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Just a side point from the article >When Conner was checking in to his hotel later that night, a ball bounced by on the sidewalk. He was 4 or 5 miles away. I

Just a side point from the article >When Conner was checking in to his hotel later that night, a ball bounced by on the sidewalk. He was 4 or 5 miles away. I have to assume there was so many they never found just left to the ecosystem. As much as I loved bouncy balls as an 80s kid, anytime I see them now it just reminds me of the sheer amount of useless plastic/rubber waste we produce. Even if bouncy balls in and of themselves are a tiny portion of that overall waste. For example I live in the South, Mardi Gras is huge here and after every parade it looks like a god damn war zone of trash and waste left behind for prison labor to clean up as best they can. If it was me I would do a ban on plastic beads entirely as throwable parade objects. > It's quite sad that something that seems like it could be universally enjoyed at the isn't now. IMO at some point we all have to look back at the reality of past actions and be cognizant of our waste and abuse of the planet even if it was a fun time.

timewizard 2y ago
> As much as I loved bouncy balls as an 80s kid, anytime I see them now it just reminds me of the sheer amount of useless plastic/rubber waste we produce. They're not useless. As you've just pointed out you enjoyed them as a kid. For a few cents in plastic how many hours of enjoyment did you get? What was wasted here? > after every parade it looks like a god damn war zone Yea but when you stack up the tax receipts it suddenly looks very worthwhile. > reality of past actions and be cognizant of our waste and abuse of the planet even if it was a fun time. Humans are always going to want to have fun. From my point of view have all the plastic beads you want. It's the nuclear weapons and daily war that gives me pause.
- officeplant 2y ago
  >Yea but when you stack up the tax receipts it suddenly looks very worthwhile. Bleak reminder that I will never jive with the general vibes of HN and the VC trash types polluting the world for a tax write-off.
  - jacobgkau 2y ago
    I can understand your sentiment, but to be fair, he wasn't talking about write-offs, at least how I read it. He was talking about tax revenue generated by the production and sale of those "pollutants." Revenue generation via people paying taxes on things is kind of the opposite of write-offs.
    - s1artibartfast 2y ago
      Exactly, taxes on that fun is what supports food stamps and medicine for the poor, to the extent it is available.
    - officeplant 2y ago
      Ah, I'm thinking of my local understanding that many of the Mardi Gras Krewe's have beads and other objects donated to them for tax write-offs for businesses, or they get the whole float sponsored, etc. >tax revenue generated by the production and sale of those "pollutants." The other local problem being from 1985 to 2024 Mardi Gras beads were sale tax exempt, but we've somewhat closed that loophole to more specific circumstances.[1] [1]https://casetext.com/regulation/louisiana-administrative-code/title-61-revenue-and-taxation/part-i-taxes-collected-and-administered-by-the-secretary-of-revenue/chapter-44-sales-and-use-tax-exemptions/section-i-4416-purchases-of-mardi-gras-specialty-items https://casetext.com/regulation/louisiana-administrative-cod...
      - timewizard 2y ago
        It's a little bit of both actually. The point is when you draw in a massive crowd to a city for an event you generate huge amounts of taxes. Airport taxes, hotel taxes, sales taxes, they all take an appreciable jump. Even without the tax on beads, which as a percentage, was never going to be astronomical, it's around $15 million in sales tax increases alone. The total economic value of Mardi Gras to the city as a whole is estimated around $800m. This, by the way, is true for almost any successful event. For every $1 you invest you generate at least $2 in revenue.
  - timewizard 2y ago

timewizard 2y ago

> As much as I loved bouncy balls as an 80s kid, anytime I see them now it just reminds me of the sheer amount of useless plastic/rubber waste we produce. They're not useless. As you've just pointed out you enjoyed them as a kid. For a few cents in plastic how many hours of enjoyment did you get? What was wasted here? > after every parade it looks like a god damn war zone Yea but when you stack up the tax receipts it suddenly looks very worthwhile. > reality of past actions and be cognizant of our waste and abuse of the planet even if it was a fun time. Humans are always going to want to have fun. From my point of view have all the plastic beads you want. It's the nuclear weapons and daily war that gives me pause.

officeplant 2y ago
>Yea but when you stack up the tax receipts it suddenly looks very worthwhile. Bleak reminder that I will never jive with the general vibes of HN and the VC trash types polluting the world for a tax write-off.
- jacobgkau 2y ago
  I can understand your sentiment, but to be fair, he wasn't talking about write-offs, at least how I read it. He was talking about tax revenue generated by the production and sale of those "pollutants." Revenue generation via people paying taxes on things is kind of the opposite of write-offs.
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    Exactly, taxes on that fun is what supports food stamps and medicine for the poor, to the extent it is available.
  - officeplant 2y ago
    Ah, I'm thinking of my local understanding that many of the Mardi Gras Krewe's have beads and other objects donated to them for tax write-offs for businesses, or they get the whole float sponsored, etc. >tax revenue generated by the production and sale of those "pollutants." The other local problem being from 1985 to 2024 Mardi Gras beads were sale tax exempt, but we've somewhat closed that loophole to more specific circumstances.[1] [1]https://casetext.com/regulation/louisiana-administrative-code/title-61-revenue-and-taxation/part-i-taxes-collected-and-administered-by-the-secretary-of-revenue/chapter-44-sales-and-use-tax-exemptions/section-i-4416-purchases-of-mardi-gras-specialty-items https://casetext.com/regulation/louisiana-administrative-cod...
    - timewizard 2y ago
      It's a little bit of both actually. The point is when you draw in a massive crowd to a city for an event you generate huge amounts of taxes. Airport taxes, hotel taxes, sales taxes, they all take an appreciable jump. Even without the tax on beads, which as a percentage, was never going to be astronomical, it's around $15 million in sales tax increases alone. The total economic value of Mardi Gras to the city as a whole is estimated around $800m. This, by the way, is true for almost any successful event. For every $1 you invest you generate at least $2 in revenue.
- timewizard 2y ago