Happy to find a new friend, Jonathan wandered off in a daze. With a start, he realized that he had better pay closer attention to his surroundings or he would not be able to return the next day.

He happened across a policeman, not much older than himself, who was sitting on a bench reading a newspaper. Jonathan tensed at the sight of the crisp black uniform and shiny gun. But the youthful open expression on the policeman's faced made Jonathan relax. Besides, the policeman was totally engrossed in his newspaper. Jonathan glanced over at the headlines: "Lords Approve Death Penalty for Outlaw Barbers."

"The death penalty for barbers?" exclaimed Jonathan in surprise.

The policeman glanced up at Jonathan. "Excuse me," said Jonathan. "I didn't mean to bother you, but I couldn't help seeing the headline. Is that a misprint about the punishment?"

"Well, let's see." The officer read aloud, "'The Council of Lords has just authorized the death penalty for anyone found to be cutting hair without a license.' Hmm, no misprint. What's so unusual about that?"

"Isn't that quite severe for such a minor offense?" asked Jonathan cautiously.

"Hardly," replied the policeman. "The death penalty is the ultimate threat behind all laws -- no matter how minor the offense."

Jonathan's eyes widened. "Surely you wouldn't put someone to death for cutting hair without a license?"

"Of course we would," said the policeman, patting his gun for emphasis. "Though it seldom comes to that."

"Why?"

"Well, every crime escalates in severity. That means the penalties increase the more one resists. For example, if someone wishes to cut hair without a license, then a fine will be levied. If he or she refuses to pay the fine or continues to cut hair, then the outlaw barber will be arrested and put behind bars. And," said the man in a sober tone, "resisting arrest subjects a criminal to severe penalties." His face darkened with a frown. "The outlaw may even be shot. The greater the resistance, the greater the force used against him."

Such a grim discussion depressed Jonathan. "So the ultimate threat behind every law really is death? Surely the authorities would reserve the death penalty for only the most brutal, criminal acts -- violent acts like murder and rape."

"No," said the police officer. "The law regulates the whole range of personal and commercial life. Hundreds of occupational guilds protect their members with licenses like these. Carpenters, doctors, plumbers, accountants, bricklayers, and lawyers -- you name it, they all hate interlopers."

"How do licenses protect them?" asked Jonathan.

"The number of licenses is restricted to the few who pass the rituals for guild membership. This eliminates the unfair competition of intruders with peculiar new ideas, overzealous enthusiasm, backbreaking efficiency, or cutthroat prices. Such unscrupulous anti-competitive competition threatens the traditions of our most esteemed professions."

Jonathan still didn't understand. "Does licensing protect customers?"

"Oh, yes. Says so right here." The policeman, turned back to the newspaper, reading, 'Licenses give monopolies to guilds so that they can protect customers from unwise decisions and too many choices.' " Tapping his chest proudly, the policeman added, "And I enforce the monopolies."

"Monopolies are good?" probed Jonathan.

The policeman frowned, lowering his newspaper. "I don't know, really. I just follow orders. Sometimes I enforce monopolies and sometimes I'm told to break monopolies."

"So which is right?"

The policeman shrugged. "That's not for me to figure out. The Council of Lords decides and tells me where to point my gun."

Seeing Jonathan's look of alarm, the policeman tried to reassure him. "Don't worry. We seldom carry out the death penalty itself. Few dare to resist since we are diligent at teaching obedience to the Council. It's so rarely mentioned that my chief, Officer Stuart, calls it 'The Invisible Gun.' "

"Have you ever used yours?" said Jonathan, eyeing the pistol nervously.

"Against an outlaw?" said the policeman. With a practiced motion, he pulled the revolver smoothly from its leather holster and stroked the cold-steel muzzle. "Only once." He opened the chamber, looked down the barrel, snapped it shut, and admired the gun. "Some of the very best technology on the island here. The Council spares no effort to give us the finest tools for our noble mission. Yes, this gun and I are sworn to protect the life, liberty, and property of everyone on the island."

"When did you use it?" asked Jonathan.

"Strange you should ask," he said, suddenly downcast. "A whole year on duty and I never had to use it until just this morning. Some old woman went crazy and started threatening a demolition crew with a stick. Said something about taking back her 'own' house. Ha. What a selfish notion."

Jonathan's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the elegant white house and the dignified woman who claimed ownership. The policeman continued, "I tried to persuade her to give up. The paperwork was all in order -- the house had been condemned to make way for the Lady Tweed People's Park."

Jonathan could barely speak. "W-what happened?"

"I tried to reason with her. Told her she could probably get off with a light sentence if she came along with me peacefully. But then she threatened me, told me to get off her property. Well, it was a clear case of resisting arrest. Imagine the nerve of that woman."

"Yes," sighed Jonathan. "What nerve."

The conversation died. The policeman read quietly while Jonathan stood silent, nudging a stone with his foot. Summoning his nerve, Jonathan asked, "Can anyone buy a gun like yours?"

Turning a page of the newspaper, the policeman replied, "Not on your life. Someone might get hurt."

Ken Schoolland is an associate professor of economics and political science at Hawaii Pacific University.

The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible began as a radio series on KHVH in Hawaii and was later broadcast as a dramatic production in Alaska.

The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible, A Free Market Odyssey, is in its third, revised and expanded edition, 2001 © and is published by Small Business Hawaii.

The book is currently available in the following international editions: Russian, Dutch, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovenian, German, Spanish, Palauan, Chinese, Albanian, Latvian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Italian, Romany, Czech, Polish, Japanese, French, Mongolian, Kiswahili and Korean.

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form or mechanically stored in any retrieval system without written permission of the author.

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