Officials OK jail time for failing to mow lawn
CANTON, Ohio (AP) - City council members in Canton have approved a measure that's grabbed widespread attention in recent weeks.
Homeowners in the northeast Ohio city who don't mow their grass now face stiffer penalties - including a possible 30-day jail term.
The council on Monday night unanimously passed the proposal, which makes a second high-grass violation a fourth-degree misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $250 and up to 30 days in jail.
The law is to take effect in 30 days.
The proposal drew national attention, much of it negative, when it was unveiled last month. City officials have said the tougher penalties are meant to reduce city costs for mowing grass. The city cuts about 2,000 overgrown private lots a year.::::::::
I'm not making this up. See it for yourself here.
Not all tyranny comes from Washington, DC. Some think that local government is harmless until something like this comes out. This is what happens when we let the government trample property rights. Why is they city of Canton even looking at people's lawns?
A better solution is a private one. Where I live we have a homeowners association (HOA) that takes care of all landscaping chores. My wife and I pay our dues, as we voluntarily agreed to do when we bought the house, and the HOA takes care of things. It works well. To the best of my knowledge everybody pays their dues and nobody's going to jail.
The big cities need to look at forming HOAs in their neighborhoods. Not only will property rights be respected, but costs reduced.
Darren Wolfe, otherwise known as The International Libertarian, is the former Eastern Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania. He grew up in Puerto Rico and lived in Venezuela for seven years, including the first year of Chavez' rule. (
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