Monday, August 4, 2008

Mayor Newsom Proposes Garbage Gestapo

Stay out of my bedroom, but get into my trash.

The government wants to tell us what we have to listen to with the "Fairness Doctrine", they want to tell us what to eat with banning of trans fat, they want to tell us we can't smoke that we have to wear a seat belt that we have to do this or have to do that and now they want you to make sure you separate every ounce of your garbage or face a $1000 and suspension of your garbage pick up. Looks like Obama is getting his wish. America is looking more and more like Europe every day.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

"now they want you to make sure you separate every ounce of your garbage or face a $1000 and suspension of your garbage pick up."

yeah, doesn't sound like the american way. What happened to relying on a large workforce of 'illegal aliens' to do the distasteful stuff, and also having someone else blame for everything that goes wrong (no jobs, crime, etc)?

America is looking more and more like Europe every day.
No, not just Europe, it's only america and the 'third-world' ('turd world' if John K's reading) that has this 'can't someone else be responsible for the mess we make?' attitude.

I thought you said you wanted a cleaner world, that it was only 'global warming' that you didn't believe in?
... or is that only if someone else will do it for you?

Christopher Lee said...

What the hell are you going on about? I'm talking about an ignorant $1000 fine and suspension of garbage pick up and you're talking about illegals picking up my trash. What?

Unknown said...

"you're talking about illegals picking up my trash"

No. Actually, I was thinking that if you and others didn't sort your rubbish then someone else will have to (and who is likely to do the work at a rubbish sorting-plant?)

If you sort your rubbish, you won't have to worry about fines etc, will you?

Is sorting you rubbish a problem, or should someone else do it for you?

Christopher Lee said...

1) I think your information is off. Not all dirty jobs are done by illegals. Watch the show "Dirty Jobs" if it's aired in Australia. Americans do dirty jobs, we just wont do them for the slave wages that companies pay illegals. The garbage men who pick up my trash are white, though I think one or two are black.

2) I never said don't sort or recycle. Just that a $1000 fine and suspension of pick up if you don't is stupid.

Unknown said...

"I think your information is off. Not all dirty jobs are done by illegals."

be sensible about this, I didn't for a second suggest that ALL 'dirty work' is done by 'illegals'... just enough to make American prosperity possible (something you alluded to with 'slave wages').

I've heard that argument before: 'we won't do it for the appalling pay/conditions our companies want to offer, but we're happy to turn a blind eye if they employ someone without legal rights, so that we can compete in international markets'.

It's great term that, 'illegals', a person outside the law - you can do whatever you want with... pretty-much all the great empires have been built on 'slavery'... what would happen to the american economy if you got your wish and your country was instantly free of 'illegals'?

(Downloading a couple of eps of 'dirty jobs' - screw copyright, and screw a local TV industry sold-out to an american free-trade agreement)Series 4 ep15 + 16 "Brown before Green + "Animal Barber".
...though I don't expect companies/industries featured in the series will be rushing to show-case their 'illegal workforce'!

As for the 'fine'/penalties at the centre of this, that area (somewhere in S.F.) is extending litter-laws effectively. ...re-writing laws about proper disposal of rubbish, just like any other law... $1000 max isn't bad, unless it interferes with your intention to dispose of waste improperly?
The alternative is the 'Homer Simpson waste management strategy': "can't someone else do it?"
It's just like any other law, you break it, you get penalised.
Don't tell me that you're going anarchist? (knew you were a leftie at heart!(:P) ... or are you suggesting we pick and choose which laws we like?

It's not as though as a maximum penalty of $1000 and/or suspension of service isn't commensurate with crime/similar crimes, and like and other similar such restrictions, it's unlikely the maximum would be imposed for a first offence ("fines of up to $1,000 and eventually could have their garbage service stopped")... and that potential to 'eventually have service suspended' sounds much like you'd have to get caught many times, and not give a stuff... seriously, can you see suspension of waste pick-up actually happening, and the public outrage? ... it just isn't anything that many people would have to worry about, it's normal to have extreme measures as a 'possible penalty' for offences like jail for 'driving under the influence', how many people of those caught ever end-up in jail for one too many beer? - never-the-less it is a penalty in many western countries.

Seriously, if the law is passed and applied, anyone who gets caught will mostly likely get a fine of $100? $200? Laws have a scale for maximum penalties, suspension of service just won't happen, it's an empty threat.

Why do you sort you recycling if you think it's stupid to impose a fine for those who don't? If you believe that proper disposal of rubbish is important why is a system that could penalises those why do the wrong thing be stupid?
Are fines for littering stupid?