More on the Fight for Home Owners' Property Rights

Larry:

Once again the vast forces arrayed against the average Joe are mobilizing to redistribute wealth. As usual, it is ours and not theirs. So it is with mandatory water/sewer hook-ups. The systems are build with our tax dollars and usually fraught with issues.

Berkeley County has had ongoing problems with their waste water treatment. Nearby Washington County, Maryland has had problems with flooding and overflow issues during the last two decades for their $50+ million sewer treatment plant. These things are not as fool proof as the public has been lead to believe. The taxpayer is merely told, "Just a few more million and we can fix it." It never gets fixed and more tax dollars disappear into the bank accounts of the crony capitalist political donor buddies.

Moving to the mandated hook-ups, another bill for thousands appears for the taxpayer. The grand poobahs that mastermind these rip-offs offer no deals. In case no one has noticed economic times are not good.  Just because somebody says it is good does not mean it is good.

There is another issue just below the surface-control. If you have your own well and septic, you have some degree of independence from public system failure or shut-off. The control comes to play when the powers that be decide you are annoying to them; your water and sewer is shut off. Also, it can be metered and you can be taxed on use. Soon West Virginia's motto will change to, "Mountaineers always pay fees"

Generally, up-keep on private systems are not as inflated as public systems. The providers have to be competitive (free enterprise) as opposed to crony capitalist guv'mint contractor types. Private homeowners usually are more aware of system maintenance, since big breakdowns cost money. Just look at the near constant water main breaks in the DC area. 

Also, the public should be informed that the water is some public systems is recycled effluence. Wait til your undissolved toilet paper is floating in your glass of tap water due to a personnel or system malfunction. Don't forget that centralized water makes it easier for terrorists to ply their craft. Not to mention other noxious substances that seem to find their way into public water systems such as the recent water problem around Charleston.

Thanks but no thanks, we are nearly broke now.

Tom Price

PS: Larry feel free to use this, or any part of, at the hearing.

On Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 5:22 AM, West Virginia Delegate Larry D. Kump wrote:

Delegate Larry D. Kump has introduced HB 4007, Sewage & Water Property Rights (Political Subdivisions Committee), to prohibit public utility districts from forcing those living in owner-occupied residences to participate in a water or sewer system, except when those private systems are proved unsafe or a public safety hazard...