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From: torek@umich.UUCP (Paul V. Torek )
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: not really, Mike Sykora
Message-ID: <367@umich.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Dec-85 20:58:18 EST
Article-I.D.: umich.367
Posted: Sun Dec 15 20:58:18 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 16-Dec-85 20:42:45 EST
References: <266@meccts.UUCP> <4340015@csd2.UUCP>
Reply-To: torek@umich.UUCP (Paul V. Torek )
Organization: University of Michigan, EECS Dept., Ann Arbor, MI
Lines: 24
Summary: Re: Newsflash! [JoSH on Socialis

In article <4340015@csd2.UUCP> sykora@csd2.UUCP (Michael Sykora) writes:
>>Instead of regulations limiting the permitted pollutants, there should be
>>>taxes on the amount of pollutants emitted, with an effort made to match
>>the tax to the costs imposed on others thereby [Frank Adams]
>
>The above measures may be consistent with libertarian philosophy to a
>significant extent.  Libertarians would probably not call these taxes,
>but fines.

I doubt this consistency claim -- such fines, if set by governments, will
differ from the arrangement that would result if the polluters had to
purchase the right to pollute from the pollutees.  Furthermore, how would
the libertarian government know how to distribute the money that comes from
the fines among the pollutees?  Remember, pollution causes non-monetary harms,
such as aesthetic disvalue, which are hard to measure by anyone except the
person affected.  That person could lie to the government in hope of getting
more money.

"Parrot, n.  Any of a variety of tropical birds with the remarkable ability
to imitate human speech.  It should not be inferred from this ability that
the animal knows the language, or that it understands what it is saying.
--see also: Objectivist"
:->			:->			:->			:->
--Paul V. Torek, lover of flames				torek@umich