You Can’t Build on Your Own Property Without Permission But You Can Tear Down the East Wing - Conley

You Can’t Build on Your Own Property Without Permission But You Can Tear Down the East Wing - Conley

You can’t build on your own property unless you apply for permission first, but you can tear down the East Wing.

You can’t build a shed next to your back fence without a public hearing, but you can tear down the East Wing.

You can’t build a back patio or a pool because we can’t build infrastructure capable of dealing with rain.

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You can’t build a new home on the same-sized lot as everyone else because suddenly that's nonconforming. You can’t build a garage in your side yard because it would be too close to your neighbor’s garage, but you can tear down the East Wing.

Trump can tear down the East Wing because we can’t build anything. We cornered ourselves with rules and permission slips and then we rebelled by empowering someone who ignores all the rules and is tearing everything down.

You can’t tag someone on social media or on the playground without getting permission first. You can’t eat the first or last piece of food on the platter, but it’s rude not to eat. You can’t double-dip the chip. Ben Stiller can’t say bomb on an airplane.

The housing crisis is a tragic consequence of our permission slip society. We’re a society of Hamlets quibbling “to build or not to build.”  “We need housing, just not here.” “Let’s re-arrange the deck chairs and come back next month.”

Meanwhile, Claudias has already killed the East Wing and is posting images of himself wearing a Crown.

You can’t construct a by-right home on your own property because a neighbor complained to the local board. So we tore down the East Wing.

Instead of a destructive rebellion, what if there were a construction rebellion? They stormed the Capitol en masse, and they couldn’t be stopped. If we constructed new capital en masse, could we be stopped? If we built it, would they come?

 

Dylan Conley is a Rhode Island lawyer and former chair of the Providence Board of Licenses.