[ExI] External costs (was Re: are all cultures equivalent?)

[Brent Neal]

On 18 Apr, 2009, at 11:34, Rafal Smigrodzki wrote:

> On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 11:03 AM, Brent Neal <brentn at freeshell.org>  
> wrote:
>>
>> On 18 Apr, 2009, at 1:20, Rafal Smigrodzki wrote:
>>>
>>>  It can be dealt with by
>>> describing the property rights relevant to the stream, and letting
>>> involved parties hammer out deals.
>>
>> Which is, in a real sense, what the Clean Water Act does.
>>
> ### Not really. You can't call other users of your lake and agree to
> start dumping garbage - the EPA goons will prevent you from doing that
> no matter what owners of the lake want. Regulation preempts trade.
>

Because you can't gain agreement from users of the lake that are 100  
years in the future, nor can you recompensate them. You can agree to  
start dumping nuclear waste in the lake and -permanently- destroy the  
lake. What amount of money do you consider to be ample recompensation  
for that? Give me a number that isn't fabricated whole cloth and your  
reasoning behind it.

The EPA "goons" are in the right on this.


B


--
Brent Neal, Ph.D.
http://brentn.freeshell.org
<brentn at freeshell.org>