Is paying developers now something to be ashamed of?

Not always possible. There are lots of HOAs out there. And there is a dwindling supply of housing available in non-HOA areas. So what's your solution then, smart ass?

And I still don't give a rat's ass for this idea that a private entity should be entirely free to take away your rights just because you "signed" something.

Why should these people be able to take away his freedoms?

While many HOAs can be a big bag of soggy dicks, remember, they are made up of people from the neighborhood. That includes you and your neighbors who are fed up with what the local HOA is doing. Considering most people don't want to be involved, if you were to get just some of them to get behind you, you could probably get on the board, and then start influencing stuff.

BZZZZT! WRONG!

You DO have to store the power, in the form of gasoline or other fuel.

See, in the example you gave, there isn't an incentive for your calibration lab to be inaccurate. However, in the case of gas stations, there is a huge incentive. Further, there would be the incentive for the gas stations, who would be the ones paying the calibration agency, to put pressure on the calibration agency to certify them, regardless of accuracy.

Not every private entity gives a crap about reputation. Many of the banks, for instance, don't give a crap about their image.

And while a private entity could do the same thing, there are issues with that. For one, how would the private entity enforce their judgements? Second, how would the private entity deal with the idea that the stations would be paying them to do their measurements? Think of the situation with the bond rating agencies. The issuers of the bond would be the ones paying the agency to rate them, and so the agency had an incentive to rate the bonds higher than they really were, or the issuers would go to another agency who would do it. This is basically what happened with the Mortgage backed securities.

I'm sorry, but I can't accept the idea of making sure that a pump is accurate in it's dispensing as "government coercion".

And while there might be ways of achieving it without government, government is usually the only entity big enough, powerful enough, and without the incentive to cheat customers to do this.

Lengths of bills is not an example of "excessive bureaucracy". There are things that need to be done which need to be spelled out. Further, trying to put everything in one or two pages sounds great in theory, until you realize there are a lot of edge cases that need to be addressed too.

Sounds more like a Homeowners Association, which is NOT government, but a private organization.

And how much do you actually look at what is being pumped into the container?

Are you going to pump out your gas by the gallon and put it into said container, observe it, and then put it into your vehicle every time you need to fuel up?

With what money? Are you going to pay their legal bills? And suppose the contractor operated under an LLC, and dissolved it shortly after pulling this stunt, and fled. What's the homeowner to do then?

This idea that "suing everyone will make all the problems go away" is not feasible in the least.

Only on Slashdot would saying you're against the "freedom" of contractors to rip you off by not actually installing your septic system would you be called a statist.

Except there is absolutely nothing to back up your statement, and the fact of the matter is, the private sector has REFUSED to provide this service.

Seriously, how the fuck can you say the private sector would be "cheaper and more efficient" if they won't do it at all?