Governmental Insanity

The Daily Beast posted a story today that illustrates what happens when bureaucracy divests itself of all common sense. The story takes place in the City of Philadelphia.

The Daily Beast reports:

Ori Feibush owned a business next to a vacant lot filled with broken glass and weeds.  The lot, unfortunately, was owned by the City of Philadelphia, which refused to do anything about it.  (In the city’s defense, Philadelphia has always been under tremendous budget strain).  So Ori Feibush took matters into his own hands.  He claims he paid more than $20,000 out of his own pocket to haul away more than 40 tons of debris, plant trees, and put in benches.  The neighbors are excited.  The city, naturally, is very angry and has demanded he put the garbage and the broken glass back where it was.

This is definitely a new level of governmental insanity. The article brings up a number of good points. Does the city want the original trash back or will any 40 tons of trash do? Does the broken glass have to go in the exact same place?

America used to be a place where everyone in the neighborhood would have pitched in to help salvage a neighborhood eyesore. The burden would have been shared, everyone would have been better off, and the city would have celebrated. What happened?

 

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