Grinding My Gears

You know what really grinds my gears???

If you follow my Facebook, you may have remembered something about us getting a letter from Code Services about having our "holiday" lights up past 90 days.

I have to admit--we forgot to take the top lights down (the icicle lights were taken down back in January as we saw them everyday and they took 2 seconds to remove).  This winter was so cold and brutal that when it finally warmed up this Spring, we were no longer thinking about the top lights.

From what I could gather in the letter, having lights up 90 days after the holidays is deemed a fire hazard.  I'm also guessing the intent of the code has something to do with keeping the neighborhoods looking nice..

My issue with the code:
1) Our lights had been unplugged since Jan 7...can't really see a legitimate fire hazard here
2) Since when can the city determine which religious--or even cultural--holidays I celebrate with the hanging of lights?  Boy, can I see a lawsuit here if they messed with the right homeowner
3) If they want to be in the business of keeping up with appearances, why did they cite the most maintained property on the block?  What about the landlord across the street that has 6 nasty-@#$ trashcans with no lids sitting on the city sidewalks all year long?  The landlord was reported almost 4 weeks ago and the city has yet to take any action.  What about all the other properties around town with 3-foot tall grass, houses that look like they need to be razed, beer cans in the yard 5 days a week, etc?  I'm sure out-of-towners would be more put off by those sights than a house with lights still up.
4) You couldn't even see our stupid Christmas lights.  You really had to look to see them.  We hung clear bulbs along the top of the gutters.  But then you have the Griswold-style homes that everyone flocks to each Christmas and their tacky lights are still up.

But you know what REALLY grinds my gears???  I just noticed yesterday evening that downtown Manhattan still has their lights up.  Um, talk about visibility!  Their lights are placed on top of all the buildings, just like our lights.  I realize Downtown Manhattan Inc (the group responsible for hanging the lights) is a separate entity from the city, but really???  REALLY? 

It's pretty obvious that I'm annoyed by this.  I'm also annoyed that our new City Commission is repealing an ordinance that requires landlords to keep their properties maintained and up-to-code by conducting rental inspections.  What is more important?  Ensuring tenants have safe, clean housing or the city taking the time to make sure residents have removed their holiday lights within 90 days?  Man I tell ya--we love living in the Little Apple but there are some things that definately make ya shake your head.