Monday, February 7, 2011

Michigans continued competency scam and renewing my builders license

Michigan has enforced continued competency classes and hours to renew your builders license. What a joke. It is to make sure your up to date on your knowledge. To get licensed you have to pass an exam pay 200 and your good for 4 years, then you pay 20 bucks and renew. Now it has been cut down to 3 years and $211 to renew plus you have to accrue hours by taking refresher classes which of coarse are hosted by the state of Michigan at $159 a class. So I'm up to $370 now to renew. Wait whats this I need the new state building code book which I can only get online at, you guessed it, state of michigan website. Well that wont cost much. What? $89 plus shipping. I'm up to $460 now. Wait why do I even need to have the code book? I don't. Michigan cities and townships have individual codes that you can get a list of at their building code dept. So the code book I HAVE to buy is useless. So Ive gone from a difference of $20 to $460. I had 10 employees,3 trucks and a trailer 5 yrs ago down to 2 employees(me included) 1 truck and a trailer. My income has fallen 67% in last 2 years because no one is working in Michigan and there are no jobs.  I have to bid jobs at 50% cost to stay competitive. So the state of Mi. has no money, so to get it they squeeze every last cent out of everyone to get it.

So i attend the 3 hour class today to show I still understand how to build a house which Ive been doing every day for the past 20 years and have not forgot since yesterday. I go into this with a positive attitude. Maybe I'll learn something new. I get coffee and donuts sit there falling asleep for 3 hours and I have to take a test on what was discussed. All the test material is written on the board in the front of the room which I am told I can use if needed. So I copy everything directly off board onto test and get a certificate of completion. What a joke. It is just for the money. There is no continued competency. They should just raise the price of renewal to $460 and not waste my time and try to disguise it. But I guess that extra money they get will cover the cost creating more un-needed govt jobs.

20 comments:

  1. that is awful! i cant believe that

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  2. Yup, sounds like Michigan to me. That's why I don't plan on living here the rest of my life.

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  3. Good luck man, this economy is going to shit. America needs to stop investing its money in the poor and start investing in the rich. I am by no means rich, probably middle class, lower middle class if anything. Truth is that the poor squander their money while the rich find ways to invest it, creating more jobs for the poor and thus helping out the economy. Give a rich man a million dollars, he'll open up a business of some sort to keep his wealth growing. Give a poor man a million dollars, he'll waste it on materialistic items and then be back in the same shit hole in only a matter of time. Cmon America!

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  4. That's messed up.. I hope better times are around the bend!

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  5. What a shame man, but with every down comes and up!

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  6. I friggen hate Michigan. Wish I could move. =/ Good luck, fellow Michigander!

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  7. Sweet evil Jeebus, that is messed up. Good luck, man. Hope business picks up and Michigan gets the hell off your case.

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  8. Just another way to separate workers from their money and keep society in debt.

    Debt = Slavery

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  9. Things like this never stop shocking me, some people in this world are horrible =/

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  10. Yeah thats some bull. Just another way for them to get more money out of you

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  11. Lol that's bs, wish you the best of luck though (:

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