Want to start a business? Imagine having to get your competitors’ permission first.

In 35 states, laws block certainties of new businesses from operating unless they get their competitor’s permission. They are called Certificate of Need laws, also called “CON” laws.

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One such law prevents Phillip Truesdell from operating ambulances in Kentucky.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, (pacificlegal.org) has filed a lawsuit on his behalf, with the goal of getting the CON law declared unconstitutional.

His lawyer Anastasia Boden, says we need competition, “because competition has been the driving force of innovation, lower prices and better services.”

I agrees, “competition works! CON laws are a bad deal for both consumers and entrepreneurs. No one should have to ask permission to compete.