Swimming in Government Waste
The Natural Resources Defense Council released a report yesterday stating that Ohio ranks second-worst among all states for its polluted beaches. The source: sewage overflows and polluted stormwater runoff from government-run systems. And, get this, the state and the various local governments do not always provide a warning to swimmers and bathers. Yuck! So much for government and collective ownership as defenders of the environment.
Here in Central Ohio, a local city regularly releases sewage and runoff into the Scioto River during heavy rains. Sure the city gets fined, but the fine is simply passed on to the taxpayer. What a racket. But don't try this if you run a for-profit business -- clean water is a federal matter.
Comments (6)
Well, at least they haven't managed to catch the Cuyahoga River on fire lately. Improvements, of a sort.
(check the picture decorating the following):
http://www.jcu.edu/chemistry/naosmm/2007/Cuyahoga%20Revisited.htm
Snippet from that rather intriguing article:
"Most important for our understanding of environmental problems, the fire came about because political control replaced the emerging common-law rule of strict liability."
Published: July 30, 2008 9:17 PM
You call THAT a Racket?
Here in Australia we have a major river that goes through three states, the Murray (pronounced Murree). The Labor-party-controlled states did not agree on water policy when the Liberal-party-controlled Federal Government tried to set policy for the whole river. One State, Victoria, played the bad guy.
When Liberal Howard was replaced by K.Rudd, a Labor man, suddenly Victoria was willing to make deals! And the deal it settled for was no different in the essential details to what Howard offered! (Who'd have believed it?) Prime Minister Krudd got to look good for photo opportunities.
Now THAT is a racket!
For a whole year, our major river system was screwed so one party could gain paltry political advantage. I know Americans like to think they do everything better, but do you have a scam to beat that?
Published: July 31, 2008 12:51 AM
"do you have a scam to beat that?"
The American democratic party refuses to convene impeachment hearings against their mass-murdering president and vice-president, even though the ouster would put the speaker of the house (a democrat) in the whitehouse, because by letting the wars rage on, to kill thousands more, and the depression sink in while a republican is president, they get to avoid all the bad press they might get for continuing all the same policies after the Bushvecks were evicted.
This upcoming election is more important to them than anybody else's lives or property.
As you say, "no different in essential details".
Published: July 31, 2008 9:33 AM
Curt
The problem as I see it is that of the power of the state. Citizens are given a choice between Democrats and Republicans and the media tries to convince everyone that there is a difference. Really, the choice is like a choice of dying from cholera or bubonic plague. The only difference I see between Democrats and Republicans is that Republicans have been paid a visit by the Reverend Jessee Jackson, if you catch my drift.
Published: July 31, 2008 10:39 PM
Your war example didn't involve ruining the water supply of your own electorates. That's not a scam! The President is allowed to wage war- indeed, it is an outlet for a prez to do so! And foreigners won't vote in your elections. And you don't want all those munitions to go unused, do you? Now you can stimulate your economy by re-stocking the shelves of the armed forces!
Published: August 1, 2008 2:52 AM
Curt, I agree with you 100%. The Dems as a whole care nothing about national welfare or rule of law; rather they are simply concerned about getting their hands on the national pork spigots - as they and Obama signalled very well when they recently approved retroactive immunity for illegal telcom spying (thus effectively frustrating all private efforts to find out the scope of the spying program).
Jim, good piece. Have you tried to point this out to NRDC? Are there any private beaches? Why aren`t they suing any governments?
Published: August 1, 2008 9:20 PM