The above article is a fascinating foray into our sense of entitlement in this county. It is interesting to me that we have liberals demanding things for free and conservatives demanding that the government give them things - but no one else. I wish I could have highlighted several passages in the above article, such as when someone notes that they pay "$60 per month" and they want their toilet to flush, and that they do not care how the water system works. $60 is nothing. We spend obscene amounts, as the article notes, on upgraded TV packages, and cannot cough up enough to pay to keep us watered safely?
As I said. Sense of entitlement. We believe that, since we have always had water for cheap, it is a right for which we do not have to pay. This problem extends to lots of things, including libraries, roads, schools, etc. I think we should be guaranteed equal access to these things, that no one should be discriminated against in using them, and even that the poor should receive help in obtaining them. I am frustrated, however, by the fact that we do not recognize the cost to provide what we take for granted.
How do we solve this? My goal would be to send taxpayers an itemized bill listing their approximate share of different costs and whether they pay more or less than their fair share. This would include roads and schools, but also defense, diplomatic missions, and even trade agreements (which the rich probably 'use' more). This would overall probably cause a whole new array of problems, but at least people would know the cost of providing government services.
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