One way to avoid listening to taxpayers is to simply keep them out of earshot. Take, for example, Collin County in north Texas. County commissioners there are going to take up discussion next week on a proposal to build a county-employees-only physical fitness facility. While government shouldn’t be in the business of competing with the private sector (through “community center” programs that include work-out facilities), they certainly shouldn’t build such facilities and exclude taxpayers from use. The only thing exercised in this project is the boondoggle muscle. The only thing sweating will be the taxpayers’ nervous, over-burdened wallet.
