Slashdot Mirror
Officials Sue Couple Who Removed Their Lawn
Hugh Pickens writes "The LA Times reports that Orange County officials are locked in a legal battle with a couple accused of violating city ordinances for replacing the grass on their lawn with wood chips and drought-tolerant plants, reducing their water usage from 299,221 gallons in 2007 to 58,348 gallons in 2009. The dispute began two years ago, when Quan and Angelina Ha tore out the grass in their front yard. In drought-plagued Southern California, the couple said, the lush grass had been soaking up tens of thousands of gallons of water — and hundreds of dollars — each year. 'We've got a newborn, so we want to start worrying about her future,' said Quan Ha, an information technology manager for Kelley Blue Book. But city officials told the Has they were violating several city laws that require that 40% of residential yards to be landscaped predominantly with live plants. Last summer, the couple tried to appease the city by building a fence around the yard and planting drought-tolerant greenery — lavender, rosemary, horsetail, and pittosporum, among others. But according to the city, their landscaping still did not comply with city standards. At the end of January, the Has received a letter saying they had been charged with a misdemeanor violation and must appear in court. The couple could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for their grass-free, eco-friendly landscaping scheme. 'It's just funny that we pay our taxes to the city and the city is now prosecuting us with our own money,' says Quan Ha."
But it is so ugly!
After Somalia's former government collapsed, it didn't take long for warlords to consolidate power and I predict that at some point Somalia will have a whole new government for better or worse due to either consolidation of the powers of various warlords or a revolution of some sort. Then the cycle starts all over again.
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
For the record, the economy went into a tank starting in 2006, after the liberals took control of Congress.
You do know that Somalia has improved steadily since the disolution of the state, and at a faster rate than it's state ridden neighbors? Their private law system, the Xeer, has been somewhat disrupted by the US backed Etheopian invasion, but I'd still prefer it to any of it's neighbors. They have the best and cheapest cell phone service in all of Africa, and their living standards have improved by every measure, life expectancy, infant mortality, per capita income, you name it.
http://mises.org/story/2701
Quan Ha is absolutely right. The irony of being force to pay for your own oppression is positively Kafkaesque.
Public service: Translation to standard units.
They went from spending roughly 1.1 million litres in 2007 of water to only 220 000 in 2009.
***You do know that Somalia has improved steadily since the disolution of the state, and at a faster rate than it's state ridden neighbors?***
I don't have time this morning to refresh my memory completely, but as I recall that's at best half right. Some parts of Somalia along the Red Sea coast are functioning quite well since the collapse of the central government. Other parts along the Indian Ocean are a near total shambles that is being exacerbated by the US's moronic war on any muslim who doesn't like us -- (which would be most of them).
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
They tried, the county denied.
"If the glove don't fit, you must acquit."
Quan Ha should get a black leather glove that is too small for him to wear, and leave said glove in the yard.
The problem with that is, Bush did nothing illegal. Both wars were declared by congress or else they would not still be going. If you have a problem with them, perhaps we should jail everyone in congress who voted for us to go to war?
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?