The road to socialism (May 10, 2017)
Friedrich August von Hayek once wrote, “The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” No wonder, then, that the Apple Valley Town Council has rejected out of hand the prescient report by local economist John Husing, Phd, which states in part, “Even if the $150 million Measure F bond level is sufficient, it could cost customers an extra $502 or $620 per year equal to $84 or $103 per bi-monthly bill. Voters should be hesitant to take such a risk.”
Kevin D. Williamson at National Review has an explanation for the Town Council’s reaction: “But men do not like being told that they cannot do that which they wish to do, and this is particularly true of men who have a keen interest in political power.”
Apple Valley once seemed the jewel of the high desert. Now, a virtually bankrupt Town Hall, terrible road conditions, rising crime, and vicious attacks on one of the oldest businesses in town have not only tarnished our town’s past luster, but put us on the path to ruin. The proof of this is that the Town Council is demanding more money and more control in exchange for staggering levels of indebtedness and less accountability.
This in a microcosm is what has happened in Venezuela, once one of the richest Latin American countries, because of socialism — the false belief that central planning by the government is better than private enterprise and the free market. Venezuelans are starving in the streets, but not their political leaders.
Voter should be more than hesitant to place additional power in the hands of the Town Council; they should absolutely and definitively reject it by voting no on Measure F.
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.