Environmental Regulations

There is a strong antigovernment movement in the country today which is convinced that Government is the problem.

This exists because at times Government regulations create certain requirements that slow people down or even prevent them from doing what they want.  Now, of course each person feels that whatever they want to do is good and anything in his way is bad, so after such an experience you are likely to feel there is too much Government.

Now take a regulation that prevents water pollution by restricting what you can dump into a stream on your property.  Well the stream is on your property and now you have restrictions on what products you can use.  How dare they! We were using these products for years and the stream is just fine!

Of course the stream might carry the contamination into a river and then into a lake where people go to fish and swim.  Measurements downstream show increased levels of cancer causing or other dangerous pollutants, which are being passed on to sports fishermen or swimmers.

Now the regulation restricts a few people to benefit the many.  However, the many frequently are not aware of what is being done, but the few certainly are.

Government reacts to noise, the squeaky wheel syndrome.  So the few complain and the many stay quiet, at least until the lake is shut down because its contaminated.

Its clear, at least for now, that since the worst period of pollution we have cleaner air and water, although not perfect.  Rivers that were actually dangerous are now full of fish and the reason for this is environmental protection.

It does at time inconvenience the few but we all have a better life because of it.

Going back to a more polluted past is not making anything great again.