Sylvania Ohio Busybodies

I am, generally speaking, a live and let live sort of person.  I take pains to avoid irritating my neighbors.  I don't play loud music, I stay off their property and I don't get into loud, extended brannigans with friends and relatives at 3:00 AM (otherwise known as three in the damned morning) that involve the local constabulary.  I don't make comments about the length of my neighbor's lawn and wonder aloud if he's ever going to get off his dead ass and cut it. I don't offer him beer or wine in an effort to be friendly and sell him my current political agenda.  I figure the poor bastard has enough problems of his own.  I know I do.

Likewise, I expect the same from him.  I've found that most people will let me alone, excepting a few minutes of casual conversation now and again.  The only help from my neighbors that I would ever hope for is for them to call the fire department should my house ever catch fire, and if they see some low-life breaking into the house they might call the police and deliver an anonymous tip.  I don't expect them to ding the intruder while he's halfway in through the window.  For one thing, it might be me, as I've been known to lock myself out upon occasion.

This, then, is how good neighbors ought to act, and if we all did this, we'd all get along just fine.  We don't, but that's a topic for another day.  What happens in the middle of this pastoral scene is government.  Federal, State and Local, every single branch is populated with people who are convinced that they can run your life better than you can.  The city of Sylvania, Ohio is no exception.  Keep reading for the latest regulation to float to the surface.

Ever find a stray dog?  How about a stray cat?  The first thing Mom would say is, "Don't feed him, now... Jack, do not feed the dog.  Jack, NO!"

Too late.  The dog has been fed, which is steps one, two and three in acquiring a new dog.  Fortunately my father was of the same mind I was, generally speaking.  So now we have a new dog.  Or cat, as the case may be.

Dante (on chair) and Zeus

Dante showed up at my door with two other cats, and being the smallest and most polite of the three had to be fed indoors or he'd go shy on food.  When he displayed the talents of a proven mouser, I got him licensed, chipped, vaccinated and fixed.  I also had any and all parasites removed, both internal and external.  The other two cats I continued to feed whenever they showed up, but they were outdoor cats.  My brother did much the same thing with Zeus, who made himself right at home at Mom's house when Shotgun Bob left for Tennessee.  Zeus is also a proven mouser and likes to sit on Mom's lap at night.

The problem is that the busybodies that occupy space in the Sylvania City Government don't like this arrangement.  According to them, feeding stray cats and dogs is a very bad thing and must be stopped.  So naturally they are going to pass yet another law.  Here's a link to coverage and a request for comments from the local bird cage liner:

Council Seeks Comment On Stray Cat Ordinance

According to the article:

Sylvania City Council’s safety committee requests public comment at its next meeting, 6:45 p.m. June 2, on a proposed ordinance to forbid residents to feed stray cats.

Recommended by Doug Haynam, the proposal takes the current nuisance code pertaining to wildlife and stray animals a step further, prohibiting people from feeding stray cats, dogs, deer, geese, or raccoons. The draft legislation was created to establish fines against those who habitually feed cats, officials said.

I couldn't find the current nuisance code, although I looked through City of Sylvania Ordinances: Part Five - General Offenses Code. 

Sylvania has roads that need repair, a Board of Education that should be brought under control and city services that fail to serve.  In the middle of all this some fathead lawyer wants to pass legislation about feeding stray animals.  These are people with too much free time on their hands.

If you feel like emailing the Sylvania City Council and telling them your thoughts on this, here's a list of elected officials and email addresses.  Remember to be a whole lot more polite than I generally am.  For instance, an email like this one:

Dear Stupid,

Why don't you mind your own business?

Yours,

Mad Jack

Is not going to help much.  Unless you just want to rag on the Sylvania City Government, like I do.  Here's the list:

His Noble Corpulence, Mayor Craig Stough city.mayor@cityofsylvania.com

Members of The Royal Court City Council

Todd Milner           tmilner@cityofsylvania.com
Michael Brown      mbrown@cityofsylvania.com
Katie Cappellini    kcappellini@cityofsylvania.com
Doug Haynam       dhaynam@cityofsylvania.com
Sandy Husman      shusman@cityofsylvania.com
Mark Luetke        mluetke@cityofsylvania.com
Mary Westphal     mwestphal@cityofsylvania.com

Give 'em an earful.