In Sydney, Australia, we recently had a severe storm with winds over 100 kilometres per hour. The large tree in my front yard snapped and one half fell on the power lines yet the other half didn't fall. For the last couple of days it has been standing a bad angle and if another storm comes it will fall onto either mine or my neighbours house as well as a power cable pole.  This is what I don't understand, we have to pay our local and state council rates on land that we own , yes our own property and maintain the nature strip which I might add is council property. Add to this if my tree falls insurance should cover the damage, but what annoys me is that we have to get permission to get our own trees on our own property  cut down from the local council, not only that even if the tree presents a dangerous hazard all the council will say is you could wait till it falls. I told them if it did fall someone may get injured, and the response, what do want us to do about it. My response, how about helping us cut down the bloody thing.  I would love to hear any other stories about how anyone else has been screwed by their so - called elected representatives and governments.

Wow, that is lame.

Pennsylvania apparently has a law that states that when a couple gets divorced, even if the one at fault was a total parasite who cheats the system to get disability, because they have that status, they get alimony.

Elara :   Ouch, I will never understand why laws like that are brought in. I don't think we have a law like that, touch wood, but it does get left up to the discretion of the magistrate, and you can never tell what they may do.

Yeah, it varies by state here as well. What gets me is that if we had all stayed in California, that jerk would have got nothing, which is what he deserves. Now, he gets a whole bunch of stuff and my fiance's mom has to dip into her pension fund to pay him the rest of the money. It isn't right.

my opinion is yours frickin sucks...
Lol. Na i think almost every local government has things like that. Its really a gamble when you need something, if somewhat helpfull will hear you out, or if it goes to the ass that thinks they know everything about everything.
When that happens i find the easiest thing is to threaten legal action. That generaly gets there ass in gear.
Elara :
Wow, that guy has no decency, what did you see in him?
Cant you report him if hes not eligible for disability?or is he exploiting a loop hole?

thenumberone : Not my ex... my fiance's stepfather.

We could report him, but they would have to observe him... he doesn't go out much.

Elara :
Oh, my bad.
And that too is bad.
There are no shortages of parasites

warmaker : I will agree that your local government seems to do a lot for your community, however your local government is equivalent to our state government. In Australia we have three tiers of government, federal, state and local council, of which under our legislature maintenance of any section of government property which may come under a direct threat of damage by any means should therefore become a concern to the local council. To be honest my council has done some very good things over the past few years, however I do believe that if they were to properly apply there own bylaws to certain matters, then they could have dealt with my situation a lot better than they have.