Comment Re:municipal socialism (Score 1) 1140
I agree with your points, but we would just have to see how it would be in practice. Rivers run through multiple states, but they're cared for by different state conservation agencies, so I'm sure they could be governed by pollution controls from different states.
I always find it funny when the city is beginning a road project and mentions that it will cost $35 million, with a $20 million "grant" from the state or the federal government, as if the money just appears out of nowhere from the government for that project :)
I am in favor of states deciding laws without federal intervention for one reason: abortion. I'm sick of hearing about it, the two sides will never agree, I can't believe it's being made into a large topic of discussion at the Republican debates, and I'm sick of it as a topic in general. Some states, like Mississippi, where abortion is basically almost illegal anyway (poorest state, only one abortion clinic in the entire state), would immediately get rid of it and it wouldn't make much difference because it's little-used there anyway. Some states would immediately make it legal. While you'd still hear about it at a state level, you wouldn't have to hear about it constantly everywhere you turn on a national level and I would be quite happy with that :)
Remember, also, that federal laws did not force change in the South, except in appearance-- the Supreme Court made its ruling on Brown vs. Board of Education, which was defied in Little Rock and Alabama, and for that reason Eisenhower sent federal authorities in. It wasn't until 10 years later or so that the Voting Rights Act went into effect. The Voting Rights Act copies the language of the already-in-effect 15th Amendment and basically reiterates anti-discrimination laws that were already in effect. It really wasn't necessary if existing laws had been enforced. The law didn't even include a provision against poll taxes, which were a big part of preventing blacks from voting. The Supreme Court had to declare those unconstitutional separately.
Keep in mind, too, that pollution controls at a federal level are VERY weak. The world's largest pig slaughterhouse, Smithfield Farms, each year has something like thousands of EPA violations, they've singlehandedly polluted the entire water supply in eastern North Carolina with pig waste, and yet each year they only get maybe a $25,000 fine from the EPA. They've written it into their business plan as a cost of doing business-- because creating even one waste lagoon that would not leak into groundwater would cost more than the yearly fine. It's pretty sad and I have no faith in the feds as far as controlling pollution goes. That's only one example, although an egregious one. At the least, they should charge them the yearly cost of filtering water in the eastern half of North Carolina-- upwards of millions in taxpayer dollars, I'm sure. However, the slaughterhouse lobby is pretty large, I guess. Sad. :(
That's why I only have faith in Ron Paul to do what's right for this country. He's seriously the only one not beholden to the big corporations.
I always find it funny when the city is beginning a road project and mentions that it will cost $35 million, with a $20 million "grant" from the state or the federal government, as if the money just appears out of nowhere from the government for that project
I am in favor of states deciding laws without federal intervention for one reason: abortion. I'm sick of hearing about it, the two sides will never agree, I can't believe it's being made into a large topic of discussion at the Republican debates, and I'm sick of it as a topic in general. Some states, like Mississippi, where abortion is basically almost illegal anyway (poorest state, only one abortion clinic in the entire state), would immediately get rid of it and it wouldn't make much difference because it's little-used there anyway. Some states would immediately make it legal. While you'd still hear about it at a state level, you wouldn't have to hear about it constantly everywhere you turn on a national level and I would be quite happy with that
Remember, also, that federal laws did not force change in the South, except in appearance-- the Supreme Court made its ruling on Brown vs. Board of Education, which was defied in Little Rock and Alabama, and for that reason Eisenhower sent federal authorities in. It wasn't until 10 years later or so that the Voting Rights Act went into effect. The Voting Rights Act copies the language of the already-in-effect 15th Amendment and basically reiterates anti-discrimination laws that were already in effect. It really wasn't necessary if existing laws had been enforced. The law didn't even include a provision against poll taxes, which were a big part of preventing blacks from voting. The Supreme Court had to declare those unconstitutional separately.
Keep in mind, too, that pollution controls at a federal level are VERY weak. The world's largest pig slaughterhouse, Smithfield Farms, each year has something like thousands of EPA violations, they've singlehandedly polluted the entire water supply in eastern North Carolina with pig waste, and yet each year they only get maybe a $25,000 fine from the EPA. They've written it into their business plan as a cost of doing business-- because creating even one waste lagoon that would not leak into groundwater would cost more than the yearly fine. It's pretty sad and I have no faith in the feds as far as controlling pollution goes. That's only one example, although an egregious one. At the least, they should charge them the yearly cost of filtering water in the eastern half of North Carolina-- upwards of millions in taxpayer dollars, I'm sure. However, the slaughterhouse lobby is pretty large, I guess. Sad.
That's why I only have faith in Ron Paul to do what's right for this country. He's seriously the only one not beholden to the big corporations.
