The Amazing Waste
In October of last year, I wrote about St. Louis County's plan to create a series of monopolies, where previously we had a free market. They provided a list of reasons they were doing this, none of which made any logical or financial sense, all of which were beyond the scope of the government's authority.
Today I read an excellent article in St. Louis Magazine. I was completely flabbergasted by a comment made by John Haasis, who is the manager of the Solid Waste Management Program for St. Louis County, so I wrote him the following letter:
Dear Mr. Haasis,
Today I read Matthew Halverson's article in St. Louis Magazine entitled "The Amazing Waste." Here is a brief quote from this article:
"We don't want you to pick who our hauler is. It's our American right. It's our right from God to pick who hauls our trash." [John] Haasis sighs again. "Last time I checked," he says, "it's not in the Bill of Rights."
Mr. Haasis, I sincerely hope that you were either misquoted or this was your attempt at humor. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. But if you were serious, and you truly believe this, please allow me to briefly educate you on our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. To quote the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution:
Amendment 9:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment 10:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
So as you can plainly see, the right to choose one's trash hauler (and any other good or service in the free market) is in the Bill of Rights. We the People retain this right since it is not expressly prohibited. The Constitution is there solely as a check on the government's power, not the People's.
This may not seem to be a serious matter to you, but since you are a government employee, your attitude regarding issues like this must be consistent with the founding principles of this country. If you run afoul of our founding documents, or demonstrate ignorance of them, it only serves to reinforce the already strong public perception that government isn't the solution, it's the problem -- especially on an issue as contentious as the one covered by this article. There are plenty of County residents who would read that (myself included) and conclude that there is no hope for an equitable solution to the trash problem (if it really is a problem) because our County government is populated by imbeciles who have no respect for the rights of the very People they are supposed to be serving.
As I said, I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. If you care to respond, and let me know that your words were in jest, or simply poorly chosen, all will be forgiven.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jerry A. Pipes
If I receive a response, I will post it here.
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