Somerset, Kentucky bucks big corporations by selling its citizens gasoline at lower costs

[marmar]

(OnTheCommons.org) When two politicians debate the role of government, it almost always is a Democrat vs. Republican. Which is why it was so refreshing and instructive to read of the debate taking place among Republicans in a small city in southeastern Kentucky.

On July 19, after years of complaints about local gasoline prices being higher than those in surrounding communities, the City of Somerset decided to take matters into its own hands and began selling gasoline directly to the public. Two-term State Senator Chris Girdler immediately declared, “socialism is alive and well in Somerset.” Two-term Mayor Eddie Girdler, a distant cousin responded, “If government doesn't do it to protect the public, then who does it?”

In an interview State Senator Girdler, paraphrasing Ronald Reagan’s famous dictum insisted, “the government is not the answer - government's the problem.” Regrettably the interviewer did not remind the readers that government laid the very foundation of Somerset’s economy. In 1950 the Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. A little over 100 miles in length with an average depth of 85 feet, Lake Cumberland “transformed Somerset from a sleepy rural community into one of the largest recreation centers in Kentucky, drawing more than 1.7 million visitors annually.” It would have been instructive to discover whether Senator Girdler would describe Lake Cumberland as a “socialist enterprise.”

Senator Chris Girdler wants to protect us from big government. He approvingly cites Ronald Reagan’s famous dictum, "You can't be for big government, big taxes and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy.” Mayor Eddie Girdler wants to protect us from the predations big giant corporation and he views government as a proper vehicle for doing so. “It’s the role of government to protect us from big business,” he maintains. .......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://onthecommons.org/magazine/the-little-city-that-could