# Why Do You Need So Much Firewood?



## Mr A (Mar 21, 2013)

I'm out in front of the house splitting a few rounds and a neighborhood kid stops on his bike and asks me this question- "Why do you need so much firewood?"  I laughed a bit. Why do you ride your bike up and down the street?, It's just something to do I told him.  I live an average suburban lot. I have 7 cords, split and stacked along my fence line like Hadrian s Wall, a cord of rounds in the driveway.  By this coming winter, just about all of the wood I have will be seasoned, and I burned just 2 cords last winter. I'm thinking I have a few seasons worth, and am well ahead.  I think I need to stop scrounging for a couple years. Get it to where I have enough seasoned for a current winter, and a few cords that will be ready for the next winter.


----------



## westkywood (Mar 21, 2013)

I've had people stop and ask how much my firewood costs. I've had some give me some pretty blank stares when I tell them it's not for sale.


----------



## ColdNH (Mar 21, 2013)

Oh I love how non-burners make comments like I have enough wood to last a lifetime when really Im telling myself im behind because im not even 2 years ahead.


----------



## Paulywalnut (Mar 21, 2013)

Firewood is like money and toilet paper... You just can't have enough because you keep using it up!


----------



## Mr A (Mar 21, 2013)

Paulywalnut said:


> Firewood is like money and toilet paper... You just can't have enough because you keep using it up!


...and beer!


----------



## muncybob (Mar 21, 2013)

My sis uses oil and asked the same thing the other day. I replied, if you had someplace to store oil and had the time and tools to go get it for next to no cost...you would, right? She said "I guess so" but I don't think she understood.
Her husband said that wood will rot before you get to burn it to which I replied, when's the last time you saw dry wood rotting


----------



## Applesister (Mar 21, 2013)

"Like the Alamo, make sure you stack that wood along the front yard loose enough to slide those shotgun barrels thru."


----------



## Nixon (Mar 21, 2013)

My in laws swear that all my firewood will rot because I have so much in stacks  . (they burn wood the same year it's cut ) I quit explaining to them that if it's covered ,and off the ground ,that it'll keep for years .
Last fall I had folks stop by thinking that I was running a saw mill  .


----------



## PapaDave (Mar 21, 2013)

Mine's where nobody can see it...well, except the stuff in the shed, so I don't get those stupid amusing questions/comments.


----------



## PapaDave (Mar 21, 2013)

Could have been a teachable moment for a young mind to absorb and recall later.


----------



## bmblank (Mar 21, 2013)

Nixon said:


> My in laws swear that all my firewood will rot because I have so much in stacks.


Just tell them that's why the 2x4s in the house and the hard wood flooring and the deck and the (insert wood product ad nauseum) rots so dang fast...


----------



## Nixon (Mar 21, 2013)

bmblank said:


> Just tell them that's why the 2x4s in the house and the hard wood flooring and the deck and the (insert wood product ad nauseum) rots so dang fast...


Been  down that path with similar comments . The answer I got is "well ,that's just different than firewood ! "  They actually do cover their fresh split wood . They completely cover it with plastic so that it won't get wet before they need it that winter . Whatever works for them , I guess !


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Mar 21, 2013)

Mr A said:


> I'm out in front of the house splitting a few rounds and a neighborhood kid stops on his bike and asks me this question- "Why do you need so much firewood?" I laughed a bit. Why do you ride your bike up and down the street?, It's just something to do I told him. I live an average suburban lot. I have 7 cords, split and stacked along my fence line like Hadrian s Wall, a cord of rounds in the driveway. By this coming winter, just about all of the wood I have will be seasoned, and I burned just 2 cords last winter. I'm thinking I have a few seasons worth, and am well ahead. I think I need to stop scrounging for a couple years. Get it to where I have enough seasoned for a current winter, and a few cords that will be ready for the next winter.


 
And I've had young and old alike ask why I ride my bike so fast too. I never thought of myself as a fast rider nor as a wood hoarder.

Nixon, I've seen folks so the same. A fellow who used to live about a mile from us really thinks he is the tops in the knowledge department. Normally he never had enough wood on hand to worry about covering but one year he had to go away for a while. So that his nice green wood wouldn't get went while he was gone, he covered it; the whole thing! No air could get through it at all. But, when he got back there was no snow or rain in top of his wood pile...


----------



## PapaDave (Mar 21, 2013)

I bet it was still nice and green though. With slime.
I've seen what happens when you trap moisture.....it's not pretty.


----------



## Nixon (Mar 21, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> And I've had young and old alike ask why I ride my bike so fast too. I never thought of myself as a fast rider nor as a wood hoarder.
> 
> Nixon, I've seen folks so the same. A fellow who used to live about a mile from us really thinks he is the tops in the knowledge department. Normally he never had enough wood on hand to worry about covering but one year he had to go away for a while. So that his nice green wood wouldn't get went while he was gone, he covered it; the whole thing! No air could get through it at all. But, when he got back there was no snow or rain in top of his wood pile...


Hey , Nothing is better than a dry green wood pile !  You would have loved the conversation We had when they saw me splitting some Larch (Tamarack ) . Started off by one of them asking what it was ,eventually got around to " it's full of Creosote ! ". My answer has resulted in Me not being invited to Thanks giving and Christmas dinners at their place .  Kinda disappointed about that ,as I'd love to see the looks on their faces when they realize the noise in their flue is indeed a chimney fire !!  Jan doesn't find it in the least funny when I ask Her if she is sure that she wasn't adopted ,as She is so different from the rest of her family .


----------



## JoeyD (Mar 21, 2013)

I've got some nosy neighbors in the back across the road from where I stack my firewood, the kid would come over and ask questions which I knew were for his mom so I would tell him its cheaper then fence and leave it at that. To be honest they are so dumb I'm certain they didn't get it.


----------



## Thistle (Mar 21, 2013)

"Why do you have so much?" "Do you sell it or something?" "Why are you still cutting in the January cold/August heat....?"  "You know,it will rot before you use it all...."

I used to hear that crap all the time,hardly at all now finally.


----------



## Tuneighty (Mar 21, 2013)

Was having 2 cords of kiln dried delivered and the driver asked "why do you need this, you have plenty." (At the time I only had about 2 cords stacked.)


----------



## PapaDave (Mar 21, 2013)

Turned off the hearing aids, eh Thistle?


----------



## Thistle (Mar 21, 2013)

PapaDave said:


> Turned off the hearing aids, eh Thistle?


 

Nah I just ignore people now.Not my fault they're stupid & cant/wont understand simple explanations for the 10th time.


----------



## fabsroman (Mar 21, 2013)

I learned this in high school pretty much when people would ask me why I hunt. It just got completely ridiculous trying to explain this stuff to them, so I quit. I just started to reply with "If you do not do it, there is nothing I can say to you that will make you understand it." I have found that it applies to fishing, shooting, cycling, and now wood burning too. Once in a blue moon a light will go off in somebody's head, but it isn't very often.


----------



## Nixon (Mar 21, 2013)

fabsroman said:


> Once in a blue moon a light will go off in somebody's head, but it isn't very often.


Finally someone else testifies to the light and voices in our heads ! I thought only Scotty ,MM and I heard the "buy more saws , cut more wood " voices !


----------



## lopiliberty (Mar 21, 2013)

People that don't burn wood and even some that do don't know the real benefit of 3 year old dry wood and they don't realize just how much it takes when you heat with it 24/7 in the winter.  Luckily no comments from the neighbors yet.  YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TO MCUH WOOD


----------



## Hills Hoard (Mar 21, 2013)

Mr A said:


> . I think I need to stop scrounging for a couple years. .


 
thats crazy talk...!......


----------



## osagebow (Mar 21, 2013)

fabsroman said:


> I learned this in high school pretty much when people would ask me why I hunt. It just got completely ridiculous trying to explain this stuff to them, so I quit. I just started to reply with "If you do not do it, there is nothing I can say to you that will make you understand it." I have found that it applies to fishing, shooting, cycling, and now wood burning too. Once in a blue moon a light will go off in somebody's head, but it isn't very often.


 
Tell them eating deer reduces your carbon footprint. Quick, offbeat, and true!


----------



## DexterDay (Mar 21, 2013)

Nixon said:


> Finally someone else testifies to the light and voices in our heads ! I thought only Scotty ,MM and I heard the "buy more saws , cut more wood " voices !




I hear it.. I heard it yesterday. Bought a Husq 575xp (I have read that I shouldn't, but I still did) that makes um... A LOT of Saws. 5 pretty big ones 

As for firewood. I get a lot of stupid comments and the occasional person that stops and asks "How Much"? But I know the worth and the warmth  That's all I need. (And a chit load of chainsaws)


----------



## fabsroman (Mar 21, 2013)

Nixon said:


> Finally someone else testifies to the light and voices in our heads ! I thought only Scotty ,MM and I heard the "buy more saws , cut more wood " voices !


 
I have more voices than that. They go something like "Buy more saws, cut more wood, buy more guns, shoot more targets, buy more bikes, ride more miles." Get a few others in there once in a while too. "Buy more rods, catch more fish. Buy a welder, build a splitter."


----------



## ArsenalDon (Mar 22, 2013)

Nixon said:


> Been down that path with similar comments . The answer I got is "well ,that's just different than firewood ! " They actually do cover their fresh split wood . They completely cover it with plastic so that it won't get wet before they need it that winter . Whatever works for them , I guess !


To quote Forest Gump....mamma always said stupid is as....oh never mind....cause my momma said if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.


----------



## NortheastAl (Mar 22, 2013)

Thistle said:


> Nah I just ignore people now.Not my fault they're stupid & cant/wont understand simple explanations for the 10th time.


Thistle, there are new people joining all the time, and they need to hear it for the first time. I know it can be repetitive and seem like you are talking to a bunch of thick-heads, but it's from those such as yourself that I learned and understood the value of having a chit load of wood aged to three years.


----------



## Trilifter7 (Mar 22, 2013)

It's funny bc my neighbor across the street is from Canada so I get the exact opposite from them. Their 8 year old son loves to come over and help me unload my truck or move my piles around. All I here from him is, " My Grandpa has way more wood than you!". I just laugh and tell him " We'll see who has more next year". I don't mind bc he's a good helper and he listens to me talk to him about all I've learned from you guys so far.


----------



## ironpony (Mar 22, 2013)

I have people walking by tell me how neat my woods are all the time. My wife and I spend alot of time clearing sticks, leaves and fallen trees. I also have a fair amount of wood stacks visible and they ask about them, My reply is I only stack them to keep the woods neat I do not even have a fireplace. I get some strange looks. Really the only wood I burn is in my wood fired oven.


----------



## Craby (Mar 22, 2013)

One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.

I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.

She kept repeating that she can't tell me what to do on my property, but come on, we have to be respectable and this is not a good view from her house.

I have a 1/4 acre lot close to down town Silver Spring, MD. The back yard rolls down hill so you can see pretty much everything from her house. I've got about 4 cords, which is a bit cramped but I don't think I'm breaking any etiquette or county rules. I hope she doesn't call the authority on me or get more upset when the hoard increases.

We have a fire pit out back so I recon she's thinking it's for camp/bon fires. Maybe I should ask her for her permission/forgiveness & explain that I use it to heat 24/7 or give her a gift basket to smooth things over.


----------



## PapaDave (Mar 22, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> Thistle, there are new people joining all the time, and they need to hear it for the first time. I know it can be repetitive and seem like you are talking to a bunch of thick-heads, but it's from those such as yourself that I learned and understood the value of having a chit load of wood aged to three years.


 
It's not the 1st timers Al, it's the 10th timers.


----------



## PA Fire Bug (Mar 22, 2013)

A few people asked why so much firewood last summer.  With the extended winter weather, no one is asking now.


----------



## JP11 (Mar 23, 2013)

Craby said:


> She kept repeating that she can't tell me what to do on my property,.


 
As soon as that comes out of her mouth.. cut her off and say.. You're absolutely right, You can't.  Then go back inside.  Throw a big, Have a Nice Day over your shoulder on the way in.

JP


----------



## Billybonfire (Mar 23, 2013)

Don Williams said:


> To quote Forest Gump....mamma always said stupid is as....oh never mind....cause my momma said if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.


 
Similar old Lancashire saying here "if in doubt, say nowt".


----------



## Billybonfire (Mar 23, 2013)

Craby said:


> One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.
> 
> I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.
> 
> ...


 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Think we here all love to see a neat stack of wood.


----------



## Jon1270 (Mar 23, 2013)

Craby said:


> I have a 1/4 acre lot close to down town Silver Spring, MD. The back yard rolls down hill so you can see pretty much everything from her house. I've got about 4 cords, which is a bit cramped but I don't think I'm breaking any etiquette or county rules.


 
I've got a very similar situation, on an even smaller lot. Haven't had any complaints so far, but I plan to keep the stacks neat and close to the house, minimize chainsaw use at home, insulate so that I don't need quite so much wood, and avoid gathering too much oak.  My neighborhood is just covered with mature hardwood trees that are always being trimmed or taken down.  It's hard to let a scrounge opportunity go by, but I have to draw a line somewhere.  I probably could be more assertive about what I can do on my property, but I value good relations with neighbors too.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Mar 23, 2013)

Craby said:


> One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.
> 
> I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.
> 
> ...


 
This sounds exactly like problems in the country. It is hard to believe how many hate it when the fields are planted to corn. Blocks their view so they can't see what their neighbors are doing.... To me that says only one thing;  nosey people! Stack it higher.


----------



## PapaDave (Mar 23, 2013)




----------



## fabsroman (Mar 24, 2013)

Craby said:


> One of my back yard neighbors that shares a fence with me asked me a few days ago if I was getting ready for Armageddon. She said she has been living there for 67 years and has never seen anyone quite like me, that I'm different. She asked me why I've got so much wood.
> 
> I said I burn allot of wood, it needs to season for a few years so it's dry & burns well, and it's a really good work out.
> 
> ...


 
lol - I grew up in Silver Spring. Intersection of Randolph Road and New Hampshire Avenue. Moved to Germantown when I got married and now we are in West Friendship, Howard County for better schools. My parents are still at the same house I grew up in. 2/3 of an acre with a huge shed that required some court appearances because of the neighbor, and my dad has about 5 cords of wood stacked in the backyard right now.

Be happy you don't live in Bethesda or Chevy Chase. Those people would be all over you for cutting down a tree and even more so for stacking splits in the yard and having smoke coming out of your chimney.

Tell the 70+ year old woman that NO view from a house in downtown Silver Spring is a good view. Man, the difference of waking up here in western Howard County and looking out my window is just incredible. I have 2 acres. Next door neighbor has 5 acres and the other has 3 acres. Nice wide open spaces here, hardly any noise, and 3 of the four people around me burn wood to heat their homes. One guy wants to know where the heck I get all my wood from, another gives me the "Its going to rot lecture." They have all been great neighbors the 2 years we have lived here. The guy with the "Its going to rot lecture" came over with his tractor after it snowed the first week we were here and he plowed our driveway for us. Yep, other than this stupid gun control proposal in Maryland, I am in heaven right now. Cut and split another cord of red oak today.

My problem is my wife. She came out and saw the stack of red oak and said "Where are you going to put all this? We can hardly park the cars in the driveway as it is." Told her "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I need another 5 cords to get 3 years ahead so I can relax." She shrugged her shoulders, said "Ok", and went back inside. She understands we saved over $2k on our utility bill and the house was nice and WARM (e.g., 75 degrees versus 68).


----------



## fabsroman (Mar 24, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> This sounds exactly like problems in the country. It is hard to believe how many hate it when the fields are planted to corn. Blocks their view so they can't see what their neighbors are doing.... To me that says only one thing; nosey people! Stack it higher.


 
Yeah, I would tell the lady that the reason I have so much firewood is because I don't like my view of her house and am trying to stack it high enough so I can look at my firewood instead of her house. Not quite there yet though. Going to stack up a couple more cords.

I know where this guy lives. Downtown Silver Spring is right on the border of Washington, DC in one heck of a liberal county. Comments like that from the lady are not surprising. Then, when the power goes out, these people freeze their rears off. God help Montgomery County residents if we ever get hit hard by mother nature.


----------



## Jon1270 (Mar 24, 2013)

fabsroman said:


> Downtown Silver Spring is right on the border of Washington, DC in one heck of a liberal county.


 
Could we steer away from making this out to be some sort of liberal/conservative thing?  Woodburning and firearms are not the same thing, and I seriously doubt liberalism is associated with uptightness about the appearance of suburban yards.


----------



## Boa69 (Mar 24, 2013)

fabsroman said:


> I have more voices than that. They go something like "Buy more saws, cut more wood, buy more guns, shoot more targets, buy more bikes, ride more miles." Get a few others in there once in a while too. "Buy more rods, catch more fish. Buy a welder, build a splitter."


Haha I hear the same voices!


----------



## Thistle (Mar 24, 2013)

fabsroman said:


> Yeah, I would tell the lady that the reason I have so much firewood is because I don't like my view of her house and am trying to stack it high enough so I can look at my firewood instead of her house. Not quite there yet though. Going to stack up a couple more cords.


 
 Exactly.Its none of her damn business what you do on YOUR property.


----------



## bigbarf48 (Mar 24, 2013)

Jon1270 said:


> Could we steer away from making this out to be some sort of liberal/conservative thing?  Woodburning and firearms are not the same thing, and I seriously doubt liberalism is associated with uptightness about the appearance of suburban yards.



It is associated with nosiness and stickin noses where they shouldn't be though I think that was the point being made. It's none of her business what's going on in his yard


----------



## Jon1270 (Mar 24, 2013)

bigbarf48 said:


> It is associated with nosiness and stickin noses where they shouldn't be though I think that was the point being made.


 
I'm well aware of what he meant.  I disagree with the notion, and I think it's unnecessarily divisive.  Other people can be pains in the ass no matter their political stripes.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Mar 24, 2013)

So Jon, keep your political stripes out of it. No harm done.


----------



## Gark (Mar 24, 2013)

Because it shrinks as it dries for two or three years! Heheh.


----------



## fabsroman (Mar 24, 2013)

Jon1270 said:


> I'm well aware of what he meant. I disagree with the notion, and I think it's unnecessarily divisive. Other people can be pains in the ass no matter their political stripes.


 
Yeah, there is no doubt about it. There are exceptions to every rule. However, there are some stereotypes that fit most of the time too. If you are a liberal that heats your house with wood, kudos to you. Heck, my parents, brothers, and one of my sisters are about to convert to Democrats because they cannot influence a single seat in their county, state, or federal governments because Montgomery County only elects liberals. So, they will at least be able to vote in the primaries to try and elect the most conservative of the bunch.

Thing is, Montgomery County is the type of county that would pass an ordinance banning wood burning. I've lived there the first 39 years of my life. 5 years ago, I decided enough is enough because of the political climate there, and we finally found a house we like 2 years ago. Taxes were going through the roof, it was illegal to discharge a firearm almost anywhere, traffic is insane, and gangs had moved into the area. Thing is, Montgomery County and Northern Virginia are two of the best areas in the DC area for scrounging because very few people have any desire to burn wood. I had a 36" white oak sit around down there for 3 weeks. Not around where I live. Somebody cut down 4 oaks last weekend and by the following Saturday morning they were all gone. I was lucky to get a truckload out of that one.

Here is the tree removal permit required by Chevy Chase:

http://www.townofchevychase.org/assets/documents/pdfs/trees/treepermit.pdf

Here is the Chevy Chase "Unofficial Guide to Land Use". Feel free to peruse the 110 pages of unofficial local town ordinances.

http://www.townofchevychase.org/ass...atted Building Handbook for website ver 2.pdf

Did I mention that there isn't a single elected Republican/conservative on that board?

Here are the fines for removing a canopy tree:

First offense: Any person or persons guilty of a municipal infraction shall be subject to a fine, per canopy tree, of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or the maximum amount permitted by state law, whichever is greater.

Second offense: A second violation of this chapter within a two-year period, or a violation of a stop work order, shall be a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punishable by a fine, per canopy tree, of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or the maximum amount permitted by state law, whichever is greater, and *imprisonment for six (6) months* or the maximum duration permitted by state law, whichever is greater.

http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=12209

Feel free to read all 15 ordinances for removing a canopy tree. Better have an attorney on speed dial before you fire up that chainsaw in Chevy Chase. These ordinances are on top of the Montgomery County ordinances and the State of Maryland Code.

Just read through some more of the town ordinances to see what they are like, and I feel like throwing up.

Read this section that requires hedges to be 3 feet or less. Not to mention there is a lot of subjective requirements in there like not allowing landscaping to grow such that sightlines are obstructed for safety purposes.

http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=12209

Oh yeah, downtown Silver Spring is about 2 exits away from Chevy Chase on the DC Beltway. I moved to the conservative part of a county that neighbors Montgomery County and nobody cares a bit about what I do on my property.

Now, we pick political parties because they generally represent the majority of our core values. If you are affiliated with the Democratic party, that is because you hold the majority of their values. Same goes for being a Republican. As I said earlier, there are exceptions though because not everybody adheres to EVER core value of their political party. For instance, I am pro-choice. I am in favor of some sort of immigration reform, but if you were to ask my immigrant parents about that question they are adamant that everybody go through the same ordeal they went through which I can relate to.

What bugs me is that the lady wants her neighbor to be a good neighbor by getting rid of the firewood that is unsightly to her, without once thinking "Hey, this guy might actually need this firewood to be able to afford to heat his family." Not saying that is the case, but she surely is only thinking about what her view from her window looks like and not what the wood burning person's situation might be.

I am going to leave it at this and not even touch on the issue of liberals and firearms, which I have already said there are exceptions to the rule. The none exceptions are what bug the heck out of me. Wait until government wants to ban chainsaws to protect the children and trees.


----------



## Beetle-Kill (Mar 24, 2013)

"That's not wood, that's propane I don't have to buy." 
That simple statement is why my neighbor is now burning wood, and I've lost 6 cord out of my stacks supplying other neighbors this winter.
They're on their own next year, but comments on my stacks have disappeared.


----------



## Jon1270 (Mar 25, 2013)

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, fabsroman. The Chevy Chase tree protection regulations are quite something. I'm still trying to parse the idea of fines and prison terms that are potentially larger than the maximum penalties allowed by state law. I am not an attorney, but I wouldn't have thought it allowable for a municipality to enforce penalties expressly disallowed by the state.

I've only spent a few days of my life in the DC area, and have no direct knowledge of Chevy Chase's political history or climate. Given how onerous these tree protection measures seem to be, I'm curious how they came to exist. I'm inclined to guess that many of the burdensome granular rules might have been drafted incrementally to address violations of the spirit of earlier, simpler versions of the law... but that's only a guess.

Having lived in some extremely hippy-dippy "liberal" communities, I can say with certainty that liberalism does not correlate very well with nosey, control-freakish legislation. In my experience, liberalism is aligned much more closely with generalized kindness and willingness to live and let live, to keep one's nose out of one's neighbor's business as much as possible -- basically the reverse of the dynamic you're describing. But of course my experience is no more absolute and universal than yours is.

My mental model of these sorts of conflicts cleaves along different lines. I think frictions like these become much more likely wherever lots of people live close together, where the shade from a tree on my side of a property line might fall on your house, and where when you have a conversation on your porch and I can hear what you're saying from inside my living room, even with all the all the doors and windows shut. I think these frictions are exacerbated and the impulse to regulate is increased by the presence of wealth, because wherever people have a lot of their wealth tied up in their homes, they will be especially worried about how one homeowner's actions affect surrounding property values. And I think that the regulations get uglier and more problematic as wealth disparities among people living close together get larger, because the wealthy always have more influence and tend to gain at the expense of others. I think this sort of ugliness works pretty much the same way in "conservative" enclaves like Orange County, CA as it does in "liberal" areas like Chevy Chase.

Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to reply.  I think I see where you're coming from.


----------



## fabsroman (Mar 25, 2013)

Jon1270 said:


> Thanks for the thoughtful reply, fabsroman. The Chevy Chase tree protection regulations are quite something. I'm still trying to parse the idea of fines and prison terms that are potentially larger than the maximum penalties allowed by state law. I am not an attorney, but I wouldn't have thought it allowable for a municipality to enforce penalties expressly disallowed by the state.
> 
> I've only spent a few days of my life in the DC area, and have no direct knowledge of Chevy Chase's political history or climate. Given how onerous these tree protection measures seem to be, I'm curious how they came to exist. I'm inclined to guess that many of the burdensome granular rules might have been drafted incrementally to address violations of the spirit of earlier, simpler versions of the law... but that's only a guess.
> 
> ...


 
Yeah, my experience in this area is that the more densely populated areas are extremely blue.

Take a look at the voting results on this website from the 2012 general election. The majority of the population is in Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Baltimore City and essentially the way these 3 counties go the state goes. The state constitution is set up such that both the state senate and state house are based upon population, unlike the US Congress. The rural counties get screwed based upon what the big 3 want. Actually, the areas of Howard County and Anne Arundel county caught between DC and Baltimore City are also rather liberal.

I know plenty of conservatives that are extremely giving and charitable. I know this for a fact because I get to see their cash contributions on their tax returns and regularly discuss politics with them. Where our disconnect is, is that I think liberals are for more taxes, bigger government, and many more regulations a la Chevy Chase. And yes, Chevy Chase is a bunch of rich people, as is most of Montgomery County. Montgomery County used to be ranked the second richest county in the nation for decades. Now, it is #12 and the county I moved to is #3. #1 and #2 are two Virginia Counties that border Washington, DC, and they too are rather liberal. Montgomery County is deteriorating in the wealth column because the housing is getting older and the less wealthy are moving into the east side of the county. The wealthy are moving where the new construction is on the west side.

I will agree with you though that most of the issues with nosey neighbors has to do with them being right on top of one another. Thing is, I grew up in a conservative household in Montgomery County where we never worried about what the neighbors were doing, only what we were doing. To take your example to an extreme, if we all lived on 2,000 acre ranches, we wouldn't even have a clue what the neighbor is doing, much less would we care unless their "controlled" burn got out of control.

Forgot the link to the election results.

http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2012/results/general/index.html


----------



## Bspring (Mar 27, 2013)

Jon1270 said:


> Having lived in some extremely hippy-dippy "liberal" communities, I can say with certainty that liberalism does not correlate very well with nosey, control-freakish legislation. In my experience, liberalism is aligned much more closely with generalized kindness and willingness to live and let live, to keep one's nose out of one's neighbor's business as much as possible -- basically the reverse of the dynamic you're describing. But of course my experience is no more absolute and universal than yours is.


 
It is my opinion that this is just lip service and is certainly not a view that they hold when they vote. I have spent most of my life in the bible belt which is far more conservative than the north east US. God have mercy on any politician down here that wants to take our guns away or tell us how big of a surgery drink we can have. In SC there are no helmet laws, no tags required for trailers, no inspection stickers for autos and on and on it goes. We believe in smaller government and lower taxes. BTW, giving a mother the right to kill her child because it is an inconvenience is not live and let live.


----------



## fossil (Mar 27, 2013)

OK, wanna talk about wood, the Wood Shed's the place to do it.  Wanna somehow politicize talking about wood, the Ash Can's the place for that.  Over and out.  Rick


----------

