A contrarian strikes again - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Here's the pressing question for a Pittsburgh City Council featuring one member who says 'there's absolutely no room for discussion' of its tentatively approved ban on indoor furniture being used on outside porches:To the credit of Mr. Kraus, but really to employees of public works, the South Side is clean this morning. On Sunday, the clean-up from the weekend was in full swing. The place looks good.
Why is such furniture on an unenclosed porch, balcony or deck that's not visible from the street or sidewalk any less of a supposed public hazard (for fire and/or vermin) than such furniture that is visible? At least that's how the proposed law, set for final approval this week, appears to be styled.
The legislation ostensibly is designed to thwart torchings during spontaneous street celebrations -- think Oakland, think Super Bowl XLIII -- and to eliminate yet another place for rats to supposedly plot The Siege of the Cathedral of Learning. Author Bruce Kraus, the councilor who has appointed himself the no-discussion Kraussissar, er, kommissar, says 'Rome is burning.'
How many aggravated couch burnings does Pittsburgh have in a given year again, Herr Kraus?
Yes, Mr. Kraus, Rome is burning -- the city remains in state receivership, the pension funds remain virtually bust and systemic budget flaws soon likely will metastasize like a voracious ugly cancer.
And City Council is 'prioritizing' by regulating outdoor furniture. Can dictating the color of our homes, what flowers we plant and the number of scoops in our coffee makers be far behind?
Yesterday, a neighbor was using some green paint to cover a mailbox that had been a vandal magnet. I asked if she was painting the green with the left overs from St. Pats Day. Thanks for that effort. I dare not give more details as she isn't a union worker.
But, back to the couch.
What if a couch shows up in front of Mr. Kraus' home? Does he get to pay the $500 per day fine?
Couches are able to burn. But, worse than a couch are the Eucalyptus tree. Let's ban all Eucalyptus trees too. And, pine trees burn. Let's ban all pine trees. And, what about a top cause of fires -- Christmas Trees. It would be better for Mr. Kraus to ban all Christmas Trees than to ban indoor couches placed outdoors.
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3 comments:
Why don't we just ban matches and lighters?
Leave it to an interior decorator to introduce legsislation banning ugly porch furniture.
Should in-door furniture being used on porches be the city's priority?
The Bureau of Building Inspection can't enforce the ordinances that are already on the books because there are too many run-down and vacant properties and not enough inspectors or an efficient enough court system to handle the citations.
I agree with you Mark. Pittsburgh is "burning-down" so to speak but not because of porch couches.
There are so many more important and much more difficult issues that should be addressed by the city.
This legislation is just proof that city council has too much time on their hands. They are legislating solutions to virtually non-existant problems. (Just as long as they get their 15 minutes in the news media.)
City council should be a non-paid position, with evening meetings much like county council.
Then we might be able to attract a higher quality of people to council, i.e., those who already have day jobs as oppossed to those for whom a position on city council is the best job that they can ever hope to get. A part-time non-compensated city council would also force the council members to focus in on issues of real importantance as they wouldn't have time to sit around and craft solutions for virtually non-existant problems.
I think this is just a ploy to get sofas for Club Pittsburgh.
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