The kids are circling so I doubt my ability to do any justice to this post, but I wanted to at least flag an opinion column by Republican-Libertarian politician-columnist Andrew Horning in the Evansville Courier Press. He starts off, in my opinion, well enough when he criticizes a new law (HB 1033) requiring weather radios in new trailers. He notes that the legislation doesn’t provide any obligations on trailer park owners or manufacturers or on owners of existing trailers. He says the burden is on the trailer owners. Actually, looking at the legislation, it applies to a person who “installs” a trailer home in a mobile home community after June 30, 2007. He also suggests that because these radios alert not only for bad weather in the area but also for Amber alerts and national alerts, most people turn them off as annoyances and they aren’t particularly effective. I don’t know the truth of that, but it sounds like a reasonable argument.
The problem is that he uses the deficiencies of this legislation as a springboard to range far afield, warning of big government and citing the dangers of Ruby Ridge and Waco as well as the vulnerability of an unarmed populace to the likes of the Virginia Tech rampager.
(Now my daughter is physically pulling me from the chair as I type. Perhaps she would like some attention. Perhaps more later.)
Update: Now that I’ve had a chance to look at the weather radio law a little bit, I think Mr. Horning is wrong on his assessment as to who is responsible for making sure these weather radios get put in the mobile home. He says:
The law doesn’t offer assistance of any kind. It simply makes it illegal to live in a new or relocated trailer that’s not equipped with an NOAA weather-alert radio.
The law doesn’t hold trailer builders, installers or park owners liable for anything. The law targets only trailer dwellers, a demographic already burdened by food and medical bills.
HB 1033 amends IC 25-23.7 which governs “Manufactured Home Installers.” The new law says this:
Sec. 6. (a) This section applies to a person that installs a manufactured home in a mobile home community after June 30, 2007.
(b) A person shall supply a weather radio inside each manufactured home that the person installs. [Required radio features omitted] . . .
(c) The supplying of a weather radio by a person who installs a manufactured home as required by this section does not subject the person to liability for the functionality of that weather radio.
The definitions of “installer” and “installation” are set forth in IC 25-23.7-2-3 & 4. IC 25-23.7-8-2 requires that installation of a manufactured home in a mobile home community be performed by a licensed manufactured home installer. Under IC 25-23.7-7, a violation could result in loss of a license or even be deemed a Class B misdemeanor.
So, I have to conclude that, while Horning might be right that this is an overly picky, nanny-state kind of law, he is wrong when he concludes that it is unenforceable or that the burden falls directly on the mobile home owner. The direct burden (which will presumably be passed along) falls on the installer who has a financial incentive to comply with the law.
I never understood the Right’s advocacy for the Branch Dividians. I mean, doomsday cultist type thinks he’s the messiah, and he’s a serial child-rapist. Then he starts hoarding weapons. ATF shows up with proper warrants and a bunch of their officers get shot in a hail of gunfire. I guess the proper response would have been to shrug it off and go home?
Waco crap aside, He makes a good point about the weather radio law. This new law is just about as important as the interior designer designation.
I guess after the twister destroys your trailer, the “inspectors” will scour the wreckage for your weather radio? What then, give them a ticket?
Sheesh….
I think the Right felt they had to choose the Branch Dividians over Janet Reno..
No difference in my opinion between being required to have a weather radio in a mobile home to being required to wear a seatbelt.A person is ultimately responsible for one’s own safety but the Indiana state legislature does not agree with this.
We have a Midland weather radio and do not find it annoying at all.
When set at high volume it will wake you up at night in case of a approaching tornado which is the time when tornado’s can cause the most fatalities.
Holy cow, that article is really out there! My favorite part is towards the end when he seems to imply that crime rates were lower in 1900 because people could own cannons & hand grenandes (??!!). As for the actual law at issue, I wasn’t aware it ended up in the form of just requiring trailer owners to have the radios, placing no requirements on trailer park owners etc. Somehow I’m doubting that the woman who originally pushed for a bill on this b/c her son was killed in a trailer by a tornado meant for the burden to fall exclusively on the trailer owner/renter.
Technically the law puts the burden on whoever “installs” the home in the trailer park:
Upon further review IC 25-23.7-2-3 & 4 define “install” and “installer”. That article of the Indiana Code requires that a license professional install a mobile home in a mobile home community.
So, presumably a licensed installer risks his or her license to do business if he or she fails to comply with the statute.
Now that I’ve looked at the actual legislation and the article in which it was placed, I think Mr. Horning is wrong on his interpretation of the statute.
Well that makes more sense, Doug. I’m still not sure this was the best idea for a law, but Horning does misconstrue/misrepresent it AND he says lots of bizarre things to go with it.
Horning is popping up again? Must be election time, I suppose there’s a race for dog catcher somewhere.
Me either. Being right of center, I put those loonies that support them in the same boat as the 9/11 “inside job” crowd.
The Branch Dividans molested Christianity as much as they did people, so I have no idea why any Christians would support them. However, I think the support of them is small and vocal.