Sunday, August 08, 2010

Righties love the gov

The righties say they don't want any gov or that they want smaller gov. They like the word freedom.

Oh really? That freedom will stop ringing as soon as their neighbor starts doing something they don't like.

Truth: Righties hate governmental laws and regulations when they apply to them, but they love those same laws and regulations when they apply to someone else. Just go to a local zoning board meeting. The righties will be there, pounding their fists. I know, I covered local gov for years.

They don't like their neighbors shed. They don't want any hunting next door. They don't want any drilling next door. Red red righties will turn green green Bambi-loving tree-huggers in an instant--I've seen it. They want laws. They want protection.

Something must be done!

The righties on the other side of the table are just as red-faced and spittle-flecked.

It's my property and I'll do what I want!

The residents of the house in the photo below do not own the property underneath that well. They don't get a dime in royalties from it. They moved in when residential drilling was not allowed in this city. Then the state changed the law and one day a crew came along with trucks and chemicals and a big-ass oil derrick. Finally, when the generators stopped roaring and the Klieg lights stopped glaring, a pumpjack and tank battery established themselves as the new neighbors.

Did somebody say property values?


As Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."

So then, dear conservative contingent, where exactly does that homeowners nose begin?


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33 comments:

Jon Konrath said...

That oil derrick is obviously Obama's fault.

Jim said...

Actually, the fault lies with the Momma Grizzlies, who sing "Drill, Baby, Drill!" And so they did.

Kirk said...

To paraphrase Animal farm, some people have more property rights than others.

Anonymous said...

Obviously the property owners' property has been vandalized. Perhaps a group of viglanties could continously vandalized the rig until it is no longer profitable to the vandals.

The Ranter said...

I blame Rand Paul.

lucy beckett 1935 said...

Erin, this is appalling! I occasionally think about that superb piece of investigative journalism you did for The Scene (?) a while ago. I best read that again, as I simply cannot understand how such an invasion can possibly be permitted. Of course, now that SCOTUS, in it's infinite wisdom and ability to divine the original intent of the Founders, has decided that corporations are people, it's pretty obvious where we're heading. Well, I'm thinking I'd like to head out of here, but where?

Anonymous said...

Self-centered thinking.... an inability to consider the needs/wants of others (beyond one's immediate circle, anyway)... is the basis for all conservatism. Consider this when you watch C-SPAN. When you see "people" like Boehner froth at the mouth over something introduced by Democrats, read between the lines and listen to what he is really saying: "This will cost me money"...

Joe said...

The issue is not right vs. left or liberal vs. conservative here. It is about property rights. I doubt you will find many people who want a well head in their front yard. Property rights are a fundamental value going back to the Magna Carta. For a landowner it is devastating to find a corporate evil has descended upon your property to drill for gas and oil. It is just as bad when the Government shows up and declares that occasional wet spot on the South forty is now a protected wetland.

We are all libertarians when it comes to our property. That big mouth bass mailbox you think is wonderful is an obnoxious eyesore to others. You think your pink house with purple shutters is beautiful. I like my front yard covered in wildflowers. The neighbor thinks it is a bunch of overgrown weeds. Homeowner associations go overboard and anger us all, until our neighbors do something we do not like.

These conflicts occur even if both neighbors are Republican or Democrat, Methodists or Atheists. The fact my neighbor dug up my front yard to put in a drainage pipe or put a fence on my property is far different than the Federal Government telling me I must buy health insurance or dictating how warm I keep my house in the winter.

Nothing is black and white. It is always a question of degrees. And all of us look out for our own best interest first.

jford said...

Erin,

Talk about a strawman argument. I do not believe you fairly categorize conservative's position regarding laws and the size of government. How can you try to have an intelligent discussion if you begin the argument by mischaracterizing the opposing argument?

Regarding the oil rig photo - WTF?!?

Bill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bill said...

Well, at least their new neighbor won't have teenaged kids. I don't see the right/left issue here. It took us years to get a new cell phone tower in our community. Lot's of people didn't want the tower near their property. Remember, when buying real estate, it's location, location, location.

Erin O'Brien said...

Y'all don't want to call this a right/left issue? Sorry, guys, but that's always what a rightie says when one of their shitty policies backfires (in this case "Drill Baby Drill!").

That homeowner was thinking location location location when he bought the house.

Then the Ohio Red Right Republican machine teamed up with the oil industry and pushed through HB 278, which deregulated us straight into what you see here.

Drilling was deregulated AFTER this person bought this house. Do you get it? This never could have happened when he bought the house. Then the righties changed the law so it could and did.

And this is just one instance. Wells like this are all over my city, right next to houses and playgrounds.

Erin O'Brien said...

So if this happens to you and you no likey, where do you go? You go to the gov. You scream for regulation. You scream for change. Maybe you hire a lawyer.

Even if you're a red red rightie--you start looking like an activist.

Hence the point of the post: Righties love gov, want gov, want regulation--all of what they espouse to hate--when their shitty policies go south.

Bill said...

You're making some very powerful points here E. I do think a wind mill would look better at this location. Aren't there any lefty oil men?

Erin O'Brien said...

Sure there's lefty oil men--every lib like me who uses gas and oil, which brings me to the other side of this coin.

This picture is also what oil addiction looks like. US Oil production peaked in the 70s. You want American oil and gas? There ain't no "Giant" style gushers left, baby. Farmer's cornfields are also getting pretty well tapped out.

You've got to drill where the product is. The low-hanging fruit is pretty much gone. The oil guys hate these urban drill projects, which are rife with complaining neighbors and problems. But there's no where else for them to go.

It's sort of like a smoker out of cigs and $$. He's poking through ashtrays, looking for butts on the ground. Checking his glovebox for an errant cigarette.

New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania--that's where you'll hear about this because that's where all the natural gas is--much of it beneath densely populated areas.

Go google "fracking." This is a major controversy, but only where the drilling is.

Erin O'Brien said...

Here's something to chew on: Drilling companies will often offer pissed off neighbors $$ to shut them up--usually $10,000.

jford said...

Erin,

I read in the Wall Street Journal last week an article about neighbors who were complaining about the noise from the wind driven turbines erected near their homes. The company offered to pay them $5,000.00 to compensate them for having to endure the noise.

Lord Basil said...

Americans love freedom, which is why they will overwhelmingly reject Obama's Marxist Fascism on November 2nd. We are already in a soft tyranny, and a hard tyranny is just around the corner unless the hard traditionalists take over.

I mean it!!!

Anonymous said...

I like pie. If pie is outlawed only outlaws will have pie.

P.S.

Dearest Basil,

Obama's Marxist Facism is O'Connell's Limted Government Unregulated Markets. Who'd a thought I'd ever echo George Wallace, Ralph Nader abd Ross Perot when I say "There's not a dimes worth of difference" between the current two dominant parties. Given the opportunity they will both exploit your property.

RJ

Amy L. Hanna said...

gless sez: I just had to stop in and check out Fuss Hour.

As always, Ms. Erin, you remain a stitch for some as well as a thorn for others.

;)

Anonymous said...

"...hard tyranny is just around the corner unless the hard traditionalists take over." You know, kinda like The Taliban taking over Afghanistan and making mucho improvements for people's lives. yes?

Do you really not see the ironic failure in your philosophy?

Jon Moore said...

"So then, dear conservative contingent, where exactly does that homeowners nose begin?"

At their property line to my way of thinking.

Bill said...

I guess it could be worse. That guy could have "touch down jesus" next to his property. Or maybe a mosque? What's with the zoning in your state?

Erin O'Brien said...

alphadog--even if that property is in Manhattan and they want to build a mosque on it?

Let me guess: that's different.

Bill said...

lol (sorry for the lol) I don't see the ny mosque thing as a legal issue. it's more like if my neighbor has bee hives and my kids are alergic to bee stings. he's legal. i have to talk with him. not sue him. now that i think about it that's not a very good anaogy but .....

Erin O'Brien said...

Bill, that comment is at best uniformed and at worst bigoted.

Bill said...

Really? The mosque is legal. The best way to have it relocated is to talk with them and try to convince them to locate elsewhere because it offends so many people. Bigoted? I believe it's already been approved by local authorities. Uninformed?

Jon Moore said...

'Let me guess: that's different'

Ahh young Erin. You have no business second guessing the Libertarian mind set. For you see, as long as everything is legal, above board, and they are getting no special dispensation, I really don't care where they build their mosque.
I trust that everyone will be equally as fair minded if Greg Gutfeld carries on with his proposal to open a gay Muslim bar adjacent to said mosque. Also, I think Yabu's plan to open a topless barbeque joint close by is a stellar idea.

Erin O'Brien said...

Ahh esteemed alphadog, your humble hostess is 45 years of age and has any and all business she chooses regarding comments on her own webpage.

Jon Moore said...

LOL. As it should be, it being your webpage. Perhaps a better choice of words would have been 'don't be too quick to second guess...'
BTW,I know how old you are, but you'll always be Bill and Judy's little one to me.
Jon

Erin O'Brien said...

Alpha--I just finally figured out who you are--hailing back to the days at the circle ...

Jon Moore said...

Yep.

Bill said...

can you believe that the President actually, unnecessarily, put his stamp of approval on the GZ mosque? He really knows how to use a sharp stick.