02-03-2012, 09:59 AM
Carey, Another driver for more stringent building regulations is the delicious debt it creates in the population. On any policy that requires hundreds of millions of people to comply nation wide, it is wise to ask the question, "Who benefits?" Our nation's poor live on the streets in cities much colder than Hilo. Is America really concerned about the safety of poor people who don't pay taxes or contribute to election victories? Building codes are a cash cow for the banks.
My neighbor has 3 unpermitted houses on his land. He is also a politician. He has said that there are atleast a thousand unpermitted houses in Puna and that if he is ever challenged on his unpermitted buildings he is protected by a legal principle called "unequal enforcement" meaning he can argue that it is not fair to punish him for having an unpermitted house when a thousand others have an unpermitted house and are not being punished. I am no lawyer, so am only quoting him here.
I disagree that enforcement of building codes in Puna "is coming". People have been saying that here for 25 years. It was a realistic worry in boom times, but today with education cuts, pension cuts, prison cuts, military cuts, a devalued dollar, falling property prices, low interest rates, etc, it is further away than it was when it "was coming" 25 years ago. I believe that the rate of new housing that is non-compliant has increased in the last 5 years as well.
My neighbor has 3 unpermitted houses on his land. He is also a politician. He has said that there are atleast a thousand unpermitted houses in Puna and that if he is ever challenged on his unpermitted buildings he is protected by a legal principle called "unequal enforcement" meaning he can argue that it is not fair to punish him for having an unpermitted house when a thousand others have an unpermitted house and are not being punished. I am no lawyer, so am only quoting him here.
I disagree that enforcement of building codes in Puna "is coming". People have been saying that here for 25 years. It was a realistic worry in boom times, but today with education cuts, pension cuts, prison cuts, military cuts, a devalued dollar, falling property prices, low interest rates, etc, it is further away than it was when it "was coming" 25 years ago. I believe that the rate of new housing that is non-compliant has increased in the last 5 years as well.