But KANSAS is/was one hell of a band 
GRRRR! Pick up mods that should be illegal
- Thread starter mexicanjoe
- Start date
Yeah true, I went through E CO in a couple times and it wasn't that great until you went far enough to hit the interstate running N/S. Still not as bad as KS though IMO.
genscripter
Full Access Member
There are moments when I visit a highly-deregulated state, and I dislike the results a lot more than the mild regulations in California. Take for example when I visited Cheyenne in 2018. I happened to arrive during some rodeo competition. I just wanted to pick up some food and go to a city park with my daughter and my father, but there were only something like only 5 parks with a bathroom in the whole city. I guess deregulated states aren't big on public places. We tried to go to 3 of the 5 parks, but every street was double parked with pickup trucks and cars from the spectators at the rodeo. It was dozens of blocks away. We couldn't even find a parking spot anywhere in the city.
If I had been a homeowner in that town, I would have been furious. The venue provided parking, but it was $3 per car.
. The lot was empty. The whole neighborhood surrounding the rodeo was basically shut down because a few thousand cheapskates decided to take advantage of free parking in family neighborhoods. Kind of a crappy situation. Homeowners have some neighborhood rights, and some business can't turn a blind eye to the fact that their spectators are abusing a residential parking situation. I run a business, and my city makes it pretty clear. You have to provide on-site parking, so that your neighbors aren't burdened with lack of parking. The rodeo should have found a venue outside the city or just included the cost of on-site parking in the darn ticket price.
About a week ago, on the way home from work at 4 am, I had a driver going the opposite direction with what looked to be his high beams on. I flashed my high beams to let them know. They flashed a spot light, it was a cop. They didn't pull me over, but you would think the cops mechanics would at least know how to adjust a headlight.
but you would think the cops mechanics would at least know how to adjust a headlight.
The cop probably messed with it himself to improve his own visibility.
Detroit80
Full Access Member
Its bit of give and take...my issues are more with state wide regulations. Something like this can easily be resolved by city level regulation, without having to make it a state wide thing. These regulations are also why I choose to live in a rural area rather than urban or suburban areas. The suburb where I used to live made it illegal to park commercial vehicles at a residence for more than 24 or 48 hours (don't remember exactly, but it was a relatively short period of time). This was NOT an HOA rule, rather it was CITY code. Just so happens that any vehicle classified as a 1 ton or larger also is considered a commercial vehicle, legally speaking, regardless of whether it's registered to a business or used for any commercial purposes. Thus, anyone with a 350/3500 truck, even a strictly personal use vehicle, gets commercial plates on it. Which also means...yep, illegal for me to park my F350 anywhere on my property at home for more than a couple days.
Thankfully, the code enforcement generally ignored pickups obviously owned/driven as a daily driver. But my neighbor that drove OTR that occasionally brought his Pete home for the weekend? Yep, got hassled on a regular basis. My International 2.5 ton flatbed? Yep, got hassled for that one too. This also carried over to RVs, whether it was a motorhome or trailer. So people could bring their RV home for a night to load it up for weekend camping, but couldn't keep it at home long term...it had to be stored off site somewhere.
I learned the hard way that I couldn't block my _own_ driveway with my truck and trailer, when I came out to a parking ticket at 10am on a Sunday morning after a LONG day/night of wheeling the night before. Was too tired to unload when I got home around 2am, and parked it in the street. Got ticketed once for parking my Scout on the front grass while I was respooling the winch cable, because you can't park vehicles anywhere but the street or paved driveway.
If these were state wide regulations, there would be MANY people straight up screwed, and entire communities living in violation of the law for no good reason. I understand the reasoning in a suburban or downtown area. But on my rural property? I can leave that International 5 feet from my front door for years if I wanted to. My camper is out back on an RV pad with water/electric/sewer plumbed right to it, and it affects absolutely no one beyond the selfish jerks.
The city where my mom lives is hardass about trailers (both utility and camper type) that they can't be in front of the roof line of the front of the house. When someone called on me for being in that travel trailer I had a short time, code enforcement was all looking to be sure it was behind the roof line, and it was, so they couldn't fuss about that. But it is against code to "occupy" travel trailers outside of RV parks within the city limits. They have it shoehorned in the section about commercial trailers.
As it stands right now, they can't say crap about motorhomes because they are not trailers, and the code is very specific about it applying to "trailers". So unless they add city code saying it's illegal to dwell in vehicles, they can't say crap about motorhomes parked at houses in the city with someone living in them. I wouldn't put it past them to do it though.
Also, that's what public access city council meetings are for basically, so you can speak up about things you like or dislike. So many people don't try to pressure their representatives (be it local, state, or federal) to do things like they should. Yeah they are likely to tell you to take a hike if it's just you, but if you get enough people backing whatever it is, it's harder for them to ignore. Politicians should be afraid of their electorate so they will do what the PEOPLE want.
I think that idiocy started here in the Carolina's. Why on God's green earth you would want the front of your vehicle jacked up and the back lowered I can't understand but I've heard it called a Carolina Lift of something like that which I why I guessed it started here. Personally I'm not a fan of any lifts. Maybe it's because I'm short but I don't see the point of raising the body while leaving the axles to get stuck in the mud. Portal axles make sense but most of those jacked up monstrosities never see mud anyways. Guess I'm old but I've got better things than truck bling on which to spend my money.
Speaking of politicians nothing will change until there is campaign finance reform that removes ALL outside and personnel money from the campaign. Campaigns should be funded via a corporate tax and each candidate should be give an equal amount of money and air time. We need to abolish the electoral college and make Presidential candidates visit all their constituents versus just hitting the "swing states". Right now our politicians are owned by the Corporations which is why when Corporations want something blocked it is blocked regardless if the American people want it passed or not versus when the American people want a bill blocked and Corporations want it passed there's less than a 30% chance of it being blocked. We live in a Corpocracy right now and we need to demand change. I don't give a damn about Democrats Vs Republican that crap is stirred up to keep us fighting and not looking at what is truly running this country. This country prospered for decades with a corporate tax rate above 70% however during that time CEO's were not making 1000 times what the average employee was making. Well that's the end of my rant on that. In the end we are all Americans and we need to remember that we all want the same things we just have various opinions on how to get that done and having an opinion that is contrary to another does not make one stupid or unpatriotic.
Detroit80
Full Access Member
Problem with that is when you get a massive influx of people not "from" that area...who then want to change a way of life to what _they_ think the way should be. This is what we're dealing with in my town now. It's been a more or less "free to do whatever you want" area for, well..ever. Of course, there are _some_ restrictions, mostly broad environmental and public safety things or zoning restrictions, but none of that piddly crap like what you can or can't park there or where.
But then we get the people that have been living in the city, frustrated with things like high taxes and strict code enforcement, move out here. Then, within a week or two start whining about the smell of the neighbor's farm animals...the sound of people running their bikes and quads out in the desert or people working in the garage/shop late at night....the people that have the collection of old cars or similar out back that resemble a personal junkyard....lack of city services like police with a 3 minute response time, or city water/sewer and better internet.
Next thing we know, we have a large segment of people that WANT the next city over to annex us, to provide all those services. Which of course will also bring the high taxes and strict oversight...*sigh*...
That's very true. My parents own 120 acres surrounded by National forest in Northern Wisconsin. Tourist is the main business up there and some of those tourist decided to buy summer homes and then get on the county board. One of them wanted to put in a zoning law that stated that you couldn't have a car sitting on blocks outside. My Dad went to the board meeting and pitched a fit about how freaking stupid that was and thankfully it was voted down and no one has tried to try again. If Dad hadn't been there though that idiotic law would be on the books. Zoning laws were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court back in the 80's I believe. I can't remember the exact case name but it has to do with a Baptist Church in California if I remember correctly. Might be something you want to check out. I know the county leaves Dad the hell alone now about building permits and other stuff. That's how it got started as there was no structure on the property when they purchased it so we were living in a tent and showering outside which loses its appeal sometime in early September in Northern Wisconsin. They tried to go through the proper channels to get a permit but the county board members were being jerks so Dad said the hell with it and we built a log cabin and moved in mid October or so if I remember correctly (going back 35 years or so). Well the county sent out people and threatened fines and crap and Dad threatened other more permanent acts and then he found that ruling and they just stopped bothering us. Amazing how quickly that "illegal" building landed on our taxes though.
If they live there, they have a say. It doesn't matter if they just moved there. It doesn't matter if something has been a certain way for 100 years. Things change with the times. If you can't handle the changes, you're the one with the problem. If you feel you're on the side of the majority, get others to join you in speaking up about it. That's how democracy is supposed to work in practice.
Detroit80
Full Access Member
Why are people like myself, and the rest of my community, the one with the problem? Why do the people moving here that couldn't handle the changes where they came from, get a free pass?
Which would be true, in a pure democratic country. Which the U.S.A isn't. It's a Republic, not mob rule. Although many people don't understand the difference, and use "republic" and "democracy" interchangeably, there are very key differences here that apply. See the often misunderstood "electoral college" vs "popular vote".
I would argue that those who don't understand how our country, and it's method of government operates, are a much bigger problem than those who choose to move away from the majority for a bit more personal freedom. Sadly, we seem to end up with an awful lot of people who don't understand how we're supposed to work, in positions of governmental authority.
Also, we have an awful lot of people who's idea of "speaking up" is merely whining on Facebook, especially after a change has been in a process of proposition for several years, when they didn't say jack about it beforehand. Few want to "get involved" until it's far too late to do anything about it.
Couldn't agree more, and at the risk of kicking a wasps nest I would apply the above statement to people immigrating or emigrating from other countries. Not racist here but I do believe that when a person chooses to move somewhere else that it is their responsibility to adapt to the new surroundings, and that includes learning the language.
Again I agree but things sure have felt like mob rule fo a while now. I guess that's probably because I always disagree with whomever holds the power.
But about those dang truck mods. Actually I don't mind then truck mods but since we're here complaining I will add that I hope there is a special place in hell for all the men who think it's acceptable to wear a tennis visor while driving a fancy convertible and tailgating. I find that if I add a goodly amount of ATF to one tank that the smell tends to cause vehicles behind me to slow down, and if I ever get dipped by DOT I can laugh at their accusations.
You do know how this country was formed, right? Not justifying it, just saying... that's HOW this country has always been.
