May our chains rest lightly upon us

West Jordan Mayor David Newton insults and disgusts me with the following defense of a proposed new tax for the city's residents:

"We don't want to raise prices, but like any business, when prices for the material that we buy and the labor that we hire goes up that needs to be passed on to the consumer," he said.

Mr. Newton, government is not a business. Nor is it LIKE a business. Businesses obtain their funds voluntarily, by providing it's customers with a product or service in exchange for a mutually agreed upon fee. Or by providing investors with cause to expect a higher return on their investments. Or by borrowing against its assets. All of these means are voluntary.

A government obtains its funding through coercive taxation. This is not voluntary. Taxes are not prices. I don't get to choose to pay taxes. I MUST pay taxes. OR ELSE. Need I point out the gun in the room?

Here's an idea: If your services are becoming too expensive to provide, how about not providing them? If there is indeed a market demand, there will be a business ready to provide that service for a fee that is reasonable to both the business and the consumer.

It's not rocket surgery. It's freedom.