Headline 3/22/2006: N.Y. and Calif. have the dirtiest air in the U.S., according to the latest EPA data. New Yorkers' risk of developing cancer from air toxins is about 68 residents per mil; Calif.'s risk is 66 per mil while the national average is 41.5 per mil. The report's based on chemical emissions in '99, the most recent available.
Note that both these states are strongly liberal and beholden to the enviromentalist movement, yet do the poorest. Why? Because it is not government regulation that cleans the air, it is the investment in the latest technologies by forward-thinking businesses that don't want to do business in a waste dump.
By handcuffing local businesses with laws that focus on pollutants deemed important by legislators who get their marching orders from Green Peace, these state governments hinder their ability to put their resources in those areas that would produce the greatest benefit. In many cases, these companies are forced to continue to operate with outdated processes because they are restricted from both a capital and regulatory standpoint i.e. too many "good jobs" would be lost if we switched to a more efficient, less polluting method.
Bottom line, Big Brother doesn't know best. Many of today's legislators are not only not the best and brightest, but actually a bunch of idiots who couldn't compete in the private sector. These are the last people who should be telling us what to do and how to do it.
The best thing that any government can do for us is to get out of our way.
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