Funny, my family had similar problems with a neighbor. So they talked to him. Talked nicely, actually; they asked sincerely if he was OK. Turns out he had had back surgery, it got fouled up, and he was stuck home in high pain on disability and couldn’t care for his place. They helped him out by occasionally cutting his lawn, cleaning the place up, etc. Not all the time, as he often is a jerk to them*, but they decided that if they wanted it resolved, they should resolve it.

They could have called the cops… but they would have made an enemy and still had neighborhood ‘blight’.

As for cars… the same neighbor complained that my dad’s rusted out 42 Ford pickup was leaking fluids into the groundwater. So they parked it on a white tarp for three months, with his help, to find out. It didn’t leak. Problem solved.

There are greater problems than overgrown grass, leaking auto fluids, and property values. One of them is opting to have the government come in to enforce our wants rather than resolving issues through relationships with our neighbors. In the end, we just enslave ourselves that way.

And hey, while I’m on a soapbox, I may as well make everyone mad… The usual problem with libertaran types (myself included sometimes) is that we tent to want to get the government out of it, but still act like assholes to our neighbors. But self-government only works well when we actually try to work things out nicely with each other. It can work if we are jerks, but not well and not for very long.

* He has been a lot more of a jerk since he’s been in pain from messed up back surgery. We keep wishing he’ll discover medicinal uses for certain repressed substances.

we should be watching the bastards, but who has the time? these little intrusions should be difficult for them to pass- I don’t think these nonsense codes would hold up if they were put out to the voters to decide. now, these codes will be enforced by the police?!! no wonder they feel code enforcement is dangerous- it’s a serious encroachment on the citizens!

Yeah, I can’t believe that “blight” not visible from the street warrants cops checking backyards. I can’t believe that is going to fly if people stand up to this Grandstaff bozo. Seems to me the minute they open a fence gate they are in violation of someone’s rights. All they need to do is stumble on someone’s 15 year old daughter sunbathing without a top on and this guy would be toast.

I have lived in places where if you call the code enforcement department first they will gladly send someone out to make sure everything is in compliance. When they are done they leave you an official document stating the results.

So when the cops show up for their fishing trip, you politely refuse them entry and show them the document stating you have recently been inspected.

No confrontation, no yelling, no discourtesy. You are here to check compliance? Looky here, I’ve just been inspected and here are the results. Have a nice day!

I learned a long time ago that the only way you can beat these bastards is by knowing the rules better than they do, and using those same rules against them.

Well I guess we don’t have to worry then.

Looked at him and said, “You’re not in my chain of command.”

What they don’t have is the discipline and combat knowledge of the soldier.

In other words they like to think they’re Marines but they’re about as knowledgeable as a child playing soldier.

Sorta like what’s the difference between a ROTC and a West Pointer? None really, cept the West Pointer thinks he knows what he’s doing.

The value determines your property tax, insurance, liability, etc. You’re obviously well-versed in libertarian theory, but IMO you should preface your comments with something to that effect.

“If you have a problem with my junk cars and goats and knee-high grass,”

Don’t forget about the engine and cinder blocks.

“Guess what you Grandstaff you. YOU ARE A FUCKING CIVILIAN YOU ARROGANT FASCIST PIECE OF SHIT! Maybe you didn’t get the memo since you and your colleagues were sitting around in a circle masturbating to the Blackhawk! Catalog but you aren’t a member of the military. You’re a peace officer. A civilian. Just like those people you “protect and serve”.”

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/civilian
I’m yet to figure out how this meme, the civilian thing and the randomly going apeshit, got started.

Guess what you Grandstaff you. YOU ARE A FUCKING CIVILIAN YOU ARROGANT FASCIST PIECE OF SHIT! Maybe you didn’t get the memo since you and your colleagues were sitting around in a circle masturbating to the Blackhawk! Catalog but you aren’t a member of the military. You’re a peace officer. A civilian. Just like those people you “protect and serve”. Yeah I know it’s hard to tell the difference between a Peace Officer and the Waffen SS or a Mechanized Infantry Division the these days, hell, I can’t most of the time, but you supposedly went through extensive grueling training that gave you your god-like powers and one would think that the legal designation of your job would have been covered the first day. If you don’t want to be a civilian, the Army is hiring.

Grandstaff. If a name ever fuckin fit.

That’s pretty rude! But I forgive you.

That must be terribly regrettable, but it is warrant to involved everyone else in your problem.

I don’t care.

You should read it again. That is not what I said. At all.

Ladies and gentlemen, can I tell you something?

I know it drives some people nuts when I refer to others’ stupidity, but it really is the goddamndest thing how some people cannot handle plain English.

There is indeed be real damage – uncared for cars often release toxic fluids into the environment, either directly onto my property if I’m down hill or indirectly through fudging up the aquifer. Extremely high grass is a breeding ground for rodents and other pests, which directly affects my property and my family’s health. I know this because my family had this exact problem with a neighbor for years with a neighbors property.

#14, I’m not sure what your position is regarding code enforcement. You seem to be against it, but then say constitution and rights don’t matter. I say they do matter, but would add that they don’t give one authority to impose their will on someone else’s property that isn’t causing harm to someone else’s property. Code Enforcement and HOA crap are a gross distortion of property rights, essentially claiming that the rights go to those that have the most power/$/pull to make things “their way”.