So much of the pandemic response has been about creating new social programs for business and people. Not surprisingly, government is getting strapped for cash and could use some new forms of income. I have taken it on my self to suggest new forms of income.
Not just any forms of income. Under civil forfeiture laws in the States, the government can seize assets if they just suspect you of a crime. I don’t want my government to become that ridiculous. As such I have come up with my own ways for a government to profit off of the fact there is crime.
One such crime is littering. Every fall the deciduous trees create a huge amount of litter. Their leaves which are pretty while changing colours also, unfortunately, litter the ground. Mostly it’s the homeowner’s tree leaves falling on their own grass. The homeowner picks it up so what’s the problem? Well the wind spreads the leaves around the neighbourhood to places not owned by the tree’s owner. I have two oak leaves on my balcony but cannot even see an oak tree from my balcony. Government is stuck cleaning up some of these leaves, so shouldn’t government get a take from the tree owners?
We could easily charge the tree owners with littering every fall. This would be stream number one of new income for government.
Corrosion and rust robs owners of the longevity they would like to get out of materials they own. Rusting of steel requires water. As such, I think we should fine water companies for this. Not the government owned water companies that produce our tap water (that would be silly), but the for profit bottled water industry, This way we might turn a blind eye toward the plastic pollution of these companies just as we have already been doing. But they will have to pay the rust fines.
Aluminum, for instance, corrodes differently. All it needs is to be in the presence of air in order to corrode. Specifically it needs the oxygen in the air in order to corrode. Fining the makers of oxygen for breathing would be like shooting our older or less fortunate selves in the foot. But we could fine welders, rocket companies, and farmers a fee for the oxygen they make. This would make a second line of new income for our cash starved government.
The third fineable crime I see is the weather. Yes weather has always happened but not as extreme as it is today. One industry does better the worse the weather is. That industry is insurance.
Now most people blame our increased hostile weather on global warming. But the insurance companies know they can charge more for crop insurance and damages from wind, hail and tornadoes if the weather is more extreme. So it is in their best interest to somehow make more extreme weather. But how do they do this without being caught?
Most people have heard about the butterfly effect. That is where a butterfly in Guatemala flaps its wings and this eventually cascades into becoming a tornado in the midwest U.S. Well it is my belief that the insurance companies are paying for millions of butterfly flights a day, hoping for more of those tornadoes.
And you thought insurance companies were there to back you in your time of need! Obviously the government needs to fine the insurance companies for their racketeering. Thus we will have a third stream of new revenue for the government. Thankfully! Or we would have to go to the unthinkable act of taxing rich people.
