Sometimes my neighbors and fellow citizens remind me of my Irish/Scotch uncle. You know, the one who likes to drink but doesn't like to pay.
I can think of any number of examples of this phenomenon lately. We want the police to be tough on crime, but we won't vote for a modest tax hike to pay for a new jail. We want the federal government to cut spending but don't dare think of taking our Medicare away. One of them occurred last weekend, when I was perusing through the local news postings on Edhat, the quirky website that links to news stories and lets readers ask for referrals and post gripes. I noticed that one visitor to the site had posted the following: "I'm really upset right now because the county of Santa Barbara is proposing a beach parking fee from $3-$8 in six of our county's beaches, including Hendry's."
While I'm sympathetic (after all, I like my free beach parking as much as the next guy) I say get over it. The County is well-justified in charging people to park their car while visiting the beach. (Column continues at Montecito Messenger)
