Controlled thermostats in California, meatless Mondays in Maryland and mandatory health insurance for all Americans are just a few of the things the smart people are forcing down our throats these days so it's no surprise that the city of Cleveland is now going to sift through the garbage  of it's residents to make sure they are recycling. As Mark Gillispie of the Plain Dealer reports, the city is going to install chips in your dumpsters.  "The chips will allow city workers to monitor how often residents roll carts to the curb for collection. If a chip show a recyclable cart hasn't been brought to the curb in weeks, a trash supervisor will sort through the trash for recyclables."  Gillispie goes on to desribe the program and it's alleged benefits to the environment, but his quote from city officals says it all.  "Recycling is good for the environment and the city's bottom line, officials said. Cleveland pays $30 a ton to dump garbage in landfills, but earns $26 a ton for recyclables."  Good for the city's bottom line?  Are they serious?  What about the citizens of Cleveland's bottom lines.  I guess the fact that their 9.3% unemployment rate is 0.2% less than the national average means they are doing just fine.

Just when you thought this story couldn't get worse, Waste Collection Commissioner Ronnie Owens says that the Division of Waste Collection is on track "to meet its goal of issuing 4,000 citations this year".  You mean they actually have a goal for the number of times they catch people not properly recycling?  I guess they have to as Owens says, "We're trying to make sure Cleveland stays clean and residents are properly informed on how these things should be set out," he said. "By issuing these tickets, it's helping us change the attitude or perception  (italics added by The Forgotten Man) on how things should be set out."