good grief
It has been a long time since I've written here. I think about it a lot. I miss it. I don't miss what LJ has become. If could easily extract all of the posts (including private), I'd move somewhere else. But that's neither here nor there.
I have a pretty good life. No, I have a very good life. I'm extremely fortunate on so many levels. Even so, sometimes things still bother me. So I rant about them in my car on my drive home and most of the time I can leave it behind. This latest one is something I can't seem to let go yet.
First a quick recap: In August/September 2010 we moved to a new house. Given the housing market, there is no way we can afford to sell the old house. We held onto it for a while, debating what to do. We talked about renting, but don't trust most people. A couple of months ago a good opportunity came up where we could rent to a co-worker's kid. In order to convert the home to a rental, we had to fill out a form, pay $200, and have two inspections (building and electrical).
I won't even go into the process of the inspections themselves. They were a mess with poor communication and no accommodation for those that actually work for a living not being a slum lord. It was a classic example of why people feel so disenfranchised with the government.
So back to the issue at hand. Two weeks after the inspections we finally got the results back. (Very timely, not.) I'll skip the incompetence of the building inspector and go to the electrical. We had 15 major violations. They ranged from improper grounding of the breaker panel to needing more GFI outlets. What really pisses me off is that the house is over 80 years old. Of course it isn't going to be up to code! Also, this isn't government housing. We're not getting federal money for tenants. I understand that these things should be done and they make it safer, but to require an 80 year old house be brought up to code in under 30 days for a *private* rental seems ridiculous. Right now I feel a combination of angry and hurt.
That's the anger part. The hurt part is feeling somewhat karmically betrayed. I try to live a morally responsible life. I try to do the right thing whenever possible. I don't cheat. I don't steal. I pay my bills and my taxes. I didn't skip out on my second mortgage. I submitted the proper rental form to the city and pay their $200. I brush my teeth twice a day. I *rarely* kick puppies. So WTF? I feel like I get shit on because I follow the rules. What is the incentive for operating within the guidelines society has set for me?
In the end I will continue to do the right thing. I will continue to appreciate all of the good things in my life, for there are many. I will continue to hold faith in karma, or some greater power, to watch over those that follow the rules. I'm also still going to be pissed off.
I have a pretty good life. No, I have a very good life. I'm extremely fortunate on so many levels. Even so, sometimes things still bother me. So I rant about them in my car on my drive home and most of the time I can leave it behind. This latest one is something I can't seem to let go yet.
First a quick recap: In August/September 2010 we moved to a new house. Given the housing market, there is no way we can afford to sell the old house. We held onto it for a while, debating what to do. We talked about renting, but don't trust most people. A couple of months ago a good opportunity came up where we could rent to a co-worker's kid. In order to convert the home to a rental, we had to fill out a form, pay $200, and have two inspections (building and electrical).
I won't even go into the process of the inspections themselves. They were a mess with poor communication and no accommodation for those that actually work for a living not being a slum lord. It was a classic example of why people feel so disenfranchised with the government.
So back to the issue at hand. Two weeks after the inspections we finally got the results back. (Very timely, not.) I'll skip the incompetence of the building inspector and go to the electrical. We had 15 major violations. They ranged from improper grounding of the breaker panel to needing more GFI outlets. What really pisses me off is that the house is over 80 years old. Of course it isn't going to be up to code! Also, this isn't government housing. We're not getting federal money for tenants. I understand that these things should be done and they make it safer, but to require an 80 year old house be brought up to code in under 30 days for a *private* rental seems ridiculous. Right now I feel a combination of angry and hurt.
That's the anger part. The hurt part is feeling somewhat karmically betrayed. I try to live a morally responsible life. I try to do the right thing whenever possible. I don't cheat. I don't steal. I pay my bills and my taxes. I didn't skip out on my second mortgage. I submitted the proper rental form to the city and pay their $200. I brush my teeth twice a day. I *rarely* kick puppies. So WTF? I feel like I get shit on because I follow the rules. What is the incentive for operating within the guidelines society has set for me?
In the end I will continue to do the right thing. I will continue to appreciate all of the good things in my life, for there are many. I will continue to hold faith in karma, or some greater power, to watch over those that follow the rules. I'm also still going to be pissed off.