What gives the state the right to tell me how to build my house, my barn, my sewer? If I want to live in a falling down, patched up, pile of tin, like my neighbors do, that’s my business. If I want to spend millions of dollars and live in a palace, that’s my choice. If I want to live in a sturdy, soundly constructed home that just happens to have no electricity or plumbing, and requires that I run out to the outhouse whenever I feel the urge, that should also be my right. My land is my land, and the government should not be able to come in and tell me how to build, where to build, what to build, or who can build. The Amish in New York are refusing to give up their rights to develop their property as they wish, and are being persecuted- er, prosecuted, that is- for it.
MORRISTOWN — The town is making a statewide appeal for help in prosecuting Amish men for building homes without permits.
Ten members of the conservative religious group have been charged in the clash between building codes and religious tenets that shun modernization. Town councilors sent a letter Saturday to newspapers to pressure legislators and the state Department of State to provide financial and technical help in dealing with the pending trials.
Evidently, ten conservatives are too much for this town to deal with by themselves. The town officials are upset that they are spending the town’s money to enforce a state law. Here’s a thought- if the state law infringes on the rights of individuals, you ought to be dealing with the state and leaving the individuals alone.
The ordeal began in July 2006, when Andy Miller, Dumont Road, was charged with building a house without a permit. His case was repeatedly delayed because he did not have an attorney, and an agreement to issue a permit was reached in January 2007. The town eventually declined, however, because Mr. Miller would not allow code enforcement officer L. Kay Davis to inspect his home, as agreed upon.
His case restarted in the summer, by which time five others from the conservative Swartzentruber sect of the simple agricultural religion were charged.
Their cases were delayed four months while the court searched for someone who could translate legal documents into Pennsylvania Dutch, the antiquated form of German used by the men. That task was taxing because town Judge James T. Phillips Jr. and court staff had to lead the search after the state Office of Court Administration did not have anyone available.
Judge Phillips is reviewing motions by a court-appointed attorney to dismiss the charges based on religious persecution and technicalities.
So to summarize, someone was making improvements on their personal property, and the state didn’t approve. Said persons were then charged with committing a crime and are being prosecuted. The town is complaining about spending their money to prosecute when the state should pay for it. They should be complaining about being asked to deprive those Amish gentlemen of their rights.
I’ve been in quite a few Amish houses, and while I wouldn’t personally choose to live without an in-door, flushable commode, those houses were solidly built and nice-looking. In fact, my little sister and her husband bought one, put in electricity and plumbing, and haven’t had a single problem with the construction. It’s not really about the quality of the construction though, is it? It’s all about the fees they collect for those permits.
“We can’t blink,” Mr. Putman said. “There’s a lot of contractors in this town and other towns watching and saying, ‘If an exception is made here, are we going to follow building codes?
That’s right, don’t blink. You might miss seeing that stream of revenue dry up.
