Somehow, this does not surprise me... I think it is always quite amazing how willing people are to invite supreme government control into their lives. In my city, the residents are pushing to have cameras installed throughout the streets. The fact is, however, that cameras do not necessarily reduce crime.
From this ABC news article, page 2:
"Effective at Documenting Crime, Less Effective at Reducing It
But have they been effective at cutting crime?
According to a British Home Office review of dozens of studies analyzing the cameras' value at reducing crime, half showed a negative or negligible effect and the other half showed a negligible decrease of 4 percent at most. Researchers found that crime in Glasgow, Scotland, actually increased by 9 percent after cameras were installed there."
Cameras are only the latest invitation of governmental control that the local citizens have asked for. In my neighborhood, they are trying to make the area a historical district. The fact is, that there are no architecturally significant buildings in the area. In fact, it was a cookie-cutter development when the houses were built. How do I know? Because my great-grandfather owned the land and started the development himself. By making it a historical district, the local code enforcement gestapo can then tell you what colors your house can be painted, can disallow you to use vinyl siding, and they can force you to revert back to the original blueprints and specifications anytime you renovate your house, among many, many other things. This drives up the cost of materials and labor, not to mention that you can no longer make your house your own.
Just a few weeks ago, driven by neighbor's complaints, the city council has disallowed paving of your yard. The people who complained stated that by replacing grass with concrete, it was hurting their "quality of life." What whine-asses. These were the kids in the back of the grade school classroom that were constantly saying "Tommy's touching me" and "Fred just picked his nose." Are they going to have patio bricks outlawed next? What happened to private property?
Anytime one of these kind of laws passes, we are giving up a bit of freedom, and these people seem to want it that way...
[Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that, from what I understand, if code enforcement comes to my door randomly and decides to inspect my home, I have to let them in. It does not matter if they even suspect I have been doing work. If they find anything wrong, I am subject to fines, and worse. What happened to due process and the protection from illegal searches?]
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