When I first visited this area, I spent a couple weeks in Lane county and remember telling my friend before going back to Montana, " Yunno, Eugene is kinda like New York. It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. If I ever moved out here - I'd get a place in Springfield."
In 1977 I DID move out here.....and good as my word....have always lived in Springfield. Was always rather proud of the town, considering. But these last 10 years or so....I've found that I'm actually embarrassed of the place.
It's not the regular Springfielders that are screwing this town up. It's the people making up all the obnoxious, invasive ordinances.
One of the best neighbors I ever had was functionally run out of town by ordinances. He was a handyman and would commit the horrendous crime of repairing broken appliances and mowers and selling them. The City about had puppies. He couldn't afford to NOT sell his wares.
Every neighbor I have now (including myself) on the west side of my property has been harrassed by Springfield for one petty infraction after another. It all springs from having that ONE GUY who delights in making life hard for everybody else around him and makes complaints for any conceiveable infraction. These guys LOVE these invasive ordinances. And Springfield LOVES to use these people as an excuse to issue tickets and mail threatening letters.
Then there's just the ridiculous building ordinances. Like needing a permit to replace an existing fence. When I built the addition on, I discovered the City doing just about everything they could to needlessly run up costs to build pointless and counter productive things. I suspect a Springfield ordinance is behind these store parking lots that are so filled with cement obstacles, trees, weeds and planters that there isn't the needed room to park your $#@&*& car. I almost got run down in such a lot, because my visibility was blocked by all the shrubbery. There is no reason for this!
If I ever sell the place I'm currently in - you can bet that I won't rebuy in this City I love. The City council has ruined this town. As best as I can tell, they aren't thru ruining it yet.
An ascendant man, living in a degenerate age, MUST, by definition, live in contradistinction to his times.
