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Without property rights there are no rights.

City building and safety director Tom Hartung said that an illegally converted garage poses health and safety risks.

What health and safety risks? To whom?

Bureaucrats are nothing more than midget Hitlers.

Its likely the previous owner failed to get the required building permits. Local governments often do this to protect themselves from lawyers. If they ignore building code violations the governments can be sued for not enforcing the codes. Lawyers are at the heart of all this nonsense. Rationally she should be required to get the permits, have the work inspected and then be required to fix anything that isnt up to code. The she could sue the previous owner for the costs involved. In the end, odds are due to the publicity, something like this will happen. Its doubtful they will throw her in jail - they often make empty threats like that just to see if people will do it.

Welcome to the New and Improved America!

Go after the previous owner? Maybe, but doubtful.

But perhaps an alternative: have her property taxes all these years been based on it being a bedroom? If so, she might sue to get back the difference over what the figures wuld have been if taxed as a garage.

But yes, probably the best solution - saving everybody - would be as suggested above: get a permit for converting a garage to a bedroom, have the room inspected and if necessary brought "up to code," then forget the whole mess.

Somebody needs a gigantic wedgie at best.

You think bureacrats are on a power trip now, just wait til the one gets elected.

Excuse me conservativeteen...that is "The One". Lower case type is not acceptable. The Truth Squads will be taking note of these things, so if you want to stay on their good side, you better shape up.

The previous owner of my house in Austin poured a 5’x 7’ concrete slab to connect the back patio to the swimming pool. The City of Austin apparently spotted this ‘infraction’ on aerial photos (they spy from the air, now) and sent a couple of goons over to measure the pad. They entered my backyard (uninvited) took the measurements, and closely inspected and measured many other exterior features. The result of the inspection (and a small concrete pad) was an extra $200 per year tacked on to my property taxes.

FYI – if the former owner had simply put down flagstones rather than pouring a slab, I wouldn’t have been busted – flagstones are considered “portable”.

Most Cities have these goon squads.

The only health and safety risk I see here is putting an elderly women who has survived a stroke and breast cancer in jail.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=6073143

Another similar story in JoeBidenville, PA.

I bet if she had a Obaba sign in her front yard they wouldn't have messed with her.

If they barged in, uninvited and without a warrant, then shooting them is simple self defense, irregardless of their badges or moral indignation.

Time to start ridding ourselves of these mindless drones before we become Britain.

Looks like BIG BROTHER takes no respect for private property they sitting in their fancy offices determine what you must do with your own house HOW ABOUT IF THE GOOD CITIZENS GOT TOGETHER RENTED A CRANE WITH A WRECKINGBALL AND WENT AND TORE DOWN CITY HALL WITH THOSE STRUTING POMPOUS PEACOCKS STILL IN IT

These types of horror stories are becoming all to familiar. It's time elected officials rein in these petty Gestapo "wannabes." And if our mayors and other elected officials won't do it then we need to vote the bums out of office and put people in there who will do it.

So Cal Jim:"And if our mayors and other elected officials won't do it then we need to vote the bums out of office and put people in there who will do it"
Then I, Murff, nominate myself for the running of local office someday in the hopes of climbing the political ladder to help flush out these do-nothings and Monnbatty underling goons. I think there may be a lot of job openings in local government and news coverage in a little while... "because the newsies need flushed out, too."

On second thought, I'll stick with the news coverage instead- especially since talk radio may not exist as of 1/21/09.

Peoria, IL has that program too. There was a rash(?) of people converting garages into family rooms in certain neighborhoods and for some reason the city had a cow.

I work in an industry in which we have to deal with "progressives" such as this verminous Hartung all of the damned time. These people are pure scum and deserve to swing, one and all - right next to the "lawyers."