COMMUNITY BILL OF RIGHTS PART 4
The main body of the Community Bill of Rights amendment is split into two sections. The first section lists eight specific rights ordained for residents, the natural environment, and workers. A ninth right, the right to enforce the Bill is also in this section. The second section lists rights of neighborhoods and neighborhood councils under three subsections, A, B, and C.
I am going to start with the first listed right under section 1, but before I complete the list I will go to the enforcement section, since that adds quite a bit of flavor to the whole jumble.
"Residents have the right to a locally-based economy to ensure local job creation and enhance local business opportunities. The right shall include the right to have local monies invested locally by lending institutions, and the right to equal access to capital, credit, contracts, incentives and services for businesses owned by Spokane residents."
It seems as though a professional economist would be required to make sense of this ordained right. But let me try to look at a concrete case. Say I deposit one million dollars in a local bank and demand that no part of that million be invested other than locally and my neighbor invests one million dollars and demands that his money not be invested locally because a better return to the bank is likely in that case. Now, must the bank refuse his deposit and accept mine? There seems something wrong with this and I suspect there are laws against it. I don't believe cities have regulatory rights or duties regarding bank operations. But, hold on! Is this the whole idea of this initiative? Is the intention to undermine existing federal and state laws in the interest of democracy? This certainly appeals to my anarchist and demarchist instincts. But the approach here seems ham-handed and silly.
It might be a good spot here to jump to a line in the enforcement right, # 9. "Corporations and other business entities shall not be deemed to possess any legal rights; privileges, rights, powers or protections which would enable these entities to avoid the enforcement of these rights . . . ." So I guess the banks are out of luck, as are any small business who opposes these provisions.
I believe the big corporations hold way too much sway with our politicians, but let's stop electing that type of politician and do some election and campaign reform that will help.. That is one place that the energy of those seeking social justice should be directed. Things like this initiative just dilute that energy.
I am going to start with the first listed right under section 1, but before I complete the list I will go to the enforcement section, since that adds quite a bit of flavor to the whole jumble.
"Residents have the right to a locally-based economy to ensure local job creation and enhance local business opportunities. The right shall include the right to have local monies invested locally by lending institutions, and the right to equal access to capital, credit, contracts, incentives and services for businesses owned by Spokane residents."
It seems as though a professional economist would be required to make sense of this ordained right. But let me try to look at a concrete case. Say I deposit one million dollars in a local bank and demand that no part of that million be invested other than locally and my neighbor invests one million dollars and demands that his money not be invested locally because a better return to the bank is likely in that case. Now, must the bank refuse his deposit and accept mine? There seems something wrong with this and I suspect there are laws against it. I don't believe cities have regulatory rights or duties regarding bank operations. But, hold on! Is this the whole idea of this initiative? Is the intention to undermine existing federal and state laws in the interest of democracy? This certainly appeals to my anarchist and demarchist instincts. But the approach here seems ham-handed and silly.
It might be a good spot here to jump to a line in the enforcement right, # 9. "Corporations and other business entities shall not be deemed to possess any legal rights; privileges, rights, powers or protections which would enable these entities to avoid the enforcement of these rights . . . ." So I guess the banks are out of luck, as are any small business who opposes these provisions.
I believe the big corporations hold way too much sway with our politicians, but let's stop electing that type of politician and do some election and campaign reform that will help.. That is one place that the energy of those seeking social justice should be directed. Things like this initiative just dilute that energy.
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