Selection 33 Summary

At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima or Why Political Questions are not all Economic by Mark Sangoff talks about the need for a deeper approach to environmental problems than purely an economic one.He starts by explaining what happened to the community of Lewiston, New York. Radioactive Materials from Manhattan project were buried nearby and when heavy winds blow southerly radon gas is blown into town. This has put the residents at risk of leukemia and related inflictions. Yet corporate officials will not do anything. Between buffalo and Lewiston is a large landfill where no life is found. Overlooking this display is the shrine of our lady Fatima . It is this shrine that mark used for cost benefit analysis. Some people suggest that all environmental problems are when resources cannot be allocated in effeicent ways. This way of thinking is completely at the level of the consumer. They value only what the market can price such as a condo on the beach or a snowmobile for the mountains. This Poses the question, how do you value open space. He then says that each of us have two different ways of thinking. We think as a consumer and as a citizen. the consumer thinks of their individual wants while the citizen acts for the community. He says these dual ways of thinking constantly conflict. For example he voted for passing a bill to tax gas for funding of public transit then he continues to drive his gas guzzling cars. He then asks should the public economy serve the ideals of the citizen or the consumer. He then talks about how the court will take the side of the cost beneficial party instead of passing regulations. Such as when regulations for the amount of cotton dust emitted by a textile manufacturer was declined because it wasn't cost beneficial. He believes the government should do more to balance economic with ideological, aesthetic and moral goals. he then talks about how corners on safety because its cost beneficial . The amount of benzene was limited from 10-1 ppm in 1977 but late the American petroleum institute made a case that was more cost beneficial. This approach treats people as equals but as equals with no value except for their willingness to pay. The ancient world focused more on the community while today we go the other direction. Economist argue there role as policy makers because they are impartial to competing values. Sangoff states we must use our knowledge, wisdom, morality and taste to come up with policies not solely based on whose willing to pay the right price. "No matter how much your willing to pay 3 will never be the square root of 6."