Protestantism

» Brian Tubbs - Even More Basic, Brian

You have made an inherent distinction between the people and then lobbyists, the rich, etc. This is typical Marxism. Not saying you are a Marxist, but this is the kind of class-based thinking that Marxism thrives on.

Lobbyists are people. Rich persons are people. Poor persons are people. Government employees are people. Corporate executives are people. We're talking about human beings when we talk about "People," not just classes and groups.

So, if a person steps up and says "Hey, I can provide trash removal for the city. Let me hire some other people and perform that job for you, City Council, for X dollars a month." The city council doesn't need to put that man on the government payroll (as in make him a city employee) in order to allow him to provide that service.

A company is a voluntary association of individuals, Pink, that provide products or services to the market. That market can and should include local governments. If a private company can perform a service for a county, village, town, or what-not more cost-effectively and/or efficiently than another company or better than a civil agency, then let them do it.

Can this be taken too far? Yes, just as pretty much ANYTHING can be abused or taken too far. A government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, including and especially to safeguard their unalienable God-given rights. If it gets lazy and tries to farm out that responsibility, well, we have a serious problem.

And that brings us to elections. You see, the government gets its POWER to preserve and protect our rights from the "consent of the governed." So, the people need to actively participate in offering their counsel and consent. And that means, from time to time, reconfiguring their government by turning out incumbents and electing new blood.

If the people (by majority consent), however, are okay with their local government farming out some of its services to local contractors, then I see no problem with that. That's their call to make. If I don't like it, I can register my disapproval at the ballot box come next election.