GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

06-04-2004, 09:13 PM

writes:
I guess I just never understood why you should have to "come to the
meetings,volunteer to be on the board, do the paperwork for grants and
activities, and hide the eggs and dress up in the bunny costume for the
Easter Egg Hunt in the park," just to live in peace on your own property
without someone else telling you how they think you should live.

I subscribe to the live and let live theory of life. I find homeowners
associations to be antithetical to the fundamentals of freedom in America.
It took me two years to find a property that did not have some ridiculous
CC&R's that I had to live by because of some control freaks who thought
their way of life was the only valid one. Most people ruled by these
organizations are not aware of the loss of their civil rights until after
they have purchased the property and then it is too late. They are
victims, no doubt.

Unless you want to spend all of your free time in hostile meetings with
people who are often irrational, emotion driven, and have a hidden agenda,
then I suggest you take your time to find a property without any
homeowners
association organization. They only benefit the few at the expense of
many. Not a good way to live life in my opinion. I long for the days
when
neighbors worked out their own problems with rational adult discussions
and
tolerance.

The issue of home owners associations is quite different than
city/county/state/federal ordinances and laws. The overly restrictive
home owners association "rules" would not exist if home owners did not
allow them to be; it is only those directly involved that vote *and* they
know that when they buy. I suspect that they can be changed if the
majority want them to be.

Government laws and ordinances are another matter. They are passed to
cover everyone and need to be monitored by *real* residents and not just a
select few. If only those who live on the waterfront attend the meetings
regarding laws governing the waterfronts, then the rest of us will be
denied access to what should be, in most instances, public. In our own
community the "money" in the West Hills of Portland had a great deal of
influence over flight paths into PDX, undue influence, but others kept
silent and now all others are having a difficult time getting things
changed to the good of the greater population because the regulations are
already in effect. While this is not my "first love" for involvement, I
completely understand how the non-involvement of people allowed it to
happen and a greater portion of the population affected by it. Those of
us on the north side of the river receive absolutely no revenue from the
airport but are bearing the larger burden of the noise and pollution
because those in north Portland just didn't care enough to speak out
though they are adversely affected also. Worse now, a new law has been
passed requiring all in our county to disclose, when selling, if our
property is in the flight path which, of course, negatively affects resale
value . . . but does not, of course, allow a lower property tax rate!

Ironically, previous owners of my house moved into a neighborhood,
complete with CC&Rs which they didn't bother to evaluate and cannot hang
out laundry, among other things. I mention this one because it really
matters to her, she loved to have sun-dried sheets. My middle son had to
remove the dog house from his kennel, inside his fenced back yard (6-ft
board) because it was "unsightly." Now, "unsightly" is a rather vague
term for a regulation. He complained to me, and I told him he is the one
who chose to live there. When they mentioned the CC&Rs, I told them to
review them thoroughly and really tear them apart, but they never believed
anyone would complain about a dog house for a guide dog for the brief time
she was outside! Well, surprise, folks, some people will take the
vagueness and twist it to suit their agenda, even it it's only to distress
someone else. It is for that reason that we must be involved, to try to
keep things realistic for everyone not just allow the agenda of a very few.

Glenna
off her soapbox for the day now
better day for planting, sunshine, drier soil, etc.