A fictional essay by Jack Lee
Imagine for a moment… mankind is on the verge of a new discovery, flight! But, there’s just one problem, government bureaucracy is just as evolved as it is now. Let’s see what might have happened.
The great day has finally arrived when two brothers have completed their experimental flying machine. The place is Kill Devil Hills, N.C., and the year is 1903. It’s two hours after sunrise and there’s a chill in air atop a windswept sand dune. The brothers have just prepped the craft’s engine and warmed it up, next is their first test flight. The intrepid would-be pioneers of flight huddle in quiet conversation, going over last minute detail with a handful volunteers. Nearby are a dozen or so friends and well wishers.
Just minutes before their takeoff they see a carriage racing towards them. The driver pulls back on the reins and draws the panting horses up close to the tail of the aircraft. The carriage door is flung open and four men in bowlers and dark 3 piece suits exit and quickly approach the surprised crowd. One of the men hands Orville Wright a half inch thick stack of legal papers. What’s this all about? Asks a perturb and confused Wilbur Wright.
A short, portly, man in his 50’s steps forward and tips his hat, “I’m Sheriff J.W.
Longstreet at your service gentlemen.” (He wears a dull silver star on his left lapel. He speaks slowly with a thick southern drawl, “Ya’ll can read them papers… it’s all in there. Seems you boys don’t have no permits to operate this here flying contraption. (this is followed by a muffled, but contemptuous sort of snort) Y’all never got no studies done on how it’s going to impact the environment. You got to have studies boys…it’s the law. And that there gas en-gine is too loud and its polluting the air. We got laws in this country boys and you’ve broken a whole lot of them!
The folks at the Environmental Protection Agency got something to say to you, and so does fellers at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Bureau of Land Management too. You are on there land. You boys can’t go off half cocked and expect to get away with it, we got laws. Now we’re here to seize this so called aero-craft and hold it for safekeeping before y’all go hurting yourselves, destroying public property, polluting and such.”
The Wright brothers are taken away and eventually charged and convicted of air pollution, endangering the public and trespass on public lands. In a plea bargain to avoid a costly trial they plead guilty, 10 other lesser violations are then dismissed. Their fine is a hefty $5000, which is far more than they can pay. They forfeited all their property to the court and they still owe. Broke, devastated and disillusioned the Wright brothers leave town and are never heard from again.
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Last year the State of California found time to pass 725 new laws the public didn’t ask for, didn’t need and didn’t want, but they didn’t have the time to pass a balanced budget. -Jack Lee
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“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing – when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors – when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you – when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice – you may know that your society is doomed.” Ayn Rand
How about our local BS law about having a fire in your fireplace to warm your house! Has anyone else noticed the only time you cant have a fire is on the days and nights when you really need one? A wood fire is a cheap way to heat your home and gets you out from under the thumb of PG&E. It is one of those “alternative” forms of energy the Left is always whining about. This law is total BS and should be stricken from the books. I do not have a fireplace, wish I did, I would have a fire at anytime I wanted one.
Excellent post, Jack. Of course Ayn Rand nails it.
Speaking of abject corruption, here is an example of it IN SPADES —
The most disgraceful episode in media-military relations since Vietnam
By Ken Allard
Retired U.S. Army Colonel
http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/09/the-most-disgraceful-episode-in-media-military-relations-since-vietnam/
Q..not sure who you are addressing, however I have done an extensive study on where regulations and laws often originate. I have no illusions, I looked, I saw and I’m convinced. I strongly subscribe to the “follow the money” doctrine. Yes, a few of us conservatives actually realize that special interests, which includes big businesses, influence probably 75%-85% of all legislation. How else can we explain the stupid, frivolous legislation that comes out of Sacramento and Wash.? We’ve seen too many cases of buying influence with our legislators there can be absolutely no doubt whats going on.
Obama promised to stop this practice and clean up Washington, but he’s no better than the rest. Why would you think we wouldn’t understand such a simple thing?
Thanks Pie.
Ayn Rand received public assistance. Wood smoke kills 19 people a year in Chico. Love Canal caused 80% of the children born in the area to have birth defects and 56% of the children that didn’t survive to childbirth to miscarry.
We would not need regulations if people were responsible, but they act without a thought for their neighbors safety. Some people pick up a piece of trash on the street, some people throw it down. Which kind of person are you?
Quentin: “Try reading a book!”
Take it from Quentin. Hes that guy that knows. By his own admission, hes read two of them. If you look back at earlier golden words from his magic keyboard, you can find which ones, and learn who the two progressive authors were.
Hey occutard have you been under a rock the past 3 years, Yes we wake up and shit is pretty much in our face with no warning.
Dickwitman…….. how can you come here and say silly stuff like fireplace smoke kills 19 people a year in Chico? How can you even remotely expect such an absurd statement to be swallowed by anyone other than a far left liberal operating totally on emotion? C’mon, let’s get real and you show us the proof of that! This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard all month! lol
Love Canal was not the horror story it was made out to be.
First of all the problem arose not because of anything the chemical company did, although they got blamed and were ordered to pay a hefty price to clean up. It was caused by local and state agencies:
http://reason.com/archives/2010/02/21/love-canal-three-decades-later
Secondly reports of health problems were greatly exaggerated and/or made up:
Jack is absolutely right. Regulation is stifling innovation. Business special interests ARE attempting to protect themselves from INSANE regulatiuon devised by idiots who expect a perfect world with zero mistakes, something that can never be achieved no matter how many regulations we write.
Love Canal is a perfect example of this idiocy. Reams of regulations have been written since the chemical spill at Love Canal.
Most of the fear mongering has been done by leftist progressive control freaks. Often they are out for every dime they can squeeze from both the public, our tax money used for grants, loan guarantees, and subsidies, and businesses in the form of fees, licensing, fines, and unreasonable litigation.
And that word, unreasonable, is the word that comes up most for me. So much of what is demanded is unreasonable.
RE Toby: “How about our local BS law about having a fire in your fireplace to warm your house!”
Unfortunately the cold periods coincide with conditions that cause the smoke to hover and persist.
You know when energy prices were lower more people could afford to run their modern heating equipment. Too bad this president and his little green pals want our energy to be super expensive. They have to know that people will do what they need to do and for the best price they can find.
The wife and I went out Saturday night looking at Christmas lights and I was happy to smell wood smoke in just about every neighborhood we visited. It occurred to me that on a cold foggy night it is very hard to tell who is burning and who isn’t. Is this one of those brown shirt deals that requires neighbors to inform on neighbors?
dickwitman I missed this earlier: “Some people pick up a piece of trash on the street, some people throw it down. Which kind of person are you?”
If you compare the DC Mall following the Obama inauguration, any leftist/green protest, any “occupy” space, and areas temorarily used by the Tea Party you will immediately know which persons “throw it down”!!!
Your brain has been filled with bunk!