Friday, September 21, 2012

Why Sneering at Public Servants Comes So Naturally to Many of America's Richest Citizens | Alternet

Why Sneering at Public Servants Comes So Naturally to Many of America's Richest Citizens | Alternet: Wealthy people, after all, don’t typically use much in the way of public services. They don’t partake of public parks or public education. They belong to private country clubs and send their kids to private schools, and they royally resent having to pay taxes to support public services they don’t use.
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Indeed. Which is why I have been saying since about 1985 that municipalities should not be encouraging the spread of private communities. In the long run it erodes elite support for public services.

1 comment:

Marjorie Murray said...

"I would take this idea one step further:private communities have BECOME local governments. They provide parks, landscaping, garbage collection, mosquito abatement, private theaters and libraries, lighting, private community centers, and they finance these services with local taxes, i.e. assessments. The wealthy don't need to support public services: they are financing an alternative infrastructure to get them privately."

Marjorie Murray, President
Center for California Homeowner Association Law