Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Justice Trembles

It has come to our attention that in all, Waterford Park Homes, LLC has had eleven projects red tagged by the County. According to my sources in Building & Planning, all have been ignored, none have been lifted. When we were about to invite all residents of Kootenai County to build without permits, we hear that the Kootenai County Prosecutor is planning possible criminal charges.

When respect for the rules is flagrantly ignored, government must act, or forever be insignificant. We are happy that belatedly, the enforcement end of things will be protected.

1 comment:

Bill McCrory said...

Herb,

You said, "When respect for the rules is flagrantly ignored, government must act, or forever be insignificant."

I couldn't agree more. I said essentially the same thing over two years ago when a group of us addressed the Coeur d'Alene City Council to encourage it to enforce its own zoning ordinances. The City's nonfeasance, its failure to enforce its zoning ordinances uniformly, has resulted in some illegal rooming houses operating in Coeur d'Alene. Not surprisingly, one of these houses lodged one of Idaho's four violent sexual predators without the knowledge of city or county law enforcement. It was a fugitive safe house.

The city and county codes and ordinances represent social contracts between governments and their citizens. In return for the citizens agreeing to abide by the ordinances, the city and county agree to protect the citizens from infringement by violators. When, as in the City of Coeur d'Alene, the government (mayor and city council) knowingly and willingly violate that social contract by failing to enforce their ordinances they should not be surprised when the citizens rise up in protest.