How to solve Hamilton’s rates crisis

by Libertarian Independent Tim Wikiriwhi

Candidate for Hamilton Mayor and West Ward.

I am standing to represent those ratepayers who have had a guts full of escalating rates bills and ever increasing red tape.

My Libertarian program of reform for Hamilton City Council are designed to achieve substantial and permanent cost savings for ratepayers, yet at the same time see the City become a new fountainhead of art, culture and sport via free enterprise and voluntary community associations.

The central issue of this election is overspending by Council and the growing rates burden.

When I stood last election, I told Hamilton that electing any of my opponents guarantees the escalation of the City debt, the increase of rates, and a rapacious army of clerks hell bent on fleecing as much loot out of you as they can.

Now I can say I told you so!

Nobody ought to be surprised that electing big talking, big spending, bureaucratic socialists like Macpherson or Chesterman that you end up with massive rate bills and giant red tape bureaucracies.

Some of you may have heard that socialism bankrupted the Soviet Union! So don’t be so shocked that it threatens to bankrupt our City Council.

Many of you probably don’t know that socialism bankrupted the City of New York in the late 1960’s and it had to be bailed out by the Federal Government and the State of New York.

You can read about that in the book called “Free to Choose” by Nobel Prize winner of Economics Milton Freidman. I recommend it as it exposes the folly of the current modus opperandi of government and council that has undermined freedom and self responsibility in favor of central planning.

My Libertarian program of down sizing Council to focus on essential utilities is the solution to the current crisis, and I am the only Mayoral candidate with the plan!

I will revise planned expenditure and look to eliminate all non-essential projects and expect to make significant reductions in the currently projected budget blowout.

My rivals say they intend to fight against rising rates hoping you will forget that they were themselves involved in the previous council overspending and responsible for the current financial troubles!

By what magic they hope to fulfill their countless election promises I don’t know. They promise to fight rate rises and then with complete disregard for economy proceed in making election promises to every special interest group vowing to pour ratepayers money into their pet schemes and projects! This is economic voodoo!

This is unprincipled electioneering. Don’t be fooled!

They have had no change of heart and no revolutionary change of mind, and if re-elected they will continue to run Hamilton into the red because they have neither repented nor forsaken their bankrupt socialist politics that led us here in the first place.

Hamilton needs to investigate which new candidates offer to support cost saving reform, and not elect new councilors with the same old bankrupt socialist ideas.

God forbid Hamilton East electing Dianne Yates. She has no concern about spending public revenues! Her Labour Party stole nearly half a million dollars from the taxpayers and only paid it back because they got caught!

Remember the No Smacking Bill that her government passed even though nobody wanted it! And her smoking ban in pubs that grievously affected many in the hospitality industry. By her past actions she has proven unworthy of being in Government and a threat to your wallet and your freedom.

We need a fresh City Council and a Mayor with a clear and consistent ideology to achieve the desired economic outcome and to maintain regional development.

I will reconsider all current and future Council business looking for cost saving opportunities and areas of activity that Council can divest itself of by handing such business over to free enterprise and private autonomous community organisations.

My plan is a complete rejection of the current socialist ideology of centralisation in favor of decentralised freedom.

The National party has just recently decided to back a cultural levy plan for all parts of Auckland, to the delight of Labour Minister Judith Tizard, who when asked if she worried about the rise in rates said she had “Deep sympathy...But if we did all our infrastructure on that basis we would have no public transport, we would have no museums or galleries”… To this I say bollocks! These things exist because they are valued not because of the wisdom of bureaucrats!

Her type of politics (the same economic theory as Yates, Macpherson and Chesterman) is to impose hardship on the population to finance their personal agendas built on socialist fallacies!

Milton Freidman, whose economic and historic genius I’ll put up against these socialist types any day, says art, culture, education and charity flourished before government took command and in fact because the use of political force is a very poor means to achieve a desirable end, they have ruined these noble endeavors, making them political footballs by placing getting elected ahead of the truth that central planning is an economic and social disaster! Albert J Nock said that when the state takes over any social activity, the social spirit of the people atrophies and the public become less able to manage their own affairs. I seek to reverse this evil trend by reversing the process of politicisation and halting excessive impositions. I will ask the people of Hamilton to step up and be truly self reliant, truly philanthropic, truly passionate about art, sport, and culture by creating your own private community associations. This is the cultural awakening freedom and limited government make possible!

Voluntary cooperation is much more efficient, much more humane. It promotes social virtue and the general weal and restores justice.

Such things as sport, art, and culture could be easily managed by autonomous trusts. Founded and funded voluntarily or run as business ventures on the free market.

Funds generated by sales of assets related to non essentials would go to reducing City debt, or to finance the upgrade of existing and ongoing construction of new core utilities. The process of divesting Council of these kinds of responsibilities will involve councilors facilitating the transition. The Mayoral directive will be to seek alternative solutions to ongoing council involvement.

When any Council business is wound up then that office is to be closed for good.

As Mayor I would resist any oppressive measures by Parliament that threaten Ratepayers’ liberty, business, or property rights.

To reduce the cost of running Council I seek to redefine its roll within a much reduced sphere of influence and activity while promoting the growth of voluntary community involvement and management of their own private affairs and ambitions.

If you want change, don’t vote back in incompetence.

Vote for Tim Wikiriwhi and his Libertarian reforms and let’s make Hamilton the envy of every City in New Zealand, leading the way in providing a globally competitive environment for our industries and fostering social enlightenment.

twikiriwhi@yahoo.co.nz

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