greenstate: critormiss: “I think the entire government should be privatized. Chuck E. Cheese c

greenstate:critormiss:“I think the entire government should be privatized. Chuck E. Cheese could run the parks; everything operated by tokens. Drop in a token, go on the swingset. Drop in another token, take a walk. Drop in a token, look at a duck.” - Ron Swansonron swanson: libertarian of the yearRon Swanson is indeed my favorite libertarian (Jack Donaghy wins the prize for best Republican). I’m someone who, prior to voting in a nonpartisan election for school board or the library board of trustees, will check the candidates’ personal voting registration before stepping into the voting booth. Such is my fear that I will accidentally cast a ballot for a Republican. You can never be too careful about local busybodies: one day they’re mostly harmless Fire Commissioners, the next they’re State Senators bent on firing teachers and cutting Medicaid coverage. My no-Republicans-allowed voting policy applies doubly to partisan elected offices.So it pains me to say: local governments could use a few more Ron Swansons.Not necessarily in the Parks Department, though Jane Jacobs and many contemporary urbanists are park skeptics, but a few more free-market voices in Planning departments and Zoning Boards would be very useful. Plenty of local government regulations benefit entrenched interests and incumbent homeowners at the expense of the poor, the environment, and potential future residents:Why is Manhattan So Expensive? Regulation and the Rise of House Prices (PDF): “…regulation is constraining the supply of housing in a number of other housing markets across the country. In these areas, increases in demand have not led to more housing units, but to higher prices.”Green Cities, Brown Suburbs: Restrictions on density increase global warming.Zoned Out: Regulation, Markets, and Choices in Transportation and Metropolitan Land Use - Current zoning regulations privilege sprawl at the expense of walkable neighborhoods. Matt Yglesias has written a lot on the scourge of publicly-owned parking lots.Wanted: A few good Democrats willing to take a chainsaw to a zoning ordinance or two. -- source link

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