Taking Out the Trash: Goldwater Fights the Garbage Bureaucrats

Executive Summary

Steven Hedrick is one of the countless entrepreneurs across the United States who has poured his heart and soul—and his time and money—into his small-business dream. He represents some of the finest qualities of the American dream: the willingness to work hard to provide for himself and his family while also serving a need in his community. But bureaucrats in the nearby city of Holiday Island, Arkansas, have other plans. They’ve decided to give a special monopoly privilege to another business—and to outlaw competition from people like Steven Hedrick.

Months ago, the city passed an ordinance that essentially outlaws Steven’s trash-hauling business—not because he’s dishonest or bad at his job, but simply to ensure that a government-run trash-hauler, called the Carroll County Waste Management District, won’t have to compete fairly. Even more bizarrely, Steven’s company doesn’t do weekly trash-hauling, which is what the District does. That makes no sense—and it violates the Arkansas Constitution, which prohibits the government from creating monopolies. Now, the Goldwater Institute has taken up Steven’s case, to defend his right to earn an honest living.