Grandpa Vilho is looking forward to exchanging ideas with the visiting district nurse. Eveliina has signed her firstborn baby to bathe. Ritva hopes that after paying the taxes, more money will be left for everyday expenses. He hopes that the level of municipal taxes will not be raised.
A functioning and just municipality is responsible for all generations – including future ones. Welfare is created through good deeds, but also through the tax revenue generated by entrepreneurship and work. This is how we take care of all generations.
Municipal politics is not rocket science. It’s about the big and small things in everyday life – and team spirit. This is the direction we want the community to take. Why do some areas prosper while others fail? It’s not just about the “forces of nature.” With similar starting points, one city can thrive while another withers.
Municipal policy is mainly the concrete decisions of the members of the council. It is also about creating a good sense of community. Do we encourage or motivate people and businesses with our decisions? Do we see more opportunities or threats? Are we trying to solve economic challenges primarily with lane ones, i.e. by raising the municipal tax, or are we looking for sustainable solutions?
A competent decision-maker promotes the vitality of the municipality. A good decision maker knows how to seize opportunities and focus on recipes for success in their own community instead of tackling problem solving.
Representatives of the political left are inclined to think that public power is omnipotent. The National Coalition Party believes that decision-makers create opportunities and incentives – people themselves create the vitality of their region through their own actions and initiatives. The fruits of these actions will be seen in a number of organized events, organizations, companies and workplaces. These actions of ordinary citizens also increase social cohesion, friends and a supportive and pleasant community. Vitality and communality cannot be outsourced to officials.
Entrepreneurship creates jobs and well-being in each region. The municipality’s tax revenues are used by professionals who are necessary for the welfare society: doctors, teachers, police officers and other respected professionals. The stronger the business and employment rate, the better the conditions provide, for example, adequate funding for services for the elderly and schools, not forgetting the environment.
Entrepreneurship, work and the welfare state are all connected. From southern Europe, one can see what is happening to society under the leadership of left-wing politics. An entrepreneurial mood creates positive moods. People are not depressed, but encouraged to come up with new ideas, take risks and work hard, form associations and create comfortable leisure time. For example, scouts, Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL) activists, nature associations, sports clubs and other organizations are a sign of a living community. This in turn makes the area attractive, which means that new people move to the area and more people also choose to stay there. This adds to the importance of everyday life, attachment to one’s own community and a shared desire to secure a good future for the region. If you want to contribute to a positive municipal policy based on entrepreneurship, individual freedom and the common principle of positive community, you can do so by voting for the IOC in municipal elections.
Antti Häkkänen
Antti Edvard Häkkänen is a Finnish politician who represents the National Coalition Party. He has served as a Member of Parliament since 2015. In 2017-2019, Häkkänen served as Minister of Justice in Sipilä’s office.
This article is written for MP Talk, which is a regular column in the Helsinki Times, where members of the Finnish Parliament share their thoughts and opinions. All opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Helsinki Times.
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Source: The Nordic Page