Pull the Plug!

An old friend of mine passed away last year. I remember a story he told me some years ago. His mother had been ill for quite a while and was in the hospital on life support. The family met to decide what to do. Medical science wasn’t what it is today and there really wasn’t much hope. So they told the doctor to go ahead and pull the plug and let nature take it’s course.

As I prepared to offer condolences he went on to say, ”She pulled though anyway. “She’s a tough old bird!”.

I can’t believe all the fuss about the city allowing alcohol in public parks. It was a stupid law to start with. It’s right up there with the law about the hot dog vendor. I think this is a lot of the reason this city is on life support right now.

I really don’t care for anyone trying to impose their moral values on me. And this is really what this is about. I hear words like family values and faith based this or that. This reminds me of the people who show up on my porch on the weekends with little booklets. I know they have good intentions and really try to be nice to them, they just want to save me! But I don’t want their little booklets and I don’t want them on my porch.

 Then I hear these wild arguments about a drunk drivers killing people, people drowning at the beach and on and on it goes. What does this have to do with anything? This reminds me of the time a rental inspector told me that my tenants could not have padlocked storage rooms in the basement. “Why?”, I asked.

With all the indignity of someone who’s authority has been questioned he replied,  “They could have a meth lab in there for all I know! “

Did he really say that?

I don’t think  some people even listen to themselves when they talk.

I live 2 blocks from Lincoln Park . I can walk that far. After my wife beats me at tennis I like to rest and drink a beer. There is a riverside park at the end of my street.  I can even walk that far. I like to sit there on a nice day and watch the boats go by. I might also like a beer while I’m there.

The biggest danger to me is that the big Don’s towing trucks fly up and down my street at about twice the speed limit. But they are the preferred towing service for the city police. So…..

But this isn’t really about my playing tennis or watching boats. This is about our local government telling me how to live my life. I believe there are a thousand or so pages in the ordinance book. I know we have to strictly control hot dog vendors, landlords, tenants and firebugs. I don’t even know what else they’re protecting me from.

I personally know a lot about our rental ordinance. Here the city thinks they have the right to demand entry to someone’s home in order to inspect it. Of course the 4^th amendment guarantees our right against illegal search and seizure.

People living in one or two unit houses can deny access by signing a form. As long as they know that most of them do. The city doesn’t inform them of that right though. They sure don’t enclose an “Access denied” form with their demand for inspections! They don’t want them to know. Of course if you live in a 3 unit or larger you have no rights. The United States Constitution is overridden by local ordinance.

One lady who used to allow them in (out of fear) no longer does. The inspector told her to put her dog out in the pouring rain so that he didn’t have to worry about being bit. She replied, “That dog is my child. Would you put your child out on a day like this? Get out of my house!”

That was several years ago and she hasn’t let them in since but they still bother her every year. Her husband goes up and fills out the form every year. Someone from the city has even called her a couple of times asking her what she was hiding, why didn’t she want to cooperate?

I’ve even had one guy move out over that. He didn’t want anyone in his apartment when he wasn’t home and didn’t want to take time off work for inspections. They scheduled 3 times and he was never home. He finally said, “ I found a place closer to work anyway and it’s not in Port Huron . I’ll be out in a couple of days. Thanks a lot.

I heard a story the other day about a lady who wanted to open a nationally franchised  and very popular coffee shop downtown. All she needed for final approval was for the city to open a small service road to two way traffic. The answer was no.

The post office was talking about relocating at the old YMCA area. Of course the current administration didn’t want them there. Right by the water? All those ugly little trucks? THAT’S RIGHT BY THE CITY BUILDING ! The answer was no.

What were they thinking? We don’t need their tax money. We don’t need their jobs.

This is the kind of heavy handed government that chases people away, chases jobs away and has a lot to do with the shape this town is in right now.

It takes a lot of government to run everyone’s life for them. And THAT  takes a lot of money. If city council were to pull the plug on a few of these things, would we fall into chaos? Would we be afraid to go out at night? Would we be like the old wild west?

Or maybe we would pull through anyway. Maybe some people would move into town, instead or out. Someone might start a small business here or there. Maybe the hot dog guy would even hire a helper.