Within a week, the state election will occur in Hamburg (one of the sixteen German states), and there is a list of things on the minds of local residents. If you follow the Wahl-O-Mat system.....these are the things that matter:
1. Deepening of the Elbe (for increased traffic, and more commerce).
2. The rental price brake for apartments to be abolished. Some folks do suggest that it's hindered new apartment planning and construction.
3. After the first five years of school.....kids should be mandated to attend a joint school, for a unspecified period of time.
4. Video surveillance should be increased (to hinder crime). But anti-privacy people hate the idea.
5. More car-free zones should be established (Green Party chatter).
6. Childcare should be completely free (thus paid for by taxation).
7. The 'Red Flora' should be closed (this is the anti-capitalist building in the center of town, with a long history).
8. The farmland around Hamburg.....should only be leased or allowed use to environmentally friendly farmers, NOT to the evil capitalist farmers.
9. The mayor should only be elected by the people.....not the city council itself.
10. More light-rail to be introduced into Hamburg.
11. The city of Hamburg should deport failed asylum folks, in quick and simple fashion.
12. The real estate/property tax should go up.
13. The long-distance train station at Altonia should be shut down.
14. Hamburg should create 'fake' jobs for long-term unemployed, to get them back into the mindset of working.
15. Smoking in public....should ONLY occur in special places (they aren't exactly saying where).
16. The port of Hamburg should control weapon shipments, or forbid them.
17. The city should support 'free' culture situations more. This isn't exactly clear.....it does sound like hippy-stuff but maybe there's more to the word 'free'.
18. The Hamburg emergency shelter deal should be open in the day-time as well (currently, it's evenings only).
19. Bike planning should be top priority.....over car-route planning.
20. The school agenda in Hamburg should be based on the normal family (father, mother, son, daughter).
21. Disguises in riots or demonstrations should continue to be forbidden.
22. Vegen lunches should be offered at all Hamburg schools daily.
23. Hamburg City should go and recruit non-Germans for jobs in the city, and bless 'visas' for the incoming crowd.
24. The regional coal-run plant should be connected to the hot-water heating network of the city.
25. Marijuana use should still be a crime.
26. Any budget money left at the end of the year.....should go the city debt.
27. Moorburg and Hamburg port facilities....should be one single operation.
28. Folks who arrive on day one and ask for asylum.....should be given a work-permit and allowed to work from that day forward.
29. The dance 'ban' on Good Friday should continue as a city 'law'.
30. When planning housing developments, a percentage of all structure should include social housing (cheap and affordable rates).
31. The minimum of 5-percent voting on elections for parties to gets seats in the assembly should continue.
32. More funding for public hospitals.
33. Hamburg City should work to clear food from grocery operations.....that instead of it being thrown away, it should be issued to the poor of the city.
34. Public transport should be free.....meaning that everyone would pay more taxes to cover the free deal.
35. Hamburg should be open on Sundays.
36. Hamburg should declare a climate emergency.
So are some of these pretty radical? Yes. I would imagine that roughly half the city would cross off half of the things, saying that they just aren't that important. Oddly, if some were prioritized and accomplished.....taxes would be going up in a substantial way. I doubt if that was mentioned.
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