[AT] Local Gov't Wants Old Tractors Removed

[Rob Gray]

One thing to note about this area where the article was written about is 
that this is what is generally called "Pennsylvania Dutch" country (i.e. 
PA German ancerstry folks live here). Natives around here who farm tend 
to keep their places very neat. This varies somewhat from other rural 
areas I've lived in such as in Maryland and Delaware where you have a 
more varied population of rural folks, some of whom are very neat and 
others who are junkers. Generally speaking, these PA Dutch folks just 
keep their places tidy without any government prompting, but maybe this 
guy got the attention of the local gov't due to an extreme situation.

Either way, I did not like the smart-a$$ comment of the person regarding 
molasses either and that was inappropriate. I also thought that $1,000 a 
day fine threat was absurd. Hopefully the old farmer guy wins out.

Rob
NE PA

Colin M Rush wrote:

>        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
>
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