Phoenix Woman Ordered to Not Give Out Water in 112 Degree Heat Because She Lacked a Permit

This is what government is all about. Forget roads, mass murder through warfare, or locking people up for their consumption choices: it's making sure that no one gives out water without a permit.

This is from last week but I believe un-noted here: ABC-TV 15 from Phoenix reports that local Christian proselytizer Dana Crow-Smith was ordered by a "Neighborhood Preservation Inspector" to stop giving out free bottled water last month because she lacked a vending permit, though she was not vending.

She is threatening to sue the city with help from the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties group with a focus on religious liberties, if the city doesn't apologize and swear to train its enforcement officers to not make the same mistake again.

The Institute's letter of complaint to the city.

Comments

[The Late P Brooks]

"Neighborhood Preservation Inspector"

WTF?

[Paul.]

Beat me to it.

If that's not some serious, ball-bracing Orwellian shit, I don't know what is.

Who applies for that job?

[Enough About Palin]

The Tonys of the world.

[Old Mexican]

But... ROAAAAAADZ!

[Jerry on the road]

You don't apply to these kinds of jobs, they just magically get filled.

[Brutus]

Applicants are selected via Telescreen.

[Rich]

A city spokesperson was working on a statement but did not have one ready by the end of the business day Monday.

Another WTF?

How many thousands of taxpayer dollars does a statement cost? Can't be too careful with the wording, I suppose, when lawsuits are threatened.

[Mad Scientist]

She should have asked to see the Neighborhood Preservation Inspector's 27B stroke 6.

[Episiarch]

"Sorry, I'm a bit of a stickler for paperwork. Where would we be if we didn't follow the correct procedures?"

[John C. Randolph]

I think that's a euphemism for "pushy little douchebag who got a bullshit 'job' in exchange for sexual favors rendered to a politician".

-jcr

[Number 2]

Brian, check the headline...particularly the word between "degree" and "because."

[Randian]

Heat?

[Brian Doherty]

randian---the ability to correct on the fly makes many of these helpful back and forths seem insane. Previously I mistyped "whether" (meaning weather in my fevered mind) and replaced it with the word "heat" instead.

[Voros McCracken]

Brian,

I have the same written tick, where two words that sound the same get replaced with one another when writing. Don't know what causes it. 'Won' and 'one' are a particular problem for me for some reason.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

This is one of the most-common errors humans make - substituting words (and other things) that sound alike. Cognitive Psych - kind of interesting...tells us something about how our brains are wired.

Useful? That's a different question...

[JW]

It's called getting fecking old.

I've started to try and say one word, but instead I will say another word beginning with the same letter, because I'm looking at it.

Stupid aging brain.

[The Hammer]

WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?!

[Fluffy]

Is this headline a joke?

[Brian Doherty]

The headline did have a typo. It ought not now.
Thanks Number 2.

[Paul.]

Temperatures rose, bottle water got handed out...

[Brutus]

It's threats to the public like this that make me feel so reassured that we have an unlimited State to keep me safe.

[Caleb Turberville]

Statists don't deserve properly spelled headlines.

[Suki]

+1

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

Thank Stalin this Neighborhood Watcher was there to protect the Citizens from the potential Water Terrorist.

"In a post 9-11 world", HURR DURR HURR DURR HURRRRR!

The End

[The Late P Brooks]

I lived in Phoenix (Glendale) for a year, and if anything, there should be roving gangs of "Neighborhood Demolition Inspectors".

"Sorry Bub- all that cinder block's gotta go."

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

and swear to train its enforcement officers to not make the same mistake again

I suspect that lack of training is not the issue.

[Old Mexican]

Go ahead and see what job requirements a neighborhood preservation inspector requires to have for the city of Phoenix.

They could've summarize everything with the term "Bureaucratic Busybody" and still be perfectly accurate. Must be Tony's dream job.

The most hilarious part? Read this "essential function":

"Maintains regular and reliable attendance."

Especially around payday, I presume!

[Mr Whipple]

Neighborhood preservation inspector max salary $77,000. More than a structural inspector $66,000?

[sage]

"That's what governments are for - to get in a man's way."

[Generic Stranger]

I aim to misbehave.

[Number 2]

I did a Google search on "Neighborhood Preservation Inspector." Jeez..it is nothing more than a souped-up title for what we used to call Zoning Inspectors.

And I found this factoid: "Average Neighborhood Preservation Inspector salaries for job postings in St. Louis, MO are 2% lower than average Neighborhood Preservation Inspector salaries for job postings nationwide." Boo Hoo.

[Gojira]

And it's here that a prog would decry this as being indicitive of abuse by local gov't, so we need fewer rights at the local level and more federal oversight of everything.

[Gladstone]

And it's here that a prog would decry this as being indicitive of abuse by local gov't, so we need fewer rights at the local level and more federal oversight of everything.

The Mayor is a Democrat so I don't think so.

How about a prog arguing that libertarians want the poor to starve in the streets?

[Scarecrow Repair]

You mean proglodyte.

[cheddar]

I totally oppose the concept of needing a permit, but...

If this festival requires that vendors purchase permits, shouldn't their rights be protected? If I had to pay the government $100 to be able to sell beverages during the festival, I would not be happy if someone else was allowed to distribute them (for a price or for free) without a permit.

[Byron]

Rights are not purchased.

[cheddar]

Some are, like publishing rights. But if you prefer, I'll call it "exclusivity" instead.

I helped run a private, not-for-profit festival myself this summer. We charged vendors a certain rate to set up shop, and promised them a certain amount of exclusivity. For example, we limited the number of beverage vendors to 5.

If vendors are coerced into purchasing a permit at a government-run festival in order to conduct business, they are entitled to the exclusivity that they are paying for, IMO.

[Greg F]

If vendors are coerced into purchasing a permit at a government-run festival...

Its crony capitalism.

[Jim Treacher]

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink without a permit.