In Our View: Stop Utility Program
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Columbian editorial writers
What if a local government wanted to start offering mechanic services to the people of Clark County? How about a yard-maintenance program or a newspaper?
Regardless of the trade, let's say the government could offer a cheaper price to individuals seeking its service than a private business could, because the government agency did not have the same overhead costs as a private business and because it wasn't interested in making a profit. Taxpayers as a whole might end up paying more for the government agency in the long run, but individual customers would get a deal. And even if it didn't cost local taxpayers more in the long run to have the government service, private businesses would be skeptical of entering the market or even be forced out of the market.
This government takeover of private-sector services wouldn't be tolerated. It certainly wouldn't receive the approval of the state Senate. But it did. Blame partisan backscratching.
Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, convinced his Democratic colleagues to go along with his proposed law that allowing Clark Public Utility's popular appliance repair program to carry on, despite the program's obvious legal flaws and the unfair competition the ratepayer-subsidized service poses to local business owners.
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