For a country founded on the sanctity of property rights, we’ve done a terrible job of keeping records on who owns what. Do you know exactly where your property lines lie? Do you have a copy of your site plan? Like most homeowners, you probably don’t. I spent some time corresponding with a licensed surveyor on this topic, and he expressed a rather emotional lament that in the United States, […]

We are stuck between a concrete slab and a hard place. As regular readers know, Jenkintown Borough has cited us for having substandard sidewalks and curbs. Despite the fact that this is government property, this Borough can and does force its residents to pay directly for their repair. Because of this, we face what amounted to a surprise tax of over $3500. If we do not comply with their order, we […]

The school district spends $22,000 per kid, and apparently it can’t shovel snow from a storm two days before.

No one much likes bureaucracies, except maybe those who work in them. Bureaucrats have the tendency to do most anything to justify their existence, whether or not their role has any real value to the society for which they serve. “My job here is done,” said no government official ever. In a local government, this manifests itself in several ways, but mainly through all the extra fees paid for services […]

Another last Monday of the month, another Jenkintown Borough Council meeting! If you support getting better sidewalks for Jenkintown and a more equitable way to pay for them, please join Louise and me to express your concerns. Council does not think you care how they’re doing this. Please show them they’re wrong. The meeting starts promptly at 7:30 tonight at Jenkintown Borough Hall.