[AT] Local Gov't Wants Old Tractors Removed

[Colin M Rush]

        The smart aleck attitude of the questioning attorney at the end
would have made my blood boil.  I understand the guy with the farm, and
understand the government's point of view too (to an extent), but I am
not a supporter of their strong arm tactics in regards to folks who like
old iron.  In my area, we have several ordinances against folks having
vehicles that are not running or insured, unless they are indoors.  If
they are visible in any way, they will be towed and you will be billed. 
Behind a fence, or a house?  Not good enough, they are still visible from
the air.  They claim it is in an effort to thwart 'tinkerers', but one
fellow I know who was the victim of an over-vigilant neighbor had the
police call upon him every time he went out to tune his wife's car!  Not
everyone has the money to pay for a new car or to pay for professional
repairs, so they must do it at home, yet the city government has no
sympathy for them.  Most of the time, nobody says anything, but if you
get a neighbor that does not like you, or if a realtor wants to get the
best price for his house, then you will get a letter from the city saying
'clean it, or lose it.'  As cities just get bigger and bigger, the
tractor folks are going to have to deal with many of the same problems
those in the old car hobby have had to contend with for the last 20
years.  I think it just another result of urban encroachment.  
        I have seen trailers used on farms for animals.  Semi trailers,
old mobile homes, et cetera.  One pig farm I used to drive by was built
on a location with many old abandoned houses, and the pigs lived in the
old buildings.  I would side with the farmer in the article.  Another
example of rampant NIMBYism:  we have a racetrack that was built in the
1950s on the location of a town that was washed away by a flood of the
Columbia River.  At that time, there was nothing else nearby, and nobody
wanted to build there anyway due to the flood danger.  In the 1970s and
1980s, as folks moved into new neighborhoods several miles away, they
started complaining about the noise from the racetrack.  Now the drag
races cannot be held there anymore due to the noise problem.  Again, the
folks that moved into those neighborhoods knew the track was there before
they bought their house, so what do they have to complain about?  
-Colin Rush

Rob Gray wrote:
>
> > Uh-Oh, looks like the local zoning officals around here are coming
after
> > folks with old equipment lying around their place. Antique tractor
folks
> > better watch out.... lol
> >
> >
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-3lillyjul04,0,2924991.story?coll=all-
newslocal-hed

________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!