Beauty vs the baby

It's all for the children, until some dumbass politician decides that beautification is more important than common sense, safety and property rights. This community ought to throw this no good piece of excrement out of office and march him out of town:

"It's just not as pleasing to the eye," Mayor Blackie Holmes said about the goals.

The ordinance would probably not keep kids from playing basketball outside.

Residents with alley access or driveways that extend behind their homes can move the basketball goals there.

And kids can play in nearby Highland Park whenever they want. Susan Millet, who lives a block south of Mrs. Sone, but in Highland Park, said children from all over play basketball in her front yard because it's safer than playing in the alleys. Highland Park doesn't regulate basketball goals.

That's right, in the name of "beautifying" the community, the government is going to require that kids go play in the park or, more commonly, in the allies around their homes. Makes a lot of sense, especially in those areas where the allies are no doubt between apartment buildings. Great place for kids to get victimized, and it makes it that much harder for parents to look out for their children. I'm sure the police are going to be dutifully working overtime to ensure that this is not the case...

Then there is the property rights aspect to this. What right is it of even a democratically-elected government to tell a homeowner that they cannot do something like this? It doesn't harm anyone except the government bureaucrats who want to expand their regulatory power.

And what did the humble civil servant have to say about people who think that his idea is ridiculous and stupid?

"They're going to have to find somewhere else to play basketball," he said.

Which, translated into French, means approximately Qu'ils mangent de la brioche.