Don't you make me plug in my toilet!

The Post-Gazette had an article this week about a man in Cecil Township, Washington County, who is prepared to go to jail instead of plugging into the local sewer system.

In reading the article, I sympathized with the man, to a point. Should people be forced to buy into public utilities—often at great cost—that they do not want? Should I be forced to purchase cable, for instance, if I do not want to own a television? This is not necessarily an idle question, nor is it a wild libertarian one. As more and more people become sensitive to environmental concerns like energy usage and water conservation, they may choose to live "off the grid," not only to save money but also to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and seek a more environmentally sustainable means of living.

But there is another question, too. To what degree are persons obligated to support assets and programs that the community has undertaken for the common good? Electricity systems, sewage systems, and other utilities are expensive community assets that provide for the common good even if one does not want to use them. Even Mr. Williams, the curmudgeon in the story, benefits from the improvements to public health and property values that a sewage system provides. Is he, then, not obligated to support these initatives? What are his obligations, if any, to the common good of his neighbors, who don't want a septic system that could leak into their backyards?