04-01-2009, 05:38 AM
Hi,
My guess is that the state employees have nothing to gain by skipping the test. They get paid by the hour, not by the test; they're gonna be there all day anyway. If they fudge the test and get caught, it's probably their job at risk. The 'private' inspectors take a chunk out of the inspection fee. The faster they do the inspection, the more they make. The fastest way to do the job is to do no job at all. And since it represents a small (but easy) bit of income, it is no big deal if they lose their license.
That's the rub with government systems and economic theories. They work very well on paper, but not nearly as well with people. If Everyman was Jefferson, we'd need no government at all. But, as Hamilton saw all too clearly (maybe because he actually spent some time in the trenches) most men are not Jefferson.
Not that I disagree with you. But I think that it isn't all as black and white as you sometimes present it. As always, the devil is in the details.
--Pete
Quote:Would it not work to just have the government certify and license the private food inspectors?I don't see why not. OTOH, when I lived in Georgia, we had motor vehicle inspections (annually I think). The inspections were performed at state licensed gas stations and garages. It didn't take long to degenerate into a farce. Walk in, ask for 'inspection', pay $10 (or whatever), get sticker, leave. Often, the 'inspector' didn't even bother to look at the car (or even leave his booth). Here in Washington, we have emission test every other year. The test is conducted at a state owned facility by state employees. The tests are, in my experience, well run, relatively accurate, and through. State 1, free enterprise 0.
My guess is that the state employees have nothing to gain by skipping the test. They get paid by the hour, not by the test; they're gonna be there all day anyway. If they fudge the test and get caught, it's probably their job at risk. The 'private' inspectors take a chunk out of the inspection fee. The faster they do the inspection, the more they make. The fastest way to do the job is to do no job at all. And since it represents a small (but easy) bit of income, it is no big deal if they lose their license.
That's the rub with government systems and economic theories. They work very well on paper, but not nearly as well with people. If Everyman was Jefferson, we'd need no government at all. But, as Hamilton saw all too clearly (maybe because he actually spent some time in the trenches) most men are not Jefferson.
Quote:There would still be some administrative over head, but nothing like the FDA. The government can act as the law maker, and regulator without supplying all the bodies to do the work.Maybe, maybe not. I wonder how many inspectors it would have taken to fix Georgia's auto inspection fiasco (they finally just gave up and dropped it, IIRC).
Not that I disagree with you. But I think that it isn't all as black and white as you sometimes present it. As always, the devil is in the details.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?