Power to the City
VPRO (2014)
Film Review
This documentary argues for shifting major political power away from countries to cities, in part due to the current paralysis national governments face in enacting legislation and in part to the greater likelihood of bottom-up democratic participation in decisions that are made locally.
The filmmakers interview various political scientists who argue for a return to the system of city-state governance that was prevalent prior to the era of colonization.
They give three recent examples in which cities have collaborated with grassroots citizens movements to enact reforms which went on to have major national and global influence:
1. Seattle (Washington) – which in 2014 voted to enact a mandatory $15/hr living wage.
2. Eindhoven (Netherlands) – where citizens collaborated with business leaders and elected officials to create a high tech hub to replace 36,000 jobs that were lost overseas.
3. Hamburg (Germany) –…
View original post 74 more words
1EarthUnited 
Thanks for reblogging.
LikeLike
Sorry folks, the UN United Cities Local Government is another tentacle of the old world new world order; iwe are meant to have “town” form of government (law of the land), not “city” (law of the sea); download a Black’s Law Dictionary to get the real meaning of words used; in peace;
LikeLiked by 1 person
City government is just as bad as big government. They can tax something at double its value just to create revenue, or engage in social engineering, or shelter felons, please tell me how good for us this is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps true to a certain extent, but those who choose to live in metropolitan cities are reliant upon local services to a certain extent.
Ideally, what we don’t need is corruption, vice, unreasonable bureaucratic interference at any level of gov’t… but that is not probable at our level of collective development.
Local municipalities do provide necessary basic services which we gladly pay thru taxes like for road maintenance, garbage collection, utilities, water sewer etc. the foundation of civilization.
Hypothetically, during a Federal gov’t shutdown, life at the local level goes on as usual. The sycophantic bureaucrats and their worker bees won’t get paid for several weeks until they hammer out a deal.
If Trump could manage to extend the shutdown for months! Perhaps that would be the trigger to awaken the masses that we
don’t actually need Washington to run things. Life goes on and the world doesn’t end with them!
Take the power back!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think Trump would be interested in a prolonged shutdown, unless he could blame it on the Democrats and thus effect the mid-term elections. But I get your point. When the economy collapses this year we will see some real power, at the community level. Municipal government will become meaningless, or at least put on hold.
LikeLike