Recent Comments
Re: “Jury of the Damned: A First-Hand Account of America's Awful Justice”
Mr. Stewart,
If you had been a member of OJ Simpson's jury, how would you have voted?
Re: “Is the Bottle Bill Really That Bad?”
Amanda writes:
"At the same time, free-marketeers are squawking about the new deposits being yet another tax, painting a picture of a state government run amok in its blood-lust for another drop of revenue to suck from the dying corpse of the poor everyconsumer."
Please. Spare readers the cheap melodrama. First, free water is available in parks and playgrounds all over. Water fountains are everywhere. Thus, the state offers a FREE alternative to bottled water priced as high as milk and gasoline.
Second, when it comes to sucking revenue from dying taxpayers (you called them "dying corpses". But a "corpse" is the body of someone already dead. Hence, a corpse, by definition, is not "dying.") the government goes all out to get every dime from smokers.
Smokers are addicts, which means they will pay a lot for cigarettes. Demand remains strong no matter how high the price of a pack of smokes. Try that with water.
Meanwhile, if you really believe Nestle is the Evil Empire, maybe you can convince the Obama government to take over Nestle as it has taken over General Motors.
Moreover, if you think there's something troubling about selling water, you should look into the business of milk. True collusion and price fixing between government and dairy farmers is the game.
Amanda writes:
"These same people never seem to complain about the bottled-water industry's determination to make us all pay for every drop of water we drink..."
If your statement were true, the bottled-water industry would fight to end government control of waste-water treatment. Moreover, in New York, at least, it would also oppose the construction of the new water tunnels bringing fresh water from upstate to NY City. By the way, do you have any idea how much the NY government charges building owners for clean water?
Amanda writes:
"...nor do they seem to notice the funds bled from muncipal coffers by the rapidly ballooning waste stream and the attendant disposal costs."
You really need to look at the realities of providing clean drinking water to a city of 8.5 million. It's a big job and it's done by people who work for paychecks. Moreover, it appears you do not grasp the fact that clean drinking water is a key component of an advanced society.
In sub-Sahara Africa over a million children under the age of 5 die EVERY YEAR from drinking the unclean water that is the African standard.
