David McElroy

Do you have any idea what you pay for sewer service? Most people pay so little that they’re no more conscious of the cost than they are of a cup of cheap coffee. That’s the way it used to be in the county where I live, but widespread corruption on sewer construction and bond deals sent rates through the roof. That corruption has now resulted in the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.

Not that many years ago, my sewer bill was only about $10 for each quarter of the year. When the price started rising, billing became monthly. My most recent bill was $20.18. Current rates are now almost 10 times what they were in 1992. Something that used to cost almost nothing is getting a bit expensive. If my bill is anywhere close to typical for one person living alone, the cost could add up quickly for a family of four or five. That extra bill hits many families hard in this economy, especially as local taxes continue to go up.

National stories about the bankruptcy filing today have been all about the huge amounts of money involved and the fight between the Jefferson County Commission and the NYC banks over cutting a deal to avoid bankruptcy. Most of the stories I’ve seen, though, skip lightly over the most important point. They pretty much ignore the issue of why this mess ever got this bad. I worked in the middle of the politics of the situation, so I can give you some insight into that.

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Well-meaning moralists campaigned for years to pass a constitutional amendment banning alcohol in this country starting in 1920. As a result, the next 13 years were bloody time when criminal elements took over supplying alcohol and many people were killed — by rival gangs, by police enforcement efforts and from drinking poisonous homemade booze.

As crazy as this whole thing sounds to us today, some people still don’t understand that we’re doing the same thing today — and have been for decades — as the federal government fights the never-ending “war on (some) drugs.” It’s time to quite committing a slow version of national suicide. We need to end drug prohibition.

When I discovered individual liberty, the toughest issue for me to deal with was illegal drugs. My own lifestyle is very conservative. I don’t use any kind of recreational drugs, either the legal kinds or the illegal kinds. When I was a teen-ager, I looked around at the problems that I saw alcohol causing for many people and I decided that the risks weren’t worth the dubious benefits, so I never even started. The more life I live, the more I’m certain it’s the smartest decision. However, I’m equally certain that it’s not my business — and not the government’s business — to decide which recreational drugs you use, even if I would prefer you leave them alone.

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I’ve never met Herman Cain, so I don’t have any specific reason to have an opinion about recent allegations of sexual misconduct on his part. I’ve been around enough politicians over the last 20 years to recognize patterns and personality types, though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the allegations are true.

Cain might be the victim of dirty tricks in these allegations. The one person I know who personally knows the man speaks very highly of him. But there’s something I’ve learned from watching politicians up close for two decades. The vast majority of them have hidden lusts — for sex or money or control or ego gratification — that come along with the desire for political power.

Why do people run for political office? The standard answer — which any of them would be happy to tell you about themselves, of course — is that they’re just wanting to help the country. They love people and care about their communities. That’s what they say.

If you get them to get real with you, you’ll find that most of them have a personal need for the spotlight, for approval, for attention and for control. Most of them have been successful in some way or other. They’ve developed a love for the control that comes with politics and power. Far too often, that lust for power leads to a desire to take risks in order to control women or others they consider weaker around them, at least for a moment. It’s not universally true, but I’ve seen it over and over again.

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