I am a conservative, and I’m largely sympathetic to the deregulation arguments. That said, I work in an industry that uses a lot of chemicals, and I can tell you without the slightest hesitation that my company doesn’t avoid chemical releases out of concern for the environment or “common sense.” It avoids them because it doesn’t want the fines. I’m not saying it wouldn’t make ANY effort to avoid spills, but just in the last 13 years that I’ve worked here there has been a dramatic reduction in chemical releases. That reduction was brought about by tighter environmental regulations. Don’t let your commitment to a political philosophy blind you to human nature. That’s the mistake the communists made/make. Communism looks great on paper, but it doesn’t work because of human nature. Complete deregulation looks great on paper, but it doesn’t work because of human nature.
