Status Quo threatened by a Pick-Up Truck.

I'm not Takumi

I'm not Takumi

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...3/AR2007090301145.html?nav=rss_print/asection

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Founded in the 1920s as a fantasyland of Mediterranean architecture, this affluent Miami suburb, one of the nation's first planned communities, has a long-standing reputation for zealous aesthetic policing, ruling over everything from hedge heights to what colors residents may paint their homes.

Now a guy in a pickup truck is threatening the social order.

Lowell Kuvin, 44, wound up on the wrong side of the local code one night four years ago when he parked his forest-green 1993 Ford F-150 outside the house he was renting.

The city defines pickup trucks, even those for personal use, as "out of character," and forbids parking them overnight within city limits. He got a $50 ticket.

"I thought, 'Now how silly is this?' " he recalled.

Now the fight over that citation, which Kuvin stubbornly pursued to a state appellate court, is raising ticklish questions about whether some of the city's longtime interest in municipal decor stems more from snobbery than aesthetics.

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I could see if the truck was rolling rusting deathtrap with bad brakes and bald tires, but this? C'mon....
 
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Those uncivilsed trucks.. what an eyesore.. :rolleyes: The people over that place, are a bunch of pretentious old nobs, they need to get over themselves. Banning trucks in a society that thrives on them, is like trying to rid Britain of white vans. It isn't going to happen.
 
That's like giving someone a ticket because they're fat or tall.. ludicrous.
 
Dsemaj said:
That's like giving someone a ticket because they're fat or tall.. ludicrous.
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:lol: Indeed.
Utterly ridiculous. They should be honest and write on their "code": anyone who is not like us is NOT welcome.
 
Hmm, doesn't an affluent suburb like this have garages for the houses? (Were garages built with expensive houses in the 20s?)
 
Damn wrong 'Status Quo'... i was expecting Alan Lancaster and Francis Rossi to be held up by a Ford Ranger. :(



:lol:
 
I lived, for a very short while, in one of these fascist housing associations and the only real problem I had with them was their rules/regulations were not made obviously before the sale of the house. We ended up practically going to war with the head of the association, finally selling our house to someone who now doesn't do ANYTHING to follow the rules.

If you're curious as to what they did, one thing was send someone around with a measuring tape to see if the grass was exceeding the allowed length (had to be cut before it got 6" tall) the garbage can could not be left outside (not at the street mind you, outside at all), the only fences allowed had to have a 6" gap between each board/bar making the fence useless. Hell we had to register our animals with the housing association. Thankfully the head of the housing association was a creep and chose odd ball hours to do his inspections so we told him if he came anywhere near our house without a police escort, and did not come to the door before doing anything on our property he would be shot.

Oh and company vehicles (anything with a business related phone number on the side) could not be parked on the driveway overnight.

I could have sworn America was involved with a bunch of countries across the world for about 4 years to rid the world of this type of shit.


teeb said:
Hmm, doesn't an affluent suburb like this have garages for the houses? (Were garages built with expensive houses in the 20s?)
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Even if it does have a garage (unlikely, they didn't become common until the 50s) it's full of junk, people don't use them for their cars anymore.
 
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Home Owner's Associations (HOAs) are out of control. There have been several court findings in the recent years that severely curtail their self-appointed powers. In one case the HOA had bought a radar gun and were issuing speeding tickets!
 
Damn. If I lived in a place like that I would have to have at least 4 cars dismantled in my yard and driveway at all times. Rust buckets with nasty uncorked V8s at that :evil:. Glad to hear the appellate court sees it his way.
 
I'd just take photographs of the heads of the HOA.

Then Photoshop their heads onto images of Mussolini, and post randomly around the neighborhood to make a statement.

And break every nonsense rule, just to piss them off. Then fight them in the courts.
 
don vito said:
Damn wrong 'Status Quo'... i was expecting Alan Lancaster and Francis Rossi to be held up by a Ford Ranger. :(
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The capitals had me think that too, I was thinking 'WTF? Someone tried to kill the Quo with a truck?'
 
I agree but also have to disagree. Overzealous HOA's can easily go on a powertrip. But what about when the gypsies next door leave their broken down camper, dogs are tied to truck axles, and they paint their house purple? I wouldn't want a dumb redneck or smelly foreigner (stereotypes I know) devaluing my property.
 
tigger said:
Damn. If I lived in a place like that I would have to have at least 4 cars dismantled in my yard and driveway at all times. Rust buckets with nasty uncorked V8s at that :evil:. Glad to hear the appellate court sees it his way.
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Many cities have ordinances against that. My friend has a busted ass VW Rabbit and an '82 camaro in his driveway, the city recently told him to get rid of it or he'll be fined.

mattjm321 said:
I agree but also have to disagree. Overzealous HOA's can easily go on a powertrip. But what about when the gypsies next door leave their broken down camper, dogs are tied to truck axles, and they paint their house purple? I wouldn't want a dumb redneck or smelly foreigner (stereotypes I know) devaluing my property.
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That would be a case of being polite and asking them not to do it. It's their right to paint their house purple. The truck axles could be an environmental hazard, and the dogs can some how have gotten loose... and a concerned neighbor calling animal control is just doing the right thing ;)

I guess you, or at least prefer to, live where they have an HOA, I rather like the fact that I can have 2 screaming goats and an upside down K-car on my lawn.* :D



*I only have one of those.
 
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Asking them not to and having a healthy relationship with your neighbor is a given and obvious first step. I don't prefer to live in a place with a HOA and I won't for much longer. But I also know all of the guys near me who are on the board and I could be on the board if I felt it necessary. Anyway, yea it's their right to paint their house purple...but it's hurting the resale value of my house. So who's rights should be protected, his or mine? There isn't really a right and wrong answer. If we could all live on 50 acre plots I'd be fine with it...
 
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mattjm321 said:
Asking them not to and having a healthy relationship with your neighbor is a given and obvious first step. I don't prefer to live in a place with a HOA and I won't for much longer. But I also know all of the guys near me who are on the board and I could be on the board if I felt it necessary. Anyway, yea it's their right to paint their house purple...but it's hurting the resale value of my house. So who's rights should be protected, his or mine? There isn't really a right and wrong answer. If we could all live on 50 acre plots I'd be fine with it...
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What rights of yours is he violating? The right to have a neighbor that agrees with you?

I guess it's one of those prices you pay for freedom, a bit like free speech. If we want to protect the good stuff we have to protect the bad (hate speech). Or you could sue him for lost value on your property, it's the American way! :lol:

A side note: my mom would likely want your house, she's always wanted a lavender picket fence.
 
You know, this reminds me of when my dad was building us a club house in the back yard. it was one of those pre-fab deals, except, we decided to enclose it, earning it the nickname "barn on stilts". One of our very good neighbors asked something to the tune of a permit to erect a structure, and My dad said back to her "Don't talk to me while I'm Holding a Hammer."



































He was only joking of course but i ROFL so hard whenever i think of a 60yr old woman questioning whether my dad was threatening her.
 
mattjm321 said:
I agree but also have to disagree. Overzealous HOA's can easily go on a powertrip. But what about when the gypsies next door leave their broken down camper, dogs are tied to truck axles, and they paint their house purple? I wouldn't want a dumb redneck or smelly foreigner (stereotypes I know) devaluing my property.
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Um, isn't that what municipal code enforcement is for? I know Dallas' code enforcement division is pretty rabid about that sort of thing.
 
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