Nanny Statism

State Rep. Claire Levy has a suggestion for all of us suffering from the high cost of gas: Get an apartment in town, preferably halfway between where you currently work, and the grocery store closest to your work That's right, dump your evil single-family in the 'burbs, and pay rent to share a bathroom wall and a postage-stamp piece of grass with who knows whom.

Ms Levy represents Boulder, and parts of Clear Creek, and Gilpin counties, home of some of the hardest to get to 'burbs in the state. Did I mention price? No. If you have to ask, you probably can't afford to live there, but I'm sure the nearly-impoverished denizens of Sunshine Canyon would dearly love to run the "under $1M" peasants out so as not to depress the property values.

She goes on to state that the market alone, is not sufficient to force people back into the higher-tax-rate urbanized areas, and suggests the formation of a statewide planning commission which would make the 'burbs even more unaffordable. I might suggest it was the market that drove them out of town in the first place.

I know some people like this, and I'm sure you do too. The sort of folks who are driven to neuroses by the thought that there may be people out there running their own lives with no input from them whatsoever. Most of them get them selves elected head of the local arts-nobbling society, and run the group from a bunch of enthusiasts to a handful of sycophants.

Some get elected to high political office, and run their demesnes in the same direction, as witness the exodus from certain states. The people to vote for are the ones who promise to get the government out of your face, not the ones who want to help you with your problems.

The state is NOT your friend.