Dumbest Laws for the New Year...

Roberto333 · January 3, 2004, 11:15

....(or) PC nazis prevail.

I'm looking this up, but I've heard that New York State spent MILLIONS to outlaw calling blind people anything but "visually impaired".

I digress...

In the 80's the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. Some of this act made sense but explain this lameness:

I work in a 50 story building. All thermostats in the building (thousands) had to be changed from 5' high to 3'6"...you would think for people in wheelchairs. That would be fine but no tenant is allowed to change thermostat settings; there is not even a thermometer on them...you have to call the engineering staff, who then come and unlock the thermostat and changed the setting.

So why were all the thermostats moved? For the Engineer in a wheelchair? More likely for fear of P.C. law-ya thugs!

VJ · January 3, 2004, 11:17

...DL dance!

Roberto333 · January 3, 2004, 11:18

Quote:

Originally posted by VJ
DL dance!

...has TCO been banned?

What are you afraid of?

VJ · January 3, 2004, 11:21

I'm just wondering who created you, that's all.

Roberto333 · January 3, 2004, 11:29

Why? Are you opposed to what I wrote or do you just troll for no reason? I wrote this so people could discuss. If you don't want to discuss this, move on.

Skanky Burns · January 3, 2004, 11:34

VJ · January 3, 2004, 11:38

PLATO · January 3, 2004, 11:39

Theben · January 3, 2004, 11:43

I danced in another thread. My feet are tired.

el freako · January 3, 2004, 11:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Roberto333
....(or) PC nazis prevail.

I'm looking this up, but I've heard that New York State spent MILLIONS to outlaw calling blind people anything but "visually impaired".

I digress...

In the 80's the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. Some of this act made sense but explain this lameness:

I work in a 50 story building. All thermostats in the building (thousands) had to be changed from 5' high to 3'6"...you would think for people in wheelchairs. That would be fine but no tenant is allowed to change thermostat settings; there is not even a thermometer on them...you have to call the engineering staff, who then come and unlock the thermostat and changed the setting.

So why were all the thermostats moved? For the Engineer in a wheelchair? More likely for fear of P.C. law-ya thugs!

The truth is probably far more mundane.

For example:

A law is passed which is meant to make those sort of things more accessable to disabled people.
Like most laws this is employed citywide even if is results in daft arrangements like the one you mentioned - this is the case with most laws.
The way of avoid it is to employ a tranche of buearacrats to check every single building in the city and determine if it need this modification.
Whilst the second solution would probably have ended up costing the residents of this particular building less it would certainly have cost the city as a whole a lot more (and slowed down the implementation of the law significantly).

Ecthy · January 3, 2004, 11:54

From 1/1 on, social reforms in Germany are enforced. We'll be the 2nd USA in 2 weeks.

Kuciwalker · January 3, 2004, 11:55

Stefu · January 3, 2004, 12:34

The thermostat things is, indeed, probably meant to give the disabled the same equality. I mean, the disabled have the same right as the non-disabled to rise up in a pique of mad rage and smash all the thermostats to pieces using baseball bats, bricks and various other assortments. It's only fair for the government to give them this possibility for mindless anarchy.

gamenaught · January 3, 2004, 15:35

Quote:

...you have to call the engineering staff, who then come and unlock the thermostat and changed the setting.

It was a particularly hot summer day and the employees were sweltering. So finally a manager calls up the engineering guy and says “Hey, can you lower the thermostats!?!” So the engineers, with their wacky sense of humor, dutifully lowered the thermostats. Literally.

St Leo · January 3, 2004, 15:36

A wheelchair-bound engineer is within the realm of possibility.

gamenaught · January 3, 2004, 16:07

Quote:

For the Engineer in a wheelchair? More likely for fear of P.C. law-ya thugs!

For T..T..T..Tuh..T.TIMMY!!

..and law-ya t..t.th..t..thugs!

Imran Siddiqui · January 3, 2004, 18:11

Quote:

Whilst the second solution would probably have ended up costing the residents of this particular building less it would certainly have cost the city as a whole a lot more

Very true... and are there no wheelchair bound engineers in NYC?

Evil Knevil · January 3, 2004, 18:53

Imran talks to the Engineer repairing his thermostat,
....
I:"So.... how did you injure yourself?"
E: "Funny story. I was trying to repair a boiler with this spanner"....

The Emperor Fabulous · January 3, 2004, 21:42

It wasn't changed for cripples, it was changed for midgets...duh

Roberto333 · January 3, 2004, 22:24

Quote:

Originally posted by The Emperor Fabulous
It wasn't changed for cripples, it was changed for midgets...duh

This is the best answer yet...I can almost come to grips with that.

And whomever said 'Engineers in wheelchairs are with the realm of possibility', BINGO!! you'd think they ALL were crip...uh...physically challenged, it take hours for them to come change a thermostat setting.

Sava · January 3, 2004, 22:47

DL

btw roberto, don't go callin ppl trolls when u r an obvious dl... doing nothing but trollin

Berzerker · January 3, 2004, 23:20

Quote:

The way of avoid it is to employ a tranche of buearacrats to check every single building in the city and determine if it need this modification.
Whilst the second solution would probably have ended up costing the residents of this particular building less it would certainly have cost the city as a whole a lot more (and slowed down the implementation of the law significantly).

Yeah, it would cost the city a fortune to have someone at the city planner's office (or where ever) take phone calls from building managers who are explaining why the modification isn't needed in their specific building.

el freako · January 4, 2004, 06:17

Quote:

Originally posted by Berzerker

Yeah, it would cost the city a fortune to have someone at the city planner's office (or where ever) take phone calls from building managers who are explaining why the modification isn't needed in their specific building.

By analogy the costs of crime-fighting could be cut dramatically by eliminating all forensic and detective departments - as all we need to do is ask the alleged criminals 'did you do it'?, surely they will all answer truthfully even when it is not in their own interest.

You need to realize we live in the real world Bezerker

TCO · January 4, 2004, 22:53

dee ell dance.

But ADA is no joke. I worked in construction and it significanlty increases the cost of construction and of tenant improvements. In some cases in very strange ways. It's a noble goal. But as typical the costs were underestimated and poo-pooed.

TCO · January 4, 2004, 22:55

An HVAC technician is extremely unlikely to be wheelchair boand. You have to go in mechanical rooms, mezzanines, attics, cielings, etc.