New York Renovator

This news story is a little old (from March) but the story behind the news is not old. It asks the modern question, “Who owns your property?”

From the Watertown Daily News

MORRISTOWN — The town is making a statewide appeal for help in prosecuting Amish men for building homes without permits. Ten members of the conservative religious group have been charged in the clash between building codes and religious tenets that shun modernization.

The ordeal began in July 2006, when Andy Miller, Dumont Road, was charged with building a house without a permit. His case was repeatedly delayed because he did not have an attorney, and an agreement to issue a permit was reached in January 2007. The town eventually declined, however, because Mr. Miller would not allow code enforcement officer L. Kay Davis to inspect his home, as agreed upon.

The small town is paying through the nose– due to translation problems (the Amish speak Pennsylvania Dutch), lack of legal help, and more. Oh boo hoo. I really have little sympathy for the state in this case. Why? Because the state is merely using their overbearing laws to punish the Amish. The Amish guy does not want electric or plumbing in his home– but the state is going to force him to do so, anyway? And at the cost of the homeowner? And then continue to charge him exorbitant taxes so that he may continue to “keep” his land?

This is ridiculous. Essentially, it is not the property owner who owns his land. For all intents and purposes, when you get a piece of paper saying the land is yours, but then you are forced to 1) pay high taxes every year or be evicted, 2) get permission and PAY for that permission to do just about anything on your property (here in NY, you can’t even cut down trees or build a fence without government permission), and 3) allow inspectors to come through your property when they want to— who would you say REALLY owns the land?

Property ownership is a farce in the country! And the sad thing is, we have sold out our own rights under us, by allowing it to happen! Grrr!

I’ve been pondering if we Westerners put too much time, effort, and money into our homes and yards. I have been reading the latest This Old House magazine, and this month’s stories are celebrating the hundreds of thousands of dollars average homeowners have been dumping into their homes. Don’t get me wrong– the houses are beautiful. But it cost these folks a ton of money to do it all. A few of the showcased homes are in Wisconsin and Indiana. And you know what? Some of those houses are probably underwater now, after the torrential rainfall and flooding that has afflicted that part of the country. And you know what else? If these homeowners didn’t have flood insurance (and many who don’t live in flood plains don’t), then these homeowners lost everything. EVERYTHING. And to top it all off, they are probably in debt to  the hundreds of thousands. Yikes.

The American Indian tribes built temporary homes. The Indians realized how fickle and uncontrollable North American weather patterns can be. Even the Iroquois of New York and Canada, whose homes were of solid tree-limb framing and sided with tree bark, could strip everything down and move quickly. They actually did move very frequently, every twenty years or so.

Now please don’t take this wrong– I’m not saying we should return to bark-sided houses and cook mice over open campfires! And I like my CAT6 Internet wiring just as much as anyone! But there comes a point when we no longer own our home, but our home owns us. This is true for many other things, these fleeting material things in this world.

I’ve blogged about the Amish before, written how I admire their simple ways. The reason they avoid most “technology” is because they realize that these things complicate our lives and threaten the family and community units. I think they have been correct about this. And yet the Amish are usually the first ones to show up after we “Gentiles” experience a natural disaster. The Amish came out in droves to help New Yorkers whose homes had been ravaged by floods in 2006. The Amish may have rejected modern ways, but they have not abandoned the timeless rule of loving one’s neighbor as oneself.

I am not Amish, but I share a good deal of their values and admire their way of life. Some of you might even consider us as somewhat Amish- we still have no electricity for half the house, the heating system is defunct for the upstairs, and we have no television, dishwasher, or Wii! The difference is that I would love to have electricity and a dishwasher (I’ll skip the tv and Wii, thanks). But stepping back is good. I don’t ever want this house to own ME. I’d like to fix it up, make it work, and be comfortable, but Lord please keep this thing from becoming an idol in my heart. In a fleeting moment, it’ll all be gone.

flooding photo from AssociatedPress.