Earth Day provides the occasion to reflect on the consequences of replacing the centuries-old, common law right to sue a polluter for trespass with a bureaucratic system of regulations, licensing and permits in this true story of the battle between one Lloyd and Agnes Statzer and the Matthews Electroplating Company. Of course, once an independent judiciary is replaced by a politically appointed administrative agency it doesn’t take a Las Vegas bookmaker to predict who will win.
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More on social policy:
- National service
- The War on the Poor
- Homelessness: Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
- Drug Wars
- Freedom of speech
- Affirmative Action
- Sex and the Single-minded State
- Prohibition — no nobler the second time around
- Equal parenting
- Finding middle ground on abortion
- Child support and responsibility
- The changing face of racism
- Brave new diversity
- The high cost when life is priceless
Tags: corporation, earth, environment, EPA, licensing, pollution, regulation
