Unfortunately, the Exeter Fire Department has bought a drone. Of course, the claim is that it will be used for emergency responses. And, for sure, it will be. Whenever a new tax-funded toy appears, it will be used, even when unnecessary, much like the EPD motorcycle.
But, as with all government "programs," there will be mission creep. Maybe tax assessors will use a drone to monitor your house renovations. Maybe building inspectors will use one to see if there is any remodeling done without the proper permission slips. Maybe the police will use one to try to find nonviolent pot growers. The next time there is an "emergency," defined as whenever the police say so, expect a drone in the air.
To be clear, the use of a drone per se is not good or bad. A lot of people might benefit, for example, if Amazon were to use drones to make deliveries. Riverwoods was going to use a drone for advertisement videos but decided against it. Drones have uses.
What is not good is the government use of it:
- It allegedly solves a problem that does not exist.
- It is yet another item to expand the budget.
- Its use will undoubtedly experience mission creep.
- It will likely violate property rights. (Airspace property rights should be divided according to the homesteading principle, not by government fiat.)
However, a government drone is only a symptom of the wider issue: the fallacy of public goods. We have been taught that there are some things that are so important that government must provide it. This idea has been completely smashed by Block and by Hoppe. There is no such thing as a public good--all goods, including fire safety and police protection, are better provided by market competition.
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