Breaking: Libertarians Are Cheap-Asses

Warning that "seven bad bonds enable seven bad habits," Travis County Libertarian Party schoolmarm Wes Benedict announced today his party opposes all seven City of Austin bond propositions. (On an unrelated note, WTF's up with the SRV statue on their website? Perchance, if the bonds do pass, would it be said "the sky is crying?")

Their brutal opinion, prop-by-prop, after the jump...

From the the TCLP press release:

1. $103 million for road-related spending.

The city has wasted money on frivolous programs while neglecting basic infrastructure, and now they want to be rewarded with a bigger allowance. The city should direct more of its existing funds towards infrastructure, not raise taxes.

2. $145 million for flood control and Barton Springs.

The so-called water control land set-asides tax every Austinite, do little for water quality, and primarily provide free big backyards for wealthy West Austin residents.

3. $85 million for parks and recreation centers.

Private businesses and community organizations like churches are best suited to provide recreation facilities that meet demand and are paid for by their users or willing donors. This is not the business of government. The City of Austin should not tax everyone to build recreation centers that compete with businesses like Gold's Gym and organizations like the YMCA.

4. $32 million for cultural facilities.

Let the users pay, not the taxpayers. Ironically, the city harasses private businesses like flea markets and mobile taco vendors that serve tens of thousands of average Austinites. Shutting down these genuine cultural centers and replacing them with a tax-funded Mexican American Cultural Center is ridiculous. These centers primarily provide photo opportunities to glorify the politicians who fleece taxpayers to build them.

5. $55 million for affordable housing.

Raising property taxes on hundreds of thousands of homes to promote "affordable housing" is laughable. The added design restrictions burden developers. The bureaucrats who administer the programs are a deadweight loss, and the maze of paperwork required for people seeking
subsidized housing is yet another burden. Cutting property taxes and stopping Brewster McCracken's design restrictions on businesses and homes will make housing more affordable for everyone, including all low-income people.

6. $90 million for a new central library.

This is the most wasteful project of them all, a bad use of funds, and primarily serves the ego of Mayor Will Wynn, who is looking for a monument to his legacy. This is truly a luxury project that serves the contractors who will be paid to build it.

7. $58 million for public safety facilities.

Every sitting city council member was elected due to the support of our overly powerful police or fire unions, or both. This pork is ransom to the police and firefighter unions. The city budget is being held hostage by the very people who are supposed to protect us. Just say no to tax-funded extortion.