When it comes to squabbling neighbors, is it possible that dogs and cats have found the moral high ground?
Witness the surprising discovery made by Michelle Smith, animal control officer for Anderson, South Carolina. She heard some pitiful yapping coming from a ravine behind the Home Depot store. It turned out that a little Shih-Tzu was making the ruckus to attract some human attention to her predicament.
This Shih-Tzu was tiny, but she must have a huge heart. She had apparently discovered an orphaned kitten and was trying to keep it warm. The Shih-Tzu was actually nursing the kitten.
Wow! Talk about good neighbors. Remember, this was in South Carolina where each and every day humans torture one another with their stupid predicaments.
There must not be any lawyers in the dog and cat community.
It’s another HOA Hall of Shamereport from our fearless TV reporter in Las Vegas. This time it’s a relatively peaceful HOA that’s being shamed.
Well, I might have spoken too freely. This HOA isn’t really peaceful. It’s full of accusations of board mismanagement, misspent money, and board meetings being held secretly when a pro-homeowner member of the board couldn’t possibly attend because of her work schedule.
Ah yes, and it’s about writing a blank check to lawyers, even lawyers of former bad board members and managers. And illegal transfers of money, such a nasty business, this handling of OPM (other people’s money).
Yes, it seems like another Las Vegas Homeowners Association ought to be avoided like the plague. If you buy a home in the Pueblo at Santa Fe HOA, you’re likely to be screwed.
How the heck did we lose all our freedoms in this country? When did it happen? Did it begin with Political Correctness? Is it an actual political movement, or just what happens when a government grows too big? I have no answers. But I do have the ability sometimes to point to a bureaucracy gone nutz.
Alfred and Annette Rockefeller of Ramsey, New Jersey were shocked to discover they were criminals because they had installed a bird feeder in their yard. A simple birdfeeder. Not a mass wildlife feeding center, just a bird feeder.
The couple are in their 70s. Alfred is disabled. At age 77 you’d think he’d be allowed the simple pleasure of sitting back and watching the birds. It’s done by millions of homeowners across the country.
But a neighbor complained. He complained that the bird feeder was attracting other unwanted creatures, like ducks, deer, chipmunks.
This week, the couple had to appear in court to be fined anywhere from 250 to 500 bucks for illegally feeding wildlife.
In years past, feeding the birds would just be considered an old man’s pleasure. These days, you’re a creep for wanting to watch the wildlife.
A number of Homeowners Associations across the country are demanding that all dog owners have their pooches’ cheeks swabbed so the HOA can have a DNA database to catch homeowners who fail to pick up poops. The doggie DNA thing is ludicrous on its face. It’s expensive and too easy for the lawn Nazis to abuse the system.
A town in Spain has come up with a much better idea. A number of volunteers in Brunete, twenty miles west of Madrid, are walking the streets watching for violators of the dog cleanup rules. They scoop the poop and mail it back to the dog owners in a package labeled “Lost Property.” Such a lovely idea. The town now reports a drop in doggie doo of 70 percent. Here’s the link: But keep reading. There’s more!
Paris has an awful problem with poopie dog people. A walk in the park is sort of like the game of Hop Scotch, jump here, jump there.
But now, two Parisian students have come up with an app for just that problem. It’s called Poople Maps. The smart phone user maps offending poo and emails Paris authorities about ‘problem areas.’
Oh, American HOAs will continue using their expensive DNA tracking systems simply because it allows them to assess fines and legal expenses which pump up their budgets in some very poopy ways. But if you really want a nice neighborhood, you should take some lessons from our European neighbors.
Some fascinating posters are going around the Internet right now. Remember CAI? The Community Associations Institute? These are the good folks who run America’s managed neighborhoods, handing out excessive fines for minor violations, and hiring lawyers to file liens and lawsuits to take away your homes. They’re the ones who have predatory tow trucks cruising your streets and towing away cars that don’t belong there, like those of friends and relatives. These are the folks who are now doing mandatory DNA cheek swabs on the neighborhood pets, so fines can be handed for each unscooped poop. They are faux governments that have more power than traditional governments. And they don’t recognize such niceties as the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Oh, and they’re also the ones who madly lobby the Legislatures to make sure Homeowners can never reclaim the Consitutional rights they’ve lost to the modern HOA Movement. And these folks make an amazing amount of money….ALL OF IT from you!
When you have that kind of money, what do you do with it?
Just scroll down and see how appropriate the upcoming Arizona party season seems.
Remember just a few months back when the TSA got hammered for spending taxpayers’ money in this same way?
Ah, but Congress has government oversight over the TSA. Congress has no such oversight over Homeowners Associations.
