Free-wheelin' Freeholders

I am personally and politically offended when Republicans lecture anybody, including the Democratic Party, on the issue of fiscal responsibility.

On the national, state, and local levels they continue to make fiscally unsound choices, going against [again and again] their so-called ‘core’ philosophy of ‘conservatism’.

That, as Spanky from the Little Rascals would say, is a lot of hooey.

On the national level, Bush and the Republicans in Congress squandered a surplus created in the Clinton years, and have spent billions on an endless war in Iraq.

On the state level, when Whitman and the Republicans were in charge, they grew state debt astronomically, while borrowing $2.6 billion without public approval to pay for the state pension fund.

And on the local level in my home county, the Hunterdon County Freeholders just spent more than two million dollars building a clubhouse for the County golf course. Outrageous.

Now I like golf as much as the next guy---especially if the next guy does not play golf. However, I think Hunterdon residents should be outraged that the County is getting in to the Country Club business.

What's next? Restaurants. Night Clubs, Bowling Alleys. The list of possible businesses is endless.

These are the same so-called free market Republicans who disdain when the government gets in to any kind of ‘business’ ----that is much better administered by private businesses.

“It’s a good deal for the County" they say. ‘It will increase business at the golf course,' they offer.

Perhaps it will.

However, if a clubhouse is such great deal, why can’t they find ‘private investors’ to provide the construction capital? Isn’t that the way the ‘free market’ in capitalism is supposed to work? If a business man or a business woman sees value in the construction and maintenance of a golf club house, are we not better off allowing that private investment to flourish, rather than taking property tax dollars that are better spent on actual public services? Those dollars could be used for employee salaries, road construction, bridge repair or dare I say it ---- to help offset rising taxes.

I thank Freeholders George Melick and Eric Peterson for opposing the clubhouse construction. But the other Republicans ----Ron Sworen, Matt Holt and George Muller: shame on you.

Soon your party will think you’re voting like ----dare I say it ----damn liberals!

Unless the golf course is going to draw the likes of Tiger Woods, but only if we have a great Clubhouse ----I think the Freeholders should can it.