Pet licensing sweep

[chrizow]

So if I feed them every other day, they're not technically my pet?

laws are awesome.

[jdubwaldo]

mean, just don't feed them on Wednesdays when they are doing these supposed checks. 

[chingon]

So is this enforcement in fact being outsourced to a private contractor?

[mean]

laws are awesome.

I mean, I'm sure many laws are well-intentioned... laws against selling beer out of my house, against having more than 4 pets, against smoking marijuana or shooting heroin in the privacy of my home, against operating or riding in an automobile without a seatbelt, against riding a motorcycle without a helmet, against building whatever addition on to my house that I want, against having sex with someone who will turn 18 in five seconds, against feeding feral cats more than two days in a row at a time... but, really? I'd just do away with all them.

I'd rather take the minute risk than have the government dictate every little thing we must or mustn't do. Really, I'm not afraid. If my neighbor burns down my house because he wired something wrong, then to me that's a civil matter. He owes me, because he is responsible for burning my house down. It's not the city's business, nor their place to inspect and approve what he's doing. Fugoff, city!

[FangKC]

But when your neighbor's house burns because of his faulty non-code electrical work, it puts firefighters at risk when they have to fight the fire.

[midtown guy]

So is this enforcement in fact being outsourced to a private contractor?

Not that I'm aware of. Where did you hear this? That would be even a BIGGER waste of money than just having our own people do it (which is also a waste of money).

I know that Spay/Neuter Kansas City - a local 501c3 -- is going into these neighborhoods now 2 weeks prior to KCMO AC doing sweeps to try to help people get into compliance because they don't want a lot of people to have to give up their pets because they can't afford the high fines they receive....

[FangKC]

They are probably outsourcing to private contractors because the City has laid off workers, or don't have enough people to do it with existing staff.

[mean]

But when your neighbor's house burns because of his faulty non-code electrical work, it puts firefighters at risk when they have to fight the fire.

There are a lot of things that can cause a house fire. I suppose it is only in the interest of risk aversion that we should require people to fill out application forms prior to engaging in frying. They will need to specify the vessel in which they intend to fry, the quantity and type of oil they'd like to fry in, the temperature they intend to bring the oil to, and the precise nature of any foodstuffs to be placed into the oil to fry. The city can approve or disapprove the Application to Fry Within Municipal Boundaries (form LDL-200) and will need to send temperature inspectors around to make sure approved applicants are frying at a safe temperature, and rejected applicants are not engaging in illicit frying activities.

Unsafe frying can burn shit up. It must be regulated. Do it for the children.

[FangKC]

There is quite a difference in the level of expertise that one requires to wire a house versus frying food.

Just imagine the public outcry when a firefighter loses his life because of a building fire caused by a non-code electrical fire. Or several people die in an apartment fire due to this practice. These laws were enacted for this very reason.

And it's not only to prevent fires. A house with an non-code electrical system will not pass the housing inspection for a mortgage and resale. It's not in the City's interest to have a bunch of empty houses sitting on the market waiting for some investor to rewire them to code before resale.

If there were no codes, it might create a situation where there are numerous burned out houses caused by non-code electrical fires sitting around undemolished in the City. This is an issue for the City because it brings down property values in the neighborhoods, which affects tax collections. In addition, the City often has to pay to have the property demolished later, and sometimes can't collect demolition fees from the property owner.

Not only that, but if it's an apartment building or rental house, the non-code wiring risks the lives of rental occupants.

If the non-code wire job sits among a block of adjoining residential or commercial buildings, and a resulting fire takes out the entire block, it might be decades, or never, before the buildings are replaced. The resulting loss of tax revenue, and declining property values affects the City for decades.

It's in the City's interest to prevent building fires when it can.

Without building code enforcement, you get cities with large sections of shantytowns.

If you want to live in a lawless state, may I suggest Mexico.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Fang,

There is actually a really big difference between all of those things and this. The 4th Amendment allows for protection for searches and seizures unless there is due cause to do so (which is where warrants come in). Over the years, various legal cases allow for things "in plain sight" to be exempt from the 4th Amendment -- because if you can see it from the road, then that is due cause all on its own.
Knocking on your door to see if there is a dog or cat inside the home is very different than being able to see something from the road.
Not really.  First there is no seizure nor is there really a search.  They have a right to go onto your property much like a mailman or a girl selling girl scout cookies.  They also can knock on your door or ring the bell.  They just don't have the right to "enter" your house without permission.  As one person explained it to me some time ago you don't have the right to shoot someone crossing your lawn but you do have the right to shoot them when they enter your house.

Meanwhile, it's interesting that you mention all of the codes violations and building codes stuff - which the city DOESN"T do sweeps for
It been awhile but the city did it a few times as part of a neighborhood cleanup program.  Something it should do more often if funds are available.

[mean]

If you want to live in a lawless state, may I suggest Mexico.

I would hardly call Mexico a paragon of freedom.

[aknowledgeableperson]

I'd rather take the minute risk than have the government dictate every little thing we must or mustn't do. Really, I'm not afraid. If my neighbor burns down my house because he wired something wrong, then to me that's a civil matter. He owes me, because he is responsible for burning my house down. It's not the city's business, nor their place to inspect and approve what he's doing. Fugoff, city!

Who would you hold responsible if it was work done on your house 20 years ago?

[FangKC]

I would hardly call Mexico a paragon of freedom.

Yes it is.  Lawless states by their nature allow people to do anything they want regardless of the effect on society.

[mean]

Who would you hold responsible if it was work done on your house 20 years ago?

Or 50 years ago? Or 80 years ago? Or 100 years ago? Where do we place the blame? Someone must be at fault. Right?

Yes it is.  Lawless states by their nature allow people to do anything they want regardless of the effect on society.

There's a difference between actual effect on society and potential effect on society. Dealing drugs is a potentially harmful activity to, say, children. Today we live in a country where that potentiality justifies kicking in someone's door in the middle of the night and shooting the family pets over a bag of weed. Opposing that doesn't mean I support harming children.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Or 50 years ago? Or 80 years ago? Or 100 years ago? Where do we place the blame? Someone must be at fault. Right?

Just pointing out, in my opinion, the stupidity of your statement.  Building codes are in place to establish minimum standards to protect people.  Yes, it might be a civil matter to you but would you rather not go through the process of suing your neighbor and replacing your belongings?

[LenexatoKCMO]

But when your neighbor's house burns because of his faulty non-code electrical work, it puts firefighters at risk when they have to fight the fire.

Go back to privately funded fire fighting/insurance.  Problem solved. 

[aknowledgeableperson]

Or move to an area with a volunteer fire department.

[mean]

Go back to privately funded fire fighting/insurance.  Problem solved. 

I can almost hear someone say, "nut what if your neighbor doesn't have insurance and his house burns, and they don't put his fire out, and because they didn't put his fire out it spread and burned your house!?"

I'm not a lawyer, but I figure we should legislate strongly against harm as a means to help ameliorate risk. Legislating against the risk itself, however, seems to open the doors for waste, fraud, corruption, and infringement upon individual freedom.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I can almost hear someone say, "nut what if your neighbor doesn't have insurance and his house burns, and they don't put his fire out, and because they didn't put his fire out it spread and burned your house!?"

I am pretty confident most all of my neighbors have mortgages.  And if they want mortgages than they will probably have to pay for fire fighting insurance.  And if they want fire fighting insurance than they will probably have to fix their shitty wiring.  God its amazing what market forces can achieve!  Somehow I suspect there aren't many folks out there who own their house free and clear that are also completely indifferent about it burning down. 

[aknowledgeableperson]

And if they want fire fighting insurance than they will probably have to fix their shitty wiring. 

Don't bank on it.  How many insurance companies actually do a complete inspection before insuring?  How many fire departments actually inspect every house?  How many mortgage companies come out and walk through the house before committing to granting a mortgage?

Watch a program like Holmes on Homes and discover electrical problems houses young and old have.  Yes, it takes place in Canada but I would imagine the same problems occur here.