I think about taxes. You buy with your money gear ( and pay zillion taxes ), you maintain it using your own time and work, you pay for repairs, yet government consider that you own some money to his piggy bank. Confiscation is something different, government in any moment can seize whatever they want, not only in US. Entire world work in this way. For example if food shortage continue, government will start to seize food from farmers and pay them minimal price or give them useless piece of paper.... and demand them to pay taxes, of course. Same is with water, so why electricity will have different treatment.