Limited Aristocracy
Sam Aurelius Milam III
Most people think of aristocracies as hereditary, like the ones in Europe or China in recent centuries.  However, heredity isn't the only way to establish an aristocracy.  It can also be done by legislation.  In general, any time that one group of people enjoys access to some special privilege from which other people are forcibly excluded, an aristocracy, at least a limited one, exists. 
Example — If some people are permitted by legislation to hunt game for food, and enjoy the benefits associated with such behavior, and other people are prohibited by legislation from hunting game for food, and punished for doing so, then the privileged group is a limited aristocracy, defined by legislation. 
Example — If some people are permitted by legislation to be lawyers, doctors, beauticians, airline pilots (or whatever) and enjoy the benefits associated with such behavior, and other people are prohibited by legislation from being lawyers, doctors, beauticians, airline pilots (or whatever) and punished for doing so, then the privileged group is a limited aristocracy, defined by legislation. 
Example — If some people are permitted by legislation to sell a product, and enjoy the benefits associated with such behavior, and other people are prohibited by legislation from selling the product, and punished for doing so, then the privileged group is a limited aristocracy, defined by legislation. 
In each case, membership in the aristocracy is secured by means of a license, issued by some agency which has jurisdiction over the privileged behavior of the aristocrats.  The license is the means by which some people are permitted to engage in the privileged behavior, and are therefore members of the aristocracy, and other people are denied the privileged behavior, and are therefore excluded from the aristocracy.  Such a license is, in fact, a Title of Nobility in the constitutional sense.  An aristocracy may or may not be a good thing but, in the USA, a Title of Nobility is unconstitutional. 
Aristocracies might arise in many ways, but licenses which create limited aristocracies are usually "justified" by claims of necessity.  Many activities are considered to be potentially dangerous, and the licenses are alleged to exclude unqualified people from those activities.  However, the various licenses required in the USA haven't enhanced safety.  They have only created agencies that convert rights into privileges, then sell the privileges to some and deny them to others — a very effective means of controlling people.  Furthermore, such licenses aren't the right way to promote safety.  A certificate, testifying to a man's qualifications, without constituting permission to engage in a privileged activity, and not prohibiting others from participation in the same activity, is just as effective as a license, and less repressive.  It can serve as documentation of qualifications without restricting anybody's behavior.  The difference isn't in the effectiveness of one kind of document over the other in verifying qualifications.  The difference is the mandatory restrictions inherent in a license, but not inherent in a certificate.  With a certificate, entry into a job isn't controlled by government.  People can apply for whatever work they prefer.  Their qualifications can be judged by certification, by resumes, or by any other appropriate means. 
It's an evil bargain to sacrifice liberty for a promise of safety.  Liberty will certainly be lost in the transaction, probably without any increase in safety.  When licensing is the method, people will probably become subservient to the licensing agency.  I would rather be responsible for protecting myself from (for example) drunk drivers than to be subjected to the authority of (for example) a police force sufficiently strong, intrusive, and pervasive to make the roads a safe place to drive.

Frontiersman  479 E. 700 N.  Firth, Idaho 83236              If you have to register before you are permitted to vote, then voting isn't a right. It's a privilege.

Acknowledgments
•     My thanks to Sir John the Generous http://www.jwebster.com/, Lady Helen the Gracious, and Sir Donald the Elusive for their contributions.
•     My thanks to The Affiliate, http://www.the-grand-barn.com/, of Vankleek Hill, Ontario for regularly printing reviews of the Frontiersman.

Fitness Perspectives
Source Unknown — forwarded by Kathy, of Idaho Falls, Idaho
•     I don't exercise at all.  If God had meant for us to touch our toes, then he would have put them further up our bodies.
•     I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
•     The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier.
•     If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country. 

Does Anybody Know?
Source Unknown — forwarded by Lady Nancy the Enchanting
•     What do you do when you see an endangered animal that eats only endangered plants?