Here's a recipe for the perfect town council candidate, in line with the traditional American values of private property, low taxes and small government.
1. Candidate is anti-debt. The town would avoid taking on any new debt and would actively pay down any debt currently owed. Debt is more often a trap than a tool! If paying off debt requires selling city land or property, then it should be sold. We're in economic decline right now because of federal and corporate profligacy - let's set a better example on the local level.
2. Candidate recognizes sovereign right of citizens over their own property. This means that codes would be minimized and citizens would be encouraged to "talk over" issues between each-other without involving the city. It also means that city property taxes on homeowners would be eliminated.
3. Did I mention NO property taxes on homeowners?
4. Candidate would fight to abolish historic district and its draconian rules. Then property owners in the current district could run their businesses without the long noses of the city being poked in everywhere. It's tough enough to make money already!
5. Candidate would support a savings fund for emergencies to avoid having to take out any new debt.
6. Candidate would push for "good neighbor" poultry policy and loosening of codes. Gardening, urban homesteading, and composting should be encouraged.
7. Candidate would oppose any new boondoggle programs like a bus system, digital signs and other silliness. We don't need them, we don't want them!
8. Candidate should agree that development should only proceed without running over the property rights of homeowners.
9. Candidate should respect the senior citizens of Smyrna. They made this town what it is and their voices should be honored in return.
10. Candidate should fight to reduce the size and scope of town government.
11. Candidate will not cow-tow to established interests, old families, or those with money and power. Alternately, candidate should not oppose established interests for the sake of being reactionary. Rich, poor, black, white, old, young - all voices should be noted and respected.
12. Candidate will fight for individual rights - not corporate interests, government control, or personal power.
Whaddya say, Smyrna? As far as I can tell, we don't have a freedom-oriented candidate like that in this race.
Maybe next time?
Maybe it'll be you?
-DG
Our mission is to be a useful resource for the city of Smyrna, TN and surrounding areas.
9 comments:
Exceptional lay out for the perfect candidate, just need to stress property rights a bit more.
Ha, maybe so. I think you really can't stress them enough. Freedom stands or falls on private property. The Founding Fathers knew it... though we seem to have forgotten it along the way.
Hmmm, not too sure about the whole poultry thing, just not that into agrarian life.
Other than that, this list kicks ass. It should be applied to all elected officials.
Too bad no major party candidates for any office fit this bill. I would vote for them. I still can't figure out for whom to vote.
Steve. Do you want me to link your website on the right hand side of ours? A local weather channel is interesting.
Hear! Hear!
Great punchlist for the town counsel candidates. It seems that the character of the counsel as a whole has become very authoritarian, if not outright sneering, and that's a disturbing trend. One need only look at the way the historic district was handled to see how the authoritarian style is damaging to the town. The town counsel meetings I have attended give me the impression that our elected officials would find the job so much more pleasant if they didn't have to put up with the darned citizens and their opinions.
Personally, I love history. I even miss the feed store. It took me back to my childhood, and the little no-frills country feed store I used to visit with my dad one Saturday a month. The feed store had character. I loved shopping there. Maybe it needed a facelift, but what it finally got was no improvement imho.
Where the town went wrong with the historic district expansion was trying to cram a lot of excessive regulation down citizens' throats that had little to do with historic preservation. A community friendly approach would have been to have a preservation fair or home demonstration club type arrangement. They could have invited local vendors out to demonstrate products and home improvement techniques that are preservation friendly once a month. That would have been a win-win for the businesses and the homeowners. The pictures of peoples' homes could have been used to model the aesthetic differences when using appropriate vs. inappropriate product choices for their homes. This should have been treated as a club, not a bludgeon. People like to join clubs, they don't like to be bludgeoned. It should have been designed as a sort of support group, where people could go with questions and get others' opinions when desired.
I would have enjoyed being a part of an organization like that, but it should be an organization that takes practical and economic realities into consideration. Private property rights must be respected. Elderly people often need ramps at their front doors as a practical matter. Landscaping standards beyond those already establised for the town as a whole should be suggestions, not mandates. The color someone paints his house is temporary. It shouldn't even be on the list of things to be regulated. If an unfortunate choice is made, most likely the choice will be made more wisely next time. It's not a tragedy.
What those proposed regulations read like was a laundry list of someone's pet peeves with our neighborhood, rather than an objective approach to maintaining the historical integrity of the neighborhood. Is it any wonder they ticked people off?
As for allowing poultry, I'm all for it. It can be done, and probably should be done. We may be facing some unprecedented tough economic times, and as families struggle to put food on the table, I would hate to think bureaucracy or someone else's asethetic values stood in the way of their food security. Again, making it a club that people join would be the way to go. Raising poultry is an educational experience for the whole family, and having experts available to present on such topics as biosecurity and animal health would be beneficial for everyone.
My brother keeps bees. You'll find pictures of some of his bees in the next Tractor Supply Catalog in a feature on pollinators. When he got started, he didn't just go out and get some bees. He joined a club and got educated on the subject. Now, his name appears on a list of volunteers that EMS uses when there is a swarm that needs to be captured. My point is that the town needs to work with its citizens, not against them. Diversity in a community is a resource, not a blemish.
Great comment Rebecca. You are invited to do a guest column any time you like. Drop me an email for details and such.
Yes. Good thoughts, indeed.
What those proposed regulations read like was a laundry list of someone's pet peeves with our neighborhood, rather than an objective approach to maintaining the historical integrity of the neighborhood. Is it any wonder they ticked people off?
this statement could be applied to the whole article about "the perfect candidate"..i don't think he's available..he was crucified..you can't have it both ways...no taxes..no services...no codes anything goes...ahh anarchy...
There's definitely not a perfect system. And no "perfect" candidate either. And you're right about the only perfect man being crucified. Fortunately for us, he came back!
But our nation certainly wasn't founded in "anarchy." And I certainly wouldn't call for anarchy. I just think there are many things that can be resolved better "neighbor-to-neighbor" rather than by the town government. Individuals rarely cause more destruction than governments do.
And I think many people would probably like to live their lives without their hands being constantly held for them.
Feel free to comment, though - thank you.
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