Is it more classist to
-clear the sidewalks around the local low income housing days (i.e. a week) before the rest of the neighbourhood (i.e. the owned homes)
-point out the inherent disconnect on having on specific section cleared days before the rest of the neighbourhood strictly based on their economic base and potential “mobility” issues.
Mogo managed to kick up a dust storm on a local message board complaining about the fact that the low income “project” up the road from us has it’s sidewalks cleaned (and I mean cleaned) at least a week before the rest of the area. The add insult to injury, they’ll clear 2 blocks of a 10 block street, only clearing the area in front of the low rental.
Is it classist to be irritated that I, a mortgage paying, property tax suffering person, has to wait longer to use the sidewalks than those who aren’t?
I don’t think they should wait longer-I just don’t understand doing only their little area, and leaving the rest of us to walk on the road.
Are we being asshats?
Spin Me I Pulsate 
Your’s sidewalks are cleared by the city?
Here the homeowners are responsible. I guess because I am so used to doing it I wouldn’t bother to wait and would just do it myself while I do my Driveway.
Same here. I don’t think the city’s ever cleaned the sidewalks off for anybody.
Then what the hell are you paying your taxes for?
We get ticketed if we don’t clear our sidewalks promptly.
well to add a twist of irony here, the sidewalks don’t even run in front of OUR house – they’re on the other side of the street.
so if our city was like the rest of yours, WE’D still be off the hook 😛
but I bet the city would still do the low-rentals…
by the way dear, I think it should be asshattery (two “t”s)… with one t I read it like ass-hater-y. and as you know, I don’t really hate asses 😛
Are you certain that it’s not the rental company clearing it out?
My long looooong drive–did you guys ever go to the Huron Marketplace when you lived here? If you did, yeah, that.–gets plowed out before the street because the company does it, not the city.
“Are you certain that it’s not the rental company clearing it out?”
I was under the impression that the government owns the complex… but I guess you could be right. that said, if I owned a complex like that, I’d be a bit more strict than the current “owners” about who I’d take as tenants.
Most cities now require people clear the sidewalks in front of their homes… it’s not so much “what are we paying taxes for” as it is “if City Hall mentions increasing taxes to pay for, you know, Stuff then there’s usually some kind of citizenry revolt so here I am with my shovel”. In that sense — taking care of your own yard — then it makes sense for the City to be taking care of City Property.
I’d have to say there’s some level of ass hat class hating going on in your household over this… “low income housing” is generally set aside for people who either are on a fixed income or crap job income, mostly single mothers and the disabled. If it’s a choice between the City paying someone to do the whole street — which means none of the street because that would cost too much — and the couple of blocks around the Low Income Mothers then I’d say they deserve to have the snowplows come by a couple of times a year… keeping in mind this isn’t some kind of weekly service.
“that said, if I owned a complex like that, I’d be a bit more strict than the current “owners” about who I’d take as tenants.”
Speaking as someone who has lived in many low income housing units I’d have to say that statement is “classist” (re: elitist) and a whole new subject. But if it is the rental company doing the clearing that means the tenants Are paying for the service… and, ironically, their taxes also contribute so the sidewalks in front of your place are plowed as well.
Don’t ask me. I don’t even have sidewalks. I walk 40 minute to work ON THE ROAD. So if you’re an asshat, I might be too. hahaha
I know one thing: I sure as hell wouldn’t shovel the sidewalk if I did have them. Screw that. That’s the city’s job! lol I pay my taxes, dammit! 😉
Sorry Gabriel-we know and talk with many good people from that complex-we’ve just also had many encounters with the usual group of individuals that you find in any type of subsidized housing who basically ruin it for everyone else.
What’s frustrating is that there are just as many individuals who are “elderly” and cannot get around (I’m thinking of my father on this one specifically) people with children and people with medical conditions in my neighbourhood who do not live in that area. Those are the people who generally seem to be forgotten, and left to walk on a very busy road, which locally is dangerous.
I took the girls for a walk the other night to look at the lights. Because no other sidewalks were plowed, we had to walk on a road which has been narrowed by snowplows, and I constantly feared that one of them might get hit despite my vigiliance. That sort of thing makes me feel elitist, because we DO live in a city where they are responsible for their sidewalks. And frankly I DO pay my taxes for street cleaning, so I expect that the sidewalks are treated the same.
I’m not saying they don’t have as much right to be cleared as the rest of us-they more than certainly do. I just don’t understand why the rest of the neighbourhood, predominately the elderly and young families with small children, aren’t afforded the same courtesy when the plows are in the area.
(And it’s not rental. I grew up around subsidized housing, and recognize city fix it trucks when I see them. So they wouldn’t be renting from a property management company.)
It sounds tons assholish, but I don’t understand why my children are any less entitled to a safe place to walk than the next person, purely based on economic need. I can’t afford a snowblower, so it’s not like I can go and clear 20 blocks of sidewalk…
Could you call and point out that your street’s sidewalks seem to have been forgotten on the route? Perhaps it’s as simple as that?
Having said that I HAVE noticed that the plows Do clear the Ritzy area’s streets first. AND the power returned there 2 days earlier that the rest of the city after hurricane Juan.
I certainly don’t live near the ritzy area here. But I’m sure that bears out…
“Speaking as someone who has lived in many low income housing units I’d have to say that statement is “classist” (re: elitist) and a whole new subject.”
hoo boy, here we go. like Thor said, there are definitely some nice people in that complex. hell, there’s one guy in a WHEELCHAIR who takes better care of his unit than most of the rest of them combined. but I’ve also personally witnessed first hand the numerous drug deals, kids being left without supervision for hours on end, etc etc, to safely say that unfortunately, some of those people are just re-enforcing the negative stereotypes that exist about low-income housing. I talked to a guy who lives directly across the street from that complex, and his car had been vandalized something like 5 times in the previous 2 months by 10-12 year old kids from that complex… wonder where the parents were when that was going on? I have a few guesses… and I’m not saying that there aren’t SOME people in there who legitimately need to be there, but the ratio of “leeches” seems to be a lot higher than most other similar housing units I’ve observed in the past… anyway, most of that is neither here or there, I just wanted to point out that I’m saying some of what I say based on things I’ve personally witnessed and not just conjecture.
so yeah, I’m sorry if it sounds “elitist”, but like Thor said: why are the kids whose parents probably DON’T pay any property tax more entitled to a safe place to walk than those of us who do? if that makes me an asshat, so be it.
That’s what I mean. Stand up for your hood maybe there’s a glitch in their list of sidewalks to be cleared. Simply point out that you think you’ve been forgotten and that the work hasn’t been done.
Not Ritzy here either, we were out of Power for 4.5 days. 3 miles away lost power for less than 24 hours. Ugh.
I have no idea where anyone’s parents were… like I said, Mogo, it’s a whole different topic. If you want to argue about something write a post somewhere else and I’ll be happy to post all kinds of comments about stuff you’d like to chat about.
meh, whatever… not really interested in arguing but thanks for the offer.
It sounds like they cleared the way for the area of those they assumed would need the sidewalks and didn’t in your area because they made the wrong assumption home owners would have cars and thus no desire to use the sidewalks. Stupid on their part, not even considering those that actually like to walk, or half to.
I rent a room in a large home, have for a few years now, and while it saves me money, it’s smack in the middle of suburbialand, with few sidewalks that lead anywhere but in a neighborhood circle. Again, the developed wrongly though “nice big house, people must never walk”. Idiots, I say!