Given the pig poop story this morning, we might as well continue the scatilogical theme. The Town of North Hempstead has made a rather interesting decision that seems to confirm the view of many that some laws are solutions in search of a problem. The government put up new signs around the town threatening $250 fines for dog waste violations, but received complaints that the law actually sets the fine at $25. A typo had increased the fine 10 fold. No problem, the town said, we will change the law to match the signs.
Town officials said it would be cheaper to raise the fine than replace the erroneous signs.
The town board is holding a public hearing on the matter Dec. 9.
Notably, the signs chastise citizens that all of this “IS REQUIRED BY LAW” but it appears that is now meant to be expressed in the future tense in Hempstead’s new approach of posting and then passing laws.
Source: CBS
Bill, Paul may be agnostic as he often claims, but he dances to the tune of Christian Fundamentalism. He always comes down on the side of the religionists on every single issue ever discussed on this blog. He might as well be one, he certainly sounds like one, except for one issue which is Natural Rights. There he gets credit for reasonable thinking, IMO.
@ Paul C Schulte
Whether you are agnostic or not (a huge minority in a party based in large part on fundamentalism), the tea party will be pushing the bible, 10 commandments stuff whilst claiming to believe in individual rights. Once again, please look at their actions.
On net immigration, it doesn’t surprise me you focus on faux news talking points instead of real life data. I’d ask you to research it yourself, but on something as simple as Wells Fargo you showed that rehashing talking points is an acceptable substitute for actual financial knowledge. More proof of DBQ’s statement
On being a sore loser? sorry, don’t think much of Obama – way to pro corp. for me or for the country to succeed in the long term. For some reason, you seem to think that any distaste for tea baggers must result in liking the other politician. Sorry, I dislike almost all politicians.
Whining about your own license plate? ROFL! The arrogance and hubris of the tea’s never cease to amaze
Bill W – I cannot help it if you cannot prove your points on the Tea Party. I will give you points for disjointed rants though.
Don’t call me, surely!
I think a lot of people in this thread fail to appreciate Bill W.’s subtle and clever illustration of the problem being addressed by the OP through the content of his comments.
Well played, sir!
Chip – Shirley you jest?
@ Paul C Schulte
Even as the power of corps. grow every day all you see is the gov’t gaining more power? And you think a Tea Party president would cede power back to the people? LMAO – corps. own most of our gov’t and even more so the tea party. The tea party was a grassroots party for about two days before they were co-opted by big money/corps. – now they are just tea party lemmings repeating whatever garbage greedy billionaires tell them to repeat.
Southern border migration is a case in point on repetitive garbage – zedalis is correct about net migration. Obama has put more guards on the border, spent more money and deported more people then prior presidents. But the tea party repeated garbage lie (Ebola infected ISIS insurgents on the Mexico border? – what sort of dumbass would believe that) is what wins elections. Congrats, you all voted against your economic and health interests on the hope the christian bible is forced on an American public.
Bill W – first I am agnostic. Second, I think for myself, I do not need the talking points of the WH to lead me down the garden path. Third, you are clearly a sore loser as is Obama. Actually, if the Tea Party was so organized in Arizona we would have our own licence plate. However, it requires a deposit of $25000.00. If those billionaires that you were ranting about were running the Tea Party, they would have kicked in the money long ago.
Since no one can count the illegals coming across, it is impossible to tell if there is a net deficit.
Paul – “BTW, we know because of that twit of a President we currently have, more and more people have come across the border with Mexico illegally.”
Perhaps you meant to say that people continue to come across the border? If not, you should be aware that net migration from Mexico is actually in the negative numbers.
zedalis – you need to live in a border state to know that the numbers coming illegally across the Mexican border and the illegals from Mexico are two different things. Close reading counts. BTW, if the net migration from Mexico is in negative numbers, then more have to be going back than are coming over and we know that is not happening.
So, from the preceding comments, is it safe to say that protecting dog poop will be another plank in the next Regressive/TeaParty Platform? Perhaps you can give the dog’s a compensating tax break, you know, reward them for taking their poop overseas.
Thou shalt not witness false bears?
I fergits.
Pogo needs to read the Sixth Commandment.
Maybe they should remove the signs and shoot the offending dogs and/or their owners.
That’s even cheaper than the signs.
@ Daniel
I believe the issue is that the town council is going to vote on changing the ordinance from the existing $25 fine to an up to $250 fine in order to make the laws match the misprinted signs.
Not that they can’t do this. They can. The question is why should they punish everyone and raise the fine merely because they ordered misprinted signs?. The other issue is that if the people in the town don’t like this idea they need to get up off of their dead @sses and make their will known to the council members at the December 9th meeting.
As I shared in my previous comment, the people are just to lazy, ignorant or don’t give a fig to be involved. Yet. They will be the first ones to bitch and moan when things don’t go the way they want.
You get the government you deserve.
Anyone remember the days when dogs ran free and children were kept on a proverbial leash?
We didn’t seem to need so many signs then…
Simple solution, ignore the damn signs. If the law says $25 dollars, then people violating it should only be expected to pay $25 dollars. The sign is about informing people there is a fine, the amount is something that can be worked out when the violator pays the fine.
I swear, the 2 sides in this nation are about a sharp as a bowling ball. Instead of coming up with a real solution, it always boils down to both sides whining about the other side, Benghazi, Koch brothers, Tea Party, Obama is the devil, George Soros, or Saul Alinsky.
Buy a new record, this one skips.
@Paul C. Schulte
I do support the first amendment. Do you feel conservative opinion is at all being restrained or hampered? As liberals, progressives, etc…….. are often derided on this blog and/or associated with other unsavory elements would be surprised if you felt so. Anyone upset about those episodes?
As for Soros orgs., they seem to more support fairness, equality, healthier environment for all, etc………. policies. Tea Party orgs. seem to support rewriting laws/rules so that money and power is concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. With almost 100% of productivity gains already going to the richest tier, don’t think they need more help.
On the flip side, the Tea Party did save our southern border. After all, before the election we were being overrun with Ebola infected ISIS insurgents coming from Mexico. Yet the day after the election, the threat ended – just on the sheer force of electing more Tea party members. Amazing how that works. DBQ is correct. But we aren’t just dumb on economics…..and we are getting dumber by the day.
Bill W. – clearly perception is reality. I see Soros and his ilk as driving a liberal ruling nanny state with all the power in the hands of the government.
BTW, we know because of that twit of a President we currently have, more and more people have come across the border with Mexico illegally. This includes Muslims, rapists, killers, etc. who keep crossing the border after being sent back.
I see this as a government funded job creation program. They now have to hire poop cops to hide in the bushes to cite people who fail to scoop dog poop. The SEIU can eventually organize the poop cops into a union to ensure they get themselves a taxpayer funded six figure salary and retire with full benefits after 20 years. The SEIU can extract union dues from the poop cops, which it can use to try to elect more Democrats to keep the corruption going.
And the public gets clean sidewalks. Everybody wins.
When a dog poops in an alderman’s yard it is a statement. The dog is petitioning his government for redress of grievances. This is protected by specific prong of the First Amendment which makes this point. This is not like the perps in Ferguson who want to protest on Black Friday in shopping malls. They are not petitioning the government but are badgering the shoppers who could care less. Government bodies which ignore dog poop or try to penalize the speakers have a lot more coming their way. AL Qaeda Sharptongue has a dog. Watch out you Yorkies.
The local dog pac needs to identify the perps who want to up the ante and go poop in their yards.
Town officials said it would be cheaper to raise the fine than replace the erroneous signs.
It would probably be in the best interests of the local community to replace the tax/fine and spend poops posing as town officials.
Personanongrata – they could sculpt the poop into figures of the town council and sell them to pay for the new sign posts.
This situation could be remedied easily and smartly. As Darren says, paint over the extra zero … but pay unemployed people to do it, with instruction and the proper paint. That would cost very little, give those who want to work some money (especially for the holidays), provide good PR for the town government—which they currently need, and keep dog owners from lynching these seemly incompetent “What Me Worry” board members responsible for the mess.