What is Government?

[ubiquity0]

Originally posted by lendaddy
Ok, so if you accept that government employees tend to be apathetic in their approach, why in the world would you want them to manage anything truely important for YOU?

Government employees manage this country! Are you proposing we fire them all from the top down?

[island911]

Hey Super. .. do you like that the City of Seattle is now imposing FINES on those who dare throw-away too high a percentage of recyclable materials, such as paper, w/ their trash?

. . .or should those paper-thow-awayers be jailed by our government, in your opinion?

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by Superman
In fact, there are countries you can go look at where there has been no gubmint regulation at all, to speak of. They don't look like your country, though.

Name them. I wish to do research, with moving in mind...

[Superman]

Most of South America. They're logging the piss out of the Amazon basin. That's got to mean employment opportunities. Where no ecological or employment regulations exist. Have fun down there.

Oh, but if you like living where wages are attractive, and where water is safe etc., well now you're talking about regulated places like my country. Europe is that way too. Most of the Middle East is not, so if Brazil doesn't sound good.... I hear things are exciting in Somalia.

I'm not sure, Island. First I've heard of it. The three options I see quickest are:

*Fines for not recycling
*Incentives for recycling
*Nothing

With fines, a sub-question would be how much. With incentives, same sub-question. And remember that this would probably be tax money.
By "Nothing" what I mean is, just let people recycle if they want, or not, if they don't feel like it.

I guess there's a third option. Let's call it SuperNothing. Don't even provide people with recycle bins, and don't pick that stuff up at the curb. Make them haul their recycling stuff to a recycling center.

Okay, if you choose Nothing, but reject SuperNothing, you're admitting that we should buy and provide recycle bins. Modest cost, and gives folks an easy way to behave in a way that serves the planet and society. If you're a true "hands off" person, you'll choose SuperNothing, and recycling then becomes something that will not happen until plastic becomes so valuable that a private company now wants to buy yours. Otherwise, it's a matter of degree, and how the public achieves public goals.

It's an important discussion, and I'd respect all opinions.

Hey, they basically "fine" folks in Tenino for not recycling. Or at least, there is a difference on your garbage bill if you set out recycle bins at the proper time every other week. If you don't, your garbage bill is something like $5 higher, per 2 months.

Are you thinking this is an insane travesty where gubmint is WAY over the line, controlling people where it has no business whatsoever?

[island911]

Originally posted by Superman
. . .If you don't, your garbage bill is something like $5 higher, per 2 months.

Are you thinking this is an insane travesty where gubmint is WAY over the line, controlling people where it has no business whatsoever?

Yeah, if the GARBAGEMAN (enfocement) determines that you've TOO much , say paper, in your trash, a $50 fine may be impossed, and the can will NOT be picked-up.

Of course, just like seatbelt laws, I imagine that "enforcement " won't happen for a while yet . . . boil the frog s-l-o-w-l-y.

If I lived in Seattle, I would be sure that ALL of my paper products made it to the recycle-bin. . .especially toilet-paper! . . for "the environment" doncha know. ..

[BigD9146gt]

Atascadero, a town about 20 minutes from mine, you HAVE to have trash.... no-if-ands-or-butts! City law. I understand the reasoning, keeping people from dumping trash, but with one trash provider, you've got your monopoly! I take my trash to work because i don't create that much trash, and we have a huge dumpster and full recycling. Why not save some money?

[Dantilla]

So Superman, you agreed that government gets bigger every year.

Do you think that's a good thing? How big is big enough?