Cob: Re: code cob - building permits

[edfan at earthlink.net]

    Legal liability is a bogus explanation, IMHO. Government giveth,
government taketh away. As with any sovereign entity, they can decide who
gets to sue them, just as they can decide whose land they will steal using
eminent domain - so they can give it to Wal-Mart.

    They have many choices, not the least of which would be to use their
good offices to ask for help from the nearest state university - or other
tax supported institution. They could also make engineering degrees a
requirement of the job of Building Czar. Why are these jobs taken by people
who do not have any idea how to judge if a building will fall to the ground
or not?

    IMHO, one major reason for the proliferation of controls, permits,
yickyack and assorted hurdles to owner building is the felt need on the part
of politicians to control citizens' access to an expensive,
revenue-producing part of  modern life. City Poobahs want tax money from as
many new, preferably expensive buildings as they can force anyone/everyone
to build AND it would sure be nice to prevent poor people from moving in
altogether. How would they run their machines from taxes off a house built
with materials anybody could afford? What would the town bank do for a
living if 10%, 25%, 50% of the population needed no mortgage? What would
happen to the value of stick built housing if building for $10/sq ft became
common? How would the local tax base be affected if new neighborhoods were
heavy with people deliberately living in SMALL houses that used few city
services?

    Affordable, owner built homes have political enemies for good reason.


----- Original Message -----
From: "j. gann" <jmygann at yahoo.com>
>   The other side is : The county officials who were
> elected by the voting residents have been given the
> responsibility to oversee building safety and health.
> Plus, due to lawsuits against the county (taxpayers) ,
> the county must cover its liability by
> referring/deferring it  to a licenced engineer.