I got up early this morning because I was scheduled to substitute teach and it's an election day, so I needed time to go vote. I also needed to get in my stretching and light weights work-out before heading out.

I turned off the electric alarm before it buzzed, and thought of how nice it is to have a quiet, digital alarm clock. The electricity is supplied to us by a municipal electric utility. Early in the last century there were lots of municipal utilities and a good number of private utilities. The for-profit utilities tended to be in larger cities where the profit motive was readily fulfilled, and small towns and rural areas were stuck. We didn't get rural electrification until the federal government provided stimulus through its rural electrification program.

After working out, I took my morning shower in water supplied by the municipal water utility. When I drove over to vote, I passed the municipal sewerage treatment plant. There are sometimes problems with the wastewater treatment and it stinks. I understand that the major problem is caused by the large milk processing plants that create large quantities of effluent that overloads the capacity of the plant. The city is in the process of expanding its wastewater capacity to serve the needs of the citizens and businesses.

I drove on well maintained roads and passed through modern traffic controls designed to help keep cars from crashing into each other. When I turned to go to the community center to vote, I drove over a dike that is an important part of flood control that was built with local, state, and federal funds a decade and a half ago to protect the community from the damage of frequent floods. Running along the top of the dike is a paved walking and biking trail that provides safe recreation areas, and alternative transportation possibilities. The bridge over the Pine River is modern, and I imagine that it was built at about the same time as the dike.

The community center is an older building that is used for many of the community's park and recreation programs, community meetings, and is rented out for private activities like wedding receptions, concerts, and dances, although I must admit that I'm usually just there on election days. There were a bunch of mainly older folks manning the polls. I chose to vote using a paper ballot, but voting machines are available. I have worked some of the elections, so I appreciate the extra efforts to make the voting process as accurate and efficient as possible.

As I drove towards the high school, I kept an eye out for possible fire damage. Last evening I attended a presentation by an author at the local public library. When I left the library, I noticed a cloud of smoke down near the river. We recently had a major arson fire downtown. The municipal fire department did an excellent job of keeping the fire from spreading... an older downtown like ours can be a problem when there's a fire. Within twenty-four hours, the local police department had a person under arrest for the arson. We're a small city, but our police and fire protection services are quite good. Actually, I think they're quite a bit better than merely quite good...

I made a left turn to head towards the high school and passed the park where families gather for reunions in the park, folks swim, play softball, baseball, tennis, hockey, soccer, and ride their bikes. I drive by an office building that houses part of the county's human services offices that provide services to families experiencing difficult times or otherwise have special needs. The two-year campus of the University of Wisconsin System provides opportunities for young people to start their college educations close to home at significant savings to them and their families. At one corner of the university facilities is the recreation complex operated by the university, the city, and the county where I exercise regularly in my continuing efforts to maintain good health. The fees charged for recreation complex memberships are quite reasonable and affordable. On to the high school....

I have a friend who mocks my propensity to use a dozen examples when one would do quite nicely. I think I should be forgiven that in this instance. Clearly, I can go on and on talking about how the various levels of government and specific programs benefit our daily lives. I get tired of listening to folks who who rant about the government as some sort of strange and monstrous entity that takes our money and gives us nothing in return. Those folks just aren't thinking very clearly...perhaps not thinking at all.

Government is not perfect, but our government provides a great deal that makes our lives better. We need to work to make it even better: more efficient, and more responsive. Our country is good. Life is good.

Bill Davis

April 7, 2009