[4940]

One quick read of county's letter, and the niggling list of zoning violations of a place in the middle of nowhere, and the proposed costs of mitigating them is a prime example of the ever increasing totality of government control in our every day lives. VWW

 

[4940]

Sarnali, discharging "gray water" is a common occurrence in rural areas. The gray water in question was probably just the runoff from the showers, and perhaps a washing machine. Neither of which is an environmental hazard on the dry 160 acre remote parcel in question. In fact the so called failing septic system, which I doubt was any more of a pollution factor than an "approved" (read money paid to the county coffers here) system, would actually work better without the bleach and soap from the gray water being introduced into it. Have you ever been to Cuyama? The area there is mostly parched remote high desert foothills. Take a look a the pictures on the website. BTW every remote home has a propane shut off at the tank. The "unproved potable water system " ( again read more money paid to the county) was no different than those found in most truly rural homesteads, and most likely provided much healthier water than the dreck that come out of the faucets in large metropolitan water districts. Believe it or not people can survive just fine without continuous government monitoring. VWW

 

[4940]

Sarnali, I make those assumptions because I owned a remote 160 arce plot in No. Cal. and am intamatly aware of what goes on without government oversite in a rual setting. Think about it for a minute. This man lived there with his family and had numerous guests pay money to stay at this location for YEARS! His family and paying guests weren't getting sick from the water, nor were they contracting dysentary. or cholera from disease carrying effluent because he like most reasonable people took care to make sure that his loved ones and friends weren't put in danger. No one sufferd from burns due to the lack of a redundant propane system shut off because it just doesn't make sense to run propane long distances from where you use it. No one uses bare electrical wiring either. What he was using was Romex like most people wire their homes with. I did get a kick out of noknee's remark that the whole mess was made out of rotting wood and rusty nails. Again any reasonable human being expecting people to pay money to stay there wouldn't be so stupid. I am surprised that someone like you that has served in the military isn't more aware that "one size fits all" rules are often ridiculous. VWW

 

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If by minimum criteria you mean a safe clean place for guests to stay, I would reply that the owner of Sundog Ranch has by his record, of safely running the place for many years, met those criteria. You know that restraunts are built to government standards, and routinly inspected by government personel, yet on several occasions I have become quite ill after eating at them. I'll take a conciencious business owner over government minions anyday. VWW

 

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Re: Darn if I didn't stir up a can of worms

Well you photos prove it Fonzie. A definate unsanitary shythole constucted from rusty nails and rotten timber. Did the owner hold a gun on you to make your group feign good time? I sure am glad that the government came to the rescue and shut the place down before any more unsuspecting bikers were lured into that dangerous,unsanitary hellhole. VWW

 

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Spoken like a true party apparatchik. Rules were put in place to protect EVERYONE. What a load of effluent. Why is it that even though the County has, through coercion, charged the prospective home builder thousands of dollars in fees to "inspect" the construction, the County then absolves itself from any responsibility in a court of law for any shoddy construction on the very structure its been paid to inspect? My step-father was a policeman all of his life, and he once told me that sometimes good police work meant not enforcing every stupid law on the books in every situation. Someone with a true desire to make things fair would not shut down a family business for not jumping through the "necessary" hoops and paying the proper extortion. It is nice to know however that if I have a beef with a neighbor I can call in a report that I saw a star of David on their family crest, and your brethren will show up to give them a rectal exam with a large microscope. VWW

 

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While I would agree that one wouldn't want a nuclear waste dump, or large hog farm built next door without some oversight, and would even agree that the Sondog Ranch would not be a good fit in a crowed uban setting, the plain fact is that neither common sense, nor compassion were used in this incident. Sadly far too many or your ilk fail to think outside of the box, and realize that one set of guidelines does not fit every situation. What happened here was a clear case of the heavy hand of government being applied to a problem that could have been resolved with a few suggestions to the owners. VWW

 

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Uteking, I forgot to add this, as it is an excellent addition to longrides witty quote. VWW



Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C. S. Lewis