My first federal offense.

This is just me blowing off steam at our governmnet that nutures criminals and punishes goobers like me.
I have lived in the same house for 10 years and never ever never missed a waterbill payment. Got home from work last night and the water was off and locked with a zip tie. I did not know I had to call the police. I figured they had important criminal and public saftey stuff to take care of.
immediately paid my waterbill on line, called and left a voice mail at the water department office saying I apologise for my oversight, I have now paid and turned the water back on.
I get a call this morning letting me know that I committed a federal offense. The fine just got moved up to $50 as of 1/1/08 plus the $15 fee to turn the valve 1/2 a turn to the left.

I know it was my mistake and I'm mad at me plus I'm having to bury my grandmother today so I'm already upset. I just sick of the fact that I pay taxes to people who sit around thinking of ways to punish decent folk like me so they can get fines to pay for the medical care of child molesters in jail:-x
They have so many laws that they can't catch people breaking so they get idiots like me who never ever have missed a payment in 10 years. So much for cutomer loyalty.

I'm done.

 

I feel for ya. It happens to the best of us.

 

Story of my life my friend- A day late and a dollar short. I've hadn that same feeling in similar instances... Hang in there man, it'll pass and be but a faded memory like a bad dream. Go fer a ride, that helps me sometimes...

 

How is that a federal offense? Do you live on a reservation? :grin: or was that just hyperbole? I get my water from the city.

 

We have the same radiculous situation here so your not alone....beurocracy,geez.
Like uncle punk said "go for a ride"
Who knows,u might find some hard rubbish by the side of the road...that usually brightens-up my day.

 

I blame Bush.

 

JEEZE!
This is why I'm going to go live in the country and become a hillbilly.
Going to run threw fields of flowers naked and be free.
I'm so sick of rules and people ramming their so called good intentions down my troat.
Every where you turn now adays there's a revenuer with their hand out for money.
Past track records don't count, so why be good? What the use of doing things right any more.
I feel for you Bro.

 

Scott,
Sorry for the loss of your Grandmother. (hug your kids....it helps)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

I'm a little unclear about your "crime". :?:
did you snip the ziptie & turn your own water back on?

if that is the case...sheesh!!
You saved the water dept. the time & $$$$$ to come back and turn it on......Plus, you have to pay them more $$$.
What a scam!!!

you are not a criminal!!
you are not a goober, either....

hooligan.....maybe :?:

 

It IS a federal offense to "Tamper with Government property" snipping a zip tie off the meter. Heck if they didn't want me to have water they should have padlocked it. I was framed I tell ya.
Kids and drove from Ft Worth (55* and sunny) to Sherman close to the TX/OK border for granny's funeral. 60 miles north and it was freezing and snowing and 40mph winds. She was born in 1916 when Pancho Villa invaded Texas and NM:shock:. I didn't cry till the drive home.:cry: It was as refreshing as a bike ride for a day like this. Told my mom I'd take her out and buy her some drinks LOL. She's babysat her parents for the last 5 years and now they are gone she deserves a lot.

I just hate being punished for a mistake when I pay my taxes and bills all on time and obey the law. I hate getting tickets just because I don't want to give the govenrnment any more of my hard earned cash. For the love of God I can't imagine calling 911 to get my water turned back on. It's just like sniper shooting. It's easier to hit the target standing still instead of the ones running away from the law(except OJ).
Thank you MBc for the Whitezone I appreciate everyone's friendship. I know this was trivial, but I rather unload here than on my kids.

Thanks again. It's Miller Time Cheers all


Thanks, Davo. We took a baloon for them to release that would float to Heaven for her and Granddaddy. I thought my folks were gonna loose it.

 

Weird today. Neighbor rang my doorbell. It seems my plastic t thing on my water spout outside busted and I was spewing water everywhere. I could have sworn I had closed that tap down. So now I got a virtual swimming pool against my house. I hope it doesn't leak in my house.
That would make my day.
..it's good to have good neighbors,cause being in the basement I would have never known...it still would be running right now.
So remember kiddies. Disconnect that garden hose.
Scott. Any way you can say you had an emergency,like you were getting pretty stinky foul or something and had to bathe?
The water company thinks they are the only ones that know about water pressure. That's the whole stink here. Aparently if you turn it on too fast you can bust some pipes. But you only turned it a little. You should have gotten only a warning. And the pipes you could have damaged would only have been your own.

And my condolences.

 

Okay, this family had a worse situation. They are being sued because their 17 yo son riding a bike was hit by a man driving 100 mph. america isn't the only messed up country http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325588,00.html

perspective always helps me.

 

*sniff* that's the coolest thing I've ever heard!
I am moved!:cry:
you rock!!

 

"The last official action of government is to loot the country" -WRH
Don't worry, the very fact that government is overstepping its bounds and criminalizing everything is a sign that the government itself is illegal. 1776 is going to come back in a big way fairly soon.
I agree with Live To Ride. Get out of the cities and you'll be surprised how little of the federal reserves so called "money" you need to survive and be happy. Ditch the TV too if you haven't already
/end rant

 

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. The balloon this is a nice touch......helps people to feel better at times like those.

Have a story about "empowered beauracrats" that might help you a bit. Two years ago I was building two 6 unit condos here. We had the framing and decks up for the first floor, and were working on the second. The plumbing contractor came in and installed the water stub outs in the boiler rooms. (2 6 inch pipes sticking through the floor of the utility rooms to give you an idea of perspective. Well, when I called the city to come down and turn off the feeder for the water, it was always such a long wait, so I cut a hitch receiver off one of my trucks, and welded it to a piece of pipe and made my own. I used it so the plumbers could do their thing, and turned it back on. Next day, a city employee comes by to flush the hydrants, and sees my home made key laying there. Walks over and chews me a new ***hole, and threatens me with a $10,000 fine if I ever do it again. Couple days later, one of the caps (a 2 piece flange and gasket that bolts to the pipe) blows off and I come to work with 6 inches of water running off the edge of the deck, and down the hill to the street below. (keep in mind we stick buildings to the side of mountains here) I called the city, and said we had a bad leak, and gave them the adress. About an hour later, the water started washing out the street below, so I called the DOT and said this was becoming a hazard, maybe they should come down. Then I called the police, and said we had a problem, and maybe they should come down, and direct traffic. They both arrived and asked if I could turn off the water. I said yes I can (showed them the key) but I wasn't going to pay a $10,000 fine for the privilege. About 4 hours later a city truck shows up and turns the water off. He says, You said you had a leak. I said yeah, that was a helluva leak alright. That's what I told the lady at the office. He said, well you have a key, why didn't you turn it off. I said, You told me not to. Well, the State replaced the road, and billed the city, the newspaper company that owns the land below fixed their landscaping, and billed the city, People who couldn't get to work because the road was flooded have complained furiously........and I still have my key. :grin: Revenge against stoopidity is good.

Denny

 

That has got to be the sickest thing imagineable. Amazing what one human will do to another......for $20,000. Now we know what a life is worth.

 

Speaking of Bushes Large. Watauga is a tiny suburb. A man living across from city hall had sun flowers growing in his back yard (during Clinton's term) the big beautiful yellow flowers peered over the fence at traffic. Such a lovely sight.
Wrong, it was a grass and grass is not allowed over 12inches tall. City fined him and he refused to cut them. They posted a 4x6 billboard in his yard sating "this property is in violation..." . He ran for council the next election and won. Native grasses and flowers are now excluded.
Guess I should run.

 

Good on the guy.Goes to show the best way to change unjust laws/regulations is from within.I've never felt the need to become one of "them" but prefer to remain one of "us"
Perhaps if one of us(MBc) became one of them and went into polotics these silly motorized bicycle laws would be amended so common-sense would prevail.
As it stands now common-sense isn't as common as what u might think it should be.

BTW...Scott,u sound better...u must have found some hard-rubbish by the side of the road yesterday..........HALF'S MINE.

 

Thanks Fetor, I do feel better. Actually heading south the temp went up 10 degrees in 60 miles so we were dodging ice chunks falling off big rigs comming out of Oklahoma. That was the only stuff on the side of the road.I appreciate my friends here letting me vent.
I don't stay angry long. my ex was angry 24/7 i don't know how she enjoyed it. Her step dad had 2 open heart surgeries. The doctor said he better start being nice instead of always angry or he would kill himself inside out.
Kids are at grandma's this weekend, boss is on vacation so I'm going riding.:grin:
Once again I appreciate everyone for letting me vent.

"I love the things that you've given me,
I cherish you my dear country,
But sometimes I don't understand,
The way we play.

I love the things that you've given me,
And most of all that I am free,
To have a song that I can sing,
On election day. " Norah Jones

 

I blame Clinton then.