Posted on 12/13/2008 9:09:34 AM PST by gorush
TOWN OF FRANKLIN, Wis. -- Daniel Borntreger's Jackson County home looks like hundreds of other Wisconsin farmhouses. But it could cost him thousands of dollars in fines. The Amish farmer built it without a permit.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
As silly as most of NY’s building codes are, I’m not sure arguing that their religion trumps the codes will have much success. They may be better off remaining in states that choose to be more accomodating if they don’t want to make a few compromises.
Methinks an Amish-built house would exceed most building codes.
In this day and age of Muslims using their religion to defy American law, I hope they throw the book at the guy, in spite of how much I despise permitting houses.
I believe most codes require electrical outlets at specific locations. Having dealt with the bureaucratic inspectors, I know how they love to wield their power.
Even is you don’t use electricity?
It's not like some of these building codes are designed to improve construction anyway: the law requires that many buildings use metal, not plastic, drainage pipes. Why? Not because metal is superior to plastic, but because it takes two men to handle a metal pipe and only one to handle a plastic pipe. The plumbers union objected when the city considered allowing plastic.
I suppose it depends on the state...there must be a provision in the Wisconsin UBC that allows electricity-free housing as there are large Amish communities around the state.
Their “building codes” are better than those who oppose them.
“They may be better off remaining in states that choose to be more accomodating if they don’t want to make a few compromises.”
How would they be better off?
Compromise my ass... why don’t you move?
The Amish are the barometers of freedom in this country. Sadly, their existence makes certain groups of people very uncomfortable.
What immediately comes to mind is there’s probably a code requirement for hard-wired smoke detectors.
Because they're probably not going to win in court on their religious liberty argument. If they can convince the state government to grant an exemption to the codes that's another matter, but if they really don't want to compromise can't you see why they might be better off living somewhere they don't have to (say, Pennsylvania or Ohio) than being forced to do so against thir will?
Compromise my ass... why don’t you move?
Because I want to live in NY. I make a bunch of compromises to do so (accepting higher taxes, more expensive housing and products because of their myriad absurd codes, etc.) but I enjoy the city and I'll be making enough to cover the higher costs here. Why would I move?
But if you are not connected to the grid that is meaningless, isn’t it? They can not mandate that you be connected to the grid.
Anyone who thinks we don’t need building codes is too far jaded to reason with.
Don’t need them? Look at countries that have few or none...like Mexico. Look at how their buildings fall like houses of cards in earthquakes while ours remain mostly intact.
Oh, Mexico has building codes. Piles and piles of them. It’s just that they’re selectively enforced to prevent anybody not in the loop (if you know what I mean) to do anything. Just like most Mexican regulation.
Not if the building codes specify handicapped accessibility and require things that the Amish don’t generally have or use.
What makes you think Amish don't use electricity? Is it the lack of power lines leading to the house?
Ever go by one of those houses as night? It's not flickering candles you're seeing in the windows.
They can generate their own electricity, but they cannot be connectd to the grid. That’s why they can use cell phones, too
"Who knows more about electricity than the Amish?" - Homer Simpson
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