These days, homeowners' associations are found in American neighborhoods of every economic level, and they too often spin out of control. It's become harder and harder to find neighborhoods that aren't governed by associations that micromanage everything residents do.
A man in Frisco, Texas, purchased a Ford F-150 pickup truck. It's a popular brand of truck for the average pickup owner, and it's useful for carrying large items.
But after the man parked the truck in his own driveway, his homeowners' association crapped a hole clean through its pantaloons.
The reason? The homeowners' association thinks the F-150 isn't upmarket enough. They've threatened to fine him if he keeps parking it in his own driveway - even though he's reportedly lived in his home since 1996!
The association allows luxury trucks, SUV's, and even Hummers. But it doesn't allow F-150's or most other common pickups.
A board member for the association boasted, "The high-end vehicles that are allowed are plush with amenities and covers on the back." When the pickup owner appealed to the board, the board reportedly replied that it allows luxury trucks like the Lincoln Mark LT but not the F-150 because "it's our belief that Lincoln markets to a different class of people."
Well, gee. Nice to know the homeowners' association makes its classism obvious instead of trying to hide it like most classists do. This rule is a really a concerted effort to keep a class of people (namely, those who are not of the highest income groups) out. And the rule is almost certainly illegal on that basis.
Quite honestly, if I was the pickup owner, I'd tell the homeowners' association to fuck off. How the hell does it plan on collecting the fines anyway? The association doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Or, since they don't want the truck parked in the driveway, maybe I'd park it on the lawn instead. See how the association likes that!
(Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/frisco/stories/DN-friscopickups_17met.ART0.West.Edition1.4d8a269.html)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Homeowners' association forbids pickup trucks
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While we are on the topic of Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, and gum, I thought of a couple old clips I hope to see on Youtube..
ReplyDeleteOne is a video that was on MTV in 1983 I think. For the life of me I do not recall the band or the song. The video had the band performing in all-black against a white background (this WAS the early eighties). During the video, BIG BIRD fell from the ceiling and landed on the band!! I shit you not!! (I only saw the video once I think!!)
Another old clip I want to see..I believe this is from a kids show, possibly Mr. Rogers...they had a sculptor on the show who built a sculpture of a ship out of GUM!!
Then he placed it on his head (or maybe it was Mr. Rogers head), like a hat!!
This would have aired 1981-ish??
So sorry..I posted this under the wrong article..
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the video with Big Bird at all. It must have been pretty obscure, because I guarantee that if I had seen something like that even once on MTV in 1983, I would have never forgotten it.
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention the show with the ship sculpture, I have a very vague memory of a show with a person making a ship sculpture and placing it on a person's head. It seems that it was a show with a Mister Rogers-style format, but I don't think it was any later than about 1977 when I saw it. (Mister Rogers reruns did run for years.)