In Bush America, you are greeted with articles like this in the morning paper that make you angry the rest of the day.
In 2004, a Seattle company that builds ship propellers puffed 250 pounds of potentially toxic chromium into the air, according to state reports.
But soon, such information won’t be available. Following a change earlier this week in federal pollution regulations, a number of Washington companies won’t have to report the level of toxic chemicals they discharge into the ground, water or air. The Environmental Protection Agency eased requirements, effective January 2007, that factories report the amount of toxic chemicals they release. The EPA says the changes should encourage companies to cut releases of toxic chemicals because it would spare them paperwork if they do.
What? Companies will voluntarily stop poisoning the environment if they are relieved of telling anyone about how much poison they’re dumping? Does anyone out there believe this bullshit?
If this type of voluntary compliance will works so well, why don’t we apply the same logic to other forms of government regulation of potentially dangerous activity that doesn’t comply with laws?
Hmmm…. Let’s move down from the corporate level and apply it to a law we can all relate too. Let’s start with speeding. Say you get pulled over for going 90 m.ph. in a 70 m.p.h. zone and instead of issuing you a citation, the trooper says, “You know… you were speeding, but I’m not going to give you ticket ‘cause that’s just too much paperwork for me. To do that I’d have to type your driver’s license number into my computer, check out your registration, and spend a few minutes figuring out the fine, write it up, hand you the ticket and keep a copy for myself and the state. So, instead of all that, the state has adopted this new approach of “self policing.” That’s right, we know there are a lot of people like you driving way too fast and endangering other people’s lives, but we really don’t want to inform the public about how many speeders there are and we don’t want to be bothered with all the paperwork that goes along with the reporting. So why don’t you just drive down to the courthouse and voluntarily pay the clerk whatever fine you think is appropriate.”
Wouldn’t that work great? I’m sure that if such a policy were adopted, everyone would comply with the speed limits.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Feel free to add your own outrageous examples with a comment.
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