The Growing Police State: Dog Poop Edition

Welcome to Nazi California, where allowing your dog to poop in your own yard can cost you up to $100,000.00.  Per day.

Per the North County Times (a San Diego News Paper), San Diego is about to implement a policy whereby... well, I'll just quote them:
California’s latest experiment in faith-based policymaking is being unleashed today on the San Diego public, as regional water-quality officials begin hearings on new regulations that seem crafted to turn most owners of a car, house or dog into criminals within a decade or so. We wish we were exaggerating.

Under the draft rules, ordinary homeowners may face six years in prison and fines of $100,000 a day if they are deemed serial offenders of such new crimes as allowing sprinklers to hit the pavement, washing a car in the driveway, or, conceivably, failing to pick up dog poop promptly from their own backyards, let alone the sidewalk.

"Allowing sprinklers to hit the pavement?"  "Washing a car in the driveway?"  Seriously, what kind of State are you living in, Californians?  That's just stupid.

Now, the rules claim to be for "water quality," but, in reality, they're for revenue generation.  Think about it: even if you have automatic sprinklers, water is going to hit the pavement.  This is even more true with manual sprinklers.  Criminalizing washing your own car does two things: if you comply with the law, that means you're going to a car wash, who are paying lisence fees and taxes to the city, and if you don't comply, they can fine and even jail you.

And, dog poop?  Seriously?  Now, I hate when people don't pick up after their dogs in public as much as the next person, but one of the reasons I have a yard is so I don't have to pick up after my dogs daily.  I would hardly have time for anything else.

Of course, Californians could do something about this.  They could elect actual conservative leaders and stop sticking their hands out for more government goodies.  But, considering they also just passed a tax increase on themselves (a Liberal's wet dream, that), I guess we can't expect any such sanity any time soon.

Until then, I'll just point out that it isn't generally free societies that encourage people to rat out their neighbors for leaving dog poop in the yard.