Kafirs are SO stupid!
The latest federal requirements for meeting “reasonable accommodation” standards are out, and require elevators for all public pools (including motel mini-pools), limits on the slope of miniature golf course greens and the admission of mini-horses into businesses.
So who’s crazy?
we are leading the world…in idiocy.
the ADA – while noble – may be the most burdensome and significant stealth contributor to the decline of mom and pop businesses by way of a legislative act. Compliance often cannot be met without total replacement and many small businesses cannot afford to to make that happen and remain competitive against national firms.
the ADA has been highly beneficial to america, however its ever expanding definition of reasonable compliance has now lunged far off what is reasonable.
As does every government program, from Fannie Mae to Social Security to Medicaid to Title IX to …. Hmm – does that say anything about “good ideas” dreamed up in Washington and imposed on the entire country? Sure hope ObamaCare doesn’t morph into a crazy patchwork of disaster!
A transporter would “beam” the disabled to their destination with no need for a wheelchair or cumbersome “lift” device. Make it so.
Social Security is a good idea. It was originally designed as a universal old age insurance plan to keep improvident or unlucky people over 65 from destitution, the funding to come from active workers. The program is a mess because it strayed from its original mission, raised benefits too much, and failed to adequately adjust for lengthening lifespans. Even with all these problems, it could be made solvent by means testing at death.
Dude –
So what is your problem with mini-horses? Is it the “mini” part? Do you have a problem with midgets as well?
I never realized you were anti-pony, you bigot. The filly’s will be so upset.
Your Pal,
Walt
Dude –
You have to read this. It was written by Cliff Asness who runs AQR, a Greenwich based quant hedge fund. It is both brilliant, and funny. And 100% spot on!!
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/cliff-asness-cliff-notes-progressive-america#comments
Mr. Asness, given the one in a million probability that you are the other reader of this blog, let me just say, WELL DONE SIR!!!
Your Pal,
Walt
Jean Luc, dictating design standards for miniature golf courses goes far beyond the orignal low and medium hanging fruit the ADA rightfully sought for when passed in 1990.
I think you meant at “retirement” unless death is retirement.
Rather than building elevators and escalators into every small business that will probably never use them, may I suggest something more flexible:
http://www.foolsfestival.com/2008/images/pr_sedan_chair.jpg You could put one outside of every store or, at least, on every block.
And for less guilded parts of town, I would recommend: http://weyume.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/121.jpg
What a concept! What an employment opportunity!
Your government bureaucrats dream up these obligations, sitting in their Washington DC bubble…
Meanwhile, expensive pool elevators will be necessary at Innis Arden, Riverside Yacht Club, the new Byram pool…….
Like the handicap potty-stalls and the handicap parking spaces, they will be unused.
But hey, the bureaucrats will be satisfied….. with themselves.
Some years ago, my husband had a chain of pizza delivery stores. At least 97% of their business was delivery; maybe higher.
The guvment inspected the stores, and decided that all the counters had to be ripped out and replaced, even though they were newer and in perfect condition. Why? Because if someone came into the store in a wheelchair, they wouldn’t be able to fit the chair underneath the counter and pay for the pizza.
My husband explained the percentages, then added, “If someone comes into the store in a wheelchair to pick up a pizza, we can hand the customer the pizza, take payment from them and return any change to them.” Somehow, being able to stick the wheelchair underneath the counter didn’t seem crucial to life…….. But – of course – it didn’t matter. At a cost of tens of thousands, the counters had to be replaced. Never mind that almost no customers ever came into the stores at all….. much less ones in wheelchairs! The guvment at its finest……
Peg: Lemmee guess. The inspector also gave your husband a list of “approved” ADA compliant contractors….
Hah, wait till all you old farts can barely walk up steps! ADA compliance is well intentioned, but horribly implemented and ludicrously enforced. By ludicrous I mean on a bureaucratic whim and without regard to practicality. We had to put ADA-compliant access in a building lobby that had two small steps leading to a walkway to elevator banks. The cost would have been positively staggering (easily 7 figures) to reconfigure the waiting area and rip out the 70-year old stone flooring (think giant slabs that just aren’t available anymore). Yet the gub’mint said something had to be done or else we’d get fined gobs of money for each day of non-compliance. So the workaround was about $90k to put in a wheelchair elevator off to the far side of the steps that could descend all of 18 inches for those who needed it.
Anonymous and Peg providing everyday examples of how laws and mandates truly operate. I’m sure you’ll receive tons of sympathy from our good friend of the government machine, $bill.
Now, lets think about the manufacturing environment. Own a small machine shop / manufacturer struggling against low cost imports? Hard to compete when China, Brazil or Mexico are without ADA, EPA and our ever growing human resource / labor law liabilities. Now wonder small business and the small business ethic has been on the wane.
For those of you who are (rightly) outraged about these sorts of acts, visit this organization:
http://www.commongood.org/
I heard Phillip Howard speak some years ago and he was brilliant. We all understand the intentions behind these ludicrous regulations and rules. Yet, our government has forgotten how to use a shred of common sense. I have great sympathy for all sorts of folks who are disabled, whether it be minor or major. Yet, when there is a $2.97 cure instead of a $15,000 one……… perhaps we should go the Common Sense route?