I thought our finances were a bit tight for a vacation. Then I started listening to the debate over Wake County's budget. I realized that, if some folks have their way, we may soon be paying only for public services that we use.

I can't wait!

There are pros and cons, naturally. But I think this thing could be a windfall.

Let's see.

I haven't had to call the cops in years.

Nor 911, or emergency services.

The fire department hasn't been out to the house since we had a minor gas leak that the firefighters initially diagnosed this way:

"Your house smells like dog, not gas."

Uh, thanks.

I am not mentally ill. (Or not enough to need services from the county.)

I do not require government assistance to feed, clothe or house my family.

I visit the parks, though none of the ones operated by the county.

I never ride the bus.

Imagine the savings!

However, I do use the roads. But if we're just paying for what we use, perhaps we should pay the government by miles traveled, with an annual odometer report.

I also remember one time, long ago, having lunch with a Libertarian editor in the Freedom Newspaper chain who suggested, straightfaced, that every person in America simply maintain the road in front of his house.

Right.

I frequent the libraries. I'm happy to pay for those, especially now that they have audiobooks.

I use water and sewer, though we seldom water the yard.

And of course, I have three children, and they attend the public schools.

The three children.

There's the real rub.

Helping to pay the county's share of educating my kids is what seems to really chap folks like Mike Dunn of Wendell, who told Wake County commissioners at a budget hearing this week that being taxed for schools when you don't have kids is like socialism:

"[It's] taking from those that have and giving it to those who either don't have or choose to be irresponsible and not provide for their children."

That seems to be a popular sentiment these days. To folks like Dunn, those of us with school-age kids should pay the full freight, and the childless or post-child should be exempt.

Investing pays off

Funny, I view every dollar spent on education as a deposit in a bank account for all of us to draw on in the future.

With a solid education, I expect that my kids will never need to seek public assistance.

That they will never have a run-in with the law.

That they will never spend a night in jail.

Yet someday they will own a home and pay their share for services -- many of which they will never benefit from directly.

At a time when growth problems are at almost biblical proportions, with the schools overflowing and the water running dry, that doesn't seem a bad bargain.

But don't write me back. I'll be spending my windfall -- in advance -- at the beach.