better be prepared to get a license.

Despite the spin in the article, the State Sen. Patterson is a Republican. Here, you can tell:

How can you tell, did you crop out the male prostitute or the Klan robes?

I barely skimmed the article, but on the face of it this is a subject that ought to be brought out for debate. Contractors, Architects, barbers, hairdressers, private investigators and pesticide applicators are all required to be licensed to "practice". Journalists can ruin lives as easily as any of the above.

What I LOVE about the subject will be the two-faced arguments the "journalists" and bloggers will make...while the same people have amassed miles of copy demanding accountability from those other trades.

I'm against this bill, and most existing legislation, but the hypocrisy that could come to light from this debate is intriguing.

Very true. The rats will come out of the woodwork hoping to score some cheese.

True, but isn't part of a journalist's job, at least one based in Lansing, Michigan, to report what is going on in the state legislature. Wouldn't needing a license from the state in order to do this create a conflict of interest?

My concern would be that the state or Fed would then have a sword of Damocles [the license] to dangle if journalists strayed from the party lines.

There are ways to obtain certification to enhance their professional image.

Really, its surprising this bill wasn't slipped into the Patriot Act.

Do you have a license to sell hair tonic to bald eagles in Omaha, Nebraska?