# Fuck you. Shovel your sidewalk. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 4, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141 "2011-02-04T13:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/241 "2011-02-10T20:22:36Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > This is one of those threads, like the US election threads, that I read in bemused fascination. I find it difficult to understand why property owners would be forced to maintain public sidewalks and how this can be seen as perfectly natural. … > > The whole thing smacks to me of medieval ordinances requiring that you keep a torch or lanthorn alight outside your establishment after dark. From my point of view, one of the benefits of modern cities is that this sort of thing has become a public responsibility rather than a private one, and nightime lighting is now provided by the municipality. … If you’re OK with taxes used for building a sidewalk, you should be OK with taxes spent to maintain it. The thing (and the maddening thing) is that it’s not actually that much work; in Chicago this winter, there have been maybe 10 days when shoveling was required, and basically only one when there was a significant amount of work involved beyond the annoyance of having to go back outside after you’d come home from work. It’s just not worth it to pay the salaries of the thousand extra people on staff, and keep the thousand snowblowers in a garage or warehouse somewhere, to go clear the sidewalks ten times a winter. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/242 "2011-02-10T20:51:04Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > The thing (and the maddening thing) is that it’s not actually that much work; in Chicago this winter, there have been maybe 10 days when shoveling was required, and basically only one when there was a significant amount of work involved beyond the annoyance of having to go back outside after you’d come home from work. It’s just not worth it to pay the salaries of the thousand extra people on staff, and keep the thousand snowblowers in a garage or warehouse somewhere, to go clear the sidewalks ten times a winter. So the city (and voters) feels it’s worth it to pay for a few days a year of snow clearing for residents who want to drive somewhere, but not for residents who want to walk somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/243 "2011-02-10T20:51:22Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m not sure anyone _likes_ shovelling their walks or the laws that compel you to do so. I don’t particularly like mowing my (fairly steep) lawn, either, but I chose not to buy a condo with full yard services included in the condo fees. Perhaps you missed the part where I purchased a house without a sidewalk in front of it, and the city installed one. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/244 "2011-02-10T21:23:24Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Perhaps you missed the part where I purchased a house without a sidewalk in front of it, and the city installed one. Perhaps you missed the part where your neighbors must have generally agreed that \*they \*wanted them. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/245 "2011-02-10T21:30:57Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Perhaps you missed the part where I purchased a house without a sidewalk in front of it, and the city installed one. So go demand that they clean it for you. If they refuse, ask them to cite chapter and verse why they were allowed to install a sidewalk without your prior approval, and why they should not have to clean it. Please post results. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/246 "2011-02-10T21:38:26Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > I walk to work everyday, walk to get my groceries, walk my dog, and walk to the bus stop if I’m going further afield. In my older city the streets are narrow and busy enough that walking on them is hazardous, especially at night. ‘Not walking on a sidewalk’ isn’t an option for me. When I encounter an unshovelled sidewalk I just try to get by, but I certainly have fallen. I don’t own a car. If I break my ankle (have come close) I will no longer be able to get out of the house to go anywhere I need to go… Okay, let me ask you this - why is it okay for you to recite your personal circumstances as a reason that ALL sidewalks should be shoveled, but its not okay for me to cite my personal circumstances as a reason why MY sidewalk does not need to be shoveled??? (and this apart from the fact that it already is…) If it applies to you, it applies to everyone? I don’t think you actually believe that, do you? I tried to say before that circumstances differ and this may explain the unwillingness of some people to shovel their sidewalk, but this argument fell on deaf ears. I even went so far as to say, if my circumstances were the same as yours, my position might be different. Apparently that doesn’t matter either… Homicide is against the law in all states. But sometimes homicide is considered ‘justifiable’. I’m getting the impression here that you consider that a failure to shovel your sidewalk is NEVER okay! So even if its not actually illegal in your community, you are still morally bankrupt if you don’t shovel your walk! Are you kidding me??! You’re okay with setting the moral standard for the whole country? Please - subscribe me to your newsletter - it should be enlight…er…entertaining! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/247 "2011-02-10T21:42:23Z")
Okay, let me ask you this - why is it okay for you to recite your personal circumstances as a reason that ALL sidewalks shoudln’t be shat on, but its not okay for me to cite my personal circumstances as a reason why I should be able to shit on MY sidewalk??? (and this apart from the fact that I already don’t…) If it applies to you, it applies to everyone? I don’t think you actually believe that, do you? I tried to say before that circumstances differ and this may explain the unwillingness of some people to refrain from shitting on the sidewalk, but this argument fell on deaf ears. I even went so far as to say, if my circumstances were the same as yours, my position might be different. Apparently that doesn’t matter either… Homicide is against the law in all states. But sometimes homicide is considered ‘justifiable’. I’m getting the impression here that you consider that shitting on your sidewalk is NEVER okay! So even if its not actually illegal in your community, you are still morally bankrupt if you shit on your walk! Are you kidding me??! You’re okay with setting the moral standard for the whole country? Please - subscribe me to your newsletter - it should be enlight…er…entertaining! ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/248 "2011-02-10T21:56:21Z")
…and this is why I addressed my post to Meyer6 and not to SFG. She’s already annoyed and I wasn’t even trying to teach her to sing! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/249 "2011-02-10T21:59:58Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > …and this is why I addressed my post to Meyer6 and not to SFG. She’s already annoyed and I wasn’t even trying to teach her to sing! 😃 Comparing SFG to a pig. Classy! ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/250 "2011-02-10T22:08:43Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Comparing SFG to a pig. Classy! Well - this is the pit! Even if I had pretensions to classiness, which we all know I don’t - it just wouldn’t be appropriate here! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/251 "2011-02-10T22:12:54Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > This is one of those threads, like the US election threads, that I read in bemused fascination. I find it difficult to understand why property owners would be forced to maintain public sidewalks and how this can be seen as perfectly natural. Would the residents of these cities be OK if the city decided that you were now responsible for plowing and filling potholes in the stretch of public road abutting your property as well? How about clearing blockages and fixing breaks in the sections of the main public sewer and water lines running adjacent to your property? That would really help cut taxes! _sigh_ No…just…no. Cities and most municipalities decided long ago that the sidewalks are property you must maintain for the benefit of the public, wheras streets are features that are exclusively for the public. Ergo the city maintains the street not only because it is their job, but because they want the job done properly. They do not want your 2nd cousin who is ‘handy with tools’ -but never heard of one-call - to try and do sewer line work - they want either their own crews or a properly registered and approved contractor. For the record, if I had to do my own sewer work my taxes would not go down. I pay the sewer bill through my water bill. Seriously. This shit has been settled decades if not centuries ago. > [@](#): > > The whole thing smacks to me of medieval ordinances requiring that you keep a torch or lanthorn alight outside your establishment after dark. From my point of view, one of the benefits of modern cities is that this sort of thing has become a public responsibility rather than a private one, and nightime lighting is now provided by the municipality. If there is a public good which is served when a municipality builds a road or sidewalk, there is a public responsibility on the municipality to maintain the said road or sidewalk, not pawn the responsibility off on the people who happen to live nearby. If you’re OK with taxes used for building a sidewalk, you should be OK with taxes spent to maintain it. In the city of Philadelphia I cannot think of any case where taxes built the sidewalks in front of private properties. Property owners pay for repairs to the sidewalks and new constructions put them in at their cost. Most municiplalities have also determined that the property owner may modify the sidewalk to their taste (different surfaces, a flower bed), but at the same time is responsible for maintaining it. How much this is will depend on your municipality. Let’s get out of this idiotic mindset that public or private properties are some kind of absolutes. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/252 "2011-02-10T22:25:38Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > _She’s_ stupid? Really? > > The floor of your house is for YOU to walk on. I don’t care if it’s all Hoarders up in there, that’s your problem. > > The sidewalk is for EVERYONE to walk on, and it’s your responsibility to clear it. If you don’t want that responsibility, don’t buy a damned house. This is a new argument. What SfG said is “the sidewalk is for walking.” What you’re saying is “The sidewalk is for everyone to walk on.” That’s a different statement, and it means something different. I offered a crushing counterexample to SfG’s argument. So what about this new one you’ve offered (and which SfG has endorsed in a later post)? I’ll offer yet another crushing counterexample: The street is for everyone to drive on. Does this mean I am responsible for filling in potholes? Of course not. Again–I agree with the conclusion you guys are drawing. You’re just making piss-poor arguments while at the same time lambasting the very character of those who are pointing out the poor quality of your arguments. A poisonous combination. People should indeed shovel their sidewalks. But it is completely stupid to think that this should be dumbfoundingly obvious to absolutely anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/253 "2011-02-10T22:54:56Z")
A question: Who owns the sidewalk? Cites preferred. Does this differ from place to place? ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/254 "2011-02-11T00:14:00Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Tire tracks - do the streets show tire tracks? 😕 Well, yeah, mine. 😛 (And others–the street doesn’t end there, just the sidewalk.) > [@Frylock](#): > > A question: Who owns the sidewalk? > > Cites preferred. > > Does this differ from place to place? No cite of local ordinances, but in my municipality, the sidewalks are built by the city on a public easement on your property. I’m not sure (from a property law perspective) who actually owns them in that case-- I suspect it boils down to “I own it, but am compelled to allow the public to use it in a safe and legal manner”. I do know that the city does all the heavy maintenance (concrete repair/replacement) but compels the owners, via ordinance, to do light maintenance (essentially, clearing the surface of hazardous/dangerous conditions in a timely fashion). ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/255 "2011-02-11T00:55:42Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > It’s easy for those who live in the South or who are completely car-dependent to say ‘just don’t walk there’ or ‘just deal with it’. It’s not that simple, and while you may think that the ‘lesser evil’ is to allow older people (or disabled people, or just anyone who doesn’t feel like dealing with it) to leave snow and ice, I disagree. You’re just saying that their convenience is more important than anyone elses need to get around. > > The problem with this is that one unshovelled walk can make a whole block impassable. You can’t just start letting some people get away without fulfilling their responsibilities because you feel sorry for them. Wouldn’t you feel even a little bad if an old lady couldn’t shovel and the only recourse was to kick her out of her house? I mean come on, at that point I’d take a look at my life and say it’s ok to inconvenience me a little for her sake. If Lily lived on my block and didn’t shovel and I knew her situation, I’d be annoyed, but I would never try to force it. I’d give her a pass. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/256 "2011-02-11T01:51:24Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > Okay, let me ask you this - why is it okay for you to recite your personal circumstances as a reason that ALL sidewalks should be shoveled, but its not okay for me to cite my personal circumstances as a reason why MY sidewalk does not need to be shoveled??? Look, I know you’re tenaciously clinging to the ‘if I even touch a shovel I’ll die instantly’ defence, but solutions have been offered to you to mitigate your risk while still being a good neighbour - either pay someone to shovel, or move somewhere where sidewalk maintenance is not an issue. What solutions are there to mitigate my risk?\* Am I supposed to either buy a car or take a taxi everywhere? Or just stay inside all winter? Surely even you can see that this is a much greater burden than just giving the neighbour kid $5 once in a while. > [@YogSosoth](#): > > Wouldn’t you feel even a little bad if an old lady couldn’t shovel and the only recourse was to kick her out of her house? I mean come on, at that point I’d take a look at my life and say it’s ok to inconvenience me a little for her sake. If Lily lived on my block and didn’t shovel and I knew her situation, I’d be annoyed, but I would never try to force it. I’d give her a pass. My grandfather is 88 years old. He lives somewhere that it doesn’t usually snow much, but this year has been different and there has been a fair bit of snow. He has two hip replacements and can’t drive because his eyesight is not what it used to be. I worry a lot about him slipping and falling when he walks to the store to get his groceries. He’s still very independent (he shovelled his own sidewalk, despite our protests), and keeps up with his own homeowner duties. Should he stay in all winter? Should he be kicked out of his house? Why does one ‘little old lady’ argument trump another? In any case, as has been repeatedly pointed out, shovelling the sidewalk is often mandated by a city bylaw. Obviously most cities feel that citizens have a right to walk outside, while they do not have a right to own a house without performing any upkeep. Why do you think that is? \*and don’t say ‘be careful’ or ‘deal with it’, because I will just tell you to be careful and deal with shovelling. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/257 "2011-02-11T02:34:39Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > If Lily lived on my block and didn’t shovel and I knew her situation, I’d be annoyed, but I would never try to force it. I’d give her a pass. I would (and have) shoveled the walk for her. But if it doesn’t get done (and I can’t shovel everyone’s sidewalk) then she would rightly get cited and she needs to make arrangements for someone to keep it clear. She’s not getting a pass on property taxes, and this is a similar type of burden imposed by living in the city. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/258 "2011-02-11T02:44:07Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > Look, I know you’re tenaciously clinging to the ‘if I even touch a shovel I’ll die instantly’ defence, but solutions have been offered to you to mitigate your risk while still being a good neighbour - either pay someone to shovel, or move somewhere where sidewalk maintenance is not an issue. What solutions are there to mitigate my risk?\* Am I supposed to either buy a car or take a taxi everywhere? Or just stay inside all winter? Surely even you can see that this is a much greater burden than just giving the neighbour kid $5 once in a while. > > My grandfather is 88 years old. He lives somewhere that it doesn’t usually snow much, but this year has been different and there has been a fair bit of snow. He has two hip replacements and can’t drive because his eyesight is not what it used to be. I worry a lot about him slipping and falling when he walks to the store to get his groceries. He’s still very independent (he shovelled his own sidewalk, despite our protests), and keeps up with his own homeowner duties. Should he stay in all winter? Should he be kicked out of his house? Why does one ‘little old lady’ argument trump another? > > In any case, as has been repeatedly pointed out, shovelling the sidewalk is often mandated by a city bylaw. Obviously most cities feel that citizens have a right to walk outside, while they do not have a right to own a house without performing any upkeep. Why do you think that is? > > \*and don’t say ‘be careful’ or ‘deal with it’, because I will just tell you to be careful and deal with shovelling. Okay, I’m pretty sure that my potential health risks were just one of multiple reasons I cited for not shoveling my sidewalk - but that’s the only one that you so tenaciously want to keep arguing about. And as I have indicated repeatedly, I already live somewhere, where the city clears the sidewalk - you’re the one who insisted that that is not enough. I keep trying to explain to you that your circumstances are not even remotely like mine - which is why you have no business trying to tell me what is ‘good’ and ‘moral’ and ‘right’ in my community. But you keep insisting that its all about you, your life, your situation . Where you live - not where I live! Apparently you have a ‘March of the Penguins’ pedestrian traffic situation in your neighborhood, but I don’t! Do you even understand that there is a difference here? And how the hell do you make the leap from not shoveling a sidewalk (where it is NOT mandated by law) to ‘not performing any upkeep’?? And what on earth does your 88 year old grandfather who shovels his sidewalk have to do with anything??? Who here is trying to throw him out of his home??? 😕 And how insane is it that I keep coming back here to argue what is essentially a moot point? :smack: (I know, I know - its the same reason that you didn’t actually ‘give up’, 20 posts ago - boredom and the lure of the Dope…) ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/259 "2011-02-11T03:25:51Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > And as I have indicated repeatedly, I already live somewhere, where the city clears the sidewalk - you’re the one who insisted that that is not enough. I know you live somewhere where they plow the sidewalks. Great. That’s all fine and well, but what you are arguing is that people shouldn’t have to shovel if they don’t want to. If you had come in and said ‘my community plows the sidewalks, boy I sure appreciate that!’ nobody would have said boo to you. But you said ‘even though my community plows the sidewalk, I just want to let you know that I wouldn’t shovel anyways because I value my own convenience over everything else’. Believe it or not, this discussion is not specifically about you (or me, either), it’s about general behaviour. Many of us have noticed that the jerks of the world like to not shovel and then make all kinds of excuses that are just like the ones you’ve made here. We \*know \*you don’t need to shovel, but you also don’t need to come here and spout stupid excuses. It’s the latter part we’re arguing with. > [@](#): > > And what on earth does your 88 year old grandfather who shovels his sidewalk have to do with anything??? Who here is trying to throw him out of his home??? > 😕 Try to keep up. For one, that part was in response to **YoSosoth** , not you. For two, the point is that we should all feel bad for the fragile old ladies (like yourself) who simply can’t shovel their sidewalks, or pay someone else to do it. We should give them a pass, right? Just like you would expect a pass on it if you lived somewhere where you had to shovel, because we should feel bad for your poor delicate ticker. My point was that in giving those people a pass, you’re saying it’s okay to force other people to risk their own safety in order to get out of their house. I used him as an example because elsewhere in the thread people (including you) have said that pedestrians should just learn to deal with snow and ice, that they should just accept that they will be injured, and that back in the day you waded through 5 feet of snow and you were just fine, damn it! I was hoping you might realize that not everyone can clamber over snowdrifts or can opt to drive. If you feel that shovelling should be optional, you are effectively saying that those people should just stay home all winter. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/260 "2011-02-11T03:33:58Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > I know you live somewhere where they plow the sidewalks. Great. That’s all fine and well, but what you are arguing is that people shouldn’t have to shovel if they don’t want to. If you had come in and said ‘my community plows the sidewalks, boy I sure appreciate that!’ nobody would have said boo to you. But you said ‘even though my community plows the sidewalk, I just want to let you know that I wouldn’t shovel anyways because I value my own convenience over everything else’. Of course, by insisting that someone shovel their sidewalk for you, you’re saying that you value your convenience over everything else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141.md?page=14)