Recently I witnessed the ugly side of socialism. Strolling through Louisville, Kentucky’s Tyler Park I watched 500 kids from Moore elementary school running, swinging, and playing tug of war.
Their screaming, laughing, and smiling faces signaled a good time. None were whining, moping about, or throwing a fit. On the surface it looked innocent enough, but to a professionally trained observer of human behavior, like me, the underlying message was clear. Young malleable minds were being indoctrinated with toxic notions of entitlement and community at the expense of hard work and individualism that made this country great.
The park was free, no admission, paid for by public tax monies. Their guardians that afternoon were public employees feeding on tax moneys confiscated by the government from the hard working 50% of Americans who pay taxes. I imagine the teachers were counting the days until their summer break freed them from their six hour daily grind and a vacation calendar resembling Swiss cheese.
Children lined up single file, six deep to drink from a community water fountain. No funnel cakes, corn dogs, snow cones, or flavored sugar water in sight. Opportunities for wealth enhancement were non existent. Why should you and I be forced by government to subside these little non-productive, non-tax paying, social parasites?
Surely, Louisville’s Mayor Fischer or members of the city council know developers willing to take this “white elephant” off the tax payer rolls. Tyler Park is located but a few blocks from Bardstown Road, with it’s interesting shops and great restaurants. The perfect location for apartments, condos, or even a cul-de-sac leading to expensive McMansions that will enhance the city’s tax base. We might have to grant the developers interest free loans, default guarantees, or tax incentives, but that is how the system works.
If this is successful, Louisville has an entire system of Frederick Olmstead designed parks with Indian names that also could be privatized.