Christmas. What a wonderful holiday. I love it as much as I love Hanukkah and the Seder and all the other religious holidays. In fact, I love any religious person’s special days. It’s just what we do in America.
But why, oh why, are Homeowners Associations coming down so hard on holiday lights? I get it that some light displays are over the top. I get it that gorgeous light displays bring more traffic into a neighborhood. But the greater spirit I see during the holidays satisfies an inner part of my soul. Homeowners Associations, as far as I know, are the only entity in America where expressing your religious beliefs is verboten.
On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for stupid people. Without them I wouldn’t have much material to share with you on this website.
Some HOA Nazis in Altamonte Springs, Florida called the cops and told them there was an illegal mahjong game being played in the Escondido Community Condo Association clubhouse. Well, the vice cops hit the doors, busted up the illegal game and arrested the criminals, all ladies between the ages of 87 and 95.
Well, I’m no longer a fan of the so-called ‘Ahmed, the Clock Kid.’ He’s the Texas 14-year-old who assembled a clock and thought it was cool enough to show his science teacher. In our no-tolerance world a kid can’t even point his finger and say “bang, bang” without the police being called. When the cops started interrogating Ahmed about whether the clock was a bomb, it became a viral sensation. He was solicited by colleges, got an invitation to the White House.
Now, it seems that Ahmed and his family want to sue the school and the police department for $15,000,000. Apparently Ahmed was so ‘traumatized’ by the incident he deserves that princely sum to help him get his life back together. He once had a great future ahead of him. But I wouldn’t hire him now. I wouldn’t want to contribute to his tuition.
This country’s tort lawsuit machine gives a lot of people around the world some good reasons to despise us.
Money Magazine once named Naperville, Illinois the second-best place to live in the United States. All that stands in the way of that reputation now is a militant HOA that wants to shut down one family’s Halloween decorations.
Each year the family puts up an amazing display of ghosts and goblins and a synchronized light show. Each Halloween an estimated 8000 drive by the famous house.
The HOA has enacted new regulations that would effectively stop this family from showing their creative side. An 11 year old girl from outside the Association who loves the Halloween display had a creative way to try to persuade the HOA to back down from its decision to close down the over-the-top decorations. She went to the Internet to solicit help. And the HOA, which normally doesn’t allow outsiders to attend its meetings, actually allowed this little girl to put on her presentation. There’s no way to know what this HOA will decide. But this youngster has a wonderful future ahead of her, now that she knows why HOA life should be avoided at all costs.
Many years ago I read a hilarious article By Bill Vaughn in Outside Magazine. It’s not about Homeowners Associations, per se, but it’s a fantastic story about living with crappy neighbors. I re-read the story about once a year just to keep my spirits up. Now I want to share it with you!
