I would like to be able to trust my government, and governments in general, because they do sometimes serve the best purpose and strategy to achieve a common, or community good. Unfortunately, that is not always true. I particularly dislike "private industry-government collusion" because these deals are often sweetheart deals, awarded to some connected private cronies that befriend government cronies--an incestuous relationship at the taxpayers expense.
Such is the case when I woke up this morning, to see the morning news segment. The newscaster was joyfully proclaiming that toll evading motorists will be given amnesty, and a discounted penalty, if they kindly pay their fines for sneaking onto a new toll highway in San Diego. Wow, I thought, how generous of the state to show such mercy and benevolence. But I suspected there was some deeper truth, hidden inside this supposedly kosher sausage, the government was trying to sell me. By the way, shame on the news crew for passing off this message from the cronies, which makes them culpable for this form of false advertising, and state propaganda.
In this case, the sausage factory was in San Diego, scenically called South Bay Expressway, no doubt the name was part of a public relations strategy, regardless of the fact that it is nowhere near any bay. The original name was Highway 125. However, it is more the financial history of the road, than its nominal history, that was disturbing. The financial authority in this matter goes by the name SANDAG, an acronym for "San Diego Association of Governments". Interesting, an association of governments--sort of like a gang of governments. Perhaps this gang should be audited under the anti-gang racketeering laws called RICO. Anyway, SANDAG gave away $30 million of our tax dollars to an Australian organization to build this semi-private road, and then planned to allow them to further benefit by collecting tolls and taxes, so long as they paid portions of this profit in homage to the state authority.
Sadly, the crony Australian company went bankrupt, along with my 30 million dollars, but we should not be too surprised, as this was predicted, and happens often with government incompetents. After all, if these government administrators where capable or talented at their jobs, and justified with their high salaries, they would be working for a private real company, and not being fed at the taxpayers teets. At least that is the way it once used to be, when government workers of yesteryear, were not paid higher than the private sector workers.
Allow me to divert for a moment by suggesting, that if someone works for our government, they are actually working for themselves, and for us, their tribe. On this basis, perhaps they should really be volunteering, and thus receive no salaries. I imagine, that if they saw this article, they would defend their government jobs with the predictable response, that they "have a right to a salary, so they can feed their family". My view is biased, and I would retort that they should then strive to qualify for a real job, where a net surplus of productivity, brings prosperity to the entire society. Government jobs, are like working for Mom and Dad, no additional wealth is brought into the family. At best, public jobs are revenue neutral, though those tax dollars spent of government salaries could have been better invested by the business that earned them. That private investment, creates true jobs. In our society, there is a surplus of community minded folks, some retired, that would love to pitch in and volunteer for some of these jobs. Not all of these community chores, involve full time commitment. But we have turned them into full time jobs, none the less. A good example of this trend, is witnessed with the exorbitant salaries, administrators for "San Diego County Water Authority" receive. And this is a problem facing many other "water authorities" nationwide. It's as if these administrators found a way to hijack the quasi-government corporations, and write their own checks, and job titles. Many of these quasi-government organizations were formed in the last century of American growth. Typically, as time progressed with these organizations, locally connected patricians, or someone in their family, get a job on the board of directors. Once in this position, they can hire friends, and family, who will then owe them a return of the favor-usually a vote by the other board members to give him or her a raise. These are called government sponsored enterprises ( GSE ), and like Fannie Mae, the board members hang on for years, nominating each other for still fancier job titles, and cost of living raises. Not surprisingly, the responsibilities of these overpaid jobs, may entail as little talent and work, as opening the right water valve.
Back again to Highway 125. The truth it turns out, is that the SANDAG council has no legal authority to fine the cheating drivers that don't pay a toll, not yet anyway. So this is a news media sponsored story, to trick citizens into paying a fine, that SANDAG could not enforce in court. We should detest government lying.
Yet, on the other hand, I have no sympathy for these highway toll dodgers. In a perfect world, perhaps the road would have been bought and built by private parties, possibly with assistance of some community or government authority. If the project is seen as practical, popular, and needed, it would have been built without any taxpayer funds, and without government borrowing ( bonds ). Then, any tolls charged would be rightly deserved. In that case, toll cheating would be theft from legitimate business owners, and not from some bastardized creation of "private industry-government incest".
