Raise the Hammer

Ryan, I know you love to complicate things, but Hamilton's problems are easy to solve, all it requires is some discipline.

You have already stated that you believe incentives are vital when trying to promote a certain outcome, yet when I apply this theory to getting more investment for Hamilton, your back goes up.

This is one of your recent quotes..."I don't have a problem with A Smith's notion that tax policy can support revitalization."

That's funny, because whenever I mention it you seem to laugh it off as being simplistic and not worthy of discussion.

Here's the second part of that quote..."Where I have a problem is with his monomaniacal insistence that governments can't ever do anything right and that cutting tax rates is the One True Solution to every social and economic ill."

Let's take a look back on how well government has worked in Hamilton the past few decades...hmm, the downtown has virtually imploded, basic infrastructure has been ignored, Hamilton has become a magnet for poor people across Ontario, businesses have fled the city, real wages are the lowest in the GTA. Those are just a few of the great accomplishments of Hamilton governments.

If you want to solve social and economic ills, you need to go back to what works, namely a strong economy that produces lots of wealth so that the genuine poor and needy can be taken care of.

The only way to build a strong economy is to COMPETE. Just as an athlete must train and suffer if he/she wants to improve their performance, Hamilton must go into training mode as well. Rather than let others pay our bills, Hamilton must learn to be self sufficient. Otherwise, we will remain soft and flabby.

Your desire for more handouts in the form of LRT, etc, will only add to Hamilton's flabbiness and weakness. You talk about great cities like Paris and and Boston, guess what, they all PAY more in taxes then they get back in handouts.

They are strong because they give to others, not because others give to them. That's the reality and there's nothing you can do to refute this. Ryan, the truth is staring you in the face, but you have to be willing to accept it. The only way back to greatness is through suffering and hard work, not by ripping other taxpayers off.

When you embrace this simplistic theory as your own, which I encourage, you will help put this city back on it's feet again. Here's hoping.

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