Land of the Free? A Web of Regulation is Turning Americans Into Criminals

[rangerrebew]

Land of the Free? A Web of Regulation is Turning Americans Into Criminals
 

By Craig DeRoche Published on May 2, 2019 • 4 Comments

While he was just trying to do his job, Lawrence Lewis, a janitor at a nursing home, became the unfortunate poster boy for overcriminalization.

People Who Thought They Were Minding Their Own Business

It all began one morning when the toilets backed up at the nursing home. This nasty problem wasn’t new. To keep the mess from becoming a health hazard, Lewis diverted the spillover to a storm drain.

Lewis was following the facility’s standard procedure. He believed that the storm drain led to the local water treatment plant. In reality, the pipe led to a major waterway, and Lewis was charged with violating the Clean Water Act.

https://stream.org/land-free-web-regulation-turning-americans-criminals/

[Bigun]

The USA stopped be a free country a long time ago.

[Sanguine]

Good article.

[ABX]

The USA stopped be a free country a long time ago.

It is sad but true. It is easier, and cheaper to start a small business in Communist China than it is here. A small farmer who wants to sell what he grows, generally only needs to get permission from one community party member and pay a small fee. Here, the levels of licensing and permits is often overwhelming. It has gotten out of hand. In our small Texas town (very conservative) we when had the local government kicking out road side watermelon sellers (once a staple around here) because they were just over the city lines in a rural, recently incorporated area, and didn't get the right permits and inspections (which they couldn't anyway because the city requires a physical storefront (with the exception of the city run Farmers market)). These are old farmers that have been doing this their whole life now lost their way to make money.

[Bigun]

When anyone, or anything, has an apriori claim to any part of the fruits of your labor you are NOT free.