Government is primarily a monopoly utility and
service company with a very limited scope of activities. The primary, constitutional,
legitimate functions of government include supplying water, sewers, roads,
highways and bridges. Utilization by citizens is high
In addition, government provides laws, courts
to resolve disputes, police, ambulance service, fire protection and military
defense. Utilization by citizens is low.
Government spending on everything else is
questionable.
Roads
Grants to States in the form of printed and
borrowed “stimulus” dollars have doubled the cost of road construction and
repair over the past few years. Strings attached to these grants also require
unnecessary engineering and planning costs along with other unnecessary
elements. There is a push for public subsidized transit expansion, but private
unsubsidized transit is where we need to go.
Asphalt roads need to be maintained to
prevent failures in the base layer next to the road bed. Milling and resurfacing every 25 years is
required to prevent deterioration. If
roads are not maintained properly, they cost double to repair. The cost should
be $75,000 per lane mile to mill and resurface and $150,000 per lane mile to
replace the base, mill and resurface.
Most roads are too narrow to allow government
equipment to pass. Government is using
bike lanes as a federal funding mechanism to widen roads. It would be cheaper to buy narrower
government vehicles.
Sidewalks
Government is happy to build sidewalks and
then have you, the homeowner pay for their repair later. Sidewalks encroach on private property. Easements are not a good deal for homeowners.
We need enough for kids to walk or bike to school, but government did away with
“neighborhood schools” when they broke up K through 8 elementary schools.
Storm Sewers
Existing storm sewer pipes are corrugated
steel that deteriorates in 25 years. New
storm sewer replacement is accomplished with better pipe that will last 100
years.
Lakes & Creeks
Unfortunately, government regards lakes and
creeks as easy venues for their storm sewer systems. Lakes need to be dredged
every 25 years. It can cost
$30,000. Governments don’t like to pay
for dredging, they like to charge for dredging.
Creeks can require a stream buffer. This is another EPA abuse of homeowners. Piping a creek and connecting it to the storm
sewer system is better for homeowners.
Dirty Sewers
The sewer line that comes out of your house
is separate from the storm sewer system.
It runs to the water treatment plant to remove excrement and garbage.
These need to be maintained.
Water Treatment
A septic tank and sand filter systems is a
common water treatment system in the exurbs.
Closer to cities, dirty sewer water is piped to a county water treatment
plant. Storm sewer systems also deliver
water to treatment plants. Jefferson County Alabama went bankrupt building an
over-the-top EPA ordered water treatment plant.
Water Supply
Wells are still in use to give farmers and
exurbs their own water supply. Closer to
cities, counties have county water and sell it to homeowners. The government has responsibility for
building reservoirs to ensure an ample supply.
Other Necessities
Electricity is provided by public utilities,
but unnecessary government regulations are about to double our electric bills.
Natural gas is also provided by public utilities and sold to homeowners. Food production is being threatened by
government actions.
EPA Overreach
The EPA thinks they can continue to tighten air
and water regulations with unnecessary prohibitions and further violate private
property rights. They are basing their
regulations on the global warming scam and need to be stopped.
Bonds
Government entities overuse Bonds to fund
projects and this creates unnecessary cost.
A 30 year Bond, paying 5% doubles the cost of whatever you build. It acts like a mortgage. Government should set up accrual accounts to
fund projects rather than imposing interest costs to the taxpayers.
Easements
This is your land being given to government by
property developers. These should be
marked on the Plat for your lot. In many
cases the easements are far larger than government will ever need to widen a
road and you are not paid when easements are taken by government. You get to pay the taxes on easement
property, so utilities can use it and government can take it.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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