Kick Em' While They're Down

Rudy Miller | The Express-Times-- Easton fire chief pitches plan to bill insurance companies for calls

While it's true we already do this for ambulance and certain police calls to accident scenes, we've not seen taxes go down after they started doing this. Not only have taxes not gone down, but insurance rates have increased because of them.

While I do understand those who use these services it might be argued should pay more for them the question becomes where does this all end?

Even though government cannot now doesn't mean laws can't be changed. This opens a door to a whole endless bunch of other possibilities.* Per charge call to 911
* A whole menu of fees for various police responses billed to callers
* Per tree street side fee for leaf collection
* Out front street light fees
* Personal property water runoff fees to city storm drains
* So forth.. on and on..There comes a point where the silly becomes reality as cities look for ever increasing ways to soak the taxpayer. At one point will we all accept additional fees on top of those cities already charge?

At what point should we resist paying per diem on top of those same city services that each of us may have need of at one time or another?

If so, should the city hold a sole exclusive monopoly through government rule on such services?