The most frightening words for conservatives:

[flamin lib]

I’m from the Government and I’m here to . . .

Fight your fires.

Educate your children.

Defend your borders.

Repair your roads.

Pick up your garbage.

Clean your drinking water.

Fight your wars.

Insure your bank deposits.

[Ian David]

1. What has the Federal Government ever done for us???

What have the Romans ever done for us
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Brought peace?

No. Never mind.

[Ian David]

4. In this case, no. That's like the one thing they've never done. n/t

[tblue]

2. During their next debate, the water in their glasses should be

direct from the Gulf of Mexico/BP oil spill. Or otherwise sourced without any gov't inspection or regulation whatsoever.

And have the moderator tell them that, oh, about halfway through the debate.

[HappyMe]

5. Nah. Give them some of that

fracking water that starts on fire.

[lapislzi]

6. They WANT all of those things, they just want them to be run

by business. For profit. For the benefit (only) of those who can afford such services.

Unfortunately, that model just doesn't work. If I don't pay for garbage pickup and you do, my garbage festers on the curb, and stinks out your yard as well as mine. Your property value will drop like a stone, just as mine will.

What if I want to pay for clean water? Do I have to pay for a pipeline from the water treatment facility to my house? And you're going to collect rainwater in a bucket? When you drop dead because you've been poisoned by e coli in your food (I paid extra for safe food), who's going to haul away your decomposing body? I'm not paying for that!

It just doesn't work.

[lunatica]

7. Gated communities will be all the rage. Outside of the gates who cares?

So the pesky little people can drop like flies for all they care.

[lapislzi]

9. The model just gets so cumbersome

When you get to things like utilities and defense. Is every fiefdom going to have its own power generating facility, water treatment plant, waste disposal, defense force? Will the fiefdoms band together to purchase such services? The endgame is feudal city-states.

Surely, as dumb as they are, even the baggers must realize that this is not a viable future.

[lunatica]

16. No one said they've thought this through

Which is why it's happening. Because if they did think it through they'd abandon their goals as too hard to maintain.

Forethought is not their forte. Other than in gaining the top positions.

[FSogol]

10. I'm glad they are all in gated communities. Lock the gates and keep them in.

:shrug:

[Fire Walk With Me]

8. Yep. They want to be able to charge for anything and everything.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. I've often opined

that if somebody ever figures out a way to bottle air to sell, they would. Think Total Recall.

:scared:

[Fire Walk With Me]

15. Yep. But here, think "hydraulic empire", the total control of water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_empire

It's rumored that Enron were looking into this.

That's capitalism. Find an opportunity to make money, and do it. There are no checks and balances in capitalism.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

17. Right

which is why rampant privatization of anything and everything is such a BAAAAAAAD idea IMHO!

[kctim]

11. You really should talk with some conservatives

and learn what they think, instead of going for shock value by guessing.

Aside from who is in charge, as the poster above mentioned, people also have a choice of what Fire Dept, Police Dept, schools and city services that are offered. If the federal government controlled all of those things, there is no choice.

And as far as protecting the borders and fighting our wars, well, the Constitution says that is the duty of the federal government. That is why you don't hear those on the right complaining alot about paying for defense.

Hard to convince them to your side when you don't have a clue as to why and what they believe.

[lapislzi]

14. All politics being local and all...

There was a story last year about a town (TN?) that voted to discontinue funding for its fire department. You had to have a contract in order to receive services.

When I was growing up in the austerity 70s, the town voted down the school budget. If you wanted to take a bus to school, you had to pay a private company.

Just because it's not at the federal level doesn't mean service cuts can't affect you directly. In fact, the effect is greater, not less.

If taxes are only levied to fund defense (constitutionally mandated) and nothing else (i.e., no state, local taxes), life would be pretty miserable for most people.

[Parker CA]

12. I thought you were going to say, "new jobs."

[Hydra]

18. Oh, no

Wanna REALLY scare them?

"Peace on Earth, equality and prosperity for all."