The thing is, you are historically wrong. The Lincoln and Dixie highways and the Bridge of the Gods both come to mind. Housing developments build roads first. There is no reason to appeal to the status quo. I have family members who are volunteer firefighters, and there is no reason alternate means like homeowner insurance could not cover those costs. It would also create an incentive to build more fire-resistant structures if there were an assessment as part of the process. And meanwhile, the elephant in the room is the nature of government as a monopoly. It has all the waste and abuse inherent in any monopoly plus the economic calculation problem of politics in addition to the psychological corruption of power. Decentralization and choice are the future.