You're welcome, VEFF.
dodecahedron wrote:why then don't they have a little condo police that comes into your apt. and makes sure you don't do other bad stuff?
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basically, if you're a responsible person then you'll do what's needed. and even if you are some accidents happen - take your example.
and if you're a moron, nothing will help!
Yeah, condo and homeowner associations do have some strange rules sometimes. But, for the most part they are designed with (hopefully) good intentions to make things better for people who are living in close proximity to each other. In such situations, the consequences of one's actions fall upon not only the actor but also those around him or her. Thus, the desire to try to protect others via rules.
Of course, you have a point that people who are responsible don't need the rules, and those are irresponsible enough won't abide by the rules anyway - that's what makes them irresponsible. (Unless, of course, there are condo-police who come around to enforce them as you suggest.
)
The development I live in recently installed a new children's playground right behind my townhouse. I'm glad it is there and the kids are having fun on it. In fact, I signed the petition to have it installed even though I don't have any children of my own. Anyway, when it was first installed there was a newness curiosity factor, and some of teenagers from surrounding areas came around in the evenings after nightfall to "play" on it - making noise, wrapping the swings around the posts so the children couldn't use them and such. You know, typical teenager shenanigans. Annoying, but nothing truly destructive.
I figured the newness would quickly wear off and the teenagers would get bored with it and move on to something else soon enough, so I just went out in the mornings and unwrapped the swings to make them ready for the children again.
Sure enough, it only happened three times, and the teenagers haven't been back since. But some people apparently got upset and demanded something be done. So just this week a sign went up: "Homeowners and their guests only. Tot lot hours from dawn to dusk. No trespassing".
Ugly, unnecessary, a waste of money and, as you noted, totally ineffectual. Exactly what teenager bent on making a little ruckus is going to stop, read the sign, and think to himself, "Drat! It's after dusk, I'm not a homeowner or guest, and I would be trespassing if wrapped the swings around the posts. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go find a playground without a sign like this." ???
Ridiculous.
By the way, as VEFF stated, the rule to change hoses is designed to prevent floods in the event that they burst. They are just made of rubber, which does weaken over time. Personally, I always turn off the valves on the wall to which the hoses connect whenever I am done washing for the surest prevention of unexpected floods. Even if the hoses don't burst, you could still have a leak from something going wrong in the washer itself (as VEFF unhappily discovered - although he had to have the valves open since he was actually doing laundry). Keeping the valves exercised also prevents them from gumming up and not shutting off completely when they need to.
cfitz
