Shocker: Lee Co. overpays for land

We were shocked — shocked! — to learn that Lee County has overpaid for land it acquired in recent years.

(OK, not really.)

Call us cynical, but we weren't surprised by the recent findings of a Lee County Clerk of Court's audit that found that county government has overpaid for some land purchases for roadway improvements and other uses, in some cases by millions of dollars.

Does anyone honestly believe government employees are going to spend your money as wisely as if it were their own?

This is what happens when you let politicians and bureaucrats spend your hard-earned money on land that's going to be taken off the tax rolls, sometimes for dubious purposes.

Remember this when politicians want to spend your money (not theirs) on questionable conservation efforts. There's a chance Lee County commissioners will ask voters to reapprove the land-buying slush fund known as Conservation 20/20 on the 2012 ballot.

Their track record doesn't inspire confidence.