Again, democratic consent isn't the issue. Taxes aren't voluntary, even if we give government our consent to levy them. If you really believe otherwise, try not paying your taxes and tell me how that works out.
What I don't understand is what your conception of federal and state limitations on government are.
I believe I've made it abundantly clear that local governments must operate within the limits of federal and state law - including the U.S. and state Constitution. What about that do you not understand? If it doesn't violate a higher law, NYC can regulate however it chooses.
Our leaders have made careers of obfuscating and evading those limitations with the same king of vague sophistry you're leaning on here. So, falling back on the "bounds of overriding federal and state laws" is a copout. I'm asking you what you think those bounds should be. Because very often you argue as though they should be virtually nothing at all - and that leaves us with your naked statement that: "the purpose of local government is whatever the **** the locally governed decide it is" - which is mob rule and dangerous in the extreme.
What should they be? I think the U.S. Constitution is fine the way it is. You believe we should amend it to disallow state and local governments from regulating business?
You're just playing dodge 'em. I'm asking for
your views on how government ought to be limited. Federal and state constitutions are the targets of endless equivocation and lawyering. I'm not interested in the wildly differing views on current precedent or the vague politics involved. I'm trying to get your opinion on what the ideal scope of government should be. Why don't you want to answer?
I'm not asking to be a jerk. I think it's an incredibly important question and one that we need to think about more than we do. The fact that so people ever even ask the question is pointing us in the direction of government that does anything and everything, that controls anything and everything. I think we're going to regret that if we don't get a handle on it.