What Will They Think of Next?

Trey Smith

A proposed South African law would make any weather forecast about severe weather or air pollution not authorized by the government-funded South African Weather Service (SAWS) subject to five years in prison and a $630,000.00 fine. The law would affect TV weather forecasters, online services like Weather.com, and community based weather services. Talk about a government sponsored monopoly.

And a monopoly with a purpose. Only SAWS generated text message warnings and radar images are approved, and, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, these are available to the public only after paying a subscription fee. Given South Africa’s arid climate and its summer’s fast-moving thunderstorms, this information is vital to the farm and the business communities. The information now comes with a government set price tag. I’d call it a weather tax.
~ from Freeze Warning: South African Law Makes Unauthorized Weather Forecasts Illegal by Mark Esposito ~

Have you ever heard of something as crazy this? When I first read it, I fell out of my chair. How on earth does this serve the public welfare?

Once I scrambled up off the floor, I felt a bit embarrassed. I'm such a silly boy! I forgot that the very idea of government serving the people equitably is such an outmoded and ancient concept. That's not the role of government anymore; no, it's to bleed the people as dry as possible.

Once I realized my obvious mistake, this proposed law makes perfect sense. I mean, who do the South African people think they are? Kings and queens? Why would they think that something as vital as weather information shouldn't be for sale?

These days everything else is!!!

Why not severe weather forecasts and alerts?