A warning against government growth
 
Our neighborhood in Northern Virginia has private roads and we pay the nice man down the street to plow.  After the last of Snowmageddon, our roads were clear within a day.  However, many of the government owned streets in our town were still a wreck a week later.
 
The county asked people to shovel sidewalks and school bus stops, which they did.  When government plows finally appeared, they dumped snow back from whence it came, resulting in additional school closings. 
 
In response to complaints, the Virginia Department of Transportation noted, “we don’t do sidewalks.”
 
As the Constitution specifically mentions roads, snow removal is arguably one of the few legitimate roles of government.  Regardless, they stink at it. 
 
It is abundantly clear that the White House and Congressional Democrats are hell bent on expanding the size of government and increasing its intrusion into our lives.   If unchecked, government will not be accountable to us; we will be accountable to it. 
 
Happy first birthday to the “stimulus” plan.  The majority of jobs it saved (whatever that means) or created appear to be government or government-related.   Last month alone, more than 33,000 workers were added to government payroll.  They won’t be creating products or jobs.  They will be paid handsomely to manage the continued dependency or economic decisions of others. 
 
In a recent CBS/New York Times poll, only 6% of Americans thought the stimulus created jobs.  As any pollster will tell you, an answer over 90% is everybody. 
 
Americans have been disgusted to discover that much of their money went to worthless projects and political presents for Congressmen’s friends.  They also know that they will still be paying for these now firmly entrenched bureaucrats when stimulus dollars run out. 
 
Poor plowing performance in the Capital area exemplifies problems inherent in a government venture.  Although plow operators worked long, miserable hours, their hard work could not overcome the inefficiency of government and its slow reaction time.   
 
Thanks to global warming, we broke the more a hundred-something year record for snow in this area.  Dealing successfully with this unusual circumstance requires an innovative response including immediate modifications to purchasing, communication, equipment maintenance and personnel management. 
 
In other words, it would be easier to push an elephant through a keyhole. 
 
 
 
Government schools are performing poorly in some areas and not at all in others.  Government brings you the cheerful efficiency of the DMV and the accurate responses of the IRS.  And now it wants to control your healthcare and dictate your medical decisions. 
 
To expect government to make rapid adjustments under unusual circumstances or respond to the unique needs of its individual citizens, well – it is something it simply cannot do. 
 
If politicians or bureaucrats appear either on your doorstep or in your wallet with exciting new ways to manage your needs, tell them to go plow themselves.  They can take care of the enumerated powers, and we can deal with the rest.