# Homeowners Association Tries Levying Fine For Flying the Betsy Ross Flag **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 16, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-association-tries-levying-fine-for-flying-the-betsy-ross-flag/690871 "2014-06-16T02:02:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-association-tries-levying-fine-for-flying-the-betsy-ross-flag/690871/81 "2014-06-17T18:08:40Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > And in other countries legal discussions on freedom do not degenerate into differing claims of what a constitution permits those subject to it. I don’t understand the significance of this remark. Isn’t the point of a constitution to be a starting point for the scope of government action? ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-association-tries-levying-fine-for-flying-the-betsy-ross-flag/690871/82 "2014-06-17T18:52:31Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > A lot of you seem to underestimate the amount of work the HOA does. The grass doesn’t cut itself. No handyman magically shows up to repaint the curbs. The streelight doesn’t change its own lightbulb. The sidewalk repair guy doesn’t just come on by every few years and start replacing tiles. The parking lot doesn’t mysteriously get repaved overnight. The tree limbs don’t just know to stop growing when they hang into the street or hit people’s houses. > > Who do you think calls the paver and the tree guy and the painter and the landscaper and the accountant and the lawyer? Who do you think gets the bids and cuts the checks? > > Seriously, fuck homeowners who think HOAs exist to tell you what decorations to put up. :mad: Chessic Sense is correct. If the HOA would limit itself to such responsibilities there wouldn’t be any issues. The trouble arises when it uses poor judgment such as going after a homeowner for flying an arguably American flag. Had the flag been allowed to fly no ones’ property values would have been lowered. Most likely no one would have objected to it. Objections would have been raised to a Nazi, Confederate, or Oakland Raiders flag, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-association-tries-levying-fine-for-flying-the-betsy-ross-flag/690871/83 "2014-06-17T21:10:05Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’ve never heard of painting curbs, replacing streetlights, or fixing sidewalks as part of home maintenance before. It’s kind of a mixed situation, but our complex consists of several multifamily buildings, with streets running between them. The complex owns those streets, and thus has to maintain them. We just repaved them a little while ago, as a matter of fact. They are hardly more than glorified driveways, but they do have curbs and streetlights. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-association-tries-levying-fine-for-flying-the-betsy-ross-flag/690871/84 "2014-06-17T21:14:32Z")
> [@Caffeine.addict](#): > > I agree on the condo, but having lived in the city in a rowhouse, I can assure you that townhouses don’t really need an HOA. If I have to cut a tree on my property, I do it. The law in my jurisdiction allows you to cut a tree branch that comes on to your property. We don’t have a parking lot, but you as the homeowner are responsible for maintaining your parking pad. The city maintains the sidewalks. Otherwise, the homeowner is responsible for maintaining his structure. > > I’m pretty happy living like that. I can paint my house whatever color I want, and the only restrictions are those imposed by the municipality. Townhouses need less common maintenance than condos, but they do need some. A few years ago they needed to replace the roofs in our complex. The entire roof of our 12-unit townhouse row building was replaced at once. Hard to see how that could be coordinated and paid for without an HOA. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-association-tries-levying-fine-for-flying-the-betsy-ross-flag/690871/85 "2014-06-17T21:42:39Z")
> [@Caffeine.addict](#): > > I agree on the condo, but having lived in the city in a rowhouse, I can assure you that townhouses don’t really need an HOA. If I have to cut a tree on my property, I do it. The law in my jurisdiction allows you to cut a tree branch that comes on to your property. We don’t have a parking lot, but you as the homeowner are responsible for maintaining your parking pad. The city maintains the sidewalks. Otherwise, the homeowner is responsible for maintaining his structure. > > I’m pretty happy living like that. I can paint my house whatever color I want, and the only restrictions are those imposed by the municipality. Great. I am glad you found a situation that works for you. When I was in high school, my mom moved in to a planned community. As a single mom working long hours, she couldn’t care less about choosing paint color. She wanted a regular suburban home, but without having to worry about landscaping and roof replacement and pool maintenance. She worries about the inside, they worry about the outside, and it’s absolutely perfect for her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-association-tries-levying-fine-for-flying-the-betsy-ross-flag/690871.md?page=4)