First Winter Ride

Winter is really here. Snow, cold, and wind are the current conditions. After slushy snow yesterday, the temperature plunged to 10˚ and the wind picked up to 25 mph. Yikes.

Luckily, the township shoveled the sidewalk along my route--a major traffic artery--before the slush turned to ice.

I suppose Ayn Rand Republicans would argue that government, even township or county government, shouldn't be in the sidewalk shoveling business. Heck, they shouldn't be in the sidewalk-owning business. All sidewalks should be owned and maintained by private business. If there's a profit in shoveling it, they will. Otherwise, it shouldn't be shoveled. If there's no profit in having a sidewalk, they won't have one. Or they'll charge a toll. Or a maintenance fee. At least that's what I assume people who don't believe in taxes would argue. Why should their taxes go toward shoveling a sidewalk they never walk on?

Obviously, I'm grateful that anti-tax Republicans haven't managed to bankrupt the township so much that they can't shovel this stretch of sidewalk (the only possible route that I can take). I suppose it's only a matter of time. . . .