On the Front Lines

June 22, 2010

Town Votes to Ban Whistling and Singing in Public
WKYC.com (S.C.); June 22, 2010
“The Sullivan’s Island Town Council has approved a new noise ordinance that adds ‘singing, whistling, hooting and hollering on public streets’ to a list of possible disturbing noises.”

California Considers Bill Preventing Bicyclists from Using Cellphones
KGET.com; June 22, 2010
“If the bill passes and you get busted hitting send, you will receive a $50 fine.”

Get Ready for the Nanny State to Target Sugar-Free Sweets
The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); June 22, 2010
“Parents who try to protect their children’s teeth by buying sugar-free do not realise high-acid foods should also be avoided.”

City Rules No Indoor Furniture Outdoors
The News-Gazette (Ohio); June 22, 2010
Fire that starts on a couch outdoors causes widespread panic among lawmakers and fire safety officials, prompting spot inspections and total ban on indoor furniture being used outdoors. Bravo!

Supreme Court Ducks Question on Taking Property
Townhall.com; June 21, 2010
“Landowners across the country, and the lawyers representing them, will just have to wait a bit longer before it’s clear whether the Constitution protects their rights from judges in the same way it protects those rights from the political branches of government—when those rights are protected at all.”

USPS Colludes with States Seeking Tobacco ‘Sin Tax’ Revenues and Blocks Shipment of Smokes, Snuff
USPS.com; June 17, 2010
The USPS makes a few exceptions, including shipments of “cigarettes sent to consumers age 21 and above for testing or public health purposes.”

Homeowners the Next Target of Oil Spill Mania

Another stupid 'green' initiative on the horizon

While the big story in the news remains the BP Deep Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, there is another ‘crisis’ brewing in our own backyards. Once the dust settles in the Gulf, be prepared for President Obama and the green fringe to set its sights on homeowners that use gasoline-powered tools to maintain their pristine landscapes and annually commit spills greater that the Exxon Valdez.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), “Each year, more than 17 million gallons of fuel are spilled during the refueling of power lawn and garden equipment.” The DEC list of ‘yard tools of mass destruction’ includes:

• Lawnmowers
• Garden tractors
• Chainsaws
• Trimmers
• Chippers/shredders
• Leafblowers
• Tillers
• Woodsplitters

While the DEC does not call for an immediate ban on gasoline-powered yard equipment, the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York has taken the initiative to guilt homeowners in to replacing their oil-dependent lawnmowers with those propelled by electricity or human energy, namely, antique hand-push mowers.

The Earth Institute apparently does not have a beef with the fact that the energy used to power electric mowers is derived from coal-burning power plants that belch carbon and other toxic pollutants in to the atmosphere and can ultimately increase air pollution. Haven’t they been listening to their fellow scaremongers in the White House and global ‘warming’ community attacking the coal industry?

On a side note, there seems to be a budding trend among wealthy homeowners who think that having a Prius in their driveways and solar panels on their rooftops doesn’t adequately express their earth-friendliness. A recent article featured in Yahoo’s “Shine” column revealed that green freaks are tearing-up their natural lawns and replacing them with AstroTurf.

“There are obvious upsides to going the artificial route, the lack of maintenance (no more mowing, no more reseeding, no more fertilizing and no more pesky brown spots) being chief among them,” writes author Emily Hsieh. “You can save a ton in water bills (over time, a faux lawn will pay for itself in what you save on utilities), and you can feel good about conserving too.”

Again, with every so-called ‘green’ initiative comes an obvious omission of the so-called ‘earth-friendly’ alternative’s own environmental impact. AstroTurf is chemically-manufactured plastic grass! What happens when the homeowners sell and the buyers decide they want to replace their new home’s fake lawn with real grass? You guessed it! The fake stuff gets dumped in a landfill that ‘environmentalists’ already bemoan for containing too many non-degradable plastics.

On the bright side of this absurdity, if you’re feeling the entrepreneurial spirit, it might be time to think about establishing an AstroTurf recycling business, because like all seemingly brilliant ideas proposed by the green fringe, this one is bound to end-up in the trash, too.