[lbo-talk] Punishment without alternatives ...

[John Thornton]

Jordan Hayes wrote:
> Just a quick followup to my point earlier this week about the merit of 
> providing punishment without providing alternatives, this example struck 
> me as related.
>
> The City of Palo Alto, CA outlawed the use of gas-powered leaf-blowers 
> within the city limits for two seemingly reasonable reasons: they are 
> noisy, and the gas engines used in them are very dirty.[*]
>
> The other day a friend of mine reported seeing a City crew out working 
> with an electric blower on the median of a major street in Palo Alto. 
> So far, so good, right?  But: how did he get the electricity?  Well of 
> course he was tethered to a 50' extension cord leading to ... wait for 
> it ... a gas-powered 5KW generator.  Which is of course noisier than the 
> portable leaf-blowers and more polluting, because it's the same 
> technology yet bigger engine that runs constantly instead of just when 
> the operator is blowing hard.
>
> Not to get into the whole "people shouldn't use leaf blowers" bit, I 
> find these kinds of things hilarious.
>
> /jordan
>
> [*] Here's an article that points out the difficulty of getting the 
> details right before making decisions that feel, in your gut, "right" 
> ...
>
> http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-150583316.html 

Under what definition of dirtier is a 4 stroke gasoline generator 
dirtier than a 2 stroke gasoline leaf-blower?
Ceteris paribus 4 strokes are much cleaner and quieter per cc of 
displacement than 2 strokes.
Maybe this is a rare 2 stroke 5Kw generator?
I think the onus to demonstrate that this is not actually an improvement 
is upon anyone who wished to make this claim.
I see it as an improvement for the following reason.
4 stroke motors are cleaner and quieter and I've never seen a 2 stroke 
generator nor a 4 stroke leaf-blower.

John Thornton