Years ago, it was understood that some people preferred to smoke. Some preferred to be vegan. Some preferred to eat meat. Some preferred electric cars, some preferred a powerful truck to pull a horse trailer.
A live and let live attitude seems to be fading. Governments at various levels are now in the habit of setting deadlines for new restrictions, bans and mandates.
Smoking bans, plastic bag bans, gun bans, federal toilet regulations, bottled water bans, mandates on what sort of vehicle you may drive.
All this, while we are told that US military operations in distant lands are somehow linked to American rights and freedoms.
One Size Fits All
Federal tax money:
December 8, 2022 The Daily World
Dept. of Ag invests $6.3M to purchase Ocean Shores hotel
$6.3 million “to fund the acquisition of an existing hotel. Marathon Enterprises Inc. is located in Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor County, Washington. The project is expected to result in saving eight jobs and creating one full time job.”
$6.3 million in federal cash for a used hotel results in saving eight jobs and creating one full time job? Seems like free enterprise might be better at moving things along Re: hotel properties.
Love to see newspeople ask: Is there any shortage of lodging facilities in this community?
Gas Cans
School children are taught about a free enterprise system. They grow up to find out that the federal government will tell them what kind of shower head they must install in the bathroom, and what type of gas can they must buy for their generator.
If The Troops defend our freedoms, should we ask the Joint Chiefs of Staff to bring back the Free Enterprise System?
0:20
Probably designed by some bureaucrat that never mowed a yard:
Cars
Gov. Inslee plans to ban gas-powered cars by 2035.
Your Toilet
Your Shower Head
“In 1992, a federal mandate limited the amount of water that could flow from a replacement shower head to 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM). Some state and local governments mandate even lower GPM flow rates than the federal regulation.”
Your Light Bulbs
“The Department of Energy has recently set new standards for light bulb manufacturers.”
Plastic Bags
Central authority hands down one size fits all rules for retailers and consumers: Allowed and banned bags
“Download an accessible toolkit in one of 17 languages”
Your Lawn Mower
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its regulations for emissions from “small spark-ignition engines”—that is, your lawn mower or tractor and other outdoor power equipment.”
Heating Your Home
Washington State Ban on Natural Gas Heating
Central Control Of The Rental Property You Own
They are working on it:
“In addition, landlords must pay a registration fee of $70 to register a unit, plus a fee of $15 for each additional unit.”
“In addition, if a landlord does not register the property, they would not be able to legally evict a tenant from the rental.”
“The money raised by registration fees would be used to assist with programs that provide legal representation in evection cases, assist local government with inspections of rentals, or for administrative purposes only.”
Possibly related:
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
Seems like most people carry a smart phone. These are always improving. They are extremely popular with consumers. An honest demand for products requires no helping hand from the government. No tax incentive, no public relations and promotional campaigns. Let’s go with the free enterprise system. Let’s go with industries that specialize in making people happy.
US federal government:
A man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment.
Since that time, both major parties have taken turns in power and have squandered credibility that would help in the current situation.
We were told we needed to send troops to Vietnam.
Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.
Some may have become skeptical along the way.
Some continue to ask questions:
An old favorite:
Unfortunately, the federal government often gets things wrong. Some may say they have an incentive to do so.
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Response: Large DOD and Homeland Security budgets ever since.
It feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
KUOW Aug 10, 2017
Why did it change? Too much gas powered lawn equipment?
Local papers have stripped away all comments from past articles, and removed the opportunity to post comments to new articles.
Various newspapers in the Puget Sound area have gone with this trend.
Honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion.
Suppressing comments, getting away from asking questions related to public policy and telling us they need more support from subscription and advertising sales.
Got it.
Newspeople have moved away from asking basic public policy questions.
Our local TV news today is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Newspeople post this statement as is.
A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
Cliff Mass Weather Blog
Mar 16, 2023
Serious Climate Misinformation In Seattle Time Headline Article
Mar 03, 2022
Misinformation about Sea Level Rise
Dec 13, 2022
More Climate Misinformation and Factual Errors in the Seattle Times. Should You Care?
Dec 29, 2022
The Origin of Seattle and Tacoma Flooding This Week
Photo at top of page:
Occasionally looking for the Coupeville Ferry
Coupeville/Penn Cove is on the eastern shore of Whidbey Island-no ferry link to Port Townsend exists there.
Also Coupeville:
Love to see newspeople ask:
When is the last time all of Penn Cove was safe for recreational shellfish harvest?
Image above: 1/2/2023
Source/Daily Status Reports: Washington State Department of Health Shellfish Safety Map
Click image once or twice to show detail.
Background
Several Whidbey beaches remain closed all year long for recreational shellfish harvest because of sewage treatment outfall.
Sewage treatment outfall. Not stormwater. Not climate change.
Reporting on this topic appears to be completely off limits to the press.
View the Washington State Department of Health beach list here.
Coupeville
“Clams, mussels and oysters CLOSED year-round.”
“This beach is within the closure area for a sewage treatment plant outfall and is unsafe for recreational shellfish harvesting.”
Source: WDFW
North side of Penn Cove at Monroe Landing
“Clams, mussels and oysters CLOSED year-round.”
“This beach is within the closure area for a sewage treatment plant outfall and is unsafe for recreational shellfish harvesting.”
Source: WDFW
Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time.
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Has anyone ever seen the Puget Sound area press ask questions about Whidbey water quality impacted by sewage treatment plant outfalls?
Has anyone ever seen any government agency, elected official or volunteer organization seeking answers related to one or more sewage treatment plants sending unsafe product into the waters near Whidbey Island?
Distance learning idea:
Podcast 4 Another Month With An R – Whidbey Sewage Treatment Plant Outfalls
Whidbey Waters – Mixed Signals of Concern
Related:
A photo tour of Penn Cove here:
Wastewater Treatment Plant – Department of Ecology Award For Outstanding Performance
Goodbye Free Enterprise System
Possibly of interest:
4 Stories The Puget Sound Press Will Not Question Or Report On