I was a little shocked to find this
story on CNN.com last Thursday.
Business owners in Kauai couldn’t wait the projected two
years for the government to fix the national park road that led to their
businesses, so they did it themselves: in eight days.
I could make the whole government-lacks-efficiency argument,
but Ivan Slack, the owner of a kayaking business that would surely go bankrupt
makes an even better point, "We can wait around for the state or federal
government to make this move, or we can go out and do our part." Slack
knew if he waited around for the government to come to the rescue — well, his
business would be gone before they even showed up.
While the story doesn’t mention how much the work cost the volunteers,
the government cited the lack of funds as one of the reasons the road’s repair
would be so delayed. It does bring forth a disturbing point: If individuals begin
taking care of matters privately, no matter who owns the property, government
may think they can continue to tax individuals without providing services.
Regardless, it is a
nice thought that not everyone is waiting around for a handout.
Here’s to personal initiative and sticking one to the man —
and it just goes to show, anything the government can do, individuals can do
better.
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