# 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:** 14
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/261 "2011-02-11T03:44:31Z")
I know I’m jumping in way late. There is at least one or two houses in every block that are abandoned or in foreclosure. We had 16 inches last week. Who is responsible for shovelling those sidewalks? The bank or the rightful owner are not coming back to do it. That said, walkers are handling those impediments just fine, either avoiding those houses all together or simply walking in the street. People are managing just fine, what’s one more? I shovelled my driveway and my front walk to the street by hand during the days after the storm. I have not shovelled my sidewalk. I plan to this weekend. Why didn’t I do it? I made it so my cars can get out so we can go to work, I made it so the mailman can get to my mailbox. I did that all by hand w/ no help. I was tired and I figured that if the walkers of the world can get around the vacant house kitty corner from me and the vacant house 5 doors down, then they can get around one more. At least for a week. I’ll get to it, but it sure as hell isn’t top priority. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/262 "2011-02-11T04:03:58Z")
**diggerwam** , as a cold weather walker, I can assure you that you are, indeed, a jerk. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ispolkom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Ispolkom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ispolkom)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/263 "2011-02-11T04:07:15Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > I know I’m jumping in way late. There is at least one or two houses in every block that are abandoned or in foreclosure. We had 16 inches last week. Who is responsible for shovelling those sidewalks? The bank or the rightful owner are not coming back to do it. > > That said, walkers are handling those impediments just fine, either avoiding those houses all together or simply walking in the street. > > People are managing just fine, what’s one more? I shovelled my driveway and my front walk to the street by hand during the days after the storm. I have not shovelled my sidewalk. I plan to this weekend. Why didn’t I do it? I made it so my cars can get out so we can go to work, I made it so the mailman can get to my mailbox. I did that all by hand w/ no help. I was tired and I figured that if the walkers of the world can get around the vacant house kitty corner from me and the vacant house 5 doors down, then they can get around one more. At least for a week. I’ll get to it, but it sure as hell isn’t top priority. Oh, you’re tired. I feel so badly for you. If you were in St. Paul and I had to traverse your unshovelled sidewalk, I’d do what I always do in such situations: call the snitch line. It’s great living in a city where enforcement is so easy. It might not be your priority to clear your walk, but a bill from the city (added on to your property taxes if you don’t pay it) might change your priorities. ---
**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, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/264 "2011-02-11T04:22:05Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Of course, by insisting that someone shovel their sidewalk for you, you’re saying that you value your convenience over everything else. Actually, the city is saying that. Again I ask, why do you think that is? ---
**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, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/265 "2011-02-11T06:33:02Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > Actually, the city is saying that. Again I ask, why do you think that is? Actually, the majority of posters in this thread seem to think I have a moral obligation to shovel my sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/266 "2011-02-11T06:52:59Z")
I’ll shovel your snow, Travis. As long as you live on the same block as me. And you have sidewalks. And it snows. I’m another person who is reading this thread with much confusion and interest. It snows a couple of times a year where I work and it can get bad. It melts off really fast. I live lower, so never gets more than a dusting of snow, and its all gone that same day. I didn’t know that walking/driving on snow would make it turn into ice. I always thought that it would help it melt by allowing the sun to warm the blacktop. I didn’t know that you could/should go out in a snowstorm and shovel the steps. I thought we should just stand inside and look out the windows and wonder if facilities would get there before we left. I’m really happy that I don’t live somewhere where people have to deal with more snow than I do. I’m considered to be a genius at work because I have a snowbrush in my trunk and often remember to bring it inside when its supposed to snow. ---
**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, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/267 "2011-02-11T06:54:58Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > I’ll shovel your snow, Travis. As long as you live on the same block as me. And you have sidewalks. And it snows. I don’t mind shoveling the snow. I just don’t see why everyone thinks I’m morally obligated to do so. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/268 "2011-02-11T12:03:24Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > So what you want is our taxes to be higher so you don’t have to go out in the cold and shovel your walk? How about because sidewalk passability is a communal problem needing a communal solution? How about because maintaining city right of ways should not be handled piecemeal and at varying levels of competence? How about because maintaining safe sidewalks is a matter of public safety and should therefore be entrusted to a publicly accountable entity? > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > If not, there are plenty of lawn and garden services that do snow removal in the winter that would be happy to come and clear her entire sidewalk and driveway, probably much better than she would have done it anyway. Yeah, it’ll cost money. That’s homeownership for you. And unfortunately, that’s just _not true_. I live in a not-small city. (Smaller than Columbus, OH but bigger than Saint Paul, MN.) My driveway is barely the length of a car and has a grade that means it never has to be plowed to be passable. My sidewalk is maybe 15 feet long. Every landscaper that actually answered their phone or called me back (which was only about 60% of them) when I left a message told me the same thing: either they don’t offer shoveling/snowblowing services standalone (only as a side job to driveway plowing) or don’t offer it for so little property. Even if I threw in my front walkway there’s not enough for them to do for them to consider it worth their while. It’s very easy to say “oh, landscapers do it” but the reality is, for many people, they do not. They just do not. I can give you the phone numbers of some of the ones I talked to if you’d like to call and find out for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/269 "2011-02-11T12:27:16Z")
I’ll ask again this morning, do you feel the same anger towards vacant properties? The bank isn’t going to come to do, nor is the neighbor who moved on. Are you going to call the “snitch” line against those folks? I sincerely doubt it. So if you run accross an occupied home where things aren’t quite up to snuff, whether it be shovellling, yard care or basic upkeep, I think that home owner should get the benefit of the doubt. I think you should assume that person is doing their best unless you have rock solid proof otherwise. You’re not in your neighbors shoes, so be nice. I bet you question people who park in the handicapped spots at the grocery store if you think they look able-bodied. ---
**Author:** ![Ispolkom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Ispolkom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ispolkom)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/270 "2011-02-11T12:36:42Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > I’ll ask again this morning, do you feel the same anger towards vacant properties? The bank isn’t going to come to do, nor is the neighbor who moved on. Are you going to call the “snitch” line against those folks? I sincerely doubt it. Doubt away, but I’ve done it, the city has come and shoveled, and the bank or whoever owns the property has gotten billed. The sidewalk is shoveled, and someone (in the end, whoever pays property taxes) pays the bill. Maybe the bank doesn’t care about such things, but that’s of no interest to me. My principal goal is to get the sidewalk shoveled, not to get someone fined. I don’t care who parks in handicapped spots at the grocery store because I don’t park in them. I care about shoveled sidewalks because I use them. Pretty simple. Seems to me that if you spent as much time shoveling as you do posting to this message board, your sidewalk would already be done. ---
**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, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/271 "2011-02-11T12:37:38Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > I don’t mind shoveling the snow. I just don’t see why everyone thinks I’m morally obligated to do so. Because sidewalks in the city are a benefit of living here, and it’s a responsibility to the common wealth (just like paying taxes) that is required of you. Whether that is moral, ethical, or merely legal I don’t know, but it never occurs to me to NOT shovel. ---
**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 11, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/272 "2011-02-11T15:42:00Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > How about because sidewalk passability is a communal problem needing a communal solution? How about because maintaining city right of ways should not be handled piecemeal and at varying levels of competence? How about because maintaining safe sidewalks is a matter of public safety and should therefore be entrusted to a publicly accountable entity? Assuming it’s not already being handled in such a manner where you live, what are you doing to make it happen? If you think this is the way things should be, what steps are you taking (or have you taken) to try and make those changes in your community? My guess is, sweet fuck-all. I’m willing to be proven wrong though. ---
**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 11, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/273 "2011-02-11T15:44:00Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > I don’t mind shoveling the snow. I just don’t see why everyone thinks I’m morally obligated to do so. We know. That’s what’s so irksome to those of us with a sense of civic responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/274 "2011-02-11T17:36:03Z")
> [@Ispolkom](#): > > \ > Seems to me that if you spent as much time shoveling as you do posting to this message board, your sidewalk would already be done. Heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/275 "2011-02-11T17:55:46Z")
I’m taking literally 2 minutes in the morning to string a couple sententces together, how long does it take to put together a logical sentence or two? My sidewalk is about knee deep and it will take well over a few minutes to take care of it. If you think it’s so easy, why don’t y’all come out? I’ll make cocoa. I’ll get it done tonite and tomorrow morning. Don’t worry winter walkers. ---
**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 11, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/276 "2011-02-11T18:02:19Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > I’m taking literally 2 minutes in the morning to string a couple sententces together, how long does it take to put together a logical sentence or two? Its the almost two hours between posts that I’d be more concerned about as opposed to the length of time it takes to type. > [@](#): > > My sidewalk is about knee deep and it will take well over a few minutes to take care of it. If you think it’s so easy, why don’t y’all come out? I’ll make cocoa. Or you could fulfill your civic duties. > [@](#): > > I’ll get it done tonite and tomorrow morning. Don’t worry winter walkers. Gee, thanks for reducing yourself to doing us favors. :rolleyes: ---
**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 11, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/277 "2011-02-11T18:11:57Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > I’ll get it done tonite and tomorrow morning. Don’t worry winter walkers. [Thanks](http://bit.ly/eMpnzZ). And take your time, [there’s no hurry](http://bit.ly/h44H7Q). ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/278 "2011-02-11T18:15:32Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > How about because sidewalk passability is a communal problem needing a communal solution? How about because maintaining city right of ways should not be handled piecemeal and at varying levels of competence? How about because maintaining safe sidewalks is a matter of public safety and should therefore be entrusted to a publicly accountable entity? I will admit that it is a communal problem and needs a communal solution. I disagree with what the solution needs to be. Shoveling a sidewalk isn’t like driving a snowplow, I had the fundamentals down by the time I was 12. Like **Telemark** it just wouldn’t occur to me not to shovel. If the city did it I would let them but I don’t see the point of having to pay more in taxes for something I can do just as well and probably in a more timely manner myself. I think the system of people clearing their own sidewalks works pretty good as long as everyone chooses to participate. I’m sure there are some people who are unable physically to shovel their sidewalks and some, like yourself, who are unable to hire someone to reliably come and shovel. I just think that number is a lot lower than the number of people who just choose not to. Posters upthread mentioned programs set up to help people in your situation, maybe you need to look and see if there is something like that around you. ---
**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, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/279 "2011-02-11T18:36:10Z")
Because of this topic, I no longer think snow is all fun and games. It seems to be a pain in the ass :mad: ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141/280 "2011-02-11T18:40:00Z")
I shovel well. I shovel _very_ well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-shovel-your-sidewalk/570141.md?page=15)