Do politicians need to get with the times?

Do politicians actually get it?

While writing my posts for class recently, we were listening to an NPR story about a family in Shorewood Wisconsin who had planted vegetables in their strip of land in the front yard that is commonly known as the parkway. This couple was cited by the city council for the vegetable garden because of an ordinance that suggests nothing over 4 inches could be planted there. Generally speaking, most communities with sidewalks have this parkway land and it has an easement for utilities. When the couple went to the city council meeting to let them know what they were doing and why (it was the sunniest place on the property), they found out that this was a little known or enforced ordinance. In fact, several people up and down the street had bushes and Hosta plants planted there. One city council woman (she’d been on the council for 23 years) had perennial flowers there. Why was this couple being singled out? Were they singled out because it was different and did not fit with the community’s image? Good thing the First Lady doesn’t live there?
http://www.shorewoodnow.com/news/49002536.html
http://haas414.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/milwaukee-suburb-struggles-with-people-doing-what-they-want-in-their-yard/
This is reminiscent of a problem that we ran across in the news a few terms ago, hanging out laundry. I thought there would be no question that this issue would be solved for the community, but doing a search, found that there are still questions about this in some communities. Go figure, we are in an economic slump, we are trying to save money and energy (hanging out your laundry can save up to $80 a year-I do it!). Are we really so worried about how our neighborhoods look, that we want people to spend money and energy so we don’t have to look at their skivvies? Clothes lines as an eyesore? Really?
http://www.theolympian.com/181/story/927455.html
Is it time for communities to consider these outdated ordinances and choose more ecologically friendly rules/laws? Aren’t there more serious problems to deal with than laundry and vegetable gardens in our yards? Aren’t they our yards? I suppose I’m grateful that I live on a farm where my neighbors can’t see the weeds in my garden or the laundry on my deck.