My small stand...am I silly?

[Dave Ridley]

ratty can you make a list of things we could do to help you with this?  assuming you want our help..

one thing that it might include is contact info for all the apparent bad guys.    I kind of like the idea of a silent demonstration inside the vet office.  that would really peel their paint off.

[Braddogg]

Geez.  Ratty, having to pay protection money for your dog really is a horrible thing.  I can imagine a guy in a suit with a thick Italian accent saying, "Hey, geez, Ratty, it'd be terrible if some unfortunate 'accident' should occur to your dog there.  For $35 dollars a year, we can offer 'protection' against these certain kinds of 'accidents.'"

It's interesting that you're getting so angry about the government; I'd think that might get a bit debilitating.  Are you really walking around with a distracting amount of anger (a constant lump in your throat) about the government intrusions?

[alohamonkey]

Rattydogg,

I might have found a loophole for me . . . I don't know if it would help your situation though.  I found this on the City of Manchester website:

"I NO LONGER OWN MY DOG, WHAT SHOULD I DO?


Contact the Manchester City Clerk's Office at 624-6455 or email us at CityClerk@ci.manchester.nh.us. We will then update your record so that you do not receive any future notices."

My girlfriend and I own a home together and live together but aren't married.  I'm thinking we could just transfer "ownership" of the dog back and forth from each other to buy time in between notices demanding payment.  For example, I contact the city and tell them I no longer own the dog.  The city probably wouldn't know any better until their next rabies vaccination.  Shortly after that vaccination, my girlfriend could contact them and tell them she no longer owns the dog.  The city is so slow in responding that we could probably keep them busy/confused enough that it would take them a long, long time to sort out who actually owns the dog.  It probably wouldn't be enough for them to quit bothering us but it would be entertaining.  I just found out my fee is only $7.50, how is yours so expensive? 

[ny2nh]

You're not being silly...this could be the impetus to become more of an activist. 

I became a more vocal activist following a "silly" incident that occured at WalMart.  I was grocery shopping at WalMart with my teenage children and I asked my son to go pick up some butane for a lighter (his lighter, by the way, which he'd bought months earlier at WalMart).  As I was checking out, he returned and said they wouldn't sell him butane because he was under 18 (he was 17 at the time).  I said, "That's ridiculous," and stormed over to the 'high security' cigarette check-out and asked the clerk for butane.  She looked at me (middle-aged mom), then looked at my son, then said she couldn't sell it to me because I might be buying it for my son.  I asked what law forbid them from selling butane to someone under 18.  She couldn't name it, but said WalMart could be fined thousands of dollars.  I made a scene and they had to bring in the supervisor, and I continued to make a coherent yet strong scene with the supervisor, but to no avail.  Long story short...there is no such law.  I went to Hannaford down the street and bought the butane, which was stocked outside the high security cigarette aisle.  I asked the Hannaford clerk if she would sell it to a 17-year-old and she answered yes, of course. 

Sometimes it's these little things that get you thinking about the intrusiveness of others (government mainly) into our personal lives.  And one of the issues that bugs me the most is government trying to legislate good parenting....grrrrrrr.

You got my blood running, Rattydog.

The scenario you describe - while utterly ridiculous - is not gov't intrusiveness, it is the policy of a business you were considering doing business with. Walmart can refuse to sell anything they want to anyone they want - and suffer the consequences. I don't want to get in the habit of demanding what business must do no more than what individuals must do - that's just a different level of intrusiveness IMO.

[ny2nh]

Now would be a good time to ask the dogcatcher to quit his immoral job.

Don't blame the dog catcher - he's just earning a paycheck. His job is not immoral.

Fix the stupid law.......Denis hits the nail on the head on how to......

[ny2nh]

I'll tell you, I'm in shock to think that those bastards at the vets office gave them our information. Well, not shocked I guess, just mad. It's really not that surprising. I hadn't even thought of how they knew I had a dog in the first place. When I called the clerks office initially I asked questions about their policy, but didn't give any personal information. I will be switching vets and will ask them to show me the release form I signed giving them permission to contact anyone in reference to my dog ownership or the dogs place of residence. I didn't think they were allowed to disclose any information to anyone without my consent...?

A people doctor cannot disclose your info without consent.....last I checked, as much as they are a part of our families, pets are not people, they are possessions. I'm guessing that the vets are required to report all rabies vaccinations.

Again - donlt be so annoyed with the vet, but rather convince the vet that they should help get the laws changed.....

[ny2nh]

Actually, the fee we didn't pay was to register our in-home security system....but seems to be similar in scope

Rosie -
I never paid that one either.

[ny2nh]

I think, initially, the dog license was created to support the animal shelters and spay/neuter programs, etc. I'll guess it all just goes into the general fund now.....and then a certain $$ is appropriated out for those types of programs.

This i part of the problem with the general fund concept.....no one really seems to see what goes in and what comes out. I think people would be far less irritated if they were paying this fee to their LOCAL community to support the animal chelter, the dog catcher, etc.

Local control, local control, local control.......

[Lloyd Danforth]

Now would be a good time to ask the dogcatcher to quit his immoral job.

Don't blame the dog catcher - he's just earning a paycheck. His job is not immoral.

Fix the stupid law.......Denis hits the nail on the head on how to......

Yes, fix the law.  The dogcatcher is not earning anything. He is immoral as he is paid with money stolen from people who earned it.  I see no reason not to hold him personally responsible.

[Ogre]

I like the idea of no longer owning the dog.  Inform the city that you no longer own the dog.  Don't volunteer any information about what happened to the dog.  On your own, declare the dog a "free range" dog that happens to range inside your house, foraging for food wherever he can find it.  Next time the vet call is needed, claim the dog again.  Rinse and repeat.

Or, if you're worried about your "free range dog" being arrested for being homeless, just disown the dog for a day -- long enough to inform the city of Manchester that you "no longer own the dog."  And if you happen to forget to tell them that you've re-owned the dog, oh well...

[Vote Tyler Stearns]

You're not being silly...this could be the impetus to become more of an activist. 

I became a more vocal activist following a "silly" incident that occured at WalMart.  I was grocery shopping at WalMart with my teenage children and I asked my son to go pick up some butane for a lighter (his lighter, by the way, which he'd bought months earlier at WalMart).  As I was checking out, he returned and said they wouldn't sell him butane because he was under 18 (he was 17 at the time).  I said, "That's ridiculous," and stormed over to the 'high security' cigarette check-out and asked the clerk for butane.  She looked at me (middle-aged mom), then looked at my son, then said she couldn't sell it to me because I might be buying it for my son.  I asked what law forbid them from selling butane to someone under 18.  She couldn't name it, but said WalMart could be fined thousands of dollars.  I made a scene and they had to bring in the supervisor, and I continued to make a coherent yet strong scene with the supervisor, but to no avail.  Long story short...there is no such law.  I went to Hannaford down the street and bought the butane, which was stocked outside the high security cigarette aisle.  I asked the Hannaford clerk if she would sell it to a 17-year-old and she answered yes, of course. 

Sometimes it's these little things that get you thinking about the intrusiveness of others (government mainly) into our personal lives.  And one of the issues that bugs me the most is government trying to legislate good parenting....grrrrrrr.

You got my blood running, Rattydog.

The scenario you describe - while utterly ridiculous - is not gov't intrusiveness, it is the policy of a business you were considering doing business with. Walmart can refuse to sell anything they want to anyone they want - and suffer the consequences. I don't want to get in the habit of demanding what business must do no more than what individuals must do - that's just a different level of intrusiveness IMO.

I didn't say my story was about government intrusiveness, but the overall intrusiveness of others (government being the biggest culprit) -- whoever they may be -- into our personal lives.  I was just making the point that sometimes "minor" encounters like my story and Rattydog's get you thinking and consequently get you off your ass to do something about it...And I will get in the habit of telling a business what to do if they're screwing with my rights and blaming it on fictitious laws.   

[error]

I used to believe in government too, but I got over it.

[error]

They're nasty, but they aren't so big. Think paper tiger.

[error]

You know, one of the reasons I feel like a wack job....is that this all makes sooooo much sense to me and doesn't seem to make sense to 99% of folks out there. The way that we people here are talking about living, is the way a person should live, just...naturally. It makes sense to me.

Are we crazy?

People used to believe the world was flat. Only a very tiny minority of people knew that the world was round, even though none of them had ever circumnavigated it. They were largely believed to be crazy at best, heretical at worst. On occasion they were burned at the stake.

We aren't crazy; we are the hope for the future. Eventually the rest of the world will figure it out. Until then, try not to get burned.

P.S. It helps a lot to spend time with other liberty lovers. Consider going to Taproom Tuesday.

[d_goddard]

I'm trying to get this letter typed up...it's harder than I thought. I don't want to sound like a crazy lady!

Consider calling them on the phone. At home.
Really!