The New Land Rush

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by marichiko

So the Feds giving in to the logging companies and the congressman from Bumfuck, authorized the sale of all the timber on the National Forest within a 100 mile radius of town. The yokels in Bumfuck all got logging jobs for a while and then the trees were all gone and the logging company is now down in the Amazon cutting down the rain forest. The logging company didn't bother to replant the acres it harvested since it was Federal land and not their problem. Bushco thinks trees cause forest fires, so why use the taxpayer's dollar to replant forests when that money could be given to Halliburten, instead?

Very nice argument Mari. Also explains why there are towns in this country with no industry left and polluted soil or mine tailings.

One thing is different. If the logging companies own the land and actually have some foresight, they might replant.

A pure Libertarian would say that anyone who buys land has a right to do whatever they want with it. An environmentalist would explain that systems are connected and that opening a toxic waste dump would have an effect beyond the borders of the property. Also, opening an explosives plant, while not causing environmental risk, would expose the neighbors to physical danger. This is why most people are in favor of zoning laws.

When the federal goverment gets into it's 'free market' and 'pro-business' at all costs mode, it usually ends up costing the taxpayer money for cleanup. If you or I went into a party rental store and rented a helium tank, we would be expected to provide some assurance that it would be returned. The same assurance is rarely required when it comes to land use. It's not just toxic chemicals and Superfund sites that are the result. Deforestation can result in soil erosion, mudslides, silt in streams, and other impacts which affect neighbors, the community, and possibly the region.

Since one of the advantages of being a corporation is the ability to dissolve and dissappear, this leaves the government, the local residents, or in the case of Superfund the next generation of businesses holding the bag.