Life, the Universe, and Everything

Superpowers

The kids are in the closet. They are discussing how they can annoy each other, apparently.

Ally has a magic wand and waves it and says, "I'm going to give myself wings so I can fly away and you can't." Anya says, "Well, these are my clapping shoes and they will take away your wings if I clap them together" Then she clicked her heels together three times.

They aren't ruby red though.

No progress

The lady who wanted to start the HOA in our neighbrhood set a meeting for March 3. She didn't notify everyone on the neighborhood. Not even close. When we found out, we set up our meeting last week. There are a lot of people angry about it. There are a lot of people vehemently opposed. So we talked and at the meeting, it was decided that we would let everyone in the neighborhood know that she'd called the meeting and please go to it and express your opinion. Everyone in the neighborhood. Full disclosure - like she should have done in the first place. Someone volunteered to make flyers and other volunteer stuck them on doors yesterday. At least 200 of the 271 lots in the neighborhhod got one. 2 of our volunteers didn't get them out yesterday and were planning on it today.

We got an email this morning that the meeting has been postponed. Not canceled. No reason given. And the email was forwarded to us from a neighbor. Not sent from the original planner herself. Because apparently, we have fallen off her email list for some reason.

I'm thinking she's going to get together a small group of people and start it on the sly. Once it's started, eventually, if membership gorws, it will reach a majority. At which point, they'll decide "it's not fair" that they have to pay and the rest of us don't and they'll make it mandatory. This is what we're trying to stop. But at this point, we're at a loss as to how to do it.

Rabble Rabble Rabble*

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." — Thomas Jefferson

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I am not, uh, shall we say... lacking of opinions. I often have an opinion. And if I know you, I usually feel free to share it. Um. Loudly.

We live in a subdivision without a Homeowner's Association(HOA). I like that fact. I was quit pissed off when, in our old neighborhood (with a HOA), a few busybodies made it their business to tell the rest of the neighborhood what they could and couldn't do with their house (their own property).

So you can only see where I'm going when I say that there's a small group of people lobbying for starting a HOA in our new neighborhood.

HELL NO.

HOA's can vote themselves in all kind of rights in the form of by-laws. Then they can determine that you've violated those by-laws and assess fines. Luckily in Illinois, they can only go so far as to fine you and lien your house, unlike the less unfortunate states where they can actually foreclose on homeowners who don't play the game. So Rob and I have found ourselves in the unlikely position of organizing the neighborhood. Which is basically what we're against in the first place. Ironic, huh?

I don't understand how people think that the "someone has to take care of it" theory actually works out. They actually believe that someone will be able to make the decisions and everything will just work out fine. What happens when that very same someone decides you're in violation? If people would just take care of their own crap, someone wouldn't be needed. I'm not going to just sit here and let someone run my life for me. Take responsibility people!

So now, we've got to be nice and try not to step on anyone's toes while still assuring that the rights to our property remain ours. What a pain in the ass.

**http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153618