This month, when I received my water bill, I could not help but notice a steep jump in the amount billed for trash collection ("Solid Waste Disposal"). From $17.00 in June to $19.50 in July. That is a whopping 14.7% increase.
Now I guess one could argue that governments are slow at making these moves, and maybe, the increase was overdue. And therefore, somehow justified. But of course, the city raised the rate from $16.00 to $17.00 just one year earlier.
Okay, part of a multi-year pricing correction, you might ask? Let's see.
I don't happen to have water bills back to when I first moved to Cary in the year 2000. But I do have them back to June 2003. My fee for "Solid Waste Disposal" for that month was $7.67.
This is a 154% increase from 2003 to 2019. Meanwhile, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for that period has risen around 39%. Meaning that the price of garbage collection in our well-run city has increased at roughly four times the inflation rate, during this period.
Yes, this is a very small example of government inefficiency. But I would argue, this is a very good example of government, period. This is government.
And we all know this is true. It's just that some of us are more accepting than others. But many people argue that government is the answer for all societal needs and ills, large and small. Or more government is the answer, or more money for government is the answer. I think we should seriously question the motivations of people making these arguments. For these people, is it about service or services? Is it really?
Or is it about power?