Regulations that define what other people can do for the sole purpose of limiting them to what their neighbors want (supposedly) is patently unAmerican
Hell, the whole idea of zoning is unAmerican
Screw that... if the social contract goes the way of the Soviet Union, we're at least owed the PERKS as well (free education, healthcare, pensions and benefits, absolute public order).
Authoritarian overregulation without the guaranteed benefits is bullsh!t. Selling your liberties to a nanny state for next to nothing, without reaping the enormous security and stability normally included, is utter madness.
This pretty much sums up my opinion on zoning laws. I heard Houston almost had no zoning laws but that was 10 years ago.
"the sole purpose of limiting to what their neighbors want" or the majority want. Just like democracy is tyranny by the majority.
The word AMERICA meant something to me. It included all the freedoms and liberties and individual and ownership rights to the hilt, but they have taken most all these away.
Who are they??? Complicated. The govt since it has been legally done, but its really some of the people.
What I have witnessed is some ONE person gets their ******* in a bunch over a neighbor doing something they down like....lets say pouring a nice cement pad to park a motorhome on next to side of house. They find out it is legal...so they go to a council member or get with other neighbors and get that mob mentality going since they only hear the one neighbors side of debate and all you have to do is get one council member to sponsor an ordinance. Then they have 2 public reading or hearings on it and then vote.
They can change a 50 year standing policy in as little as 45-60 days before most people even know about it.
There is no voting by the residents.
They can give public input...but most don't know about it until it's too late.
This is how they have zapped our rights away.
It all goes back to the snooty neighbor and the ones like them that don't think others should have control of their own property as long as they keep it on their side of the fence.
So I have a big problem with people like this or with these tendencies since I know where it leads and where the problems came from.
It is completely UN-American!
We no longer live in America...we are simply the United States...of what I am not sure.
If you think of something new to do or different or something that benefits you or makes life easier....there will usually come along an ordinance to prohibit it.
It is very sad really.
EXCEPT for the snooty, nosy, control freak neighbor type people who prefer it.
That's what HOAs and developments with CC&Rs were made for. So uptight birds of a feather could flock together. But basic city and country has gotten more restrictive and it should not have.
i love it when I see a 70s house in a nice upscale neighborhood with huge set of HAM radio beams above the roof. You know at least someone had to hate it but no rules to stop them.
They tried with even satellite tv like dish as first and the HOAs prohibited ANY antennae but due to the immense power of the commercial satellite TV companies that were growing rapidly, they got congress to pass laws to exempt them.....But the locals take more and more rights away every chance they get.