. The issue of "professional boards" is a big one and I don't think we realize how much they kill legitimate free market competition and drive up costs.
I care about credentials and qualifications - you don't want an incompetent idiot handling your loved one's burial - so am not against boards as such. But monopolizing casket sales is going too far.
Yeah it is a scandal. Funeral Home folks are very well connected in both parties. Further in the black community The Funeral home and who owns it is very involved in politics.. Polticos even meet at times at Funeral homes in the black community.
So protection of the industry here is a very bi partisan affair to say the least.
It is unfortunate.
Kind of reminds me of licensing florists which Louisiana is also famous, or rather, infamous for.
I have updated with another link that has a vid
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