Should local taxpayers foot the bill for others to play golf? That was the decision made by one southern suburb earlier this year. Taxes are serious business–don’t pay them, and you go to jail or lose your property. Even so, voters in one Minnesota town have decided that the power of government should be applied so that some people are able to … golf. As […]
Government in business
Socialism on a small scale
For the most part, Americans reject the idea of government ownership of the economy. Yet Minnesotans are comfortable with the idea of government ownership of facilities that provide recreational activities better left with the private sector. It’s not just Minneapolis and Saint Paul that are home to city-owned recreational centers and such. The attitude that “government should go into the business of fun” carries out […]
How about cleaning up after yourself?
If a tree falls in the middle of your property and there’s not a government employee around, will it still be cleaned up? When I returned to town from a recent trip up north, I noticed that many homeowners had placed tree branches, some of them very large, out by the curb. Of course that told me that a significant storm had passed through. But […]
Want to buy a library card?
Municipal governments charge fees for golf courses, water parks, and other services. Why not for libraries? Think for a minute why governments charge fees for the recreational facilitites they run. Golf courses require regular (that is, daily) maintenance, and there’s usually someone around to check receipts to see if a duffer has paid the greens fee. Given the nature of the game, specifying the “gate” […]
Taxpayers to Pay Others to Golf
Taxes are serious business–don’t pay them, and you go to jail. Even so, voters in one Minnesota town have decided that the power of government should be applied for the great public purposes of … giving some people yet another place to play golf. As the wealth and geographic scope of a metropolitan area expands, owners of golf courses often trade lawn mowers, fertilizers, and […]
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