Gov't - Fucked up. Really.

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These city officials need to

The guy can't afford to finish because of the economy so they lock him up.

Hey, something like that could cause property values to go down.

Say... does that mean we can put Obama in jail?

Good on the Judge for tossing the fine, but what he should have done was toss out all of the charges with it!

Fuck the city council, fuck them hard with a hot iron poker!!!

The ass?

Sounds like dude yo has some serious asshole neighbors. Probably bored retirees. If it were me, I'd look like this every time I arrived or departed:

Burnsville Minnesota apparently has no crime if this is all they have to use their law enforcement and judicial resources on.

Burnsville is a pretty safe town.

So the guy had four years to put siding on his house and comply with code. He chose not to do anything to help bring his house up to code, or at least not until he was arrested and fined, then the work got done real quick. He was then told to turn himself in after flagrantly violating said code, and he chose not to. Then he had a bench warrant issued for him, which he chose to ignore.

Doesn't sound like "government" fucked up this one.

Going to jail or paying a fine for not putting up freaking siding on your house shouldn't be within the realm of possibility in the first place.

Why have codes if they're not enforced?

Good question.

You don't have a right to build an unsafe eyesore and drive my property values down.

Safety. Yep.

Do you own a home?

Yes. I do understand the need for some codes and regulations. Primarily safety. I also understand the need to have a code that says you can't build a skyscraper on the same block as family houses.

However, many ordinances and codes are stupid and exist because some councilman didn't like his neighbors house. In a down economy if someone can't afford to side their house, they don't belong in jail.

Gov't shouldn't tell you how to side your property.

"Gov't" also shouldn't allow you to drive down my property value through your neglect.

The guy had four years to comply with the codes. He chose not to.

Gov't isn't your mommy. That's the problem. You want the gov't to protect you and be your mommy in every little way.

That's why there are civil courts. To look after your own interests.

If he was in jail just for not siding his house, you might have a point.

However, what really happened is the government gave the man a lot of rope, and he decided to hang himself with it by not bothering to work things out.

Enforcing private property rights is a primary function of government. If someone doesn't want to deal with building codes or whatever, don't fucking own a home, or don't rip off your siding if you don't have the money to replace it. But at the end of the day, one person doesn't have the right to deprive people of their private property (the value of their homes).

Almost but not quite. At the end of the day the gov't doesn't have the right to interfere in people's private property. People have become so used to the mommy state they accept this as normal. It's not.

As stated above, civil courts exist so people can protect their property values and issues like that.

This is why I will never again own or rent a home in a subdivision with a "homeowners association" or any city limits where I have more rules than I would have in a country, isolated area. If I want to have a chicken coop in my back yard, fuck it, I'll have one. I want to shoot a gun off my porch, fuck it, nobody gives a shit. Lesson learned, I'll deal with it for now, but first chance I get I'm getting the hell out of suburbia.

I own a home, and wouldn't give a fuck if the guy next door had some trouble finishing a project if he's out of cash.


But I'm not a bitter piece of shit like you.

They rail against corporations and the rich hurting the little guy, but leftist selfishness always comes out in situations like this. And just like the evil corporates who run to government to make shit go their way, so too, do lefties run to Uncle Sam to fix it right now!!

No compassion for the guy with not enough money to finish, just concerned about their own property values.

Better stop mocking Uncle Albert, actormike, you seem to have a thriving self-interest of your own.

That's such a bullshit argument, but not at all surprising that you and mike chose to hang your hats on it. All you have to do is get enough people to agree with your arbitrary conditions on what affects the value of your home, and *poof*, suddenly you're not just another nosy asshammer who can't mind his own fucking business, you're a "poor hardworking neighbor, innocently concerned for the worth of his home."


Old paint, wrong color paint. Too many trees, not enough trees, improperly trimmed/removed trees, satellite dish in the wrong place, cars too old, to many weekends spent wrenching on them in your driveway, grass too long, fence not pretty enough, flowers not arranged in proper Samurai tradition. Decorations up too long, decorations for too obscure of a tradition. Fucking sanctimonious shitbags, enabled by the pretense of legitimacy afforded by popular sentiment.

If I ever let a bank own a home on my behalf again, it'll be isolated enough that I can shoot anyone who harasses me about how I use my own goddamned space. I'll call it "tresspassing," and if enough people agree with me, that proves it right, doesn't it?

So I have to spend my money on a lawyer and court costs because some asshole didn't want to put up siding on his house, thereby costing me MORE money?

No sale.

It's selfish to want to protect my property value?

Might as well say it's selfish to shoot someone who's broken into your house.

my question is what city council member was this guy was feuding with

Actormike: Your argument sounds like this, "I have a right not to be offended."

The one problem with bleeding hearts is that they want someone else to do the bleeding.

Aside from having the loser pay the attorney's fees, who do you think pays for all the dumbs bureaucracy, enforcement, prison costs etc? Your hard earned money via taxes on everything. Congrats. You're not paying for your hypothetical suit, but you're paying for everyones issues.