Oct 14, 2008 08:29PM GMT
Question
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SodaHead - What's Bubbling in Your Head?
Grass is dead, Grandpa goes to jail: Do you agree?
http://tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article847365.ece
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raves posted Oct 17, 2008 08:52PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
I understand that he lives in a community with restrictions, but the association could have done something to try to help him.
I really think that our taxpayer money could have been better served than housing and feeding this man in jail for however long he was there. -
raves posted Oct 16, 2008 11:27PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
What - are we all supposed to be HOMOGONIZED?! Poor old guy, he probably can't afford his water bill for all the meds he has to pay for. This is really humiliating. So who are these beauty police anyway? They need to start doing some service work and quit wasting our tax dollars with their arrogance. -
raves posted Oct 16, 2008 10:57PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
This is nothing short of an abortion of justice. Imagine the number of cases sitting in limbo and they are concerned about a F**king lawn?
Neighbors should be concerned about helping each other out when someone is going through hard times. Imagine this could have been done in a few hours with a potluck and gardening party, but the douche of the HOA decided to screw with the court's time? If I was the judge I'd jail his ass for wasting my time.
For everyone feeling the pinch of these asshats especially when logically you can't due anything due to the seasons, get some lye and at night sprinkle it in the pattern of profanities on their lawn and spread trash all over, just make sure it's not your trash. They'll trace it back to you. -
raves posted Oct 16, 2008 10:22PM GMT
Answered No I don't agree and this is why....
When I moved in, we had to join the HOA. Seemed OK, but not optional. With the house came a front-yard sprinkler system and hydroseeding. The back yard was left as rocky dirt (they took all the topsoil and, I presume, sold it). By joining the HOA, I agreed to keep the front yard and swail in good condition. No problem.
My HOA just last week sent me a letter informing me that they had amended the rules, and that now ALL yards must be planted within 90 days of the date of purchase of the home, and they assert that the amended rules apply to me retroactively (bought back in Dec 07), and that I'm now in violation. They intend to levy a fine against me if the yard is not planted within 15 days. It's mid-October in North Idaho, the very end of the possible planting season.
As I read on another site, HOAs are the perfect haven for the Little Hitlers of the world. They want to pick a fight and waste my time and money dealing with them in court. This is very malicious because if I had the money to landscape the back yard, it would be done already. So they want to punish me by setting that back further and sucking whatever money I do attain in the future for .... what? I suppose they intend to pocket it.
Is there any way out? -
raves +1 posted Oct 15, 2008 09:44PM GMT
Answered No I don't agree and this is why....
I think he should have been given time to try and nurture the existing grass back to health. Sod is out of the financial reach of many, many homeowners. He should have watered the grass by hose after the sprinkler broke, but the punishment does not fit the crime. This amounts to "debtors prison" to me. He may be there forever, because he doesn't have the means, in jail, to make money to pay for the sod. Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to me. -
raves +3 posted Oct 15, 2008 09:21PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
and his..I know this is Florida..but, September?? It's fall, the natural rhythm of things means the grass goes dormant..How nice that they think they have enough water to keep their grass green 12 months a year!! -
raves +4 posted Oct 15, 2008 08:20PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
What a complete waste of time. If that judge has so much free time on his hands that he is jailing people with brown grass and it ain't marijuana then he absolutely needs to find another job. The judge is a waste of taxpayers money. -
raves +3 posted Oct 15, 2008 05:35PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
Wow. What a ridiculous situation. I think that, yes, he was responsible for it but wow...to send the guy to court and then jail without any bail to speak of? That is crazy! With all the money everyone got they probably could've resodded 2 lawns! -
raves +3 posted Oct 15, 2008 03:21PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
Gotta love it. They'll let out violent criminals because of over crowding but put a 60 y/o grandfather in jail because of not upkeeping the aesthetic ideals of a community. Did the community ever think that since this was a requirement they should've got a contract with a lawn service and include it in the association fees for a discount? No...go directly to court. -
raves +4 posted Oct 15, 2008 01:55PM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
freakin' ridiculous. i really do understand if it's in your contract when you move into a place to keep your lawn looking green... but seriously, almost EVERYONE has been affected by this downfalling economy... and when it's a bite the bullet type of situation, lawn or mortgage... people really need to get their head's screwed on straight... people really are a bunch of assholes!!!
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raves +2 Oct 15, 2008 03:26PM GMTBecause he's 60 and his daughter is a nurse who probably works hellish hours. But the main point is that the excesses taken to punish a man for something so trivial. A neighborhood should be a place where people come together to achieve a peaceful place to reside. ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE the association's first action was to file legal penalties.
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raves +2 Oct 15, 2008 09:51PM GMTIt seems excessive to me. We are not talking about exposing the buttocks here, we are talking about underwear sticking out. I also think it's a bit of a stretch to say everyone who likes this "fashion" is involved with drugs. A judge in Florida recently ruled a similar law unconstitutional.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/... -
raves +1 Oct 15, 2008 10:36PM GMTWow, that's the location I was reading about. I was on vacation for the last week so I hadn't read the article.
But I understand where you're coming from. Targeting a certain dress could be considered profiling which, yes, is un Constitutional. But the areas in which MOST of the offenders were arrested were high traffic areas. And several of them were actually witnessed conducting sales. Now...if they were to ONLY arrest persons in those areas and not in say... a "rich" neighborhood. Then that would be discrimination which is also un-Constitutional. So if being a little less fashion conscious means we put some criminals in jail, IMO, it's worth it. -
raves +3 posted Oct 15, 2008 08:34AM GMT
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
Guess there aren't any real criminals and the local law is bored.
I have lived around there. Verdant lawns are not easy or cheap to get and maintain. If the poor guy can't afford to resod the lawn, he sure as hell can't afford all the fees/fines/court costs either. Gotta love Florida (non)logic. -
Answered What a waste of tax payers dollars!!
Really this is just insanity. Where do I sent money to help with the purchase of sod and to fix the sprinkler system? Hey, I guess I am rich enough to bail out Wall Street so I can try to help the person who really needs it.Follow up:
Hi Kristine,
Thanks for writing, and I apologize for my delay in getting back to you. As you can imagine, this story struck a nerve with the public, and I've been trying to respond to dozens of e-mails and voicemails.
Not sure if you saw the follow-up story we wrote: http://www.tampabay.com/news/...
Mr. Prudente's neighbors showed up Saturday and sodded his lawn for him. He's now out of jail.
Thanks again for reading and for your feedback! Best, Jodie
Jodie Tillman
St. Petersburg Times, Staff Writer
(727) 869-6247
Cell: (727) 992-8267
Fax: (727) 869-6233