Government and Gardening

[Nyboy]

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/grd/5713771072.html Is Government tiring to stop people from growing their own food ?

 

[so lucky]

That is probably an invasive plant.

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm painfully aware of CL being searched by government employees of certain departments. If they can fine you and generate some revenue they won't hesitate. It's how they can maintain their job and justify it's existence.

 

[Nyboy]

Lucky your right when I looked it up said displace native plants do not plant. Lowes as them for sale

 

[so lucky]

I'm painfully aware of CL being searched by government employees of certain departments. If they can fine you and generate some revenue they won't hesitate. It's how they can maintain their job and justify it's existence.

Thistle, care to share the story?

 

[thistlebloom]

Thistle, care to share the story?

I'll try to just hit the high points.
Some years back my husbands work had slowed down, this was at the height of our recent " recession" or whatever it ended up being named.

We are self employed. To help out, I placed an ad on CL advertising his services. In the "area" box I typed n. Idaho and WA, thinking of it like a classified ad in the areas I wanted it to be seen. It was late at night when I did this, so may not have thought that part out real clearly.
A lot of WA residents have cabins and second homes on this side of the border.

Early the next morning (before 7 a.m.) my husband was driving to work when he received a call. He was unaware that I had put an ad on CL. The caller asked if he would work in WA. Dh replied that he didn't have a WA license.
Caller responded that since he had placed an illegal ad on CL for working in WA he was now liable for a $1000 fine.
Dh instantly called me wondering what was going on. I explained and immediately deleted the ad. It had been up less than 8 hours.

To shorten the story this was a compliance officer who showed no mercy and bragged to me about his score of appeals won.
This apparently was his job description. Scour ads to find those that break advertising regulations (not laws) and punish the evil people trying to make an honest living. Dh never broke a law by being an unlicensed contractor in the state of WA. He never did any work there before and certainly not any since. It's enough to place an ad on the internet.

I asked why the compliance officer didn't call and warn that we were in violation of a WA regulation before hitting us with a fine. He said he wasn't required to warn people.

There are more boring details but in the end we paid the fine which really hurt. $1000 will pay a lot of bills and buy a few groceries.

 

[Smart Red]

I'm all ears!

 

[Nyboy]

Wow I can not believe you had to pay a fine for that. Here ads for prostitution are placed all the time ( not that I ever responded to one).

 

[seedcorn]

@thistlebloom Obviously you talked to Barnie Fife... You understand, you have to nip it in the bud......

Interesting that Big Brother is watching CL. Wonder if they can find my stolen chainsaw and trailer? Did you get his number?

 

[so lucky]

Wow. I wonder how some people can fly under the radar, breaking the law in various ways, for years, then when a law abiding citizen makes one (unknowing) wrong move, she gets slammed. You are a smart person for not letting it make you bitter.
I hope that guy has intestinal issues. Being a horse's rear end for a living has to have repercussions.