Re: Smog and Dan

["Tom Harais" <tjhemh@domain.elided>]

Dan:

The older I get, the more I see the elements of "1984" occuring all around
me. Maybe it's just paranoia or maybe I'm just observant. 

It always starts out as a "good idea". Than it proceeds to actually gore
someone's ox. The gored parties complain, but being a minority, they are
ignored by the majority who keep saying, "It is for the greater good!". 

In a little local newspaper this morning, that is delivered inside of my
daily Bay Area newspaper is an article about how the town next door has
told a bunch of residents that they have to get thier boats out of their
driveways.

It seems that this little town (Pittsburg - about 50,000 of Contra Costas
poorer souls) decided to "clean up junker cars and motorhomes sitting on
blocks in front of people's homes". So, they passed an ordinance saying
that any vehicle can't remain in front of your garage (on your private
driveway, not the public street) for more than 72 hours. 

Of course, most of the older homes in this town do not have sufficeint side
yard space to put boats, trailers, cars or RVs and they are allowing the
developers of new homes in Pittsburg to use "zero" lot lines or five foot
side yard setbacks so you can't store them on the sides of new homes
either. 

Seems that no neighbors complained and on one is actually offended. But a
couple of folks on an older residential city street, who do not have side
yards to move them into have been ordered to move thier boats to thier side
or back yards or the City will haul them off. Funny thing is, in the front
page picture, the boats both have nice covers tied down over them. Worse,
an attorney's analysis says these people will loose if they fight the City
as many before them in other City's in similar situations have. 

Remember, this is on private property. The "do gooders" claim it is in
"public view" and therefore gives them the right to act.

Oh, by the way, RV/Boat storage runs about $100/month around here should
these poor folks decide to comply.

Scary? I'm just glad I'm leaving no offspring to hang around and see where
this madness goes.

 Tom H.