Subject:
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Re: Government vs Corporations - Was: (Re: Art Debate)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sun, 16 Jan 2000 02:21:15 GMT
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Viewed:
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2418 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Frank Filz writes:
> James Brown wrote:
> > Tobacco companies, in general.
> > Here in Alberta there is a waste management facility for hazerdous waste
> > (Can't recall the name off-hand - will hunt it down) that has had
> > containment leaks into the surrounding community. Individuals in this
> > community have gotten cancers that are fairly directly traceable back to
> > the leaks.
> >
> > These aren't to the same extent, but they are the same variety. But then -
> > we don't give corporations as much power as we do governments. Under a
> > libertarian system, this would change, and I have yet to see any solid
> > reasoning why the abuse of power that corporations engage in will not
> > increase in scope as the power we grant them increases in scope. I don't
> > buy the personal liability arguement.
>
> Libertarianism expects that companies will be held liable for the
> damages they do. Unfortuanately, government currently shields
> corporations and their officers (and the scary part is that some people
> want even MORE shielding). This was one of my sticking points to
> accepting Libertarianism earlier.
How do you hold a company's officers liable? If company X spills toxic goo
into a river, who is responsible? The worker who didn't close the valve? The
supervisor who didn't make sure it got closed? The process engineer who put
the valve near the river? The mechanical engineer for not designing a valve
with a safety shutoff? The safety officer for not having an alarm in place?
The PR person for not issuing a pulic warning soon enough?
This is an example of why I don't think personal liability is a sufficient
check. In any large organisation it is very difficult, bordering on impossible
in some cases, to track down who exactly is responsible for any given event.
> That waste management facility should have the pants sued off it, and
> management should be hung out to dry (if it really is true that they
> have irresponsibly allowed leaks to occur, which they probably have).
I believe it did/is. But as above, how do you determine that management is to
blame? They're several layers removed from the source, and certainly not
directly responsible.
James
http://www.shades-of-night.com/lego/
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