I spoke at a high school about a large toxic industrial waste dump site. It covers 130 acres, and was 60 feet deep, thanks to an area defense industry. The school was holding a "mock trial," to determine if the industry was "guilty" and responsible for the clean-up.
The "defense" was led by the son of a local attorney, and coordinated with their star witness from the industry. I was the "prosecutor's" star witness. When I was being cross-examined, the boy became frustrate, and asked, "Isn't it true that you are a socialist?" Ooh, baby! Felt like I was back in the boxing ring, and my opponent had just made a mistake that he would now pay dearly for.
I said that "socialism" was an interesting term. I had, for example, come to the school on a public highway, not a private turnpike. And he was attending a public school, rather than a private one, making him a student of socialism. That education, I said, would hopefully help him understand the dynamics in play in this case.
The industry had sued the EPA in 1998 -- the first case involving the EPA's MWP -- in federal court. I had assisted the EPA legal team, in that I could document the industry's activities at the site from 1963 to 1978 (two years after the site was closed by the federal government). Not surprising, the industry won. Three towns and one village were going to have to pay for cleaning up the industry's mess.
I asked the kid: if I had a private industry in my home, and dumped toxic wastes on my neighbor's property, who should pay for the clean-up? Me, my neighbor, or the local community? He said that I should of course. I said that would be actual "free enterprise," where one makes a profit or a loss. But having others pay for my mess, while I kept the profits .....what was that? Is it not socialism?
The boy ran from the theater crying.
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