Making Your Illegal Activities Known...

[blas87]

Granted, this is hardly a huge offense, but it's just stupid to do this.

I read this in the paper the other night at work, and I will try to find a link when I get more time....

There was a story in the newspaper the other day about an old woman who is absolutely refusing to shovel her sidewalk. Like an entire page of the newspaper devoted to her bitching about being old and weak and how it's the city's job to remove all snow (despite that the city law is that snow must be cleared within 24 hours on sidewalks and driveways by homeowners/landlords/whomever owns the property). She then goes on and on about how she's too poor to afford someone to shovel for her, she has no family that can help her, she doesn't want to ask her neighbors for help.....

Idk, I'm pretty sure this media attention will get someone to do her shoveling for her, because if you get caught not shoveling, you do get charged for the city to come clean it up for you, and if nothing gets done, she'll probably be back in the paper whining and screaming that no one helped her and she got fined.

Like I said, this is hardly a huge offense, but it just makes me want to bang my head against a wall when people make their illegal activities known to the general public!

[Greenday]

My favorite is the underage kids out there who brag about the party to come, then complain when the cops use it to bust the parties.

Or when people post pictures of themselves doing illegal stuff on facebook/mypsace/etc. then having it used against them as evidence.

Dumbasses.

[Tanasi]

Blas does the city/county make any exceptions for the old and poor?

I don't know if it's still true but I remember reading that a heck of a lot of people die each year from snow shoveling related heart attacks. That'd be a great story for the area that some old woman died from a heart attack because the city/county made her shovel her walk and she couldn't afford to hire someone. I believe if that were my Mom I'd have me a high powered attorney on the way to the court house. I know my Mom isn't capable of shoveling very much snow but then again our snow doesn't last very long and is usually gone the same day.

Around here there's usually someone in the paper because they can't keep their yard mowed for what ever reason. The majority of the time neighbors, family, or a church group adopts them and takes care of the yard but until the public is made aware most don't know about it.

[blas87]

Like I said, I'm sure after the paper got out, someone probably felt bad enough for her and did it for her.

I'm not anti-elderly, I just have experience with one truly sucky elderly neighbor to know just how stubborn and sometimes extremely manipulative they can be. All that lady would have had to do was go to the city and ask for help, or a church or freaking ANYWHERE and I'm sure there would be people willing to help out an old lady.

But no, she had to go to the press, make the city look like big bad mean monsters who make an old lady dare to shovel, and she has no way of doing it herself so she just flat out isn't going to do it, so there, take that city!

I may complain about where I live a lot, but this city is hardly an elderly abusing monster.

[DesignFox]

<snip>
But no, she had to go to the press, make the city look like big bad mean monsters who make an old lady dare to shovel, and she has no way of doing it herself so she just flat out isn't going to do it, so there, take that city!
<snip>

This is the problem I have with this person. I'm sure if she asked her neighbors for help or sought help from the city rather than instantly flying off the handle and complaining, someone would have been more than happy come and help her out. (If I had a little old lady next door to me, I'd probably shovel her walk without even being asked).

Sounds like she's probably a harpy and no one wants anything to do with her.

I know that my level of apathy for a person's problems increases exponentially with their level of entitlement.

[blas87]

Exactly, and thank you for understanding.

It's one thing to go to the media about shady businesses, it's another to flat out be proud of refusing to follow the city's regulations and make the city out to be a bunch of monsters for making citizens shovel their sidewalks in the winter time.....that is, beyond the bitching and complaining instead of actually trying to solve the problem.

[linguist]

are the sidewalks in your city not considered city property? i know they are here, and the city can come and do anything they want to the sidewalks in front of my house and i can't do anything about it. given that that's the case, i don't see why i as a taxpaying private citizen should be forced into maintaining public property. isn't it the city's job to maintain their own property?

[blas87]

I assume they are, because homeowners/landlords can be fined if they do not keep their sidewalks clear in the winter, and their lawns properly mowed the rest of the year.

Now, there aren't people out watching to see if you don't shovel 24 hours after a snowstorm, but if it goes for more than a few days (or if someone complains) you'll have to shovel it or the city will do it for you and charge you. Same goes for if you let your lawn get out of control, but I think that's front yards only.

Speaking of which, years ago when I was reading the paper at work, there was a young couple in the paper who were proudly proclaiming that they were refusing to mow their lawn until the city did something about it....and then they were going to fight the fine.

[Stormraven]

In most places in the US, AFAIK, sidewalks are, indeed, considered public property. But only in the sense that the property owner can't block them, get people arrested for trespassing, etc. When it comes to maintenance, most of the time that's put back on the property owner.

[jackfaire]

We got tired of every 4th of July people parking in our neighborhood so we parked on the streets and then charged them to park in our personal parking spots.

We got told by the police that we couldn't do that even though they couldn't seem to come up wtih a law that said we couldn't.


As far as the original topic I used to donate plasma and people there would brag about the stupid and criminal things they had done like we were all supposed to look at them as outlaw heros for bucking the system.

[Boozy]

I'm always a bit suspicious of people who take their case to the press. How is it that I have lived and functioned in this society for so long and have never felt the need to stop the presses? Perhaps it's because I am a mature adult and work my problems out accordingly. If I have a problem with a local merchant or the government, I can usually work out a compromise. There is almost always a better (and more efficient) way of dealing with things than calling a newspaper or TV station.

With that said, one can never underestimate the ridiculousness of local governments. Sometimes they really are impossible to deal with. I can't say either way in this case.

[KitterCat]

are the sidewalks in your city not considered city property? i know they are here, and the city can come and do anything they want to the sidewalks in front of my house and i can't do anything about it. given that that's the case, i don't see why i as a taxpaying private citizen should be forced into maintaining public property. isn't it the city's job to maintain their own property?

It depends on the county and state you live in, at least in the U.S. I can remember when I was younger and my Dad complaining because the county was changing its laws to make it mandatory for homeowners to have to pay for upkeep for the sidewalks even though they weren’t considered part of ones property. Essentially they shifted the cost/burden from the county/state government on to homeowners while going on and on about how this would save taxpayers money so potholes could be fixed more quickly. Which really sucks when you cant afford to get people to take jackhammers to the sidewalk and completely repave it. The choice is get a piece of property that you don’t even own fixed or be fined for it. Strange how the potholes are still a common problem too.

Per the article,
She then goes on and on about how she's too poor to afford someone to shovel for her, she has no family that can help her, she doesn't want to ask her neighbors for help.....

It could be a case of pride, old fashioned ideals, or she simply doesn’t feel comfortable asking people to do things for her. What ever the reason, its screwed up that an elderly person cant make some government busy body relies that they are physically incapable of shoveling show off of what is in-essence public property. If the only way she can get them to relies their idiocy is writing to a newspaper, I say go for it. Public opinion has worked many times in the past, it’ll either work for or against her now.


Now as for other types of illegal activities, yeah every time I hear a person going on about what drugs they are currently doing, or things they’ve stolen, it makes me want to cringe. Do people not relies most crimes are solved simply due to people opening their fat mouths and telling someone about it? If you don’t want to be caught don’t say anything or at least wait until charges cant be pressed due to time constraints.

[AdminAssistant]

We got tired of every 4th of July people parking in our neighborhood so we parked on the streets and then charged them to park in our personal parking spots.

I recently read an article here that there are some college students who pay their rent by charging townies $25/a piece to park in their driveways on game nights. If the city tried to ban that, there would be a huge uproar.

[DesignFox]

At least in certain parts of my state, it is the property owner's responsibility to clear sidewalks in front of their home/business. They are also liable if someone slips and falls if they *didn't* bother to clear the walkway.

I still think bitching to the local paper is a bunch of crap. Ask for help. If you're too proud to ask your neighbors for help, then where do you get the balls to go screaming to the newspaper?

Personal. Responsibility. It doesn't matter who you are, how much money you have or don't have, what disability ails you or what age you are. Get off your lazy ass and do SOMETHING *before* crying about the big bad meanies who are picking on you.

[linguist]

I recently read an article here that there are some college students who pay their rent by charging townies $25/a piece to park in their driveways on game nights. If the city tried to ban that, there would be a huge uproar.

haha, yeah. one of my old classmates lived in an efficiency apartment in a part of town where parking is at a premium. the apartment came with one parking space, and since he didn't own a car, he rented the space out. the monthly rent on the space not only paid his apartment rent, but allowed him (with the help of financial aid) to go all the way through college without having to have a job. i thought that was a pretty ingenious idea.