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By A Smith (anonymous) | Posted January 27, 2010 at 01:11:52
MPB >> I am looking up to you to suggest some 'out-of-the-box methods and processes' that - you have not already suggested here - that address your concerns.
Well, thank you for asking. According to the Hamilton's 2009 budget, "Planning and Economic Development" spending totaled $16.5M by the end of 2008. In contrast, "Community Services" was $159.6M and that doesn't include the $41.2M for transit, which is a basically a subsidy aimed at helping poor people. What this means is that the City of Hamilton is currently spending 12.5X more money subsidizing the poor than it is on trying to create new wealth and prosperity.
Therefore, what I am suggesting is that these two numbers be brought closer together. Shift away from spending money on poverty programs to investing in wealth creation and added value jobs. The fact is, focusing only $16.5M out of a total budget of $711M on growing the economy (2.3% of budget), while we spend 200.6M (28.2% of budget) focusing on creating services for the poor has not done one thing to alleviate poverty in this city.
Our focus is aimed so tightly on the issue of poverty (a bad thing), we have forgotten to look at where we want to go. Don't they say that when driving a car the best thing to do is to look at where you want to go, rather than where you don't want to? Can we say that about Hamilton today? I don't think so.
If Hamilton wants to cure its deficit of wealth creation and good jobs for every citizen, that needs to become our new focus, not expanding poverty programs like subsidized transit. Less money for poverty programs and more money for wealth and job creation.
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