It absolutely boggles my mind that so many folks on this list openly advocate the removal of others' rights with regard to their private property.
I know quite a few people who live in Minneapolis and, due to high taxes and regulation plus a lack of jobs and adequate transit, are compelled to commute to the suburbs for their work. Many of these folks are married couples with children. This is how they pay the bills. It amazes me that we put folks in this position (through our city policies) and then criticize them for having two cars, and perhaps a double-car garage. What we need in this city (and state) is lower taxes and less regulation. With that will come more JOBS, and less of our city's residents will seek employment in the suburbs, which means less driving in and out. We also need to strengthen our transit system, both within the city, and between cities/suburbs, and additionally I would advocate more bike lanes in Minneapolis. I live in a duplex which houses a total of four people, not to mention two dogs and five cats. We do not have a garage. (We have two very large gardens instead.) All four of us (humans) bike everywhere. Having said that, I would never advocate forcing others to live like we do. It's easy to embrace regulation that is in line with one's personal beliefs, but we need to remember that those who are in power may not always be on our ideological team. It is for this reason that we need to exercise caution with regard to the control that government is given over our personal freedoms. Imagine if Republicans controlled Minneapolis: mandatory environmental workshops and regulation of backyards could be replaced with mandatory economics classes and gun safety workshops. Sounds cool, huh? Of course, Republicans would never actually implement such requirements, because the foundation of the party is personal freedom. Such a concept runs counter to the idea of forcing people to think and behave in a certain way. In favor of liberty, Connie Nompelis Minneapolis Republican Committee Ward 6 - Ventura Village __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
