Maale Adumim, which most resident would agree has an outstanding standard of living, is raising its city rates by approximately 6%. This after many years of having very subsidised rates compared to other cities, in particular Jerusalem.
Despite the relatively low rates, Maale Adumim is a very well kept city and consistently wins awards for being so.
However, Maale Adumim is no longer the small settlement it started out as. There are almost 50,000 residents and an infrastructure that (whether cleaning, roads or education) must be maintained while costs only increase.
The city's budget is made up, in no small part, by rates and building fees, the former, untill now being subsidised by the government.
It is reasonable that at some stage, the government would require that the city become more self sufficient, which means an increase in rates.
Of course this decision has caused a minor furore with the loudest wailing coming from the city representatives of the section of Israeli society that would spend all their time in Kolelim if they could and would turn Maale Adumim into a welfare city like Beit Shemesh, Betar and Modiin Elite.
The city should not succumb to pressure and apply the rate increase as soon as possible.
As an aside, the issue of people dividing up their houses into apartments came up this week. My future neighbor (we are building on two adjacent plots), who's father bought him the plot of land so that he would live in Maale Adumim even though he would rather live in the Tel Aviv area, let slip that he was intending to divide a whole floor into two apartments, because otherwise he couldn't afford his rates.
I very politely suggested that maybe he consider building a smaller house, and then let him know (because its better to be up front and honest about these things), that the day he starts dividing up his house, will be the day that he (and the city) gets as huge a civil suit as the courts will allow, for depreciating the value of my house and the street. That is why the city, when giving building permits, have a form that the owners have to sign, indemnifying the city from suits filed in civil court.
In a conversation with a city employee on this issue, I was informed that the city's power to sue people who illegally divide up their apartments is much less than that of a citizen. This seems to be accurate and to anyone who suffers from excess noise, lack of parking and overloaded infrastructure, may I suggest that being "a good neighbor" and suffering in silence (there are a lot of you) is tantamount to being a sucker of the first order.
I did explain to my rather shocked future neighbor what my reasoning was, however I don't think we are on the same page.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Bloody Cheek of some people
In this weeks edition of the "Maale Adumim" local paper was an article that really highlighted the absolute cheek of people who think that the worl owes them everything and that they have no accountability.
Apparently, the Maale Adumim Municipality is suing a homeowner for the astronomical amount of 300,000 NIS for unpaid rates.
The homeowner in question, a woman who was not identified by name, applied to the courts so as to be able to present an argument against the City.
Her argument being that for all the years in question, the city had made a mistake in estimating the size of her house and that it was not 800 square metres, but 732 square metres and therefore she had not paid any of her rates (the paper writing this in the most blasee fashion as if they actually sided with this woman)
What absolute bullshit!
I would like to know how this woman got to build 732 metres (if not the whole 800). Which city official in the planning department approved that? On what size plot?
Where was the opposition when that happened?
And why in hell did the city wait so long to sue this woman?
I think that someone's priorities are a bit wrong
Apparently, the Maale Adumim Municipality is suing a homeowner for the astronomical amount of 300,000 NIS for unpaid rates.
The homeowner in question, a woman who was not identified by name, applied to the courts so as to be able to present an argument against the City.
Her argument being that for all the years in question, the city had made a mistake in estimating the size of her house and that it was not 800 square metres, but 732 square metres and therefore she had not paid any of her rates (the paper writing this in the most blasee fashion as if they actually sided with this woman)
What absolute bullshit!
I would like to know how this woman got to build 732 metres (if not the whole 800). Which city official in the planning department approved that? On what size plot?
Where was the opposition when that happened?
And why in hell did the city wait so long to sue this woman?
I think that someone's priorities are a bit wrong
Friday, October 16, 2009
How NOT to succeed as an "Atzmai"
This is one post that for several reasons, I'd rather not be doing. However it was prompted by my friend Gidon's post, titled, "How to succeed as an Atzmai" and "How much money should you aim to make as an Atzmai"
As usual, I apologise for my unprofessional writing style.
An Atzmai, for those who don't know, is someone who is self-employed and may or may not, employ others but doesn't operate under a company structure.
As Gidon wrote, the process of opening a file with the Tax, VAT and Social Security authorities are fairly straightforwards. The problems arise gradually and innocuously.
I think it is a mistake to rate how much money one wants to make, against the tax levels one has to start paying from. Obviously, it is natural to want to earn as much as possible, and certainly more than if one was to do the same job for a wage. Otherwise there would be no point to being self employed.
The factors to think about besides what levels of earning one pays tax at (and whatever I write here is more than likely far from complete), include
1. Day to day living - Food, clothes, entertainment, holidays etc
2. Permanent expenses - Mortgages, Rates, electricity, gas, water, school fees, phones etc
3. Insurances - Health, life, house, car
4. Savings - Kids (weddings, Bar Mitvah's), Pension (we all get older and want to make sure that whoever is going to wipe our arses etc will have some respect)
5. Taxes
Then of course, once one has a budget, there's the question of making sure that the minimum amount that we need is really going to come in each month and what will you do if it doesnt.
Of course we are talking about an average person who has not inherited money and doesnt have a rich daddy.
OK, so now you have a budget, you are confident that you've got a clientelle and you go to the authorities and open up files.
You start working, but sooner or later, clients are late paying, or you've got a slow period. You still have to pay your taxes, and if you earned "X" for the last few months, and now you declare half that amount, flags will be raised and you may be audited. Do you have the time or the experience to answer the sort of questions you will be asked? Because the first assumption the tax authorities have is that you are hiding income.
Then of course, there's the stage that most people get to especially after the first audit (or "friendly interview") and thats like a self-fulfilling prophecy. You get some income, and dont write a receipt (for any number of reasons). You rent out a part of your house, you declare expenses that you think are legit, but are not. I know, this all sounds like something that any intelligent person would be careful not to do right? But I can assure you that there are lots (and lots) of people sitting in the country's jails, who are inherintly decent people, who got caught up in a cycle of trying to delay payment of taxes to keep their heads above water "just for a while" and then fell deeply into the tax avoidance pit. More often than not, its the small income self-employed who fall into this category, simply because of the temptation of trying to save by doing things themselves.
Of course I am not saying that its not worth being self employed. It can be. BUT....I am definitely saying that its not worth dealing with the tax authorities unless you are a professional. You would not treat yourself medically from reading an encyclopaedia, nor would you represent yourself in a court of law....people do, sometimes successfully, but many times with disastrous results.
Budget in the cost of an accountant/book-keeper. The rules change all the time and if you want to be able to concentrate on the important things (like keeping your time for working and relaxing and not on dealing with authorities), don't create a stumbling block for yourself. The professionals stop you from making mistakes and allow you, when questioned by the tax authorities, to refer all questions (and responsibility) to them.
Again, this is just my own opinion for what its worth.
As usual, I apologise for my unprofessional writing style.
An Atzmai, for those who don't know, is someone who is self-employed and may or may not, employ others but doesn't operate under a company structure.
As Gidon wrote, the process of opening a file with the Tax, VAT and Social Security authorities are fairly straightforwards. The problems arise gradually and innocuously.
I think it is a mistake to rate how much money one wants to make, against the tax levels one has to start paying from. Obviously, it is natural to want to earn as much as possible, and certainly more than if one was to do the same job for a wage. Otherwise there would be no point to being self employed.
The factors to think about besides what levels of earning one pays tax at (and whatever I write here is more than likely far from complete), include
1. Day to day living - Food, clothes, entertainment, holidays etc
2. Permanent expenses - Mortgages, Rates, electricity, gas, water, school fees, phones etc
3. Insurances - Health, life, house, car
4. Savings - Kids (weddings, Bar Mitvah's), Pension (we all get older and want to make sure that whoever is going to wipe our arses etc will have some respect)
5. Taxes
Then of course, once one has a budget, there's the question of making sure that the minimum amount that we need is really going to come in each month and what will you do if it doesnt.
Of course we are talking about an average person who has not inherited money and doesnt have a rich daddy.
OK, so now you have a budget, you are confident that you've got a clientelle and you go to the authorities and open up files.
You start working, but sooner or later, clients are late paying, or you've got a slow period. You still have to pay your taxes, and if you earned "X" for the last few months, and now you declare half that amount, flags will be raised and you may be audited. Do you have the time or the experience to answer the sort of questions you will be asked? Because the first assumption the tax authorities have is that you are hiding income.
Then of course, there's the stage that most people get to especially after the first audit (or "friendly interview") and thats like a self-fulfilling prophecy. You get some income, and dont write a receipt (for any number of reasons). You rent out a part of your house, you declare expenses that you think are legit, but are not. I know, this all sounds like something that any intelligent person would be careful not to do right? But I can assure you that there are lots (and lots) of people sitting in the country's jails, who are inherintly decent people, who got caught up in a cycle of trying to delay payment of taxes to keep their heads above water "just for a while" and then fell deeply into the tax avoidance pit. More often than not, its the small income self-employed who fall into this category, simply because of the temptation of trying to save by doing things themselves.
Of course I am not saying that its not worth being self employed. It can be. BUT....I am definitely saying that its not worth dealing with the tax authorities unless you are a professional. You would not treat yourself medically from reading an encyclopaedia, nor would you represent yourself in a court of law....people do, sometimes successfully, but many times with disastrous results.
Budget in the cost of an accountant/book-keeper. The rules change all the time and if you want to be able to concentrate on the important things (like keeping your time for working and relaxing and not on dealing with authorities), don't create a stumbling block for yourself. The professionals stop you from making mistakes and allow you, when questioned by the tax authorities, to refer all questions (and responsibility) to them.
Again, this is just my own opinion for what its worth.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Laying the foundation stone for E1, or just political scoring?
This week, with great fanfare (and expense to the taxpayer), Mayor Benny Cashriel held a "groundbreaking" ceremony at the E1 site (what is supposed to be a new neighborhood providing contiguous building between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem).
Attending were some scores of high school students, mostly from the religious schools, a smattering of the Maale Adumim population and a grand score of two members of Parliament.
As Rafi Ben-Hur (the leader of the opposition) succintly, if not a bit harshly, put it in his weekly column, this was a total waste of public funds, whose only purpose was to score some publicity for Cashriel and did bugger all for really getting E1 of the ground.
As Rafi rightly said, today's population of Maale Adumim is very different to those who founded the city. Back then people were willing to camp out on the barren hills and brave real danger in order to fulfil a dream of settling the land. The leaders were focused and less politically motivated because they had nothing to lose.
Unlike today.
Cashriel, despite last year's show of moving the municipal offices to E1 (which lasted all of two weeks) will not do anything radical that might endanger any future job he might get in the Likud heirarchy when he quits (or gets voted out) the Maale Adumim municipality.
What is called for, is actual building on the E1 site, even if just a few houses but with the authority of the leadership.
The pity is, that Cashriel has done a superb job of making Maale Adumim an exceptionally good city in just about every way. However too much of a good thing, at least in my opinion, is damaging the city more than doing good.
In order to keep his authority, Cashriel, like all good dictators, has surrounded himself with yes men, who are at best mediocre or just plain frightened.
While this sort of government could, (and did) work with a smaller population, with the city reaching a population of 40,000, something has to give.
In fact, we are seeing some deterioration in education and there is an increase in violence. Both are issues that have been central to Cashriel's stand as mayor (Education and Quality of Life is what Maale Adumim has advertised consistently - and so far, rightly)
I dont know if Cashriel will win, or even stand for another election, however he should act now, so that his last years wont be seen as a fizzle for both himself and Maale Adumim.
As far as E1 is concerned, a bit of courage is called for. There are enough people who would rally for that.
Attending were some scores of high school students, mostly from the religious schools, a smattering of the Maale Adumim population and a grand score of two members of Parliament.
As Rafi Ben-Hur (the leader of the opposition) succintly, if not a bit harshly, put it in his weekly column, this was a total waste of public funds, whose only purpose was to score some publicity for Cashriel and did bugger all for really getting E1 of the ground.
As Rafi rightly said, today's population of Maale Adumim is very different to those who founded the city. Back then people were willing to camp out on the barren hills and brave real danger in order to fulfil a dream of settling the land. The leaders were focused and less politically motivated because they had nothing to lose.
Unlike today.
Cashriel, despite last year's show of moving the municipal offices to E1 (which lasted all of two weeks) will not do anything radical that might endanger any future job he might get in the Likud heirarchy when he quits (or gets voted out) the Maale Adumim municipality.
What is called for, is actual building on the E1 site, even if just a few houses but with the authority of the leadership.
The pity is, that Cashriel has done a superb job of making Maale Adumim an exceptionally good city in just about every way. However too much of a good thing, at least in my opinion, is damaging the city more than doing good.
In order to keep his authority, Cashriel, like all good dictators, has surrounded himself with yes men, who are at best mediocre or just plain frightened.
While this sort of government could, (and did) work with a smaller population, with the city reaching a population of 40,000, something has to give.
In fact, we are seeing some deterioration in education and there is an increase in violence. Both are issues that have been central to Cashriel's stand as mayor (Education and Quality of Life is what Maale Adumim has advertised consistently - and so far, rightly)
I dont know if Cashriel will win, or even stand for another election, however he should act now, so that his last years wont be seen as a fizzle for both himself and Maale Adumim.
As far as E1 is concerned, a bit of courage is called for. There are enough people who would rally for that.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
What I did on my vacation
Dropped off the hound at the Mother-in-law and headed up to Moshav Amirim on Sunday with Lynn Moshe and Natan (Daniel being in the army and Sara finishing off sherut leumi).
Booked in to one of "Dalia's Tzimmerim" and spent the rest of sunday by the pool, followed by dinner at "Stupps" (unfortunate name but good food), the only restaurant on the moshav with a kashrut certificate. Now this is a bit of a bugger, because the moshav is strictly vegetarian. Not even fish is allowed, and the only reason the other restaurants dont get certification is that they are open on shabbat and therefore issues like checking the veggies for worms and tithes become suspect. I did check with my Rabbi, who said that at the end of the day, even if one overcame the technical problems, there was still the educational aspect and totally sided with Moshe, who didnt want to go near the restaurants. Oh well, the Indian one looked really good too.
On Monday we did the Yehudiya hike and experienced one of those moments that really only happen in Israel. There is a section of the trail that involves climbing down a ladder, jumping into an icy pool then swimming to the next part of the trail. This usually causes a bottleneck but is a good opportunity to meet new people.
Anyway, there was this family group from Canada, one of who's kids had just had his bar mitzva at the Kotel. Another family next to them, these ones very ethnic Morrocans, heard this and started singing and ululating. Of course, everyone likes a good sing a long and before long, people down the line were singing as well, and they didnt even know what for....very cool!
That was the nice Israeli, because a few days later, we did the "Jillaboun" waterfall trail which ends at a beautiful pool fed from a waterfall in a really picturesque setting. We had just gotten used to the icy water and the few people who were there, when along came this family of low-lifes, (who stereotypically give all Sefardim a bad name) spread themselves out all over the place and basically trashed the whole area around the pool.
Of course, these days one has to be careful about making any comments as who knows when one of these people might pull out a knife.
Well, that raised the old blood-pressure a bit, but all in all, the week was brilliant. Missed anything interesting in Maale Adumim? Probably not.
Booked in to one of "Dalia's Tzimmerim" and spent the rest of sunday by the pool, followed by dinner at "Stupps" (unfortunate name but good food), the only restaurant on the moshav with a kashrut certificate. Now this is a bit of a bugger, because the moshav is strictly vegetarian. Not even fish is allowed, and the only reason the other restaurants dont get certification is that they are open on shabbat and therefore issues like checking the veggies for worms and tithes become suspect. I did check with my Rabbi, who said that at the end of the day, even if one overcame the technical problems, there was still the educational aspect and totally sided with Moshe, who didnt want to go near the restaurants. Oh well, the Indian one looked really good too.
On Monday we did the Yehudiya hike and experienced one of those moments that really only happen in Israel. There is a section of the trail that involves climbing down a ladder, jumping into an icy pool then swimming to the next part of the trail. This usually causes a bottleneck but is a good opportunity to meet new people.
Anyway, there was this family group from Canada, one of who's kids had just had his bar mitzva at the Kotel. Another family next to them, these ones very ethnic Morrocans, heard this and started singing and ululating. Of course, everyone likes a good sing a long and before long, people down the line were singing as well, and they didnt even know what for....very cool!
That was the nice Israeli, because a few days later, we did the "Jillaboun" waterfall trail which ends at a beautiful pool fed from a waterfall in a really picturesque setting. We had just gotten used to the icy water and the few people who were there, when along came this family of low-lifes, (who stereotypically give all Sefardim a bad name) spread themselves out all over the place and basically trashed the whole area around the pool.
Of course, these days one has to be careful about making any comments as who knows when one of these people might pull out a knife.
Well, that raised the old blood-pressure a bit, but all in all, the week was brilliant. Missed anything interesting in Maale Adumim? Probably not.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Going to the dogs
What prompted that title was today's Maale Adumim "Dog Day" and although our Paddy really wanted to go, I had to drop him off at my mother-in-law's place where he will stay for the next week while we are off to Moshav Amirim. I did though. save some of Jacob Richman's photo's to show him.
I think he might get offended at the hot-dog stand though. I mean, what a terrible thought to put into a dog's head? What, are we in Thailand?
Paddy might want to quote from "A dog day afternoon" where Leon says " I couldn't explain why I did the things I did. So I went to this psychiatrist who explained to me I was a woman in a man's body. So Sonny right away wanted to get me money for a sex change operation: but where was he to get that? 2500 dollars! My God, he's in hock up to his ears already. " But poor old Paddy has already had the dastardly deed done and maybe going to this function might have caused him some aggravation.
Did they have doggy-loos? Was tznius observed, with separate ones for male and female dogs? Maybe the new lobbyists council would debate this. Also, unless Jacob didnt photograph the "arsim" there didnt seem to be any of the pit-bulls and rottweilers that certain elements of the Maale Adumimpopulation so love. Good thing too I guess
According to the Macmillan English Dictionary, if a place or an organization is going to the dogs, it is not as good as it was in the past. People often say things like “This country’s going to the dogs. Things aren’t like they were 30 years ago” or “This train service is going to the dogs. The trains are always late. The seats are uncomfortable and the fares are high”.
The origin of this expression is believed to be in ancient China where dogs, by tradition, were not permitted within the walls of cities. Consequently, stray dogs roamed the areas outside the city walls and lived off the rubbish thrown out of the city by its inhabitants. Criminals and social outcast were often expelled from cities and were sent to live among the rubbish – and the dogs. Such people were said to have “gone to the dogs”, both literally in that that was where they were now to be found, and metaphorically in the sense that their lives had taken a distinct turn for the worse.
Well I don't think that our town has got that far....not by a long shot but some of the headlines in our two local papers were a bit worrying
The first was an op-ed by the leader of the opposition, Raphy Ben-Hur, who very rightly voiced concern over the fact that the level of students passing their matriculation (Bagrut) has dropped to 60%.
Considering that Mayor Benny Cashriel's consistent mantra for Maale Adumim has been Education and Quality of Life, one might think that a statistic like this would have the corridors of power buzzing, and not a few people in danger of losing their jobs. BUT, nothing. No comments except for a few pithy excuses quoted in the pro-administration paper.
Coincidentally, there was an article this week in Yediot about a school in one of the Arab towns (Fur-e-Dis I think) which captured the interest of education ministry inspectors, because their Matriculation results were so high, that the Ministry thought the school was cheating.
Well surprise people! DUH! this is not rocket science. The educators in Fur-e-Dis have realised that smaller classes, selection of good teachers and not letting moronic "parents committees" run half the schools, is the pathway to good education.
Maybe some reallocation of budgets is called for here. And I definitely do not mean for Talmud Torah's, but for the hiring of teachers who have a good track record, firing teachers who dont, and cutting class sizes.
I would ask Raphy (and this is one reason that I didnt vote for him even though I do think that he's a terrific bloke) What exactly do you suggest doing about this?
All the times that you have stood for election, you have made relevant critiques on how the city is run, however (and maybe I am thick and just dont understand) what is it that you would do differently and why do you think things would work better? Specifics?
The second was an article about our finest "Boys in Blue" turning up en-masse, in court in order to support a mate who has been accused of sexually harassing a fellow police woman. SHAME
The third, was the closing of the Bnei-Akiva Maon by Mayor Benny Cashriel after touring the building with his lackey Mei Abudram) and seeing the extent of the vandalism carried out. Then putting the onus on the parents and Madrichim
From a first reading, one might think that in fact, all Bnei Akiva chanichim are little vandals and that their parents have no control.
Fortunately, even though Benny Cashriel might be influenced by some of the thugs he has as advisors (and Mr Abudram fits the bill nicely), most of us know better.
It is a fact that not a few people know who the vandals really are (and not just in Mitzpe Nevo but also next to Yitzchaki). The communarit has repeatedly called the Moked, Gabi Bar Zakai knows, but for reasons also known to them, no one has done anything about it.
By all means, use the police (when they are not busy defending accused rapists), get the local security to actually turn up, but dont blame the parents, and dont punish everyone by closing the Snif altogether.
In case you think that I might have been a bit harsh on Mr Abudram, well I have my own experience on how he handles issues. But all will be revealed when I tell you about the three plots of land on HaKatross.
Have a great week
Ches
I think he might get offended at the hot-dog stand though. I mean, what a terrible thought to put into a dog's head? What, are we in Thailand?
Paddy might want to quote from "A dog day afternoon" where Leon says " I couldn't explain why I did the things I did. So I went to this psychiatrist who explained to me I was a woman in a man's body. So Sonny right away wanted to get me money for a sex change operation: but where was he to get that? 2500 dollars! My God, he's in hock up to his ears already. " But poor old Paddy has already had the dastardly deed done and maybe going to this function might have caused him some aggravation.
Did they have doggy-loos? Was tznius observed, with separate ones for male and female dogs? Maybe the new lobbyists council would debate this. Also, unless Jacob didnt photograph the "arsim" there didnt seem to be any of the pit-bulls and rottweilers that certain elements of the Maale Adumimpopulation so love. Good thing too I guess
According to the Macmillan English Dictionary, if a place or an organization is going to the dogs, it is not as good as it was in the past. People often say things like “This country’s going to the dogs. Things aren’t like they were 30 years ago” or “This train service is going to the dogs. The trains are always late. The seats are uncomfortable and the fares are high”.
The origin of this expression is believed to be in ancient China where dogs, by tradition, were not permitted within the walls of cities. Consequently, stray dogs roamed the areas outside the city walls and lived off the rubbish thrown out of the city by its inhabitants. Criminals and social outcast were often expelled from cities and were sent to live among the rubbish – and the dogs. Such people were said to have “gone to the dogs”, both literally in that that was where they were now to be found, and metaphorically in the sense that their lives had taken a distinct turn for the worse.
Well I don't think that our town has got that far....not by a long shot but some of the headlines in our two local papers were a bit worrying
The first was an op-ed by the leader of the opposition, Raphy Ben-Hur, who very rightly voiced concern over the fact that the level of students passing their matriculation (Bagrut) has dropped to 60%.
Considering that Mayor Benny Cashriel's consistent mantra for Maale Adumim has been Education and Quality of Life, one might think that a statistic like this would have the corridors of power buzzing, and not a few people in danger of losing their jobs. BUT, nothing. No comments except for a few pithy excuses quoted in the pro-administration paper.
Coincidentally, there was an article this week in Yediot about a school in one of the Arab towns (Fur-e-Dis I think) which captured the interest of education ministry inspectors, because their Matriculation results were so high, that the Ministry thought the school was cheating.
Well surprise people! DUH! this is not rocket science. The educators in Fur-e-Dis have realised that smaller classes, selection of good teachers and not letting moronic "parents committees" run half the schools, is the pathway to good education.
Maybe some reallocation of budgets is called for here. And I definitely do not mean for Talmud Torah's, but for the hiring of teachers who have a good track record, firing teachers who dont, and cutting class sizes.
I would ask Raphy (and this is one reason that I didnt vote for him even though I do think that he's a terrific bloke) What exactly do you suggest doing about this?
All the times that you have stood for election, you have made relevant critiques on how the city is run, however (and maybe I am thick and just dont understand) what is it that you would do differently and why do you think things would work better? Specifics?
The second was an article about our finest "Boys in Blue" turning up en-masse, in court in order to support a mate who has been accused of sexually harassing a fellow police woman. SHAME
The third, was the closing of the Bnei-Akiva Maon by Mayor Benny Cashriel after touring the building with his lackey Mei Abudram) and seeing the extent of the vandalism carried out. Then putting the onus on the parents and Madrichim
From a first reading, one might think that in fact, all Bnei Akiva chanichim are little vandals and that their parents have no control.
Fortunately, even though Benny Cashriel might be influenced by some of the thugs he has as advisors (and Mr Abudram fits the bill nicely), most of us know better.
It is a fact that not a few people know who the vandals really are (and not just in Mitzpe Nevo but also next to Yitzchaki). The communarit has repeatedly called the Moked, Gabi Bar Zakai knows, but for reasons also known to them, no one has done anything about it.
By all means, use the police (when they are not busy defending accused rapists), get the local security to actually turn up, but dont blame the parents, and dont punish everyone by closing the Snif altogether.
In case you think that I might have been a bit harsh on Mr Abudram, well I have my own experience on how he handles issues. But all will be revealed when I tell you about the three plots of land on HaKatross.
Have a great week
Ches
Friday, August 7, 2009
Religious Council - Evil Intentions?
I was checking out the word "Moatzah" (as in council) in the Alkalai dictionary, and found out that a different spelling "Moetzah" means evil intentions.
I thought that was a bit of a laugh, because the local papers (Zman Maale and Maale Adumim) have been writing about the petty politicking and "Macherai" going on around the Religious Council.
Anyone who takes an interest, will know that the council has been chaired for the last five years, by an amazing person called David Tzarfaty, who does this thankless task on a purely volunteer basis.
Why thankless? Because given the requirements of a city of 39,000 inhabitants (maybe more) and the lack of funds (No help from the Ministry of Religion), the fact that there are Mikvaot, Kashrut supervisors etc is no mean feat.
Unfortunately, there are not a few people, who see this job as a meal ticket, and there has been a smear campaign against Tzarfaty, with all sorts of criticisms levelled. And this from people who have no organisational track record whatsoever, but do belong to the same parties that have so fucked up our national politics (like Shas for example).
The "Maale Adumim" paper this week, has an article about a bloke called Yitzchak Avidani, who has come up with a rehash of the function of a lobbyist.
He proposes setting up a parrallel group of people, from the City Council and from the private sector, who will meet on a regular basis, and propose all sorts of ideas and "solutions" to what he describes as the dismal state of the religious council. Then to "lobby" the City Council members so to get what they want.
As one who has had to deal with the Jerusalem Municipalty for the last few years and suffered (at least with the previous administration) the machinations of the "Machers" who wander the halls of Kikar Safra. I can only hope that this venture will fail.
I would not like to see Maale Adumim turning into what happened to Jerusalem. Maale Adumim is a pluralistic city, which has been and is a fabulous place to live.
Benny Cashriel has a choice over the next few months, to either disband the present religious council, or to delay this decision, keep David Tzarfaty (who is more than willing and able) in position, and help him with any number of projects that he is working on.
There are people on the City Council (like Nuriel Getz - I think) who support Tzarfaty. But where is the opposition? What about the Anglo-Forum and our keen community activists, or for that matter, our blogists that for the last however many years have been painting Maale Adumim as the most ideal place in the world.
I hope that the opposition will not, in the time honoured principal of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" (look at Neturei Karta/Satmar and how they suck up to Hamas), screw over Benny Cashriel and then stick us with a religious council that will make Maale Adumim look like Beit Shemesh. Not that I think that Benny has no faults. I did promise to tell you about my house (hopefully to be finished soon) on HaKatross and the MOST interesting history behind the three plots of land that were sold through the Israel Land Administration - and that might open some eyes on how things work here.
But I'm leaving that for a different occasion
As usual, these opinions, as badly written as they are, are my own
Shabbat Shalom
Ches
I thought that was a bit of a laugh, because the local papers (Zman Maale and Maale Adumim) have been writing about the petty politicking and "Macherai" going on around the Religious Council.
Anyone who takes an interest, will know that the council has been chaired for the last five years, by an amazing person called David Tzarfaty, who does this thankless task on a purely volunteer basis.
Why thankless? Because given the requirements of a city of 39,000 inhabitants (maybe more) and the lack of funds (No help from the Ministry of Religion), the fact that there are Mikvaot, Kashrut supervisors etc is no mean feat.
Unfortunately, there are not a few people, who see this job as a meal ticket, and there has been a smear campaign against Tzarfaty, with all sorts of criticisms levelled. And this from people who have no organisational track record whatsoever, but do belong to the same parties that have so fucked up our national politics (like Shas for example).
The "Maale Adumim" paper this week, has an article about a bloke called Yitzchak Avidani, who has come up with a rehash of the function of a lobbyist.
He proposes setting up a parrallel group of people, from the City Council and from the private sector, who will meet on a regular basis, and propose all sorts of ideas and "solutions" to what he describes as the dismal state of the religious council. Then to "lobby" the City Council members so to get what they want.
As one who has had to deal with the Jerusalem Municipalty for the last few years and suffered (at least with the previous administration) the machinations of the "Machers" who wander the halls of Kikar Safra. I can only hope that this venture will fail.
I would not like to see Maale Adumim turning into what happened to Jerusalem. Maale Adumim is a pluralistic city, which has been and is a fabulous place to live.
Benny Cashriel has a choice over the next few months, to either disband the present religious council, or to delay this decision, keep David Tzarfaty (who is more than willing and able) in position, and help him with any number of projects that he is working on.
There are people on the City Council (like Nuriel Getz - I think) who support Tzarfaty. But where is the opposition? What about the Anglo-Forum and our keen community activists, or for that matter, our blogists that for the last however many years have been painting Maale Adumim as the most ideal place in the world.
I hope that the opposition will not, in the time honoured principal of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" (look at Neturei Karta/Satmar and how they suck up to Hamas), screw over Benny Cashriel and then stick us with a religious council that will make Maale Adumim look like Beit Shemesh. Not that I think that Benny has no faults. I did promise to tell you about my house (hopefully to be finished soon) on HaKatross and the MOST interesting history behind the three plots of land that were sold through the Israel Land Administration - and that might open some eyes on how things work here.
But I'm leaving that for a different occasion
As usual, these opinions, as badly written as they are, are my own
Shabbat Shalom
Ches
Friday, July 31, 2009
Personae - Maybe Multiple Personality Syndrome?
A few people commented on the use of personae (I guess a way of pretending to be someone else, or hiding one's true identity) on the internet. One person even got pretty stroppy at me for "breaching internet ettiquette" by referring to her real name.
Well that sort of got me thinking (not something I usually do very well) about how I present myself to the world at large and more importantly, to myself. And would I want to hide behind any of my personaes.
Truth is, my head is like those old cartoons where you had the good devil and the bad devil arguing with each other in a cloud above the cartoon character. Except in my case I've got a whole crowd.
Probably the most dominant could look and act like the "Fat Bastard" from the Austin Powers" movies. Me and self-control have never been good mates....I mean I went to all this effort, and probably paid off most of my mate Bruce's mortgage, to lose a whole lot of weight, and here we have my Fat Bastard feeding me while singing "I want my baby back....baby ribs".
And what about gut reactions to people who piss me off? That would be Fat Bastard's brother...Angry Fat Bastard
And if we are talking about ribs, there's Fat Bastards cousin, who just loves the part of humanity that was created from a rib.
Then there's my adrenalin junky. Why would a 52 year old guy go bungy jumping at Bluekrans Ridge in South Africa.....BECAUSE IT WAS F*#$ing AWESOME!!!!! But is that normal?
Then of course there is the (I hope) better personae....
There's the one that takes care of my parents....I think my kids like that one, even if they think he's more juvenile than them. That one is the soldier's dad, the bat-sherut's dad, the boys at school dad and Lynn's husband
There's the one that is going to make a fair amount of profit for investors.....this one took a while to get going and gave me some grief along the way, but that's another story.
Well, here's the line from "Sybil"....No really, I am comfortable with all my personae. I am always going to be Ches, or Ezra for the Israeli's who cant pronounce Ches
And if you don't like it......well "GET IN MY BELLY"
Well that sort of got me thinking (not something I usually do very well) about how I present myself to the world at large and more importantly, to myself. And would I want to hide behind any of my personaes.
Truth is, my head is like those old cartoons where you had the good devil and the bad devil arguing with each other in a cloud above the cartoon character. Except in my case I've got a whole crowd.
Probably the most dominant could look and act like the "Fat Bastard" from the Austin Powers" movies. Me and self-control have never been good mates....I mean I went to all this effort, and probably paid off most of my mate Bruce's mortgage, to lose a whole lot of weight, and here we have my Fat Bastard feeding me while singing "I want my baby back....baby ribs".
And what about gut reactions to people who piss me off? That would be Fat Bastard's brother...Angry Fat Bastard
And if we are talking about ribs, there's Fat Bastards cousin, who just loves the part of humanity that was created from a rib.
Then there's my adrenalin junky. Why would a 52 year old guy go bungy jumping at Bluekrans Ridge in South Africa.....BECAUSE IT WAS F*#$ing AWESOME!!!!! But is that normal?
Then of course there is the (I hope) better personae....
There's the one that takes care of my parents....I think my kids like that one, even if they think he's more juvenile than them. That one is the soldier's dad, the bat-sherut's dad, the boys at school dad and Lynn's husband
There's the one that is going to make a fair amount of profit for investors.....this one took a while to get going and gave me some grief along the way, but that's another story.
Well, here's the line from "Sybil"....No really, I am comfortable with all my personae. I am always going to be Ches, or Ezra for the Israeli's who cant pronounce Ches
And if you don't like it......well "GET IN MY BELLY"
Sunday, July 26, 2009
My Illegal Building Sins (or not) Part 2 - Or maybe about just having a good whinge
"A Soldier's Mother" wrote
"I'm thinking it's a shame to dedicate a whole blog that is searchable to the negativity of building in 1 city for a problem that is very common in Israel. We need, as residents of Maale Adumim, to propagate the Internet with positive information about our city, rather than complaints that feed others. Just imagine how this blog could be used by our enemies."
Well, one of the wonderful things about blogs and the internet, is that no one can dictate what one can or can't write about.
If I didn't like living in Maale Adumim, I would be building elswhere, but why the hell shouldn't people be aware of the lack of accountability in some sections of the city administration? If the city were really concerned that this blog could be used by "our enemies" then maybe they would respond? The truth is that they really don't care about this. If I would be criticising building in E1 on the other hand, which of course I would never do, then I would agree with your point. And maybe then we would get some outside opinions. And so what!
"A Soldier's Mother" also wrote
"Not sure why MY advertisement for an apartment on Rechov Gilgal justified apparently launching a blog with your comments compared to all the others looking to rent out apartments for years already.I can tell you that the apartment I want to rent has been in existence for 5 years, is 60 meters in size, no slum at all, is in beautiful condition and unlikely to damage the neighborhood." and "From a city planning poing of view, I was told that I could build a house with a separate area, including an entrance and it was permissible as a parent/child set up."
Well considering that I never mentioned you or your advertisement in my first post, but that you jumped in with your opinion all by yourself, I reckon thats a self inflicted injury. And why should you think its about you anyway. As you said, you are a symptom of any number of people who have done the same thing. You still won't say who in the city planning department said that you could build a separate entrance and rent out an apartment.
Really!! this blog is not about you at all. Maybe you are protesting too much?
This blog is my own, biased and unadulterated opinion about whichever issues strike my fancy (and you can strike my fancy anytime).
Truth is, I could write about how beautiful Maale Adumim is, that would be easy. Lets all sweep the dirt under the carpet right? WRONG!
I have voted consistently for our incumbent, and by consistently, I mean for him and his list and have not, ever, divided my vote to any opposing party. Quite frankly, none of the others hold a candle to Benny (oops! I used his name). But If he (for example) railroads a permitting committee into making a decision, without letting anyone have an opinion and that decision is wrong (and say, I have the protocols to prove it), then I'll let people know. And if it affects me personally, then I'll scream blue murder!
Where is the city's opposition? What is it that they actually do besides making a few squeals around election time and then disappearing only to reappear the next election? Where were they when the manager of the city's collection department (who was obviously doing too good a job) had his position politically terminated?
The city cuts budgets for school cleaning, and the opposition doesnt even attend the deciding meeting...etc etc
Should no one talk about this?
Of course, there is a heck of a lot more better things that are happening. The flowers are blooming, the Gilgal is renting and alls well with the world
No, I say that it is really unhealthy and more than a bit paranoid, to avoid criticising because someone out there in cyberspace might be waiting to pounce on the chance to .... what exactly?
"I'm thinking it's a shame to dedicate a whole blog that is searchable to the negativity of building in 1 city for a problem that is very common in Israel. We need, as residents of Maale Adumim, to propagate the Internet with positive information about our city, rather than complaints that feed others. Just imagine how this blog could be used by our enemies."
Well, one of the wonderful things about blogs and the internet, is that no one can dictate what one can or can't write about.
If I didn't like living in Maale Adumim, I would be building elswhere, but why the hell shouldn't people be aware of the lack of accountability in some sections of the city administration? If the city were really concerned that this blog could be used by "our enemies" then maybe they would respond? The truth is that they really don't care about this. If I would be criticising building in E1 on the other hand, which of course I would never do, then I would agree with your point. And maybe then we would get some outside opinions. And so what!
"A Soldier's Mother" also wrote
"Not sure why MY advertisement for an apartment on Rechov Gilgal justified apparently launching a blog with your comments compared to all the others looking to rent out apartments for years already.I can tell you that the apartment I want to rent has been in existence for 5 years, is 60 meters in size, no slum at all, is in beautiful condition and unlikely to damage the neighborhood." and "From a city planning poing of view, I was told that I could build a house with a separate area, including an entrance and it was permissible as a parent/child set up."
Well considering that I never mentioned you or your advertisement in my first post, but that you jumped in with your opinion all by yourself, I reckon thats a self inflicted injury. And why should you think its about you anyway. As you said, you are a symptom of any number of people who have done the same thing. You still won't say who in the city planning department said that you could build a separate entrance and rent out an apartment.
Really!! this blog is not about you at all. Maybe you are protesting too much?
This blog is my own, biased and unadulterated opinion about whichever issues strike my fancy (and you can strike my fancy anytime).
Truth is, I could write about how beautiful Maale Adumim is, that would be easy. Lets all sweep the dirt under the carpet right? WRONG!
I have voted consistently for our incumbent, and by consistently, I mean for him and his list and have not, ever, divided my vote to any opposing party. Quite frankly, none of the others hold a candle to Benny (oops! I used his name). But If he (for example) railroads a permitting committee into making a decision, without letting anyone have an opinion and that decision is wrong (and say, I have the protocols to prove it), then I'll let people know. And if it affects me personally, then I'll scream blue murder!
Where is the city's opposition? What is it that they actually do besides making a few squeals around election time and then disappearing only to reappear the next election? Where were they when the manager of the city's collection department (who was obviously doing too good a job) had his position politically terminated?
The city cuts budgets for school cleaning, and the opposition doesnt even attend the deciding meeting...etc etc
Should no one talk about this?
Of course, there is a heck of a lot more better things that are happening. The flowers are blooming, the Gilgal is renting and alls well with the world
No, I say that it is really unhealthy and more than a bit paranoid, to avoid criticising because someone out there in cyberspace might be waiting to pounce on the chance to .... what exactly?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
My illegal building sins (or not?)
My friend Yoni wrote to my email (I got his permission to use his quote)
"Wasn’t the additions (under your cottage on Hashmeeneet) done illegally in the beginning? Maybe you didn’t rent it out to others, but illegal is still illegal."
Now thats a great lead-up to my next topic, but first, a few comments on some of the comments from last time.
Michelle wishfully thinks that there should be lots of apartments with garden, but lets be realistic, that can't happen just from a planning perspective. Also, the demand in Maale Adumim for apartments, far outweighs the demand for single family homes. That's just the make up of most of the people who live here, and the country doesnt, and shouldnt revolve around what anglo's or any other minority group wants. Michelle is right that a new "Mitzpe-Nevo" concept is needed - and it might just happen.
Paula, (sorry) is in my book Chatzufa B'Yoter. Don't come the raw prawn, as we say in Australia (look that one up...its a beauty). If anyone in the Irya told you that its OK to divide up your house, please let us know who this character is! I for one would love to have some fun with him/her.
The Takanon of your TABA is very specific. You can't make separate entrances and then rent out half your house. You can (except that people like you made the Irya wary of abuses) and should be allowed to have a room, or slightly bigger witha bathroom etc, which is an integral part of your house, with the same entry as the main house, used for guests AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES to be rented out to anyone.
My friend Mack tells me about some guy who drives a pretty upmarket car in HaGilgal, witha name fairly similar to our nuclear whistle blower, who is dividing up his upmarket house for rent. The only reason that would happen is if he wants to sell his place and thinks that some other wanker will pay a better dollar for an income producing property. Shame!
Well back to Yoni.
Quite a few years ago, we bought a cottage on HaShminit, with building rights. Like good children, we employed an architect and structural engineer, submitted plans and received a buiding permit.
Now our engineer had a thing about building to earthquake standards, even then (and boy was he right) and insisted on the addition sitting on bedrock and not on piles or a strip foundation, as the houses in the area were built on backfill that was unstable.
So we dug down to rock at a depth of about five metres below ground level and started putting in the steel.
Lo and behold, along came the city building inspector and whacked me with a stop-work order from the court, with a copy to the police. Why? Because he claimed that I intended building a basement. No amount of explanation, with or without the plans or the engineer, convinced him otherwise, and the shyster firm of lawyers that the city uses, took me to court, where I had to pay a fine in order to continue working.
Now that slightly pissed me off, and I figured that since I had paid for a crime that I hadn't committed, that I would apply for change of TABA and in fact, build the basement. The city freaked out and threatened more legal action, however in the spirit of "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" (in this case opposite), I didnt fill in the level under the ground floor and opted for the court option.
In court, there was a different judge, who thought that this was a waste of time and asked the city to show cause as to why I shouldnt be allowed to change the TABA and if not then to allow the change.
The city coudnt show cause and I got my change of TABA, making my house totally legal. I did not rent out the basement.
Now I stress, that I do believe in rules. The city needs a strict building code and this needs to be policed properly.
There shouldnt be a "free-for-all" situation where anyone does what they want with building facades, like pergolas and A/C units etc, or even with additions. HOWEVER, the city has become too rigid. They are not prepared to consider logical changes and the city engineer, is a frustrated architect, who is a far better technocrat than he is an architect. Not that one should underate his function. It is important and from a purely beurocratic point of view, he does a good job. However, he and his team have become locked in to far to much uniformity
Next time I'll tell you about the house I'm building on HaKatross, and how the city misuses its power (you might have read a bit about this in last weeks local paper).
Shabbat Shalom to all
Ches
"Wasn’t the additions (under your cottage on Hashmeeneet) done illegally in the beginning? Maybe you didn’t rent it out to others, but illegal is still illegal."
Now thats a great lead-up to my next topic, but first, a few comments on some of the comments from last time.
Michelle wishfully thinks that there should be lots of apartments with garden, but lets be realistic, that can't happen just from a planning perspective. Also, the demand in Maale Adumim for apartments, far outweighs the demand for single family homes. That's just the make up of most of the people who live here, and the country doesnt, and shouldnt revolve around what anglo's or any other minority group wants. Michelle is right that a new "Mitzpe-Nevo" concept is needed - and it might just happen.
Paula, (sorry) is in my book Chatzufa B'Yoter. Don't come the raw prawn, as we say in Australia (look that one up...its a beauty). If anyone in the Irya told you that its OK to divide up your house, please let us know who this character is! I for one would love to have some fun with him/her.
The Takanon of your TABA is very specific. You can't make separate entrances and then rent out half your house. You can (except that people like you made the Irya wary of abuses) and should be allowed to have a room, or slightly bigger witha bathroom etc, which is an integral part of your house, with the same entry as the main house, used for guests AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES to be rented out to anyone.
My friend Mack tells me about some guy who drives a pretty upmarket car in HaGilgal, witha name fairly similar to our nuclear whistle blower, who is dividing up his upmarket house for rent. The only reason that would happen is if he wants to sell his place and thinks that some other wanker will pay a better dollar for an income producing property. Shame!
Well back to Yoni.
Quite a few years ago, we bought a cottage on HaShminit, with building rights. Like good children, we employed an architect and structural engineer, submitted plans and received a buiding permit.
Now our engineer had a thing about building to earthquake standards, even then (and boy was he right) and insisted on the addition sitting on bedrock and not on piles or a strip foundation, as the houses in the area were built on backfill that was unstable.
So we dug down to rock at a depth of about five metres below ground level and started putting in the steel.
Lo and behold, along came the city building inspector and whacked me with a stop-work order from the court, with a copy to the police. Why? Because he claimed that I intended building a basement. No amount of explanation, with or without the plans or the engineer, convinced him otherwise, and the shyster firm of lawyers that the city uses, took me to court, where I had to pay a fine in order to continue working.
Now that slightly pissed me off, and I figured that since I had paid for a crime that I hadn't committed, that I would apply for change of TABA and in fact, build the basement. The city freaked out and threatened more legal action, however in the spirit of "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" (in this case opposite), I didnt fill in the level under the ground floor and opted for the court option.
In court, there was a different judge, who thought that this was a waste of time and asked the city to show cause as to why I shouldnt be allowed to change the TABA and if not then to allow the change.
The city coudnt show cause and I got my change of TABA, making my house totally legal. I did not rent out the basement.
Now I stress, that I do believe in rules. The city needs a strict building code and this needs to be policed properly.
There shouldnt be a "free-for-all" situation where anyone does what they want with building facades, like pergolas and A/C units etc, or even with additions. HOWEVER, the city has become too rigid. They are not prepared to consider logical changes and the city engineer, is a frustrated architect, who is a far better technocrat than he is an architect. Not that one should underate his function. It is important and from a purely beurocratic point of view, he does a good job. However, he and his team have become locked in to far to much uniformity
Next time I'll tell you about the house I'm building on HaKatross, and how the city misuses its power (you might have read a bit about this in last weeks local paper).
Shabbat Shalom to all
Ches
Friday, July 17, 2009
Single family houses vs. Apartments
This might make me a bit unpopular, (or at least a bit more unpopular), but I guess it goes with the territory.
There has been a long going trend that people (not everyone thank God), building single family homes, turn parts of the house into rentable apartments. This is usually done totally illegally, by taking "store-room" or garages (or even excavating outside the building permit), shoving in a kitchenette and a bathroom and then taking in young couples or other boarders.
Reasons that I've heard for doing this range from
1. "We are doing this for our children/elderly parents" - Yeah right, its children and elderly parents who are inhabiting these hovels
to
2. A more honest "We need the money to help pay off the house mortgage" - Then why build what you couldnt afford? Go live in an apartment! That's what you've got anyway.
What these people dont really give a damn about, is that increasing the population density of a street that was designed for a limited population, a limited number of cars, and a limited load on electricity, sewage and other utilities, simply lowers the standard that the City intended for the street and turns (eventually) the street into a slum. HaMeitzadim street in Maale Adumim, started out as a reasonably nice street, but no longer!
HaGilgal in Mitzpe Nevo, is going to go the same way.
Not to mention that for the most part, these people do not pay the full rates levied by the city.
And why does it really piss me off personally? - Because some people, myself included, who have no intentions of having strangers living in my garage, get grief from the City Planning department, because since they havent been able to deal with people who did turn their houses into apartments, suspect everyone who is building a house of wanting to do the same thing.
I honestly believe that the City should come down hard on this practise. Close up illegal structures and store-rooms used for residences and back charge rates.
Does that sound harsh? Maybe, but a little tour around HaMeitzadim will prove my point
Its not as if I don't have any beefs with the City Engineer and the planning department. But there is a way of dealing with them (another post), albeit painfully long and beurocratic. But no different to most places in the world.
Quite frankly, the City opposition, instead of sucking up to anyone who doesn't like our Mayor and his team (their behaviour and track record is the perfect reason why the Mayor keeps getting reelected). Should get on board and start doing some good for this beautiful city - and that's for another post as well.
Shabbat Shalom
Ches
There has been a long going trend that people (not everyone thank God), building single family homes, turn parts of the house into rentable apartments. This is usually done totally illegally, by taking "store-room" or garages (or even excavating outside the building permit), shoving in a kitchenette and a bathroom and then taking in young couples or other boarders.
Reasons that I've heard for doing this range from
1. "We are doing this for our children/elderly parents" - Yeah right, its children and elderly parents who are inhabiting these hovels
to
2. A more honest "We need the money to help pay off the house mortgage" - Then why build what you couldnt afford? Go live in an apartment! That's what you've got anyway.
What these people dont really give a damn about, is that increasing the population density of a street that was designed for a limited population, a limited number of cars, and a limited load on electricity, sewage and other utilities, simply lowers the standard that the City intended for the street and turns (eventually) the street into a slum. HaMeitzadim street in Maale Adumim, started out as a reasonably nice street, but no longer!
HaGilgal in Mitzpe Nevo, is going to go the same way.
Not to mention that for the most part, these people do not pay the full rates levied by the city.
And why does it really piss me off personally? - Because some people, myself included, who have no intentions of having strangers living in my garage, get grief from the City Planning department, because since they havent been able to deal with people who did turn their houses into apartments, suspect everyone who is building a house of wanting to do the same thing.
I honestly believe that the City should come down hard on this practise. Close up illegal structures and store-rooms used for residences and back charge rates.
Does that sound harsh? Maybe, but a little tour around HaMeitzadim will prove my point
Its not as if I don't have any beefs with the City Engineer and the planning department. But there is a way of dealing with them (another post), albeit painfully long and beurocratic. But no different to most places in the world.
Quite frankly, the City opposition, instead of sucking up to anyone who doesn't like our Mayor and his team (their behaviour and track record is the perfect reason why the Mayor keeps getting reelected). Should get on board and start doing some good for this beautiful city - and that's for another post as well.
Shabbat Shalom
Ches
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