Churched Fined $100 per Branch for Pruning Trees

Communism is a totalitarian system under which there is no liberty whatsoever because there is no private property. Here’s an example of how an authoritarian regime might use the absence of property rights to put the screws to disapproved activities like Christian worship:

Every two to three years, Eddie Sales trims and prunes the crape myrtles at his church, Albemarle Road Presbyterian Church.

But this year, the city of Charlotte cited the church for improperly pruning its trees.

“We always keep our trees trimmed back because you don’t want to worry about them hanging down in the way,” said Sales, a church member.

The church was fined $100 per branch cut for excessive pruning, bringing the violation to $4,000.

“I just couldn’t believe it when I heard about it,” Sales said. “We trim our trees back every three years all over our property, and this is the first time we have been fined.”

The fine will be dropped if the church replaces each of the improperly pruned trees, said Tom Johnson, senior urban forester for city of Charlotte Land Development Division.

Sounds like a local nursery made a wise political donation.

This is how someone who needs to trim a tree can stay in Big Brother’s good graces:

Individuals who would like to trim their trees should call the city foresters to receive a free permit to conduct the landscape work.

Free? How generous. I wonder how long that will last.

Foresters will then meet with the person receiving the permit and give instructions on how to properly trim their trees, Johnson said.

The state Division of Forestry recommends that anyone trimming trees should be certified by the National Horticulture Board, but certification is not required to receive a permit.

Yet. Before long you’ll have to belong to the National Manicure Board to get a permit to trim your own toenails.

In a free country, it would be none of the government’s business how a church pruned its trees, because the trees would belong to the church. But in the USSA, they belong to the government, like everything else. Otherwise how could bureaucrats dictate how they must be pruned?

On tips from Steve T and AC. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

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