I'll bet you really want me to talk about "socialized golf". I will in a moment. First, let's talk about last night's council meeting.

The agenda was pretty light. We approved a proposal setting fees for having the city prepare plats. My 2 criteria for approval were:

(1) That you can still choose to have a private entity prepare the plat. This is the current state of affairs and it provides competition for the service. We do not want to establish a government monopoly.

(2) That it not be taxpayer subsidized. Our fees would reflect our true cost and not present unfair competition to private entities preparing plats.

Councilman Dale Mitchell earned his keep by noting a discrepancy in the language of the proposed ordinance that made it unclear that these 2 provisions were included. The ordinance passed with Dale's amendment.

We made several appointments to boards and then approved an excellent progress report on the Master Plan.

An exciting development is the establishment of a Police Department Support Organization. This would be a tax deductible non-profit organization that can raise funds and accept donations for funding the police department. We already have individuals that donate to support the police department and this would give them a place to direct their donations and get a tax deduction. There was discussion regarding a proposal from city staff that would have council oversight and pro-tem Darrel Hunt's proposal for a private entity independent of council. I prefer the latter. As a matter of fact there could be several non-profits established to fund the police department. Right now there are multiple organizations accepting donations for relief in Haiti. I chose the one that I trust the most, Americares . This is proof that even the most essential government services can be funded, if at least partially, through voluntary instead of coercive means. Libertarianism lives in Lago Vista!

So now, the moment you have all been waiting for. Let's talk about "socialized golf".

You may hear council say that they really didn't want government to get into the golf business, but we had to "bail out" these businesses because they are too big to fail. Sounds familiar, huh? During the bailout frenzy I wrote the following article on www.AustinPost.org . I reject the notion that a business is to big to fail and that you should be coerced to bail out a critical business.

We have ordinances that ensure people will maintain their property. If you don't mow and let grass and weeds grow way high, you will get a citation. In all the discussion of the golf course this was the primary concern. I understand that property values can decline if adjacent property is unattractive. I contend we could address this by enforcing existing ordinances, not by getting government into the business of golf. There really was no discussion of that approach. Your property is not made more valuable just because the government owns adjacent property.

So now we have 2 golf courses. We haven't yet covered our costs on the first one. It may not be financially viable to try to operate 2 golf courses unless our city substantially grows.

I agree that the price for the golf course is a very good deal. Does that mean government should buy every property that is a good deal? The more property government can transfer into private hands, the better.

Last night we did receive public comments from Andrew Gale. He said that the property should be turned into a city park instead of a golf course. I compliment the mayor for doing an excellent job answering Andrew's questions and being very forthcoming. My position is that government should not own this property regardless of whether it is a park or golf course. I take the radical Libertarian idea that taxpayers should not be coerced to provide a park. For those clamoring for a hiking trail, I will be at Warbler Vista on Feb 20 . If people really want a park, go ahead and use your own money to buy the land and maintain it. I think it is sad that in a country established to minimize government that today we always look to government first to provide recreation.

So, if you criticize Barack Obama and Congress for these bailouts, be consistent. You cannot complain about what they do if you support the same actions from city council. Don't complain about "socialized medicine" if you support "socialized golf".

WHY I RAN FOR OFFICE IN 2008:

After some time off, I'm running for City Council again because I want to serve our community. I've got the time for this important American tradition and in Lago Vista it's a completely volunteer position. I'll continue to be an independent voice watching out for the best interests of our community and I am especially committed to minimizing the impact on taxpayers. I'm not afraid to be the lone dissenting vote on an issue if I think it's unfair or against the best interests of Lago Vista home owners. What I hear most often is that you want to preserve the unique character of Lago Vista in the face of increased growth pressure from Austin. I will do my best to represent you.

Lago Vista is a great community that faces challenges as we grow. We need representation on city council that will listen to our concerns and is not afraid to address the important issues.

Pat Dixon will represent YOUR concerns on city council!