On 2008-09-19, Twibil gmail.com> wrote:

*sigh* I see you fall for it hook line and sinker. The real problem is
the buracratic issues that allow government to stomp on someone who is
running clean but can't buy political protection. But let's go with the
issue of actual pollition for a moment since you opened that door.

Pollution is not the issue because the government grants those with
political connections the privilege of spewing pollution. Those without
political connections don't get to spew pollution. This is an economic
benefit to those who have bought influence in government.

The problem is that you are looking at it through the lens of companies
being allowed to foul their neighbors land, water, and air wrongly
based on old decisions that came out of purchased political
protection and then after enough complaint, the government coming in to
limit the fouling. In reality, they should have never been allowed to
spew all the crap in the first place. A true respect for property rights
doesn't allow for it at any level.

For instance, BP over the border in Indiana gets to *DUMP* toxic
waste into the lake. The government says, okay, you can dump your toxins
into the lake, the source of drinking water for the chicago area amung
others, so long as its not more than X. Why are they allowed to dump
their crap into the lake by the ton? If any one us so much as spilled a
quart of oil into Lake Michigan we'd be facing charges and/or fines of
some sort.

So, how does a new refinery compete with BP? The new guy doesn't get to
dump his crap in the lake. The new guy has to dispose of it in a
responsible manner because he doesn't have the pollitical pull to get
the privilege of dumping it into the body of water that supplies the
public water system. How can the new guy get the enviromental impact
studies and all the other stuff approved by the political system when he
hasn't bought influence? Instead of deciding the polition question by
property rights, it was decided by political influence. The
environmental wackos don't care any more for property rights than big
oil does, unless its their own property. They are useful idiots that
smart people in corporations turned into serving them long ago.