Truck spills treated human waste across Flat Rock city block
Read this link http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw113375_20050323.htm
We need to stop Canada from bringing their trash in!
What do you think?
psci105.blog
This is the course weblog for my section of PSCI 105 (Critical Thinking About Politics) at Western Michigan University.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
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7 Comments:
I'm from that neighborhood. To be honest, the spill doesn't make much of a difference. No harm, no foul.
Canada transports their garbage to us? That is one of the most peculiar things I've read in a long time. I could see recyclable materials if they don't have a good program. But their garbage? Why would we even take that? I really hope we're being well compinsated for the service. But wow. That's a new one.
Not so new -- Canada's been shipping its trash here for years. I've always been iffy about it -- maybe we have plenty of room at our landfills, but it can't last forever. I'd be interested seeing just how much room we have, and how much Michigan is getting paid for this. Both numbers would have to be very high for me to be satisfied. At the very least, maybe we should cut back on the "hundreds of truckloads of trash" the article says come in each day.
As for your comment, paco, if you're saying we shouldn't do it because of spills like that, I'm not sure I agree. Accidents happen, and this was just one incident. Besides, Keith said the damage isn't severe.
Okay, people -- I must be missing something obvious. How do you make a new post on this thing?
I am taking this environment class and there has been this talk about shipping the garbage from US to Africa because they have more deserts and empty lands away from puplic where we can get rid of all this trash. The cost outweighs the pollution of this garbage on the long run.
So Canada is sending us our garbage and we want to send our garbage to the Sahara? Are we completely out of import/export ideas or what?
Here is a link from February regarding Senator Stabenow's efforts to stop garbage from Canada. http://www.detnews.com/2003/specialreport/0302/13/d01-83949.htm
Yes, we are being compensated, because it is considered "trade". The reason that Michigan is unable to stop the importing of Canadian trash is the North American Free Trade Agreement. Our Federal government has said that the state has no say in Federal agreements. This article is slighlty dated because now the number of trucks coming in from Canada is nearly 180 per day.
Another concern, other than the garbage, is the terrorist threat. With all of the trucks coming over, there is not enough time in one day to sufficiently check the shipments for terrorists or bombs. They aren't even being checked for hazardous waste (like nuclear). We are allowing Michigan to be completely open for environmental and terrorist damage, all in the name of free trade.
As for the spill, I agree that accidents happen. On the other hand, why would we increase our risk of accident by allowing another country's human waste to come here? We have enough problems keeping track of our own waste.
Just because Keith said the damage isn't severe does not mean that is true. This sounds like a logical fallacy, unless Keith is an expert on environmental spills. Anytime human waste in that amount is spilled, it is a big deal. The neighborhood was treated like a toilet, and I think our standards are higher than that. We have programs in place so that we don't use our yards and roads as toilets because it is unsanitary and unhealthy to live, play and work around our feces. The spill also cost $10,000 to clean up, with no guarantee of reimbursement from Canada.
Whoa. Slow down. I was just making a joke about my old neighborhood. Nothing worth focusing an argument on. Really, it is an interesting issue. I think that Canada should be liable for the damages, provided it was their truck and their driver. However, if it was a Michigan truck and local driver who went to Canada to pick the garbage up, then it's our problem. But again, this is new to me, so I don't have a lot of knowledge on the matter. That just makes sense.
And as long as my credibility is an issue, you're right. I have none. I'm an independent fiction writer, and although I do donate half of my royalties to various non-profit organizations (including environmental groups), my knowledge is limited. But I do date a biologist. Does that count for anything? (: Sorry. Being independent, I can't help but plug myself. And this blog is proving useful for some good source material. Thanks for that.
It is amazing as to how one garbage truck spilling feces on a road can escalate into something so enormous. Initially, it's congestion in traffic. Then, the question of space in landfills and collateral damage, followed by the problems of NAFTA and potential terrorist threats. All of this because the breaks locked on a single truck. Then again, you guys seem a lot more knowledgeable than I. But at the very least, had that truck not spilled, I never would've even known. Fascinating.
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