Jefferson Review

	Jefferson Review
	"Your Liberty is Our Interest"	March 21, 2005
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How should we all pull together; Naval Ordnance Station; Proposed Smoking Ban and Tolerance

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

1. How should we all pull together?

What is the best way for us to pull together to improve the lives of everyone in our society? Should we act as free people, each of us using our talents to serve our fellow man on a voluntary basis, or should we be shackled and chained together and forced to pull in the same direction? The voluntary system is called free market capitalism, while the chain gang system is called socialism – which should we choose?

A recent Cato Institute audio described a situation in West Virginia during the days of segregated education. A coal company found that its black employees could not obtain a good education for their children in the government schools, so, in true free market capitalist fashion, it started a school for them and offered education as part of their compensation. The school was very successful – so successful that white employees began asking for admission for their children as well. Unfortunately, the government soon forced the company school to shut down. After all, it was not acceptable for blacks in the company school to be obtaining a better education than whites in the government school! So much for government helping the downtrodden! As in this example, the reality is that, when we are all shackled together by the government, the people who benefit are not the downtrodden but rather those with political clout. Only the capitalist system, which respects every individual and his property, offers real opportunity for the powerless and the weak, as it did for the children of those West Virginia miners.

2. Naval Ordnance Station Controversy

Louisville Metro Councilman Hal Heiner has raised some serious questions about the city’s handling of the Naval Ordnance station. “The 142-acre property known as Naval Ordnance was given to Louisville for free after nine years of intense local and congressional effort. And what a gift it was! With 1.6 million square feet of buildings, no debt, and tenants paying millions in rent to our community, it was a dream come true…. On March 26, 2004, a mere 44 days after Louisville received the deed to the property, Deputy Mayor Larry Hayes signed a lease which inexplicably gave 97 percent of the profits from the property to Titan, a start-up Maryland company, for the next 99 years…. Why would our community give away a profitable $10 million technology park to Titan, without requesting price bids? Why would our community give away a 99-year lease and essentially all of the profits generated at the park without requiring Titan to reinvest immediately? Why did the 99-year lease not honor existing tenant leases?... We would like to know why Mayor Jerry Abramson did not disclose to Metro Council until questioned that Titan was his client while he was in private law practice.” Instead of giving clear answers to Heiner’s questions, the Deputy Mayor attacked Heiner and said the city is investigating him! The Deputy Mayor also suggested that anyone who questions the city’s actions concerning the Naval Ordnance Station is harming the city by scaring away future tenants. Interesting approach. Don’t answer the questions – just attack the questioner.

I have no inside information about this situation, but Heiner’s questions certainly need to be answered, and the Deputy Mayor’s response raises plenty of red flags. I am glad we finally have a healthy two-party system and someone as knowledgeable about property development as Heiner to serve as a watchdog for the taxpayers.

3. Proposed Smoking Ban

We have recently heard from several prominent people in Louisville who support a smoking ban, most recently Denny Crum. These wealthy and influential individuals say they are sure the local businesses that are forced to ban smoking will not be harmed, and a smoking ban will improve the health of Louisville residents and the stature of the community in the eyes of the nation. But talk is cheap.

If these folks really believe what they are saying, why don’t they put their money where their mouths are? Let them buy the restaurants and bars and then voluntarily decide to ban smoking in their own establishments. If that’s what the customers really want, then Crum, Jones, and others who promote a smoking ban should earn great profits. If they are wrong, then they are wealthy enough to take the risk and bear the losses. (They also would have the ability to change their minds and be flexible enough to come up with creative options in the absence of an ordinance.) But enacting a smoking ban that would forcibly push the financial risk onto the current owners of many Mom and Pop restaurants and bars simply is not right.

We have frequently been told that the key to a healthy, growing city is to promote tolerance and respect for people’s differences, so that the creative “knowledge workers” will want to live here. Does that mean only tolerance for homosexuals, atheists, and various ethnic groups who are favored by the political elites, or does it also mean tolerance for Mom and Pop restaurant and bar owners, other property owners, and, dare I suggest, perhaps even tolerance for smokers?