trash talk

[ms. bing]

first read this: (http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/04/06/20050406LNJtrash.html;COXnetJSessionIDbuild71=Cg60QfXvstQ6GKI8th3Acge6tWOgNyA05JhC6R292oVXoRWLv765!-1413311921?urac=n&urvf=11136026126380.5793018663518645)
then read this:

Dear Editor:
I have intentionally waited several days to write this letter so that I could “cool off” and contemplate what happened the other night in Henderson. I was one of the many people who attended the meeting of the commissioners. That night I witnessed the death of democracy and the legalization of government control of our lives and property.
I wasted my time in going to that meeting. There were many people attending who spoke in opposition to the order and a few who spoke for it. None of that mattered, because at least three of the commissioners sat with deaf ears to the will and concerns of the public. They obviously had already made up their minds on how to vote before the meeting ever convened. Is democracy dead? In my opinion it is at least seriously ill.
For me, this issue is not about trash. It is about the ability of a government entity to control personal property and to pass judgement on individual citizens without recourse to defend themselves. The order that was passed by three of the commissioners is biased, vague in interpretation, and discriminatory. It allows the government to make judgements on personal values, beliefs, and properties. It empowers them to control personal property and to ultimately take that property for noncompliance.
There are many questions in my mind that need answers. Have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and personal property rights become just words with no meaning? Have they been replaced by money talks and the most money talks loudest? When did capitalism and democracy come to mean the same thing?
Our personal rights to choose our own destiny, to self-determination, to being different, and to property use are slowly being eroded under the guise of government knowing what is best for us and the community. I believe our commissioners are good, well-intentioned people, but I think that they made a mistake in passing Chapter 343 of the Texas Health and Safety Code. I would ask them to rethink their decision and repeal this order.


anyone know what the stink is?

[Mudflap]

First link is dead.

[skalie]

No, it's just missplet...

http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/04/06/20050406LNJtrash.html;COXnetJSessionIDbuild71=CfyOuz1tzQHoXYduTsAfdZDCZINJqvVjTC2HihpF4i6pmkre3GHj!-1413311921?urac=n&urvf=11135841425680.5291227953367676

[Billyman]

Yeah well I fiXord the link.

[ms. bing]

thanks billy.
i'm still learning how to do that.

[Koliedrus]

Sound like people are pissed about the shit other people leave in their yards. I'm guessing that the "yards" are more like acres.

I see the part where the voters and the politicos don't agree (to say the least). I see where corps are exempt.

This looks like a City Codes Enforcement issue. One jackoff didn't like the condition of another jackoff's property so everybody started blowing out candles to make theirs look like it was burning brighter.

That's just my first impression.

[Cruise Director]

Lots of the cities in Utah have similar codes. For the most part, I'm all for them.

The ordinance does not apply to a site or facility that is permitted or regulated by the state. It also does not pertain to agricultural land or equipment used in agricultural enterprises, such as farming or logging, or trash that does not create a hazard to safety, health or public welfare. Items whose sale or operation constitute a primary source of income are not covered by the rules, as well. Cans that are collected to crush and sell would not be covered by the ordinance, for instance.

From what I read there, they are only after trash that creates a hazard to safety, public health or welfare. Your neighbors can still leave the Chevy on blocks on the front lawn. Around here we have 'homeowner associations' that enforce strict regulations on things like yard art, satellite dishes, house colors and even on-street parking. The CC&R's are made available to you before you purchase a property and you can decide whether or not it meets your living criteria. I personally like the fact that you can't paint the house next to mine lime green.

As for democracy, I think it is alive in your city. You voted to elect these folks to represent your community. They took a vote and the majority of your representatives decided to enact this ordinance. You can complete the circle of democracy in a year or so when you un-elect these folks.

[ms. bing]

actually, i don't live in that city. but i work there. this means i have to listen to the bitching and moaning.
they are, in fact, after the person with the chevy on blocks. but not just that. one chevy and four cinderblocks are not going to bring the law to your door. every article of trash you have ever created since the day you moved in lying somewhere on your property will bring them, and you would be surprised how many people actually live like that. out here in the rural areas there are no trash services, per say. to dump your trash you have to take it to the dump and pay to dump it based on how much you have. there are people, many of them, who don't want to do that.
dad and i are two of them.
however, we decided to do some different stuff. we have a barrel in which we burn everything that is burnable, and that means almost everything. the food leftovers get dumped outside near the woods. gets it out of my house and keeps the woodland creatures happy. cans get recycled. everything else gets taken to dad's work and put in the dumpster. that equals about 1 small trash bag per week.
i have some neighbors who don't take their trash to the dump or do anything else about it, either. they pretty much leave it lying around. everyone else on my street has worked very hard in the past few years to make their property look good. this one house that's all trashed up can bring down property values for everyone. not to mention the fact that it looks crappy.
they don't have this particular code in my county yet. i hope they do it soon. i would love to get them out here to make my neighbors clean up their yard.

[Cruise Director]

You and your dad have made the best of the situation. They outlawed burn barrels here in the mid 70's. Ogden City, where I moved here from, actually put in ordinances in the last few years that you had to maintain your lawn, too. Anyone with grass over 6" would be issued a warning, then a $25 ticket. If you continued to fail your compliance the fines kept increasing. They actually had squads of neighborhood people policing each other's houses to make sure the yards were maintained. The people they were going after were the abandoned houses and yards but the result was that the whole city got a bit nicer.

Now, I think that is a bit extreme. Especially since they wouldn't allow people to tear out their yards and xeriscape. Your front yard needed to be something like 60% grass.

I think cleanliness ordinances go far enough.

[MuffyTheVampyreLayer]

Around here we have 'homeowner associations' that enforce strict regulations on things like yard art, satellite dishes, house colors and even on-street parking. The CC&R's are made available to you before you purchase a property and you can decide whether or not it meets your living criteria. I personally like the fact that you can't paint the house next to mine lime green.


That sounds so edward-scissorhands-type-suburbia. :eek: Are there boofy haired housewives who run around ranting and raving if there is a breach of the regulations? Christ, what if you want to run around naked in your yard scratching your bits? In my opinion, it's your yard, your bits, if they don't want to be exposed to what they don't want to see they can close the damn curtains or grow a hedge. Bugger that Cruise, I'd refuse to buy the house out of sheer principle.

[Cruise Director]

Most of the protective covenants make sense. Mine aren't real stringent and are as follows:
1.) Houses must be stucco and painted a neutral color.
2.) Satellite dishes should not be in plain view.
3.) No signs in your yard except for 'for sale' signs.
4.) No chainlink. Block wall is acceptable as a property barrier.
5.) Landscaping must be completed to the front line of the house within 90 days of moving in.
6.) No long-term on street parking.

That's pretty much all of them. I can have lawn gnomes if I want them. :)

[Mudflap]

What about flamingoes? PINK flamingoes!