Don’t be so complicated, most of us can’t handle more than 2 dimensions.
Good/evil is the most important domension. Ability and energy level are secondary.
I would take a stupid, lazy good folk than someone who is smart, energetic and eager to kill you.
I’m talking from a productivity viewpoint. Can you tell whether people has good/ evil intention? Kind of hard.
The in-thing is appropriateness to the job/ task 
and hungry (eager to perform). Not the best and brightest who want recognition and bragging rights.
When laws are in conflict then you either break the law or go live under a bridge. Homeless people,illegals and most drivers break laws everyday. When bureaucrats make stupid laws they will be broken. For instance there are thousands of illegal units in the BA. Additionally every house over three years old is in violation of current codes. That means everyone on this forum is breaking laws and codes daily. We need inspectors that recognize that codes and laws do not need to be strictly followed.
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Good to know 
That’s what many “law and order” people here don’t get. Law enforcement is never meant to be black and white. The enforcers need to exercise sensible discretion. It will be very unpleasant if cops are stationed every few miles on the highway to make sure everyone drives below speed limit, even if it’s all straight ahead with no cars.
If we want 100% enforcement we should install cameras on all street corners and apply A.I. algorithms to monitor citizens’ every move. We probably need to install some inside homes also. Most people break some laws inside their houses.
Surveillance state. Regulation state. Nanny state.
Too many laws and too many regulations actually weaken the law and order because it would become impossible to live a legal life.
Over regulation is the side effect of excellent productivity and abundance created by technology advance. There are excessive number of people for the useful work. Those useless people would sit around and make numerous laws to make the capable people less productive. This would create scarcity in some dimension such as housing shortage. Over regulation is about power grab from the useless people.
If we go back to the old days of not enough, all the useless or evil regulations will go down the drain.
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Right! Every old house has numerous planning and building code violations. However, they don’t allow you to demolish such an old house with numerous violations, they don’t allow you to replace the old house with a fully compliant new house!
Abolish planning commission. Abolish slavery.
A reasonable intention of planning and building code should be guiding people to build safer and better houses. Instead planning commission has become a decision maker on wealth distribution and population location.
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I just had an inspection of my 1953 apartment building. It has passed annual inspections for 20 years. The new inspector says I have to meet current codes. New Sherif in town syndrome. Wants GFIs, window screens. Stair rails to current code. Abitrary enforcement. Even specd glass over fire extinguishers cabinets instead of plastic. Harassment at best. Feels like the full body cavity search at the airport. Little men with too much power.
Why do they require an annual inspection? Usually as long as you did not do major remodel, they can’t require you to make updates unless it is not functional any more.
You can report to his boss. But these are low cost minor repairs, might as well do as he told.
City requires annual inspections on multi family. The new inspectors start off hard ass then mellow out. Appeals to the boss are counter productive
Picture of the SF house:
Reading between the lines - a lawsuit is forthcoming … a lot of opinions that Richard Neutra himself would be rolling in his grave w the PC insisting on a 2018 recreation of an 80 year old house.
Architectural nostalgia is a luxury only rich nations like the US can afford. Less so in Asia and the third world. A high price is paid to cherish 80 year old antiques, that In Europe would not be considered an antique.
Frankly as an engineer, architect worship just seems weird. I bet even most of these old architects would agree that houses and design need to accommodate the current needs of society and not just sit around as tourist attractions. Especially in a city that demands that houses be kept up to current code and be earthquake safe.
How many engineers get the benefit of this nostalgia worship?
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SF planning commission might have violated federal guideline on historic preservation. This case should go to the Supreme Court with donated legal fees from the public.
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, a federal guideline for historic preservation, stipulates that the reconstruction of lost historic buildings should take into “consideration the economic and technical feasibility of each project” and whether such reconstruction is essential to the public understanding of the property. The reconstruction should be in cases where “documentary and physical evidence is available to permit accurate reconstruction with minimal conjecture.”
There should be a higher criteria than wether the architect is famous. I never heard of this guy. I know I designed a lot more houses than he did.
Geez, I go away for 10 days of sun and sand and see this crap??? Classic Fab 7x7 leadership idiots…
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Being able to get permits without bribing officials is a luxury only rich nations like the US can afford. Less so in Asia and the third world. A high price is paid under the table to get what you want.
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Permits were cheap in CA until prop 13…Cities use fees to make up for revenues …I would rather have the old bribe system than $100k fees per house.
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I laugh and love when we become hypocrite posters.
When I read posters here complaining of me insulting others when I do it on my own defense (read this: saying less that the vulgar president) they are clicking on that heart=like when insults are thrown to unsuspected people as the stupidvisors. I wonder what they would do the day the stupidwhatever come to give them a “favorable” deal on their properties. I bet they will refuse such gratitude, right? Same thing goes for getting a pennies on the dollar from a poor ignorant Communist or Socialist. You would definitely refuse such deal, right? 
If you live in SF, and despise the elected officials, and you can’t beat them in an electoral process but trash them for being what they are, after they beat you big time, and you don’t participate as a voter= organizer
on the ground but rhetorically, you are either a lunatic or masochist person. Specially when you just bitch and never move a finger to correct the situation. I understand, this is you being an organizer in a forum where the king is deaf and the people are mute.
By being a warrior behind a monitor or a keyboard you won’t gain anything if when it’s time to march on the streets or attending meetings supporting those Americans that really protest and make a difference, yes, when your presence is needed you are MIA, you are just wasting everybody’s time. Maybe in your fragile but convenient for you, “world”, the action of supporting others in the same boat like you is for Socialists or Communists. Could be it?
Well, I see your situation as anybody crashing against a wall every morning expecting a door to be there, it is called either stupidity or Stockholm Syndrome, or both. Or, maybe you are so lazy you want others to fight for you. Why the complaining then? This, reminds me of the famous marches of 2004-2008 here in San Jose. I was marching for the rights of millions to be recognized as hard working citizenry. I can be wrong, but I never saw anybody representing “the others”.
We as a society are bound and threatened=corrected=checked by regulations, laws, you name the thing we despise. So, if you come to reside in a place deemed historical, folkloric, or it has rules to avoid turning that place into a modern place and those changes don’t fit the aura of that place being a touristic destination, and such changes don’t fit the tourist industry agenda, thus making that place losing its appeal, but you want to change it, let me tell you, either you are hypocrite living there, or you are just mumbling jumbling nonsense because you hate anything that doesn’t allow you to make a buck, anything that doesn’t fit your agenda, basically, you love anarchy, not democracy.
And without checks and balances, you would still be here bitching about how others beat you to the game, and blame the same people holding the powers for you being what you are, a complacent careless person not doing your homework as an individual. Such attitude will be the same no matter who is at the throne because you may not have any influence to fix what it needs to be fixed because you hate politicians. If you can’t join them, be a one of their pawns. That’s how the system works. Period!
That’s how we humans behave. And that’s why even though I like a beer or two, I never go to bars or restaurants to drink liquor because I know out there, there’s a cop that will ruin, or save my life. Do I need to hate and insult the officer for making me be a better citizen by complying with the law or, should I be called an idiot for drinking and driving under the influence?
Choose your favorite comment.