As the winter recedes we begin planning for the milder weather. I have had the opportunity to read some of the blogs, websites and articles which promote full time RVing. Those that promote a nomadic existence are interesting. This seems attractive; they suggest that we follow the mild weather and keep living costs low. Some promote boondocking (living on public lands for next to nothing), using free solar power and living a modest lifestyle. Sounds great; in particular that "modest lifestyle" which is what I do practice. But as someone involved in my community and who does own residential real estate, and as someone who has raised children, I do have some questions and concerns.
First and foremost, if I choose to live the carefree RV lifestyle, then who pays for infrastructure? A lot of this comes from property and municipal taxes. Furthermore, in most communities the entire public school system is supported via real estate taxes. Living on the cheap on public lands turns over the financial support and burden to others. While this might be a good thing for the few, it poses problems. The financial burden falls upon the remaining who provide that infrastructure to the few.
Living a nomadic, RV lifestyle implies that I will only pay consumer taxes; mostly sales tax on my purchases and Federal taxes on any gas or diesel I purchase. Unfortunately, these don't cover the entire bill of supporting the infrastructure and benefits of a modern society. While it can be argued that the RVer doesn't use or require some of the things provided by modern society, I find that to be hollow. We need food, fresh water, a health care system, roads, electricity, gasoline or diesel, and propane. We do need to dump those tanks and that implies a water treatment system; for those with a septic system, the question is "how and with what materials was it built?" I doubt it was dug by hand. Ditto for anyone who says "I have a well for fresh water."
That RV and the solar panels, electrical and electronic systems, batteries, wi-fi system, GPS, cellphone, appliances, satellite TV system, personal computers, etc. had to be built somewhere and with a lot of technology. It takes an entire infrastructure system and millions of people to put the entire thing together and the system it is plugged into. The food we eat requires water, chemicals, seeds, pesticides and so on. Yes, I know, we can purchase organic. What about that container the milk comes in? Some will say we can and should adhere to organic and the world will be a better place. False. Most of us would starve if we were forced to only purchase organic goods. Most of us could never eat salmon. Etc. Etc. Etc. Most of the people I know don't want to subsist on the diet available to the typical Chinese in 1950. Nor do we want to live on the mush diet that was concocted in the 1970s for societies which can't afford more than a few hundred dollars a year for food. So what is really being promoted here?
In other words, I am of the opinion that pretending I am "living off the land" in my RV is a pipe dream. The first time I pull into a gas station I prove that to be a fiction. Ditto if I ever plug my RV into a 30A or 50A electrical receptacle, or to a fresh water spigot or use a dump station. In fact, about 45% of the electricity east of the Mississippi is derived from fossil and nuclear power plants. In other words, electricity from so called "dirty, belching and carbon polluting sources of energy." My dream existence is supported by an extensive industrial infrastructure. If whatever I am using was produced in China the reality is much worse.
Health care has made this interesting. Obamacare shifted the landscape in health care for the carefree RVer. Prior to Obamacare aka "The Affordable Health Care Act." it was purely optional to have any health insurance. If something happened, one could go to a health clinic or hospital to get medical aid. With no, or minimal means of support or income, it would be easy to qualify for a variety of free, public supported aids. Now, anyone with a means of support is required to obtain health insurance, or pay a penalty. However, all one has to do is Bing or Google "getting free healthcare" and the list will appear. According to Google, there are 243 million results.
The concept of a carefree RV lifestyle is reminiscent of the wonders of the all electric vehicles. It might be too good to be true, or perhaps only palatable if I ignore some of the consequences. For example, electric vehicles were promoted, for a time, as "zero emission" vehicles. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Today the marketing is "zero tailpipe emissions." That's an improvement as it is merely deceptive. As I mentioned earlier in this post, about 45% of the electric power east of the Mississippi is derived from fossil fuels and nuclear power plants. For a time California had a deal with states to the east to build electric generating plants so California could avoid having these on California soil. That's how California was able to promote itself as a "clean energy" state.
The fact is, the roads all automobiles are driven upon are maintained in part via taxes on diesel and gasoline fuels. Electric vehicles have been given a pass by the politicians and generous subsidies, paid by the rest of us. At my HOA we've even had a few attempt to charge their electric vehicles using HOA paid electricity. When I argued this was the equivalent of free gas paid for by the fees of other owners, a few rallied to the defense of the electrics. Common sense prevailed, because in our HOA the rest of us don't want higher fees. As is so, so true, an idea is frequently a "good idea" until it has to be paid for.
Perhaps a better title for this post would have been "living the dream" at the expense of others. I have concluded that a dream is all that it is. I suspect this is another one of those ideas that is "too good to be true." I take the perspective "if we all lived this way, what would be the outcome?" It's apparent that schools would be unfunded, most municipalities would be gutted like Detroit.
But I'd be having fun on Bureau of Land Management property. Only when I had to go off the reservation would I have to deal with reality.
However, the idea has merit. What is necessary is to balance personal wants, needs and desires with the needs of society. Come to think of it, this it true for all of us, whether we live in an apartment, condominium, home or RV. Isn't it?
