At least in Russia, once you pay the protection money, you get the protection. Here, after OSHA’s done with you, the EPA shows up, then DOJ, then the city inspectors, then the guys from the state EPA - you’re never free of yet one more bite of your business.
“They don’t let you live!”
You got that right. Some years ago when my husband was putting up his car repair building, he had to jump through hoop after hoop. Departments contradicting each other too. The water/sewer could have been hooked up 1/2 block east at no cost to us but the city insisted it be hooked up 1/2 block west which cost $9,000. No reason, just because. They insisted we put a retention pond in at the west side of the property even though the water ran down the road in the easterly direction. Ok, whatever you say. Now years later we want to sell the building and they say, “the water isn’t flowing to the retention pond, you need to put in a dry well”!! It’s a wonder anybody even bothers to open a business.