Thursday, December 4, 2008

Taxpayer subsidized dog grooming facilities are next

I get such a kick out of government officials and employees that fail to understand basic economic concepts. Case in point: Gary Arthur, Director, Department of Recreation and Parks. Mr. Arthur had this to say in response to the aquatic feasibility study:

“As we suspected, the Aquatic Feasibility Study determined that there was a need for additional aquatic facilities in Howard County,” said Gary Arthur, Director of the Department of Recreation & Parks. “We realize that some citizens are not served by the 27 pools run by the Columbia Association and community pools located throughout Howard County. We will be trying to rectify that in the future.”


First of all, the government has no business providing swimming pools. Swimming pools are rival and excludable, therefore they are not under-produced in a freed market. Ignoring this material fact, Mr. Arthur thinks that if demand exists for a pool, the county has an obligation to meet that demand. Hell, demand exists for in Howard County for Lamborghini convertibles- I have a huge demand myself- but I don’t think it is a proper use of tax dollars to try and provide everyone with everything that they demand. The best way to allocate scarce resources is by charging people for what they consume. If there is demand for a pool, the market will provide it. If not, that means that people would rather spend their money on other items. There is no need for the county to be involved in this matter, not by taxing directly or even by trying to partner with CA.

Mr. Arthur gets a grade of F- for his piss-poor understanding of simple economics.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooh. Oooh. I want taxpayer-subsidized shuttles that go in and out of DC, at least once an hour from 9 a.m. til 12 midnight. I'd even be willing to compromise with a Silver Spring drop-off right by the Metro.

Anonymous said...

F.M. You make me feel old and humbeled, i still like ragtop vettes more than Lamborghini convertibles, guess there is no accounting for taste

The Y in Ellicott City always seems to have a lane open, and their new and larger pool will be open the first of the year

Did Gary Arthur say, rectify, or was it reck?

F.M. look at the positive side, all those people not building homes in today's economy could be building pools, it's a take off on that old French Reveloution solgan, if they want bread, give them cake.