Policy Advice for Hamilton's New Rulers

Putting the People in Charge

On November 13th, 2000 the residents of the New City of Hamilton will be electing a new mayor and city council. This new city of ours presents us with a wonderful opportunity for a fresh start. A new city for a new millenium. Will it be "business as usual" in our new city? Or will we usher in a new age of democracy, where governments finally Put the People in Charge?

I have assembled a few proposals which I think will assist the new government of the New City of Hamilton set new policy goals to enhance the lives of area residents, strengthen the local economy, protect the environment and fight poverty and homelessness in innovative new ways.

To Put the People in Charge, the most important reform would be the implementation of a more democratic property tax system. This would be achieved by granting each and every individual taxpayer a "line item veto" over controversial programs/expenditures.

Every taxpayer would receive an itemized tax bill containing various check-boxes corresponding to various discretionary items. The "will of the people" and "rule by the people" would be maximized by leaving the decision as to whether or not to support certain initiatives, grants, give-aways or expenditures up to the person actually signing the checks.

Thus, for example, individuals who perceive the planting of flowers on city traffic islands to be a waste of money would be exempted from paying their proportional amount for that program.

Those whose musical tastes lean more towards Van Halen, Rap and other such fare would be exempted from subsidizing their (often higher income) neighbor's taste for classical music and theatre, and those who are not spectator sports enthusiasts will not be coerced into subsidizing the recreational activities of their neighbors.

Others who support the program in question would so indicate on their tax statement and be given the opportunity to increase their contribution to the extent that they actually value the program(s).

Putting the People in Charge would build unanimity in the New City of Hamilton by reducing, wherever possible, the number of decisions handled by government. Every area resident has a unique set of priorities and values. In most areas of their lives they are able to act upon these without controversy, in the private sector. Controversy inevitably arises where collective decisions are made involving resources owned or controlled by the government. Reducing government involvement in all areas will re-stimulate the natural harmony that exists between all non-criminal area residents.

The new city council could create a strong, dynamic local economy by Putting the People in Charge. This would involve cutting taxes to the bone allowing residents to set their own priorities with respect to spending. Privatizing as many services as possible would Put the People in Charge by freeing them from the yoke of public sector labour union wage subsidies.

Eliminating all grant give-away programs would Put the People in Charge by allowing them to democratically control the decision as to which groups are actually deserving of their financial support. Also, reducing or eliminating unnecessary red tape would Put the People in Charge instead of faceless bureaucrats.

The new city council could Put the People in Charge by allowing city residents to determine the degree of restoration of the downtown core. Actions speak louder than words. If core restoration is genuinely important to city residents they can and will vote with their feet, cars and dollars by coming to the core to support it's entrepreneurs.

Local government involvement is redundant and may actually run counter to the true will of the people. To ensure a level playing field, means of lowering tax burden in the core to achieve parity with all other areas should be investigated. The "free parking" issue could be resolved, at least in part, by offering to sell municipal parking spots to the local BIA's.

The current traffic island flower planting campaign should be transferred to the voluntary sector where organization(s) would be financed through voluntary contributions from the community.

Putting the People in Charge would fight poverty and homelessness by reducing taxes and working to relax unnecessary building standards such as ceiling heights and room sizes and unjustified land use regulations.

Putting the People in Charge would strengthen the local economy and improve transportation efficiency by mitigating influence of environmental extremists on local traffic and transportation decisions. Traffic lights should be re-synchronized on major routes such as Wilson St., Cannon St., John St. and Wellington Ave. to bring back efficient traffic flow on these streets.

These measures will help achieve a cleaner environment by requiring less engine idling at unnecessary red lights, conserve unnecessary resource depletion through reduced vehicle wear and tear, and reduce area driver repair costs. Putting the People in Charge would resist the current obsession with placing stop signs at every possible intersection. These measures could be combined with increased efforts to ensure that speed limits and other (sensible) rules of the road are enforced.

Ensure that adequate and low cost transportation is available to the residents of the new Hamilton by phasing out all subsidies to the HSR until it is entirely self financing and allowing open competition with HSR services and total flexibility in the manner in which new private sector transportation entrepreneurs choose to serve the public. This would Put the People in Charge by leaving the decision as to whether, and by how much, they will support the HSR.

Eventually the HSR should be sold to the private sector to allow competition on an equal footing with any and all other industry entrants. The New City of Hamilton would thus have natural incentives to encourage a wide array of transportation solutions, from buses and vans to taxis, limousines, and even private personal vehicles for hire... an excellent fallback for the unemployed.

Putting the People in Charge would use the advent of the New City of Hamilton as a perfect opportunity to reform the area taxi industry by supporting deregulation. Limits on entry via restrictive licensing should be abolished. The wasteful and unnecessary practice of requiring new cab drivers to pass exams should also be abolished.

Current proposals to institute an "Ambassador" taxi licensing system are full of unnecessary and often idiotic proposals which would merely impose unnecessary, time and money wasting, expenses upon the industry and the public if adopted.

Putting the People in Charge, the New City of Hamilton council should seek the means of providing just compensation for existing taxi plate owners who would face de-facto expropriation of their investments in costly "plates" the capital value of which would never have existed if not for fact that the city created the current system in the first place. Council should also seek a means of compensation for taxi-cab license priority list signatories based upon length of time on the list since many of these individuals have made enormous sacrifices in the quite legal pursuit of the right to operate their own business.

Both taxi plate and driver licenses should be issued to anyone passing a criminal background check, possessing a valid driver's license and operating a safety certified vehicle - regardless of age.

Price controls on taxi fares should be removed to Put the People in Charge of how much they are willing to pay and how much they are willing to charge for services only they are involved with.

Whether or not to contract with an existing taxi brokerage should be the prerogative of the taxi cab owner. Brokerages certainly have their place in the new city of Hamilton however, for many drivers in this age of the ubiquitous cellphone, brokerages are by no means a necessity.

Putting the People in Charge would explore the possibility of attracting investment and jobs to the community by seeking exemption from job-killing federal and provincial labour laws such as those governing collective bargaining, minimum wages, pay equity etc. This might involve looking at the feasibility of Declaring the City of Hamilton a "Free Enterprise Zone".

Putting the People in Charge, the New City of Hamilton council should immediately work toward the repeal of recent anti-smoking by-laws that infringe on property rights of restaurant and bar owners. They should also review and repeal other property rights violations perpetrated by local government.

In conjunction with these measures they should explore the feasibility of setting up a city-wide declaration of property rights. The intention would be to prohibit the city government from ever again succumbing to the temptation to deprive individuals of the rightful disposition of their property in pandering to the tastes and fashionable preferences of certain influential individuals or voting blocks.

Putting the People in Charge would include allowing them to go where they want to go, when they want to go there without unnecessary barriers. Barrier free access to the entire city of Hamilton would require that conversion of existing one-way streets to two way streets be resisted with all vigor.

Putting the People in Charge, the New City of Hamilton council should work to amend existing noise by-laws to address problem of high powered car stereos which annoy hundreds of residents for every individual obtaining "pleasure" from them. Compromise measures, where drivers (often wearing their baseball hats backwards) desiring ear-splitting sound levels in their automobiles be issued specially customized hearing aids designed to amplify normal sounds to nuclear blast levels, could be considered. This could be financed by voluntary donations from concerned citizens.

Putting the People in Charge, the New City of Hamilton council should oppose spending government money for redevelopment of brownfields. Council could however give favourable consideration to significant tax relief for entrepreneurs willing to clean up and develop these areas. It is the proper role of the private sector to take the risks and reap the rewards of their own initiatives. If entertainment and sports complexes are in fact viable enterprises for redeveloped brownfields they will eventually be developed, barring any misguided government disincentives. The function of government should be to put itself out of business, not the reverse.

Business-government "partnerships" are merely an attempt to avoid Putting the People in Charge by going over their heads in economic decision making. As such they should not be encouraged in the New City of Hamilton.

Local government should not be involved in the tourism business. As with all other government enterprises and promotions, a system where politicians and bureaucrats spend other people's money is a magnet for abuse and favoritism. Tourism is an industry properly belonging entirely within the private sector. On the other hand, government should not engage in any activities which unnecessarily deter tourism, such as invasive anti-smoking by-laws.

Every local dollar spent by government for tourism is a dollar taken away from private individuals who would have spent it on other priorities thus depriving them of control. Refraining from actively promoting tourism therefore enhances the democratic nature of the local community allowing direct (and thus much more meaningful) economic participation by area residents by putting THEM in charge.

The dawn of a new age is upon us. Will the New City of Hamilton embrace the future by Putting the People in Charge?

last modified:Wednesday,March 19, 2008 at 04:40