Do you know that dogs have more rights in America than people?

I have pugnacious neighbors who keep unhappy and yapping, crying
horrible dogs in a tiny backyard. The din is constant and if you scream at
the neighbors, they'll bring the curs inside for awhile. The dogs have learned that the louder they howl, and the more pitiful it sounds, the quicker they get into the house. It is quite cruel to the dogs to keep them this way (they never play with them or walk them outside...)

I have gone thru the proper channels (even spoke to the mayor!). The city was responsive, but the person they assigned to my case (guys got 2 decades experience) tells me flat out that all he can do is fine them 20 bucks at each incident. Even better - in his experience, truly irresponsible offenders learn to just throw away the citations; there's nothing the city can do about it.

Can u believe this?

Can u imagine what would happen if I continually and randomly shouted out the window at the top of my lungs?

Can u predict how many years i'd get in jail if i entered their property to shut up the dogs when they're away? (let alone put a bullet into the sorry creatures - i'd be on good morning america the next day).

Ive researched this quite a bit, and have come to the following conclusion (this was actually recommended by someone!!) :

When the neighbors are away, if i can open their gates and somehow bait the dog or dogs into biting me, then the city can have them put down. Bloody ridiculous.

Theres so many other examples of absolutely lunatic legal policies that exist here. Here's some more examples:

* Teachers are absolutely afraid of yelling at, touching, or any disciplining of students in school. Teachers will get fired immediately, even if the case is proven to be made up by a troubled kid. This wasn't the case when i was in school.

* Almost any adult (esp. male) will now look the other way if there is a lost child in a mall, for fear that he'll be sued, or arrested or whatever.

* We have automated traffic signals that will capture your license number and automatically send you a ticket (350.00$) for 'running' a red light. I got mine for being one tenth of a second behind the yellow light on a weekend evening with not a single other car even near the intersection. I fought the ticket and lost.

* Illegal immigrants live and work freely in the USA; are provided health care and free education. They pay no taxes.

Anyway, i rant, but i am seriously considering leaving the good 'ol usa (or at least the west coast).

I'd like to hear your observations....

Oh, goodness... not another social politics thread.

Did we really need this? There are plenty of forums on the 'net for this kind of discussion. Why clutter up LQ with it?

Man, here in Venezuela a gallon of water is more expensive than a gallon of gasoline. It has been so since the 70's (the petroleum boom). They are both precious liquids, but the low price of gasoline is just ridiculous. I doubt that it may actually pay the related costs and it doesn't make people any less wasteful

Living in the US is still better than not living in the US.

Bold statement, Charred.

Have u ever lived elsewhere?

Anyway, im being facetious pretty much, in the conclusion to my prev. post. But make no mistake,
I strongly believe that society and the legal status quo in the usa have moved into a dangerous position where rules seem to be needed and laws are created in place of simple human respect and courtesy.

This takes the form: "well, i have the legal right to keep a pet on my own property, i can't help that it harms my neighbors..."

and " well, no-one other than me has the legal right to tell my child what to do, even if he misbehaves in school and ruins the education of other peoples kids..."

People hide behind the notion that they are within the law, so it must be "right"..? Im sorry if i cannot express what i am trying to say...

I think it is a bad trend that can only get worse; theres too many lawyers and when have you ever seen a 'right' once granted, later taken away..?

Is there any way to 'enforce' common decency? This is the question, i gues....

rights in america is an illusion and dont let anyone tell you different, rights under ANY government is an illusion. lets get off it and get back to bringin down MS?

danimalz-
I agree with you on your points. All of them except the traffic one. We will get back to that in a moment.

For animals I have one word-PETA

See what happens in the US is this animals get exploited for many years in the US mistreated etc. People realize this is bad (So far everything is good) people over react and make the animals immune of any wrong doing.

Disciplining Children-We are so overly paranoid now of child abuse that even parents are not allowed to discipline their children. If you say spank a child it is child abuse and you can goto jail no matter what the child has done. If you send a child to their room without food it can be seen as you are starving your children and you can have them taken from you. At least teachers can send kids to detention or make them write and essay. I've seen kids who just walk over their parents and the parents can't do a thing. All because the media and civil right people blow everything out of proportion so the politicians goto extremes.

It even seems like criminals get more rights now. Right advocates don't think its fair to monitor pedophiles and child molesters after they are released from prison even if it is a crime that has a high repeat rate. my favorite story I like to tell is a robber was trying to break into someones house he was on the roof fell through the skylight broke his legs sued the homeowner and won the case.

Lawsuits ruined the justice system. Now anyone is afraid to do anything to maybe help others and what not because they are afraid if something goes wrong they can be sued. And forget about it if you are white. I am not racist but it seems to me that every time a crime involving a black victim with a white suspect occurs it becomes a hate crime or a crime of racism and jesse Jackson falls all over it. it the vice versa happens people see it as the justice system is becoming discrimatory against african americans. Now like I said I am not racist an sorry if it sounds like I am (I call it being anti-reverse-racism)

Illegal immigrants. How ridiculous. I hate them. I hate them with a passion. Not because of who they are but for other reasons. During the 2000 elections the democratic party actually registered thousands of illegal immigrants in california under their party. Excuse me but I pay my taxes I am a legal resident of this country. Voting is MY right not someone who comes into the country lives here for free illegally. That is a friggin insult to me actually. Thats why you become a citizen of a country. To gain certain rights. You can't have it both ways. Nor should they be allowed to get a US driver license. While its a privledge not a right its still wrong IMO.

The only one I do not agree with is the Red Light violation thing. First off Yellow light does not mean "Gun it and pray you make it" it means "Prepare to stop" and coming from a major metropolitan area I wish we had them here. Just walking I nearly get ran over by red light violators all the time. The light will turn yellow then red and 3-5 cars still are making left hand turns. And do you know how many accidents I have seen? Plenty. One week it was so bad it was like once a day at the same intersection. And its not the timing of the lights because they aren't that fast its the drivers who assume tailgating means its ok to run the red light.

Bleh Im spent.

Have yall ever heard of the Free State Project? It is an effort to round up 20,000 libertarian activists to one small state (New Hampshire) and try to return it to the common-sense principles that used to make the US great.

Sadly, they have only gotten ~6500 people to sign up so far. I guess there are a lot more people who like the idea and would participate, but are caught up in day-to-day obligations. Or they just make the best of their situation where they are, and hope they don't get nipped by too many stupid laws.

My parents were members of the Friendship Force when I was a kid, and I have friends and relatives who live outside the US.

You honestly believe that dogs don't bark, kids don't act up, people don't help lost children, photo radar was put in without input, and illegal immigrants have it easy?

Moving isn't going to solve your problems. Heavy medication might.

Rounding up 20,000 libertarian activists sounds like a great idea. But then, what would we do with the 20,000 self agrandizing pot-smokers?

Hey, just kidding. Have you tried talking to the dog owners? Do you know some bikers? Invite dog owners to party and have 'Tiny' talk to them.

I am not promoting wrong doing, but, 20,000 libertarian activists in your backyard would do it too.

Couldn't have said it better. Right now, the media is trying extremely hard to identify "simple" divisions of social groups ("Red States", "Blue States"), and to have one group blame all the world's problems on the other and vice-versa. All that it does is to sow the seeds of division and mutual hatred ... when the vast majority of people in the country actually identify themselves with neither camp. It sells newspapers, all right, but it's yellow journalism none the less. And yet, here it is. It's the media that we got and that we're stuck with, and we can decide whether or not to buy their papers or turn-on their programs.

Warts and bumps notwithstanding, the country and its thousands of simultaneously-active governments .. city, county, state, and Federal .. roll along because they have to, and get their tasks accomplished somehow. And, believe it or not, for the most part it works as well as can be expected.

"So you've got a problem with your neighbor's dog." Happens all the time. Maybe you should start by taking a relax-pill and then .. talking to your neighbor. (Maybe they, for example, don't particularly like your cat.) (By the way, have you actually met your neighbor? Lots of people have not.) If you have a neighborhood association you can discuss it at the next meeting. You can ask for arbitration. You can take them to court... if there's an ordinance that they have broken and if you don't mind pissing them off forever. You can wear earmuffs to bed. You can't shoot the pooch. You have no justification to call the police. You can attend the next city council meeting and plead your case. Or you can feed the dog just before bedtime and hope he just falls asleep for the night...

But you only make yourself sound rather extremely silly if you complain about it to an international Linux news group...

boy....

Some of you are sure missing the point.

And anyway Sundial, regarding the suitability of this post; please read the forum description.

Ridiculous input my friend.