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Looking at the current field vying for the 4 council seats, there are only two candidates that I could comfortably endorse. Now the street noise is that Mr. Magel is creating and quietly promoting a coalition to assure the passage of a community center expansion irregardless of vocal opposition. Mr. Magel has a vision that encourages providing more government services and subsidies because he knows there are a lot of folks who fall for the line: "its only a few dollars per week".

To that I say, its a few dollars wasted. A better alternative, would be to burn this legal tender as incense offerings accompanied with a Marco Island kabuki. At the very least, there would be entertainment value.

I would not encourage giving a dollar a week in the form of a tax to subsidize a private company that is currently collecting a fee for a service currently you pay through premiums paid to your insurance provider and along with a copay or deductible.

How many ways can the city and private industry "nickle and dime" you? The answer, as many ways citizens and customers are willing to accept the slogan, "its only a dollar a week".

Quite an innocuous slogan.

So I guess to those who like to evaluate cost on a weekly basis:

8hr after hours care......$1/wk
Veterans Park Purchase... $2/wk
Community Center......... $1/wk

and we could go on with this list to include EMT services by the county, the cost of accompanying services by Fire and Rescue, Police etc.

Folks, when the government starts convincing you that subsidizing a private entity is a good thing is the day we relinquish the benefits of sound management and efficient allocation of capital.

Where is Milton Friedman when you need him in this climate with council leaders promoting "public private partnerships" in all its distorted applications.

I get concerned when smart folks fall victim to these slogans. Some elected representatives know how to use these slogans to promote and market whatever project they deem for the "benefit" of the citizens.

NEWS FLASH: We already have the benefit of 24 hr emergency care --- 911 and a trip to an emergency facility. Depending on the nature of the emergency it may be a trip to Physicians Regional by ambulance or Naples or Ft. Myers by helicopter to Lee Memorial depending on seriousness of injury or ailment.

http://www.leememorial.org/trauma/abo...

Or do the folks simply need smelling salts?