ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Permit Woes

Greg, the man carried ID indicating he was employed by a state agency that administered welfare, food stamps, and other assorted "benefits." His ID was from a neighboring state.

In short, his prowling about was not only without any justification in any jurisdiction .... he was well out of his! He was as out of place as a Mountie at a Luau.

What did he really want? I still have no idea. He asked about, or mentioned, three separate issues. When his allusion to my remodeling activities got nowhere, he asked about a neighbor, then asked about the previous occupancy of the house. On leaving, he mentioned 'fraud' and trying to save 'my' tax dollars.

Most telling was his response when I asked what his duties had to do with me. "Well, someone's having a rough day." Not really. More accurate would be to say that peeking through my windows is likely to put me in a 'defend the castle' mood, and I'll want to know just WHO he is and WHAT he wants before the welcome mat comes out.

I suppose the lesson to this is that the 'lack of love' you may feel was probably inspired by prior unpleasant experiences. As long as a man considers himself to be free, and not just the government's property, you've got to expect the public to really dislike words like 'must.' The public is also going to be cynical every time catch-all excuses like 'the public welfare' get casually tossed about.

There's such a thing as 'warrants,' a concept far too many functionaries work far too hard to circumvent. Sure, let's send in the game warden to look for poached deer (he doesn't need a warrant); he can then give us 'probable cause' for whatever we imagine might be within those walls.

Sound far fetched? Well, I was asked to not get too political- but there's no escaping the simple fact that laws are, by definition, political. As my little encounter illustrates, there's also plenty of reason to be prudent.

I would have pulled out my phone, took pictures of him, his vehicle, tag and called the sheriff.
It sounds like the fraud was him.

Reno:

I agree with Greg 100%. IF anyone up/over here was to do what you said, and they happened to have any state licenses.....they no longer would.

Well, there's a thought .... and, believe me, had he persisted in attempting entry I most certainly would have had Johnny Law out- to verify his authority, if for no other reason.

Fact is, had he attempted to force entry, a camera would have been the SECOND thing I would have thought to reach for.

Yet, such encounters do put the citizen between a rock and a hard place. It's perfectly reasonable for the bureaucrats to try to monitor the funds they disburse- and quite often those checks go out-of-state. It's not impossible for an Alaskan lawman to have official business in Florida. Plus, there's the natural tendency to see what you can accomplish without obtaining warrants, etc. After all, we've all seen the strip-club video that the workmans' comp inspector took of the 'completely disabled' lady showing the most amazing athletic abilities

As I keep saying: the use of government is the use of force. It's a tool best used most sparingly.

Last night's Humane Society meeting provides another little tale that, perhaps, will identify some of the quirks of the system:

I am involved with the local humane society. A person in town has donated a former business property to the society for use as a thrift store.

As it turns out, the business was 'grandfathered in' when the area was annexed to the town. Since the business has been closed for awhile (proprietor died, widow is donating), it is now necessary to apply for a change in the zoning in order to operate a thrift store on the location. That's right; the town had classed that business property as 'residential.'

So now it is necessary to apply to the planning commission, send out notices, and go before the town board.

As luck would have it, the Humame Society has as active members folks who also happen to be part of the respective city and county departments. The expectation is that the various hoops will be lept through both quickly and at minimal expense.

I'd hate to think of the confusing nightmare it would be if, instead, I had been wishing to base a contracting business from that same location. These functionaries taking it upon themselves to guide the paperwork through all the steps of the unknowable process will clearly ease, and expedite, the process. I mean, who's going to tell their boss 'no?'

Left unsaid is whether the property would have been donated, had the widow been able to sell it as a business property. Had her husband made a miraculous recovery after a long illness, it's very possible that the laws would have prevented him from re-opening his business.

(BTW, now you also have some insight as to why I was certain that the mysterious 'inspector' described earlier had nothing to do with city hall).

The life safety issues should be beyond the political wrangling that comes from "activists". I would not be shocked in this renovation was more extensive than they expect. I would hope so anyway. If it was my patch, it would come up to current code before they opened as a public enterprise.

I have not looked at the place, so i have no idea what code issues might present themselves.

I suppose the tale is a pretty good reminder of the long road the public has to travel before they get anywhere near the permit desk.

Seven trips for a 362 sq ft addition with no plumbing or HVAC.

There was a radio news report that here in Winnipeg all the building trades were experiencing a slowdown in starting projects due to City of Winnipeg plan review and inspection staff being off on summer holidays.