Food-and Government-Waste

In this morning's Crain's Insider (subsc.), Comptroller Liu revives the idea of food waste disposers: "LIU'S TAKE: City Comptroller John Liu cheers the proposed expansion of the city's recycling program but says it should do more for small businesses—such as allow them to grind biodegradable waste with enzyme catalysts for disposal through the city sewage system. The Department of Environmental Protection has fought off that proposal for at least a decade."

Now wouldn't it figure with the tax spend and regulate crowd down at City Hall, that the one measure that could help to-and not in an insignificant way-make local food stores more profitable is stymied by bureaucratic stupidity down at the Hike Up the Water Rates DEP. But, instead of reducing the regulatory burdens on supermarkets and other purveyors of fresh fruits and vegetables, the city continues to add more-with plastic bag mandates and sick leave requirements that are sure to escalate business costs even further.

But, not to fear. As we commented on yesterday, the Feds are ready to pour millions into a new construction mania that will-but only in an alternative theoretical universe model-generate 273 new supermarkets in NYC. Sure, take more of our tax dollars-along with the fine monies that are into the tens of millions-but promise that we shouldn't worry, because the supermarkets that are disappearing today, under a crushing regulatory and tax burden, will be replaced by national chains subsidized by the dollars that were extorted from the existing store owners.

The economic demise of NYC, if it were to happen, would be explained by the mindset that sees the need to regulate, control, and appropriate-all in the interests of a hapless public in need of guidance. Food waste isn't the only putrescible in this equation.