Selection 33

At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima or Why Political Questions Are Not All Economic

Mark Sagoff

This article is about the economic and political decisions we make regarding the environment. In the opening paragraph it lists cases where they have been applied such as the community of Lewiston, N.Y., where the Manhattan Project chemicals were buried without the knowledge of future residents. We have an environmental problem when a resource is not allocated in equitable and efficient ways. In political and economic decision making, sometimes seen as one, our approach of environmental policy is based on the consumers values. "The ultimate measure of environmental quality is the value people place on these services or their willingness to pay." We support decisions with a cost-benefit analysis, where the benefits out way the costs. This is widely supported, except when dealing with regulations vs. employees having a safe and healthful working environment, then this can be altered to ensure protection of the workers. Like in the American Textile Manufacturer vs. Donovan case of 1981. Problems have arose with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, where the benefits of the workers did not equal the costs associated to industry and the consumers. The cost-benefit approach treats people of equal worth and may only appear attractive for efficiency. We value public values and the natural environment that depend upon what is right for the community not the individual. This is achieved by supporting the cost-benefit analysis but having the final say in discrepancies allocated to a legislative debate and vote. For this analysis, what is valid is not most views, but how much people are willing to pay for their subjective preferences or wants. In a Kantian approach to ethics, some values are more reasonable to others and hence have a better claim to members of the community. Therefore, both values and beliefs are either correct or mistaken. The last paragraph in this article goes back to the case of the residents of Lewiston which were given a personal response to their questions and concerns. This response puzzled and confused the residents and it is clear that the cost-benefit analysis alone is not enough to allow us to have the power to act as a nation.