Elderly Man Evicted From His Land For Living Off The Grid

[formercia]

Elderly Man Evicted From His Land For Living Off The Grid

By Rady Ananda

04 December, 2010
Countercurrents.org

On Nov. 30, the Madison County (Indiana) Planning Commission evicted a 72-year-old man from his 38 acres, reported Wish TV. County Prosecutor Thomas Broderick says the Alexandria resident, Richard L. Thompson, broke all kinds of laws -- no electricity, no septic system, no running water, and (lions and tigers and bears!) he lived in a camper on land he bought from his parents.

In what is clearly a land grab, since not much tax can be assessed on unimproved land, the authorities promised to come on November 30th, but did not show. However, that day Mr. Thompson agreed to sell his land and move. "I want to get the hell out of here now. There's too much hate here."

--snip--

http://www.countercurrents.org/ananda041210.htm

[handmade34]

1. this stuff is very disconcerting

I still have a working outhouse on my land and continually hope the town doesn't figure it out...

[formercia]

2. It's going to get worse

as property values depreciate and the powers that be look to squeeze every penny they can out of anyone they can.

[remember2000forever]

3. It's the same here in Rural Palm Beach County.

They give you one year to build if you want to have a mobile home on your site. I guess though, maybe you could be allowed to camp if it's your land. All I know is that they hate the fact that we have our own wells and septic. They desperately want us to tie into the water grid. AND... eventually they will get their way. $$$

[formercia]

4. You just have to move your camper periodically

On my land, the local officials consider any setup in one spot more than 10 days is a permanent structure.

[remember2000forever]

5. Are you also in Flor-i-Dahhh ?

[formercia]

6. Right now, I wish.

Maine.

Check your local regs.

[NutmegYankee]

12. There are some decent reasons other than money.

Florida has shallow aquifers and there is concern that overuse will lead to salt water intrusion. A treated surface water system is more sustainable for a large population.

Here in Eastern Connecticut, the shoreline communities have gone from summer cottages to year-round homes and the towns are working very hard to get people to switch to sewers. The septic systems are failing to to a high water table near the shore and the water quality is suffering for it. People may hate it, but sewers would do a lot to clean up the L.I. Sound.

[onethatcares]

13. yet the state of Floriduh is suing the feds

to prevent enactment of clean water regs when it concerns phosphate and agricultural runoff. Remember jebs plan to inject treated sewerage into the aquifier? I do believe that will come back this legislative session.

[nashville_brook]

16. another problem we're having is water bottlers sucking up all our water

there's one being fought against on the Wacissa up around Blue Springs in north Fl.

http://www.talltimbers.org/ttnews/news.cfm?news_id=254&e_id=0⊂_id=0

[onethatcares]

18. oh yeah, the nestea boys

paying nothing for taking, charging what traffic can bear.

With prickscott coming in we are in for a hell of an administration.

Good luck.

[nashville_brook]

20. no shit. it's a bad situation.

[formercia]

21. Poland Spring is doing the same in Maine

'Recruiting' town officials in order to tap into the Aquifers. If it was oil, the landowners would benefit some.

[nashville_brook]

26. there is zero benefit to the locals with these deals. no jobs. no money.

[prole_for_peace]

49. That picture is beautiful.

Now I am going to research Blue Springs and maybe go there for vacation next year. I don't swim but I love pretty locations.

[marybourg]

65. Just don't swim near one of these guys with no septic or sewer system. nt.

[donquijoterocket]

99. Maybe

The guy had a chemical toilet or the trailer had a containment tank which he could empty occasionally at facilities meant for that purpose. The report did not say. As far as a septic system or hookup to municipal sewer a composting toilet would eliminate either of those necessities.Near as I can tell most of these situations arise out of the pressure being developed to privatize many of the municipal services- water and sewer that have been traditional in this country. More of the for sale to the highest bidder phenomenon that has come to characterize this country at the height of plutocratic fire sale development.

[nashville_brook]

83. Florida springs are legendary -- and regardless of what the poster below says

the water coming up from these is as pure as you'll find. it's the nature of the system. We just kayaked up around Blue Hole and Icknetucknee...I also love Alexander Springs in the Ocala national forest. Spring diving and cave diving is very popular around these parts...especially this time of year. The water is always 75 degrees, and in the winter, there's no one out but divers, so it's especially nice -- oh, and there's a dozen "Blue Holes" b/c it's a common name for a spring -- that one is in north Florida around the Santa Fe River:

Alexander Springs:



Juniper Springs:



Blue Springs (near Deland/Orlando):

[rasputin1952]

84. WOW! Love the pics!

Turtles on a log at Juniper Springs and manatees at Blue Springs...:D

I'm in Nebraska...the Ogallala Aquifer is down by about 10 feet+ and irrigation is responsible. There have also been traces of pesticides and a host of other nasty things brought up. The only thing salvaging the situation with the pollution is that the Aquifer is huge, so the chemicals disperse quite a bit. But it's only a matter of time before it is unsustainable. Sinkholes are already forming in many parts of the Midwest. Huge livestock operations are adding massive amounts of waste to ground water as well as getting into the aquifer.



...in the 1940’s, the electric pump allowed farmers to draw water faster, and to irrigate. Since then, Americans, who had years ago slaughtered the buffalo and plowed under the grasses, have been draining the Ogallala. With little rain and river water to recharge it, the water table of the Ogallala Aquifer has dropped more than 10 feet (3 meters) on the average, and 200 feet (60 meters) in some southern and central parts...

http://theparagraph.com/2007/02/the-ogallala-aquifer/

Some people will not be happy until the entire planet is little more than a dust strewn cinder...:(

[nashville_brook]

87. we have a problem with sinkholes in the winter, when farms use water

to keep crops from freezing. also, there's a big problem generally with landscaping...people using thirsty St. Augustine grass that needs lots of water and ferts. the water management districts here drive around neighborhoods handing out $500 fines to people watering more than once a week. we have set days that addresses are allowed to use water, and people totally get caught using it out of turn.

[NutmegYankee]

85. Are the Springs protected by a park?

That's a wonderful natural wonder that needs to be preserved for future generations.

[nashville_brook]

88. i'd say that most if not all of the scenic springs are in parks...

here's a couple of guides:

http://www.floridasprings.org/visit/

http://www.floridasprings.org/

[NutmegYankee]

89. Thanks.

[NutmegYankee]

86. I was unaware of that plan.

I live up in Connecticut (A nutmegger as they say), so my knowledge of politics in Florida is limited. A lot of folks think of Connecticut as a suburb of NY, but most of the state is rural and roots for Boston based teams and is classic "New England" in feel. I live in that rural region, mainly east of the Connecticut River.

[formercia]

130. I grew up in Darien

That town is an extension of NYC. I couldn't afford to live there now.

One would have an interesting time trying to go native there.

[trotsky]

17. Aw, no one likes facts and reasoning in threads like this.

You party pooper!

[Mojorabbit]

19. The ptb let Nestle

set up here to bottle water so they don't seem to care too much about overuse.

[NutmegYankee]

41. From the aquifer?

That would be insane! Florida is this little bubble of freshwater surrounded by salt water just waiting to pour in in...

[Mojorabbit]

44. Here is a bit from 09

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/florida-tax-bottled-water-companies.php
and
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20101114/OPINION05/11140305/Andy-Opel-Prepare-for-a-hard-battle-to-stop-Nestle
For a $218 permit fee, Nestle was granted permission to pull 1.46 million gallons a day out of the Floridan aquifer for 15 years. In addition, the state approved a tax refund of up to $1.68 million dollars for the Madison County plant. This is corporate welfare at work, subsidizing the privatization of our natural resources while the environmental impacts are socialized — spread equally across the climate and ecosystem.

[DirkGently]

90. Yet water mgmt districts restrict home irrigation. There's a "shortage" if you're not Nestle.

[femrap]

96. That simply makes me sick!

I don't buy bottled water....I think it's fucking stupid and a detriment to Mother Nature. I bought a Pur filter and put it on my kitchen faucet decades ago. I fill up gallons of water and keep 2 in my fridge. I have a container that I fill with this water and carry it around with me. My original filter encasement has lasted for years...it tells me when to change the filter.

Fucking plastic bottles. Fucking bottled water. Fuck. And it's so fucking expensive. :wtf:

Progressive people shouldn't buy bottled water...get a filter. Shit. And same thing with Coke and Pepsi...think of all the water they use to make their sickening sweet swill or diet drinks that cause cancer in rats.

This poor planet is done. Mother Nature will have the last say.

:rant: over.

[shanti]

114. how awful!

sounds like florida has been bought and sold by the repukes. :(

[JCMach1]

75. Then cutoff all the Golf Courses...

[femrap]

97. Fabulous Idea!!!!!!!

As Mark Twain said: 'Golf is a good walk ruined.'

[formercia]

128. And the theme parks. n/t

[trud]

91. sewers

Where I live the main water pollution problem is boaters dumping their sewage instead of paying to put it in the collection tanks. We never had a pollution problem in our cove until the marina way expanded. Nothing is done to enforce the boating laws.

[NutmegYankee]

101. Don't people just disgust you sometimes.

God forbid they be inconvenienced to prevent contaminating someone's water supply or swimming hole.

The shoreline communities (Eastern CT) are constantly whining about where they would put the sewage treatment centers and the cost, but don't think about the waste that contaminates the sound or the local waterways because of the problems with bad septic systems. Despite the groans, the Long Island Sound is coming back to health, and is considered a success story. Sadly the Chesapeake Bay isn't as lucky...

[formercia]

121. Next time I go camping, I'll take a toilet.

or maybe just a picture of one to remind me what I'm missing.

[nashville_brook]

15. that kind of law was created in Florida as a way to grab land from

northerners who had bought cheap land in the first Florida land rush. at first it wasn't aimed at rural parts -- instead there were too many camper/mobile home wintering spots that were taking up valuable beachside areas that developers wanted. now that the development in desirable counties is going farther out into the sticks, you have to prove you're either improving, or doing agriculture.

the story of Florida is the story of land grabbing.

[formercia]

129. Let the suckers make the improvements

then pull the rug.

[sasha031]

7. this is so sad

:-(

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. Sorry he's losing his land. California living is heavily regulated, can

not imagine living 'on the land' like some of you do.

[n2doc]

9. Well, I do know people who live off the land there

But their crop is pot. Up in the Northern part of the state it is fairly easy to vanish off the grid if you want to like that lifestyle.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. Yeah, more open land in northern CA

[femrap]

98. That appeals to me more and more

everyday. I'd like to live in Mendocino or Humboldt county. More animals and less people. And most of the people would probably be like-minded w/ me. I've always had a hippie attitude. Just want to be happy and at peace w/ Mother Nature.

[n2doc]

109. You might be surprised

Money does bad things to people. And outsiders aren't automatically welcomed. It takes time to build up trust.

But once you are in, it is pretty nice up there.

[femrap]

122. I doubt if I'll be able to move there.....

I lived in the Bay Area for a very long time and visited up there. I loved the countryside, but times have changed. Look at the debt of CA.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

38. I am off the grid in CA

I have a well and a septic system. All permitted and well engineered. I power, but use grid tie solar.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

56. Similar here, but few in our subdivision of 40ac. parcels are on the grid

A neighbor who paid all the fees to build a code house, has septic and solar power and gets his water from a spring cannot get a reverse mortgage because "he is not on the grid and has a spring" He has been trying to sell, lowered the price by 100K and still no offers with this economy.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

58. For that much he could hook up to city water and power in most places

If he converts to grid tie, he might even make a little money starting this year.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

60. He is 10 miles over many ridges from 'city water' and though PG&E is near

it would be very costly to hook up. We had a pole on our property when we moved here, but bought a grid tie when 'W' started his wars for oil.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

62. This year you might even get some $ back if you over produce

I do and am interested in seeing how much the rate will be.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

64. The first year we "gave them" $144 at 'true up' time.

Then we bought electric instant on hot water heaters to replace the propane water heaters we had. Also installed an electric water heater and pump to put hot water through the floor. (we had designed it to be solar hot water, but never got around to putting all the parts together, though we have them.) If the rate of pay back would be reasonable we might get more panels. We wanted a wind generator too, but that required an 80 foot pole and permission from every neighbor. We backed out of that, but regretted not having the batteries when the grid went down for about a week last winter after an electrical storm knocked out lots of transformers, and the trucks got stuck in the mud on the dirt roads.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

73. Have you considered ground mounted wind generators?

Not sure about cost performance, but I have seen them in growing numbers.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

118. No, I don't know about them, could you PM me a link?

I almost feel we 'hijacked' this thread...

[struggle4progress]

120. He's not losing his land: he's been told he can't live in his trailer as a permanent residence

[Patiod]

11. Hell, they do that if your business isn't profitable enough

Both Camden, NJ (Cramer Hill) and Lower Merion PA (Ardmore) were using eminent domain to get rid of small businesses if they thought that redevelopment and large developers could bring in more tax revenue. We're not talking about redeveloping slums or abandoned buildings, but actual active businesses that weren't generating the kind of tax base that the municipality thought might be possible.

http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/node/887/eminent-domain-strikes-camdenagain

Land grabbing (like this or like eminent domain) is the one issue that I can always discuss safely with rightwing clients or relative when I can tell they're itching to talk politics.

[X_Digger]

71. Sad thing is.. it was the liberal element of the SCOTUS that set that precedent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London

On June 23, 2005, the Supreme Court, in a 5–4 decision, ruled in favor of the City of New London. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the majority opinion, joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.

[rucky]

14. Thoreau would be fucked in modern times. n/t

[Octafish]

22. He's crazy!

Where's he think he is? America?

[formercia]

23. That's spelled with a K, sir.

Amerika.

[Edweird]

24. That sucks big time. That's pretty much my retirement plan as well. I'm screwed.

[formercia]

25. Check your local building codes.

See what you can get away with.

One good thing with property values decreasing, is the ability to make a move and find a suitable plot of land at a hopefully reasonable price before you retire.

[TheKentuckian]

27. Very aggravating and should be fought back against.

They are cutting off any retreat from indentured status for us.

Forcing us to take their utilities is bullshit.

[formercia]

28. You get it.

And you thought you were going to escape corporate control by dropping out.

It seems they are trying to cover all the bases.

[TheKentuckian]

36. Oh yeah. That would be about the only hope outside of a lottery ticket

or a huge shift in fortune to ever cobble out a retirement.

There is no frontier, there is no escape, nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide, so know we have no choice but stand and fight.

[Odin2005]

39. That is a very old tale that has a good example in medieval Central Europe.

Nobles would get big tracts of land east of the Elbe River and offer low rents and taxes to get runaway peasants to settle on the land and develop it. This is how Germans settled large parts of Central Europe that were originally Slavic-speaking and very lightly settled. Once the lands filled up and there was nowhere to go the PTB started imposing what historians call the "New Serfdom" or "Early Modern Eastern European Serfdom".

[Odin2005]

32. This is a perfect example of the Corporate Serfdom I rail against.

[formercia]

37. They couldn't just wait a few years

and let the old man enjoy his Sunset. Greedy fuckers.

[mudplanet]

78. You don't have to actually use them. You have to be hooked up.

You can not use your water and electricity, but you have to be hooked up.

It'll drive them nuts when your power, water and sewer bills are zero. Or, even better, if you have solar and wind and you end up with them owing you money.

[formercia]

123. Monthly minimum charge

for the privilege of supporting their investments in infrastructure.

[struggle4progress]

29. No sewer, no septic?

[Odin2005]

31. So what? It's in the middle of nowhere.

[struggle4progress]

33. Um ... the article suggests he's inside Alexandria city limits

Alexandria is a wonderful town with many interesting destinations

World's Largest Ball of Paint
Alexandria, Indiana
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9792

Indiana’s First Interurban
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=1185

[formercia]

34. The man had 38 acres.

that's plenty of buffer for any 1 man operation.

The Horses shit anywhere they want. Dogs shit in my yard. Is that any more sanitary?

[mudplanet]

80. Horse shit ain't unsanitary. Human shit has all kinds on nasty stuff in it, probably

because we're omnivores.

There is no creature, none, more unhygienic than the human.

[trud]

92. human shit

You can actually compost human shit if you do it right.

Still, 38 acres, that's enough room for just burying it.

[mudplanet]

111. Seriously. I feel bad for the guy as he was probably no threat to the water

table or his neighbors but"

I grew up in a place where city sewage was optional. As a result, some people had good, functioning septic systems and some didn't, and a lot of poor people had open fucking cesspools. My little brother and sister caught hepatitis at ages 5 and 6, and Dutch Peach Corp workers came to my state to educate people on sanitation and hygiene and show them how to build good sewage systems.

I'm sure the guy in Indiana knew how to get rid of his shit in a safe manner, but I'm all for standards of waste disposal being mandatory.

[femrap]

100. people

really do suck, don't they?

[pamela]

72. Maybe he goes to a dump station twice a month.

There are dump stations at campgrounds, state parks and many gas stations like Flying J. A person living in a camper on his own land could easily go two weeks without dumping and then go to a dump station to empty tanks and fill up fresh water tanks.

[femrap]

103. Thanks for reminding me of

Indiana being 'RV Capital.' Didn't Obama visit that town in Indiana that manufactures RVs....was it Elkart? And didn't he go there twice? Bet there are some 99ers there.

Indiana is a big camping state.

Someone wants his land. Follow the money.

[Mojorabbit]

113. maybe he had a composting toilet nt

[struggle4progress]

115. Maybe. But I don't think they're legal there. Anyway, why speculate?

[formercia]

126. Outhouses and latrines work well

especially for just one person.

[struggle4progress]

127. ... When 6News asked the Monroe County Health Department .. officials said .. outhouses .. are in

violation of several county codes ...

Church To Finally Upgrade From Outhouses
Elletsville Church Looks To Raise $5,000 For Project
POSTED: 6:48 pm EDT July 16, 2009
UPDATED: 6:09 am EDT July 17, 2009
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/20080307/detail.html

[Odin2005]

30. Apparently the PTB have declared that we peons have no right to private property anymore.

You want to know why people hate "Big Government"? THIS is why. This is What Corporate Serfdom looks like.

[Taitertots]

35. Misleading title

He isn't being evicted because he lives off the grid. He is being evicted because he doesn't have a sanitary means to dispose of fecal matter.

[northernlights]

40. he has 38 acres. That's more than enough space for a single person's feces to be handled by nature

It's more than enough space for any number of animals to have their feces handled by nature.

[Taitertots]

42. Apparently it isn't according to their laws

Either way the title is still intentionally misleading.

[former9thward]

43. I guess we will have to go after all the deer and other animals in the woods.

And birds everywhere. The are not disposing of their fecal matter in a "sanitary means".

[Taitertots]

45. Do you really think that is an reasonable response?

There are reasonable laws governing the disposal of human waste and the conditions required for occupancy. This guy refuses to follow those laws and he will face the consequences.

[former9thward]

47. Yeah I think that is a reasonable response.

To a poster who worries about a guy taking a shit in the middle of 38 acres. Do you know how much that is with out googling it? I doubt it. Seriously if you think that, what about all the animals and the waste they produce? They are putting billions of pounds more shit into the environment than this guy. But you are going to take off after this guy.

[Taitertots]

51. Does it matter to you how much animals poop?

What I'm concerned with is that the law makes sure people are disposing of their poop in ways that don't endanger the public health. His actions violate public health laws, so he is facing the punishment for willful violation.

I can't stop a bird from pooping on my front porch, but I sure as hell don't expect people to do it. Do you decide what to do by watching animals? I sure don't.

[former9thward]

53. I decide what to do based on common sense.

Not worshiping laws that try and make one size fits all. There is no threat to public health by someone taking a shit on 38 acres of land. He is not taking a shit on your front porch. But you can't stand someone minding their own business and going about life not affecting you one wit. You want to inject your bizarre (from a public health standpoint) views on his lifestyle.

[Taitertots]

55. Based on common sense I use toilets connected to sewers/a septic system

You are using misleading language. There is no public health threat by someone taking "a" shit. He is planning on taking shits there for what we can presume would be decades. Exactly how much feces per square foot is acceptable for you?

Is improperly cared for human fecal matter dangerous? Yes
Should the laws provide minimal common sense restrictions on where you can store dangerous waste? Yes
What is more common sense than creating laws to protect people from libertarian nutters who want to poop everywhere?

[former9thward]

61. No one is pooping everywhere or wants to , least of all this guy.

Now that you have resorted to a straw man argument -- "libertarian nutters who want to poop everywhere" -- it shows you have nothing left. Of course you had nothing to begin with. You are the one who would be considered a nutter by ANY public health scientist. Now go chase the kids of your lawn, they might flick a booger on it.

[Taitertots]

63. So how much poop are you willing to accept per square foot?

Should we base our public health policy on your arbitrary opinion of how much fecal matter is safe? Or base or policy on objective standards?

[former9thward]

67. I am happy to leave that number to public health scientists.

Your god like law was not written by any of them. It was written by town regulators who see it as a vehicle to raise money. They can't raise money from animals or birds so they leave them out even though they produce far more poop in the city than humans do. Were you home schooled?

[Chan790]

69. Were you?

It seems you lack a grasp of the concept that human shit is not epidemiologically-similar to animal shit because human-shit groundwater contamination is far more dangerous to humans than deer shit runoff is.

Though admittedly deer shit runoff contamination is more dangerous to deer. :shrug: (Not a coincidence...it's true of all mammals.)

[Chan790]

68. Human shit cannnot be equivocated to animal shit.

Not on 1 acre or 100 acres. Human shit carries human diseases and bacteria that thrive inside human bodies when they end up where they're not supposed to be inside the body and pollute water tables causing disease and spreading epidemic. That's why human shit, like pig shit, is considered to be an environmental pollutant in any untreated quantities whereas bird shit, deer shit, cow shit, wolf shit, whale shit, fish shit and bat shit (among other shits) are not.

I have zero sympathy for the man, he's likely the largest and most potentially-dangerous polluter in his town. If he wants to live off solar power in a camper with well water, that's a-okay. If he wants to shit in a hole in the ground and contaminate ground water potentially up to 5 miles away, he deserves all the grief he's getting...and more.

If he can't afford a septic system and leach-field and/or a water-table survey to insure his shit-runoff isn't spreading disease, he should sell half an acre. Just because he's old and off-the-grid does not mean that public sanitation laws, laws that in most parts of this country are older than he is, don't apply to him.

Fuck 'em.

[former9thward]

116. For you to post such sheer nonsense shows you have never

even seen a School of Public Health in this country let alone set foot in one.

[pamela]

74. I saw nothing to indicate he is dumping his tanks on the property,

There are a number of ways to effectively manage your holding tanks while living in a camper. You can pull the camper periodically to a dump station or hire a pump out service. He's in Indiana-the RV capitol of the US-so all these services are readily available.

He may be dumping on his property but the article didn't indicate this. If he has no fresh water system on the land he is probably taking the camper periodically to get water and to dump his black and gray tanks. You would be surprised at the availability of dump stations. They have them in all campgrounds, most state parks and many gas stations.

[femrap]

102. Thanks for reminding me of

Indiana being 'RV Capital.' Didn't Obama visit that town in Indiana that manufactures RVs....was it Elkart? And didn't he go there twice? Bet there are some 99ers there.

Indiana is a big camping state.

Someone wants his land. Follow the money.

[bhikkhu]

76. My neighborhood is full of fecal matter

Sometimes people through it in trash cans, but mostly they don't and the dogs and cats just leave it laying around wherever they please. The birds are always pooping on stuff too anyway. I don't recall anyone ever getting very worked up over it.

[cartach]

77. Do the humans

in your neighborhood shit outside wherever and just leave it laying around? Sounds like it and maybe that's why nobody gets very worked up about the animal shit. Just wondering.

[shawn703]

107. This thread just became full of shit. nt

[truedelphi]

46. And even if you do manage to build a home and you choose to live

Through the grid, the Local Officials can often offer up YOUR LAND AND BUILDINGS to be over taken by the community's need for another highway, or WalMart.

In the major recent Supreme Court Case involving eminent domain, the Dem Justices were worse that the Republican judges about allowing a woman to retain her home.

Those of us who are of modest means have no way to survive, except through the pleasure of the Powers that Be. We must at all times defer to and bow to them, much like the serfs did in Feudal Days.

[struggle4progress]

48. They didn't take his land: they got a court order upholding the local code

under which he can't live permanently in a trailer on site without electricity or proper sewage handling

[truedelphi]

54. I am just saying -

Even if he does tie into the system, the first time some Big Box store needs cheap acreage in an area where there are enough people to provide a customer base - his land may no longer be his own, despite his compliance with local code.

Only the rich and powerful are secure in their homes and property.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

57. Some state passed laws preventing some of that after Kelo

[glinda]

50. we lost our business/home in Minneapolis to Eminent Domain when I was

13. They paid for the land, a little for the huge brick home/business and nothing for our business. Then they used the land to proceed to build the I-35 W Bridge. You know karma is an odd thing.

[truedelphi]

52. Holey Moley.

That was some karma, that one.

And of course, when officials do impact someone's holdings who happens to be rich - then that person is paid handsomely. Insider privilege, and all that.

Like when George W buys up land that needs to be converted into a sports stadium - hallelujah! The massive settlement for that land blows even lil Georgie's greedy mind.

[glinda]

124. More people died from the stress of losing their homes and

being displaced (had about 35 days to evacuate) than died when the Bridge collapsed. The pay out to the Bridge victims was far far far more than to the many families, businesses and individuals in a large swath of that old historic Minneapolis neighborhood.

[truedelphi]

125. I truly understand and am saddened that the glinda

Who should have been a happy carefree thirteen year old had to wake up and face the crappy situation that is just good ol' Corruption USA.

I don't think I really understood what a pile of lies this nation's policies are until I was in my mid fifties.

[femrap]

104. +1 nt

[KurtNYC]

59. this is a zoning thing. one way to make money in real estate is to

buy farm land and get it re-zoned for tract houses. You don't even have to build on it. Don't have to own it long, Just buy it when it is zoned for no houses then get it zoned for 4 dwellings per acre or whatever density.

This kind of investment is well known to town officials who oversee zoning.

I don't think it was pooping on 38 acres that got the town officials after this guy. More likely he just wasn't playing the game... $$$.

edit to add: Hint: put cash into envelope, give to correct town official(s), bingo! zoning change

[DeSwiss]

66. K&R

They want us totally dependent upon their system for our very lives.

Otherwise they can't control us.

If we don't fight them now, it'll soon be too late.

[and-justice-for-all]

70. I live in Indiana and just sent this to my reps office..nt

[formercia]

117. Thank You

[penndragon69]

79. Mitch daniels in action.

This is the America we would get if mitch daniels became president.
Evil, sick SOB.

[SnakeEyes]

81. Something tells me Mitch Daniels

has nothing to do with the creation of any environmental standards of residency. Republicans don't care about that. This is just a story of the downside of the way things are when you have laws, regulations, and standards to uphold for the benefit of the greater society. There is a tradeoff.

[Enthusiast]

82. I would probably go down shooting

if it was me. Might take an asshole or two with me.

There is no justification for treating this eccentric old man that way. Let the poor old fella alone. Take him some groceries and remember to include some horse, dog and bird feed. What ever happened to Christ's central commandment? Ayn Rand?

[trud]

93. great healthy horses

I hope the horses come out of this okay. If he is not there 24/7 someone could just take them. Where I lived before, horses were slaughtered by thieves.

[formercia]

110. The Horses seemed friendly and curious.

The man obviously cares about his animals.

[femrap]

94. Welcome to the 3rd

World where the rich fascist dictators do what they want to the poor.

Indiana does have a lot of hateful people. I always got a bad vibe when I visited there....so I quit. Now, I'm sure there lots of nice, warm-hearted people there. I just didn't meet them.

[penndragon69]

95. Yes, there are good people in Indiana.

However, we are usually laying low to avoid all the racist tea-Klanners
who live in the state.

[femrap]

105. That's what I figured....

just like here in Dumfukistan, the former state of Ohio. I know that I :hide: from the Willfully Ignorant. I hate to have to go to the grocery store anymore. People can't drive anymore. No one says, 'Excuse me, Thank you, Please.'

Sometimes I run into some fun people who have a sense of humor and I cherish those moments. I try to laugh as much as possible.

[On the Road]

106. It Would Actually be Helpful to See the Setup

A 38-acre lot sounds like the guy was living in a secluded clearing, out of sight of neighbors and roads.

But large lots are often have a small frontage where a house is built. To anyone driving down the street, you might just see a row of houses punctuated by a camper and a pile of foul-smelling material next to it. (g) Who knows?

[formercia]

108. Watch the video at the link

It doesn't look that bad.

[formercia]

112. 6000+ views

Obviously, this post has hit a nerve.

[struggle4progress]

119. Tax records suggest his land is zoned non-residential. Based on land prices in Monroe County,

I can't see how he could possibly own 38 acres there: 1 to 5 acres max would be my guess. Searching for his address on google earth, and using the tree line in the wish-tv video as a clue, suggesrts that trailer is likely within shouting distance of somebody else's house

[snooper2]

131. Oh it's got everything!

Retired Guy-

Off the grid-

Fecal matter-

The MAN-

Bird Shit-

Cute Horse-

Authoritarianism-

Law-

Nature-

This is almost the exact point where the far left and far right come together to complete the political compass.