Liberty to Pollute

Conservatives quote the U.S. Constitution saying they are working to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution.  There is a dialogue of reason, justification and meaning constructed by Conservatives to support an individual’s right to live without government interference.  The legacy of WWII focuses on liberty and the liberation of Europe from the Nazis.  

Since the 24th Century BC, over 4,372 years ago, people have looked to governance to combat corruption and establish a legal code to protect freedom and liberty. Specifically a legal code designed to protect citizens from the rich and powerful.

However, Conservatives focus on a modern, materialistic definition of economic liberty where the individual has the right to operate in a market free of constraint.  The ideal of the market operating without corruption and injustice is assumed.

In the 21st Century, Conservatives have extended the idea of liberty to corporations and allowed them to externalize costs.  For example, corporations have the liberty to pollute the air, water and land that the public uses unless the government represents the public good and steps in to limit or stop the pollution.  Then corporations have to internalize the costs and that is criticized as an infringement on liberty.

Conservatives have decided that science is being used to infringe on liberty by limiting the freedom of free enterprise.  They are fighting for the liberty to pollute the commons.  They are fighting for the liberty of individuals and corporations to externalize waste to keep costs down.  Science has shown that the liberty to pollute is limiting the freedom of the public to clean air, clean water and clean land.  Science is working to secure the blessings of liberty for everyone.  Conservatives are working to secure the blessings of liberty to a select few individuals and businesses.

Externalizing waste is a market failure that can be balanced by government regulation of pollution to correct for “negative externalities” and bring those costs into the market system.

¹ "Urukagina." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urukagina>.