From: leadfoot@bigbootay.sw.stratus.com (Mark Curtis)
Newsgroups: ba.general,misc.kids,misc.legal
Subject: Re: East Bay Regional Parks/dog restrictions
Date: 3 Oct 92 01:43:14 GMT
Followup-To: ba.general

In article <1ai8quINNrno@smaug.West.Sun.COM>, dab@ism.isc.com (Dave Butterfield) writes:
|> pngai@adobe.com (Phil Ngai) writes:
|> >All you have to do is put a fence around your swimming pool.
|> >If it saves just one life, it's worth it.
|> 
|> Exactly to whom is it the worth the cost of a fence to put the
|> fence around Mr. Sohl's swimming pool?  Let that person speak up.

It's worth it to people like Phil Ngai, of course he isn't going to
pay for the fence.  Nor is he going to have to live with it in his yard.
He gets a peace of mind concerning his children, and it isn't costing
him anything.  Total benefit and no cost, no wonder he feels it's a
great idea.  The pool owner has to pay for it, maintain it, look at it,
and the part I don't like the most, gets it forced on him by people like
Phil.  If Phil didn't live next door and didn't have uncontrolled children
it wouldn't be a problem.  Phil can build a fence around Phil's yard!

Look at it from Phil's view.  It costs him nothing and protects someone
he loves.  A win-win situation.  Why shouldn't he feel the way he does?
It isn't realistic, but ....

Now if the pool owner asked Phil to put up a fence around his yard to keep
Phil's children away from his home what would Phil say? The pool owner may
have a great deal of time and effort in his home, maybe his life's savings.

He loves his home, and is only asking Phil to help insure that Phil's
children don't damage it.  Anyone who has neighbors with children knows
what kinds of damage they cause.

Playing with matches, BBguns, climbing trees, rocks, balls, snowballs,
bicycles, and trampling of the garden/flowers.  I watched all these
things happen to my neighbor's homes.  This stuff just happens when
children play in someone's yard.  They crash their bicycles into your
car in your driveway and leave toys/bicycles all over the place.  Some
children really get off on harassing your animals too.  Of course they
do this from behind the fence you were forced to put there to protect
the little devils.  And if the animal ever finds a way to get even
watch out!  Suddenly Johnny is an angel.

One of my old neighbors whole side of the house was dented by baseballs.
All the neighborhood kids played ball in the yard next door.  It was an
instant home run if you put a dent in his aluminum siding.  We wont
talk about his windows.  My sister put a big dent in his car by crashing
her bicycle into it.  Then we can talk about my nextdoor neighbor who
fell off his stilts in the man's front yard and broke his arm when he
landed half on the lawn half on the sidewalk.  Nasty!

Why should he be liable for all this damage?  He never wanted us in
his yard.  My parents would pay for windows, but the dented car and
siding were never paid for.  Some parents wouldn't pay for anything,
once again using the age old line, "kids will be kids".  Maybe that is
where my sister gets her attitude from.  She lets Holly raise total
hell.  I got a letter from her last night.  She has gone through
four babysitters in three weeks.  I write her letters warning her to
chill her out, but it falls on deaf ears/eyes.

All I can say to Phil and parents like him is this.  I understand
why you want to protect your child.  I really can see that angle
on it.  My problem is you don't see our side.  You try to use
unrealistic views and by definitions to force others to pay for
your peace of mind.  You're trying to force us to be your unpaid and
unwilling insurance company.  It costs you nothing, why not want it.

If you want insurance no problem.  Insurance is a big business in
this country and getting bigger.  The problem is the premiums, who
pays and who gets the coverage.  Who decides on when the coverage
is needed and how much is required.  Phil wants to make all the
decisions, but send the premium bill nextdoor.

Life is full of risks.  Everyone today wants to have someone else pay
for their bad luck/carelessness.  I can see why you don't want to
take chances with your children, but you should be the one paying
the premiums if you want the coverage.  It is coverage for your
children you're after not my property.  Now if you want to pay my
auto/home premiums maybe we can strike a deal, but I'll bet a fence
around your yard is much cheaper.
Newsgroups: ba.general,misc.kids,misc.legal