Doug Grow: Leaf blower ban rakes in support

MPLS Star & Sickle ^ | 11-13-04 | Doug Grow

[Rakkasan1]

A year ago, Stephen Rueff was sitting in his south Minneapolis back yard, reading a book and savoring one of those last, lovely autumn days.

"Ah yes," Rueff was saying to himself. "This is why we live in Minnesota."

But suddenly, serenity was blown away. One neighbor had fired up a leaf blower. Then, another. Noise, ear-piercing, peace-robbing noise, was all around him.

Sad, disgusted and perplexed, Rueff retreated inside his home.

"I asked myself, 'Why is it that people are in love with loud machines?' " he said.

[Rakkasan1]

"Niziolek -- who uses an old-fashioned push mower on his corner lot, rakes in the fall and shovels in the winter -- would like to see people dump all of their gas-burning outdoor tools."

more bans attempted by self-righteous environmental wackos.

[robertpaulsen]

I wonder if he's ever offered to rake their leaves.

What are we talking here, one hour once a year?

[SquirrelKing]

The first house my wife and I rented in NC years ago the landlord told us to keep an eye on the neighbor when the leaves fell. Sure enough, I came home from work one day and found that her yard was clean of leaves...and mine had twice as many! The cow had blown all her leaves into my damned yard! Thus began a hatfield-mccoy feud of suburban guerrilla warfare that ended only after we moved and bought a house in SC. By the time we left she wasn't even coming out of her house and would send her nitwit son out to do anything in the yard.

[atomicpossum]

Niziolek points out that not only is state law being drowned out by leaf blower noise, there are huge noise double standards. For example, in Minneapolis, if you can hear -- just hear -- music within 50 feet of a car, the driver can be ticketed.

Perhaps the difference, my liberal twit, is that someone using a machine to get work done is in pursuance of a constructive endeavor. A person with music that loud is just an ass and should be shot on the spot.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

Eliminate snowblowers, leaf blowers, lawn vacuums and gas-powered lawn mowers and you could improve air quality by 5 percent...

And by what percentage would you increase heart attack rates by banning these things?

[Rakkasan1]

big fences make good neighbors.
the only thing better is large distances...

[zzen01]

Is MN a Blue state?

[mylife]

Ive got no problem with the leafblowers. The operaters however can be real sh*ts.

Ive been watching some union dufus at work blowing the same leaves around for 2 weeks now. the son of a so and so would never think of disposing of the damned things after getting them in one spot.

That would put him out of a job and would rob him of the opportunity to be an obnoxious jerk

/rant

[muawiyah]

Here's the deal ~ read the Second Amendment.

[SquirrelKing]

LOL Ben Franklin, I believe!

I've built a fence (or bought property with) at every house since. I am a responsible citizen now and channel all my rage through FR.

[muawiyah]

Getting Americans to exercise more will reduce the heart attack rate.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

Yes, I believe it is.

[DJ MacWoW]

If he wants it to be THAT quiet, he could move to the country. Typical liberal socialist, a party of one trying to control the actions of many. "It's all about MEEEEEEE!"

[oh8eleven]

A person with music that loud is just an ass and should be shot on the spot.

Can't argue that, but I have agree with the guy about the noise.
My neighbors all seem to "take turns" cutting their lawns or leaf blowing in the Fall.
Sometimes the noise goes on from 8am until dark.

[SquirrelKing]

To actually dispose of them would be too much like work!

I grew up raking, piling and eventually burning huge batches of leaves. We had lots of red and white oaks on the property. My brother, cousins and I would jump wrestle and fight in them till we got bored and then the burning would begin. Not environmentally sound but enjoyable as a kid. Even now I occasionally get that nosalgic urge but am too dignified to act on it!

[John Jorsett]

I don't remember where (Los Angeles maybe), but some city in California banned gasoline powered leaf blowers. In a month, all the gardeners were using propane-powered ones. No noise diminishment. The city was astounded that people weren't complying with the "spirit" of the ordinance.

I work at home and the noise from these things drives me nuts. If it's the noise that's a problem, pass an ordinance that controls that instead of trying to engineer a ban. I know it's not as much fun as imposing your view of utopia on the rest of us, but it would address the problem, not just the instrumentality.

[Rakkasan1]

must have blown his copy of "Earth in the Balance"
right out of his hands.
problem is, as soon as these types move to the suburbs, then they demand people build them a choo-choo to transport them to the city because they don't want to own a car because they require maintenance.

[robertpaulsen]

"A year ago, Stephen Rueff was sitting in his south Minneapolis back yard, reading a book and savoring one of those last, lovely autumn days."

Hmmmm. The author must have a different definition of a "lovely autumn day".

According to the National Weather Service, the temperature for the Twin Cities on November 13, 2003 was a high of 36 degrees and a low of 22.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

True, but people should still be able to use gas powered machines to do work for them if they want to.

Every year, I read at least one article about a 70 year old man having a heart attack while shoveling snow and if this idiot is successful, he will guarantee that there are more of them.

[longtermmemmory]

simple ban on sunday morning leaf blowing and requiring an operator to contain all leaves to his yard.