Agree with you RAH, and in addition to that the fine structure that is designed to instill fear in small business and individuals. Often the punishment, or at least the threat of it, far exceeds the crime often times. The fines for multinational corporations is probably fine, but tens of thousands of dollars a day for an individual that cleaned out the ditch on the back of his property from the day he did it three years ago?

When you incent any agency, private or government, to maximize income to perpetuate their own jobs and livlihood, you get what you incent for. Usually this is a good thing in private enterprise. We call it capitalism. But when government agencies have incentives to maximize revenue, they loose sight of the purpose they are supposed to serve, which is the public good.

Policing for profit is another example where in some areas police need to confiscate property to fund salries and pensions. They focus on generating income instead of public good.

This is why I believe no government agency should be able to keep any fine money. All fines should go to whatever the main governing agency is (local, state or federal) and the elected public servants determine agency budgets to live within. This would stop the "government within the government" mission creep because the elected officials could always tighten the purse string to rein in an out of control agency, or give them more money if they wanted them to do more. When they are allowed to create their own income stream, they can become semi autonomous. I think that is where the EPA has been for years.

When a government agency has fear as its main enforcement component, rather than public good cooperation attitude, it is no wonder they are not well accepted.

Last edited by snrub; 03/01/17 07:49 AM.
John

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