LOCAL TAXPAYERS CONTINUE TO PAY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL(INDUSTRY) CLEANUPS

Today's K-W Record story "Councils set to help fund cleanup of Waterscape site along Grand River" bothers me to no end. Once more our beleagured taxpayers are paying for the environmental contamination caused by for profit industry. Once again these industries, whether textile mills or former Gas Works operations, have passed their waste disposal costs and cleanup along to the taxpayers while their shareholders cheerfully have pocketed their profits. This is a perversion of free enterprise. This is a perversion of democracy whereby private business owners through lobbying and political donations have tapped into public funds for their personal financial benefit. Business interests have completely captured the political process to the point that they continue to ensure that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Here in the Advocate I have been posting stories regarding this use of taxpayer funds in order to bail out past businesses as well as assist newer ones. From September 15, October 28, December 24, 2010 and January 10 and 13, 2011 there have been numerous news stories on this matter. What dosen't seem to be asked is how and why are these former businesses permitted to walk away from their contaminated sites scot free. What isn't asked is the environmental damage done to our rivers and wildlife. What isn't asked is the extent of human health damage done by these industrial criminals who grossly pollute and then walk away unscathed. Finally what isn't asked is why our governments from municipal to provincial, sit back and let this pollution continue for decades and literally centuries after these industries close. The answer is that our governments are there to protect the interests of the wealthy and influential, not the public's interest. This is the reality.