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Friday, November 26, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Californication
Another idea to take out behind the barn and shoot.
In recent decades, many fresh and innovative ideas have come out of California -- a lot of them bad.
In the benevolent and compassionate Golden State one can now be cited for operating a charcoal grill or a leaf-blower. It's a place where -- from bearing arms to speaking out against halfway houses for junkies on your cul-de-sac -- that stodgy old Bill of Rights is now considered largely "optional" by legislator and law enforcement officer alike.
And while the many newcomers here from California generally thrive in Nevada's more vibrant, wide-open business climate -- and the low taxes and plentiful jobs it fosters -- many fail to perceive the causal link.
How many ex-Californians have been heard to say, after a few months of settling in: "Gosh, it's great how there are plenty of jobs here, and no state income tax, but ..."
But what? Why, of course: "Why do they let the greedy business owners get away with hiring and firing at will? Why don't they ban smoking, like we did it back in California? Why don't they stop growth and ..."
And, most recently, "Why don't they forbid bankers from charging me a fee when I use an ATM somewhere besides my own bank, like they do in Santa Monica?"
There are two answers to this question. The first is pragmatic. Banks are not required to erect and service automatic teller machines. By charging fees, they have discovered they can make money placing such machines at widespread, convenient locations. Let the Legislature require that all ATM services be supplied for free, and the end result must be either fewer ATM machines, or a hidden transfer of these costs to others -- perhaps others who choose not to use ATMs at all.
But the second answer is by far the more important. Banks -- not lawmakers -- choose what to charge for their services, because they are private concerns. Of course lawmakers could win votes by requiring that all doughnut shops give out free doughnuts. Then, next session, they could pass a resolution condemning the "greed" of the owners who have shut down all the doughnut shops.
If you don't like the charge, shop for a bank that offers you a better deal.
Each customer must be free to decide what he'll pay for convenience, and each banker must be free to decide what combination of services and charges will allow him to keep his customers while making a profit. That's called a free market. Fortunately, we even have an easy solution for those who don't like it: Move to California.
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