George Washington and I Have Something in Common

We have some neighbors who've had several ordinance violations through the years. We've never had a problem with their yard, but ordinances are ordinances as we all know.

Well, they have a dead tree next to their driveway that is next on the ordinance violation list. We have several people in our area that as neighbors wanted to help a few people today who can't, for whatever reason, take care of their yards themselves. So we removed dead trees from two yards today.

Both families have physical limitations that ordinances don't account for. As one ordinance officer told me years ago, "Ordinance doesn't care about reasons, ordinance only cares about compliance."

We need to remove oppressive ordinances and keep the reasonable ones so we can maintain clean, safe and healthy neighborhoods without being oppressive.

The founding fathers of this great nation designed a constitution that would allow maximum freedom for the people and their property rights, while also protecting us from crime. As Benjamin Franklin is quoted, "I have the right to swing my fist, until it connects with someone elses nose."

I just don't see a shovel leaning against a house, a dead tree, a lack of rain gutters, a recliner in a carport, an unregistered vehicle behind a fence or in a carport, desert landscaping (ordinance states mandatory 50% green in the yard), rocks in the park strip, etc., etc., etc. as a crime. I don't.

I intend fighting for a committee to review the ordinances, keep the ones for public safety and health, modify the ones that need modifying and eliminate the oppressive ones.

So what do I have in common with George Washington. I can not tell a lie, today I cut down a cherry tree.

Jeff White