Need more facts on that one. What were the weather conditions? What was he burning?
“Need more facts on that one. What were the weather conditions? What was he burning? “
Weather was damp. But the pit had been in use for years under other tenants. They had just moved in. But household trash. It is against the law to burn Publix bags, which is what he had among other things. But the neighbor who was upset with their barking dog called the EPA. The EPA put out the fire and sifted all the way to the bottom. They found evidence of other plastic.
The point is, the criminal charge alone would affect future employment. But the fines took away his driver’s license and thus, his job and thus his ability to pay rent, electric and food. In a stroke his ability to survive and his family where affected for life. Should any agency have that ability? And, why? So we can have even more government employees sucking at the taxpayer’s teat.
Ultimately, all of this took a family that was making it on their own and made them wards of the state.
And, another thought is, what should a go-to-prison offense be? Should any agency, no matter how obscure, be allowed so send somebody to prison by simply writing a regulation? Regulations are not laws. There are thousands upon thousands of pages of regulations, many of them poorly written. How can we all be responsible for knowing the contents of regulations it would take several lifetimes to even read?
Did the Founders intend for local agencies to have the power to destroy a citizen’s entire life? For burning trash? Or catching the wrong kind or size of fish out of season?
I watched what I thought was a gopher tortoise lay eggs in my driveway. So they wouldn’t be destroyed I called a friend who has a federal permit to move wildlife. He told me how to handle them and to call the local wildlife museum. After handling them as instructed I called the state museum. The curator told me; “You don’t have a gopher tortoise. Do you know how I know? If you did and you touched the eggs, even to stop their destruction, I would have to report you and you would face a year in jail and a ten thousand dollar fine.” I said, “what do I do with these eggs.” He said, “make an omelet.”