In Defense of Newton, MA....

Reader comment on: Tomato Enforcement

Submitted by John (United States), May 22, 2012 09:22

I (for one) actually don't have a problem with this. First of all, Newton is among the most beautiful, affluent cities in the entire country, and there's no doubt that local zoning laws and ordinances play a role in keeping it that way. Second, if you look at the picture in the Globe article his structure is really ugly. It should go. I can definitely see why he got cited. Third, local laws like this - when done for a good reason (beautification), rather than as a nanny state money grab (like the texting ban linked to a few days back) - are city-specific. If the gardeners don't like it, they can move a town or two over where you can put whatever hideous structure you want on your front lawn. But in my opinion as laws become more stringent at higher and higher governmental levels (states, then the federal level) then consumer choice becomes restricted. But at the local level, I think it's fine. Thanks for the post!

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