Once you make a mess you clean it up.

This should just be part of the way business is done. Instead, we are told that if industry was forced to be responsible for cleaning up its own messes it would be too much of a financial burden. Other arguments claim that the economy would suffer. Or we can't afford to clean up because it's bad for business.

I know want to be able to buy as much stuff for as little money as possible. Hell, I know I do. But cheaper is rarely better and for the economic gain that we think we are achieving, there are monumental costs piled up someplace else.

Since the superfund tax on industry that helped pay for cleaning up the worst pollution sites in the US was allowed to fade off into the smog-tainted sunset by the brilliant minds that brought us W The President, industry is no longer liable for the payment of damages due to their process.

Yep, that's right: When an area of this country is so polluted that the Federal Government is forced to act, then you know it must be bad to force the Federal Government into action. And take a wild guess who pays for the clean up. Yep, the great American taxpayer.

So, how do you feel about your cheap energy now? Or that great deal you got on some trinket? You paid for it up front and now you have to pay for the cleanup of the company that made it on the back end. And not only do you pay for the clean up of what you bought, you help pay for the cleanup of stuff you have never heard of.

Now, I grant you if industry is forced to clean up its own messes the cost will most certainly be passed on to us, the consumer. Myself, I would rather pay a little extra at the check out counter knowing that the products I buy are being produced in a responsible manner. The alternative, which is our reality, is that we are paying for products not being produced responsibly and still paying for the cleanup. So what do we do to remedy this problem?

1. Know who you are doing business with. Look at who produces the products you buy and find out if they are made responsibly by a reliable company or not.

2. If you can't find a company that produces what you use in a responsible way, find yourself another product or method to achieve the service you need.

3. If all else fails and you can find no company that produces what you need in a way that makes sense for you either live with it or learn to live without it.

Make the changes you can. Every little step in the right direction is still a step in the right direction.