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Ponce
14th September 2010, 05:48 PM
Georgia Man Fined $5000 for Growing Vegetables.

September 14, 2010 by Alex

By TheAvalonRoundTable

A Georgia resident who has been an organic farmer for years is now facing $5000 dollars in fines for growing too many vegetables on his OWN land. That’s right.

Steve Miller, who has sold some of his produce at local farmers markets, as well as growing food for himself, is likely the victim of an Online Aerial Invasion of Private Property. This invasion of property is probably due to the fact that unless visited or inspected by an official, there would be no way for there to be an accurate or factual accounting of what was going on at Mr. Millers property. The question is, “Does Steve Miller legally posses a reasonable expectation of Privacy on his own Private Property?

Recent reports of Local & State Officials and Bureaucrats using online mapping software have now become mainstream tools for assessing fines and generating money for cash strapped local & state budgets. Does it seem right that anywhere that Google Maps & Bing Maps can go is legal to use as a source of information. If a person was bathing in their pool, with every expectation of privacy, and someone peeked over a fence, wouldn’t that constitute a criminal offense?

Is the expectation of privacy something the government wants to destroy altogether?

Is government today at a point where the end justifies the means? In January and February, when he received his first citations, Steve was able to get the property re-zoned allowing him to grow his garden – a right MOST AMERICANS believe he already had. The Declaration of Independence states one’s inalienable right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Isn’t growing your own personal food supply an exercise of that right to Life and Liberty? No Constitutional Government can assess any fee for exercising these inalienable rights.

In the recent past, Victory Gardens were encouraged. They were the pride of one’s back yard, and of a Nation that was self-sufficient. The television series The Victory Garden on PBS, documents gardening and provides gardening tips and features vegetable gardens as a great personal achievement.

Historically, Victory Gardens in World War II were encouraged to keep the supply of food at a maximum – and personal growing increased the industrial supply to the military.

Are people going to let this FASCIST TAKEOVER to continue – even growing a garden in the privacy of our own personal property be taken away? If the answer is NO – then what are you prepared to do about it?

You can watch the video aired on WSBTV in Georgia – County Sues Farmer for Excessive Crops

Let them know how you feel about this.

The question remain unanswered; “How did the code enforcement agency know Mr. Miller had a garden in the first place?” Eat Drink Better

http://theintelhub.com/2010/09/14/georgia-man-fined-5000-for-growing-vegetables/

7th trump
14th September 2010, 06:06 PM
Gee wiz did Mrs. Obama get a license to grow her garden on public property?

mightymanx
14th September 2010, 06:11 PM
Dang,

Book and his HOA are using upscale technology to find all those code violators now.

ximmy
14th September 2010, 06:16 PM
Local Walmart loses profit from man who grows his own food... authorities called in to suppress this criminal outrage.

Joe King
14th September 2010, 06:29 PM
He probably got in trouble not because of growing too many vegetables, but because of commercial sales of those vegetables.
It's like they're accusing him of running an actual farm as opposed to a personal garden.


When it comes to city zoning laws, would you expect to be be able to start an industrial enterprise in an area zoned for commercial offices? Or anything else that violated your local zoning ordinances?
Probably not. The proper course of action would be to get the zoning changed first, then proceed. Not do what you want first, and then complain when someone notices.

Now that said, I personally think you should be able to grow as big of a garden on your property as you want.
But if you move up to commercial sales, you may encounter a problem.

Cebu_4_2
14th September 2010, 06:37 PM
He probably got in trouble not because of growing too many vegetables, but because of commercial sales of those vegetables.
It's like they're accusing him of running an actual farm as opposed to a personal garden.


When it comes to city zoning laws, would you expect to be be able to start an industrial enterprise in an area zoned for commercial offices? Or anything else that violated your local zoning ordinances?
Probably not. The proper course of action would be to get the zoning changed first, then proceed. Not do what you want first, and then complain when someone notices.

Now that said, I personally think you should be able to grow as big of a garden on your property as you want.
But if you move up to commercial sales, you may encounter a problem.


Good call Joe, really appreciate the rebuttal for inspection of said article.

Joe King
14th September 2010, 07:57 PM
He probably got in trouble not because of growing too many vegetables, but because of commercial sales of those vegetables.
It's like they're accusing him of running an actual farm as opposed to a personal garden.


When it comes to city zoning laws, would you expect to be be able to start an industrial enterprise in an area zoned for commercial offices? Or anything else that violated your local zoning ordinances?
Probably not. The proper course of action would be to get the zoning changed first, then proceed. Not do what you want first, and then complain when someone notices.

Now that said, I personally think you should be able to grow as big of a garden on your property as you want.
But if you move up to commercial sales, you may encounter a problem.


Good call Joe, really appreciate the rebuttal for inspection of said article.
IMO, had he taken his veggies to a farmers market a bit further away, it's possible that no one would have noticed and that he'd have continued to "get away" with it.
Which I would fully support him doing.

The Great Ag
15th September 2010, 06:50 AM
Vegetables is the NEW code word for marijuana. Selling vegetables by the ounce!!!

THe Great Ag

hoarder
15th September 2010, 07:15 AM
His produce wasn't genetically modified like it should be. Throw him in jail!

TheNocturnalEgyptian
15th September 2010, 12:46 PM
Is government today at a point where the end justifies the means? In January and February, when he received his first citations, Steve was able to get the property re-zoned allowing him to grow his garden – a right MOST AMERICANS believe he already had.


The ONLY way I can imagine him getting in trouble is accepting FRN's for those veggies.

Joe King
15th September 2010, 01:27 PM
Is government today at a point where the end justifies the means? In January and February, when he received his first citations, Steve was able to get the property re-zoned allowing him to grow his garden – a right MOST AMERICANS believe he already had.


The ONLY way I can imagine him getting in trouble is accepting FRN's for those veggies.While I agree that engaging in commercial agriculture is probably what brought the attention of the authorities, the zoning was the actual problem, wasn't it?
i.e. conducting commercial agriculture in an area not zoned for it.

And I can sort of understand the citys position, because where do you draw the line?
i.e. before or after your neighbor brings in 10 tons of fresh manure to fertilize his backyard "farm" with?

madfranks
15th September 2010, 01:39 PM
A Farmer Fights For Freedom (http://mises.org/daily/3759)