mhollis's Journal: Politics

Recently there has been a certain amount of discussion about whether or not State legislatures ought to keep municipalities from offering WiFi access using their tax money to do so.

There is some question about what the role of government ought to be and this question has been at the heart of political debate for centuries. US Presidents have refused to sign bills that would use federal funding to build roads. Towns used to only rent or lease lots and were wholly owned by large landowners who used rents to improve the town (building roads, storm sewers, wastewater treatment and so on).

Obviously, what constitutes a good model for community government changes with the times and the perceptions of the people and that is a mark of a good democratic society.

I have mentioned that I am bothered when State or Federal governments restrict what services a locality may offer because it keeps the local people from running affairs as they see fit and as they are willing to pay for in taxes.

Part of the essence of the American Revolution was an insistence that local affairs were best governed by local councils and people closest to the issues. Government from afar, especially government that did not represent or consider local issues was what we were declaring their independence from and I think that, to a certain extent, this principle has been forgotten.

Ought municipalities to provide this service as well as the other services they provide? I don't know. But they should not be prevented from offering any service that the majority of a local community wishes to pay taxes to support.