I often brag 24/7 about my small midwest town.
NOT IN THIS DIARY.
A little over two months ago the City Council (I was not at the meetings) passed a number of laws about parking, mainly in residential areas. Laws that make NO sense.
I had a warning on my car not long after. I had a DUI. Didn't take a lawyer to court. First DUI. No wreck or property damage. I had not even had a parking ticket or a moving violation in more than two decades. I didn't realize what was happening as I signed papers (my fault I should note), but they took my license away. I have tried through their system to get it back. I cannot. I know people with 3, 4, even 5 DUIs that have gotten back their license.
But that is not the story, but it is why my $40,000 VW Passat sits in the driveway. Not moved in a few years. $100+ car cover. Air in tires. Fully insured and current license plate and tags.
But I got a notice tapes to it saying per city law my car had to move every 5 days or they would start to ticket me, daily. I called City Hall and was like WTF. This is my property. The car isn't an eye sore. I know for a fact nobody around me called. And oh, I walk about 20,000 steps a day and there are many, many cars in far worse condition than mine. Did you ticket all of them, like the police officer that has two cars, literally falling apart on cinder blocks in his driveway.
They left me alone moving forward. At least for now.
As I am walking these days I see tickets on any number of cars, stuck to the windows. Sure they have seen better days but not on the street. In their driveways or parked just off the street on their lawn. In the part of town I live in we don't have sidewalks and our storm drainage is a flipping ditch.
I was out for a walk and this guy that lived behind me has about the most stunning RV I've ever seen. First time in 15 years I saw the owner and I said "man I flat out love your RV." We start to talk and he and his wife live and travel the nation in it 4-6 months out of the year. Told him I was more jealous than him just being the owner of said RV. Downer, Trump voter and raving fan ...… he let me know this.
I didn't bring up this topic, but the police stopped by and said new laws only allows him to park it in front of his house for two days. They will start to ticket him if he does not move it.
Now when I say I live in a small rural town, I live in a small rural town. But on one of the two main streets outside of Main Street. Heck where they merge three blocks from my house is the only stoplight in town. But I live at the end of it. On a peninsula of sorts. Outside of my front door field and forest for as far as the eye can see. Same to the left of my house a half block. And two block behind me, where the guy with the RV his backyard starts a field that goes more than 20 miles.
He is like when we come home we have folks come steam clean the rugs. Change the 40 quarts of oil. 30 for the engine. 10 for the generator. Clean out the system that handles human waste. He is like I can’t take the thing to Jiffy Lube. He wanted to fight and his wife was like "Jessie I know how this will end, you in full fight mode with the city. I don't have the energy."
I've talked to other folks and the same thing is happening.
My city turns a huge surplus. What are they doing this for? It isn't like a speed trap to make money. They are just pissing people off. People with nice houses and a huge tax bill on property taxes and such.
My city leans right. Sure we have Trump voters. But as a far left liberal I find I will run into a Bob Dole person, more often than not utterly embarrassed by Trump, that will work with Tip O'Niel then well a bat shit crazy person like Trump.
It is in a county/district that is Blue, if not dark blue. It was dark blue not that long about but things change. My country is an island of blue in a sea of red. Fun thing we have the largest output of goods outside of Chicago and suburbs of Chicago.