On June 24, Bozeman, my hometown, was declared an All-American "Top Ten" city. Mayor Youngman proudly announced that the award was due to our "unusually effective ways of working together to solve problems".

I feel proud to be part of a community that works together to solve problems. However, I now wonder if we truly deserve the award. Let me explain.

I have lived on a ranch near this community for over 30 years and have used a snow shovel in every month save August. June snows are hardly unusual events. Granted, the recent storm was particularly strong, burying our town under more than a foot of heavy, wet snow. Trees fell on power lines and branches blocked portions of the street and sidewalk. Although a huge surprise, the storm was something we could readily handle. After all, we just received a national award for working together.

Given this, when our political leaders applied for a $385,000 federal disaster grant to cope with the storm damage, I was embarrassed for them and for our city. I trust that other socially responsible residents share in my disappointment.

My disenchantment is amplified because Bozeman is a Mecca for the physically active, well-off, highly educated citizen. On many dimensions we have exceptional capacities to deal with all sorts of problems, especially a June snow.

It is inconceivable that we require federal aid to effectively deal with snow damage.

Jason Shrauger, the deputy coordinator for disaster emergency services for Gallatin County, explained, "This was a fairly minor disaster. But any time we can recover these costs we are wise to do so". However, Shrauger has no incentive to evaluate the moral dimensions of diverting this money to Bozeman. Meanwhile, towns such as Libby are struggling with health crises and high unemployment. They lack Bozeman's resources to solve problems. Clearly, taking federal resources requires neglecting another cause.

I am sorry we ran to the federal government, but I am not surprised. The political process normally works to allocate resources to the well-off and well-educated. The poorly organized and poorly educated are exploited by this process. These transfers of wealth and opportunities are the predictable consequence of using politics to allocate resources.

This is exactly what President Grover Cleveland described in 1887 when he vetoed the Texas seed bill. Texas had been devastated by drought and Congress granted $10,000 to buy seeds for the farmers. Cleveland vetoed the bill because, as history has shown, once Congress grants emergency relief funds, there is no logical place to draw the line. Political opportunism reigns over genuine need.

Consider the sugar industry. Domestic producers of sugar have successfully lobbied Congress and gained quota protection from more efficient foreign producers. This reduces competition and raises domestic prices. They encounter little opposition because the change in price for any individual consumer is tiny. It requires a lot of time, energy, and money to organize opposition and few people are motivated by a mere 5¢ per pound price increase. Thus, the sugar industry gains hundreds of millions in additional income. And it follows that this industry is a huge contributor to political candidates. They invest in politicians to protect their privileged place at the trough.

Although Bozeman is well-positioned to benefit from the existing system at the expense of others, it need not do so. Here's an alternative approach: Bozeman is well stocked with pickup trucks and chainsaws. Also, we still have a population of loggers (from Allsops to Willhelms) who could teach people how to safely use them. When appealing to the All-American city judging committee our political leaders' claimed that we "excel in civic participation" to solve problems and create opportunities. I propose that some social entrepreneurs organize a storm damage clean-up program. Volunteers would assemble their pickups and chainsaws and cut and haul the branches to the chipper.

If Bozeman faces the moral challenge of receiving the money, we can use its creative legal and accounting talent to distribute the $385,000 federal disaster relief to genuinely needy communities, i.e. places with serious problems and where unemployment is high and income low.

I'd be much more proud to be a citizen of a community that demonstrated civic responsibility and initiative rather than excellence in political plundering.