November 8, 2007
By: Sid Riley
The Political Influence of Insurance Companies, Political Influence of Trade Unions, Political Influence of Industrial Suppliers, Political Influence of Architectural and Engineering Associations those are the real forces behind the creation of the costly and cumbersome code requirements that have seriously eroded the property rights and personal choices of property owners during the past two decades.
How did those Chinese ever manage to build the Great Wall of China without having a huge body of codes to go by and herds of wall inspectors checking their work to be sure it was "in compliance"? Even more amazing is how the ancient Egyptians were able to build those huge pyramids without some bureaucratic inspector telling them how to lay the footings! Just imagine how many log cabins were built in this country by settlers that were not built to codes!
What has changed? Why are we all now so inept that we are unable to decide how we want a house or a building built without having an unwanted bureaucratic "genius" to come into the situation to provide assistance? Why is it necessary to have "Big Brother" involved in everything that is built?
The presence of this unwelcome outside interference certainly adds costs, creates delays, and usually creates several ulcers in the stomach and a strong taste of resentment in the mouth of the property owner. Many projects are never initiated because of these factors.
When asked, the "code-a-crats" proclaim that their mission is to "protect the property owner". They claim to be our guardians against sham artists who exist in the construction industries that will sell shoddy materials or perform substandard work for us if this "protection of the people" is not present. If they are so smart and we are so dumb and vulnerable then why don’t they also help us buy a car? There are unscrupulous car sales people out there that might also take advantage of our stupidity, so let’s make it a law that we have to get a permit to buy a car, and then have to come have an inspector approve it before we can get a "certificate of occupancy and driver ship" in order to use it.
Why can they not just get out of the way and let the market function. If someone sells shoddy materials or does poor work, most owners or managers are astute enough to recognize it and correct the situation without having some "Godlike" inspector on the scene. If the problems can not be remedied through negotiations between the parties involved in the project, then that is why we have the court system available to settle claims and suits. The bureaucrats have been able to force their way into the relationship between the builders and the property owners because of the political influence of several other powerful outside forces ….not for the protection of the property owner.
One of these powerful and politically influential forces is the Trade Unions. They have been buying political influence through their huge lobby organizations and political donations for almost a hundred years. By requiring licensing and certification of all workers, they make it harder for some non union worker to compete with them on projects. This is especially important in the Northern state where the union bull crap is more prevalent. Also, the licensing and certification processes create bureaucratic jobs.
Another power player in this matter is the influential huge corporations that manufacture and sell many of the industrial components used in new construction. For example, much of the body of electrical codes was written with the direct involvement of General Electric. Now if you were in the business of selling circuit breakers or wiring, would you write codes requiring the least expensive but usable sizes, or would you double what is actually needed in order to also double your sales income?
Let us not forget the Insurance Companies. They have tons of money to spend on lobbying and buying our politicians. If you were going to insure a house against the possibility of electrical fire, would you rather have it wired with the heaviest possible wiring, with the largest available circuit breakers, installed by the most experienced and most expensive electrician available,….or would you rather insure a house where these extra costs and protections were not installed during construction? It is to the benefit of the insurance companies that you pay for the most expensive and best possible things when you build. Thus, they push for more and more codes. That influence is today causing many Florida home owners to be required to add metal hurricane shutters, extra roof securing construction, and heavier joist framing….whether the owner wants to or not. Are they protecting the property owner or are they protecting the insurance company?
You decide.
These factors are the real reasons that today in Jackson County you have to get a permit to get a permit. That is why the Planning and Code Enforcement Departments of our County and City governments are among the fastest growing departments in the organization. Ask anyone who has built a house or business in this area during the past few years, and you will usually hear tales of perceived mistreatment, bureaucratic abuse, delays, unnecessary costs, and foolishness. In almost every case the owner is left with a strong feeling of resentment and distrust of our bureaucracy. They often become avid readers and supporters of this column and what it promotes….THE REDUCTION IN THE SIZE, COST AND LEVEL OF INTERFERENCE OF GOVERNMENT IN OUR LIVES!
Each month the county takes in thousands of dollars in permit fees. This is money the property owners have to pay the county JUST FOR PERMISSION TO BUILD SOMETHING ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY! And even worse, after they build, another bureaucrat will come along and increase the appraisal for their property and they will have the privilege of paying higher property taxes to the county! What a racket the government has in operation!
RUDAMENTS: ODDS AND ENDS WORTHY OF MENTION-
- It sounds like the EPA may finally be making a few decisions that have a level of reasonableness in them. They appear to now be moving away from the stringent code requirements that forces developers to install expensive curbing and drainage in rural developments. A good example of the fallacy and waste that has existed in this area can be seen down in the sand hills off of the Panama City cut-off in the Compass Lake development that was built back in the 1980’s. There you will find a maize of expensive paved roads in this deserted area with curbing and guttering, all built unnecessarily at the original developer’s expense. Only deer hunters and a few nighttime lovers have enjoyed their use for years. Bureaucratic foolishness and waste!
The EPA has recently begun promoting a "green" approach to roads in rural developments. They now encourage use of landscaped ditching covered with grass. They are also reducing the standard requirements for mosquito pond construction, and are instead determining the need for the ponds on the relative density of housing in the development. A little common sense at last!!
- The County Commission is evaluating whether or not to disband the Advisory Construction Board that was created to assist in settling disputes related to code requirements and enforcement. This board was to be comprised of builders and developers, and would make recommendations to the Commissioners on matters of dispute related to codes. It appears that if this panel was properly created and used it might provide a venue of relief and reason for the property owners. At present the Board of Commissioners only listens to the pleas of the person involved before they rule in favor of their code-a-crats. This might lend some support to the plight of the owner in these matters.
Well, I am about out of space for this writing, so I will close for now. Please help hold the line of resistance against the continuing growth of our bureaucracies. Join in the fight and you will be "Getting It Right"!
No comments:
Post a Comment