A few weeks ago, I was at the ribbon cutting for the Customs House at Whitham Field.

The five County Commissioners attended. Martin County’s new Florida House Representative, Toby Overdorf, gave a good speech. The elites of the County were there such as the Business Development Board, Marine Industries, and the Economic Council. Afterwards, we were invited to tour the facility. It was what one would expect. There were six or seven Customs & Border Protection Officers available to answer questions. All in all, a fine ribbon cutting as far as ribbon cuttings go.

The facility was built mainly by using grant money. According to the airport’s website, the cost of running the facility will come from user fees. The Customs & Border Protection Agency will operate the facility under a Memorandum of Understanding with the County. They will assign one officer from 11 am-7 pm, but it will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The purpose is to alleviate the problem of planes and boaters having to go to Fort Pierce or West Palm Beach to clear customs.

Most boaters that need to clear customs have visited the Bahamas. Those that make the trip with regularity, such as fishing boat captains, can in almost every instance do away with face-to-face reporting by enrolling in a special program. Those that do not must report to a facility within a set time.

If everything goes according to plan, the new facility at Witham should cost the taxpayers nothing. Any shortfall will be picked up by the Airport Enterprise Fund. The airport is expecting to make more revenue from planes now landing at the field purchasing their fuel at Witham instead of Fort Pierce or West Palm Beach.

Then, why was I against having the County operate such a facility and am still not in favor? There are philosophical and practical reasons for not supporting it.

Customs and Border Enforcement are federal responsibilities. The Constitution clearly gives oversight for immigration, our borders and international commerce to the U.S. government. The Supreme Court has ruled consistently that Washington has absolute authority under the Constitution to do so. It is their responsibility to provide for immigration, border security and commercial enforcement.

Therefore, if the U.S. government believed that there was a need to have such a facility at Witham Field, then they would have placed one there. This idea that Martin County should buy a federal service for convenience is anathema to my understanding of the purpose for government. Whether that service is paid for by the levying of local fees collected by the County or our local tax dollars is immaterial. It is an erosion of the separation of powers under the Constitution.

This opens the door for government adopting policies that allow the purchase of services by more affluent communities. It leads to wealthier constituents not having to endure idiotic government procedures. They can buy convenience, leaving those not as well-off to deal with government red tape. The most influential citizens, therefore, will not be calling their friend the senator, congressman, or president to complain about inept laws and policies.

In the years to come if things do not turn out as expected, then, like the Martin County Golf Course and Sailfish Splash Water Park, Martin County taxpayers will pay. For the most part, government is not inherently very good at running businesses. Our brand-new Customs House is a business.

Even with an analytical study that purports to show this want, I do not doubt that in the future there will be a need for either the Airport Enterprise Fund to be used or taxpayer dollars to continue operation. Plato wrote: “A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.” To paraphrase my friend, Harold Markey, this is a want and not a need. That way of operating (wants over needs) has permeated Martin County’s leaders and has led to hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded infrastructure repairs not being done.

Marie Antoinette never said, “Let them eat cake” when seeing the starving peasants from the palace.  The phrase was a bad English translation of “Let them eat brioche” that first appeared in Rosseau’s works a decade before. Whether one thinks of cake or brioche, taxpayers should remember the golf course, water park and now Customs House.