Libertarians are of the opinion that government creates problems for which it then creates solutions, and the solutions always result in more government control and less individual initiative. Examples abound, but let’s just look at two of Mayor Ed Lee’s recent proposals.
1. Short terms rentals
Property owners got tired of the yards-long list of rental regulations and ventured into short term rentals, which until recently thrived as agreements between willing participants. That’s over.
On July 2, 2015, Mayor Ed Lee announced the creation of the new Office of Short-Term Rental Administration and Enforcement, “funded in the Mayor’s FY 15-17 budget, to create a ‘one-stop’ shop and centralized location to streamline applications for the City’s short-term rental registry and more aggressively coordinate complaints and enforcement of the City’s short-term rental regulations.”
Simple private agreements between willing participants in a business arrangement have morphed into yet another “streamlined” bureaucratic maze.
2. Support for Small Businesses
On June 15, 2015, Mayor Ed Lee announced $6.7 million over the next two years to “expand services for small businesses and strengthen neighborhood commercial corridors.” Services will include a long laundry list of “technical assistance, access to capital, business counseling, loans, physical improvements to storefronts, and capacity-building.”
Maybe City taxpayers would better benefit if government just got out of the way and saved $6.7 million.
Cancelling out one objective with another is what government does best!