A Lesson on Local Legislation, Part One
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
newbrunswick.nj.us
july.thirty-first.two-thousand
The coercive sanity that elected officials supposedly obtain at the "Public Service & You" re-orientation that marks the start of their political careers has failed us once again. The Hub City Council is currently pondering a change to the live music licensing agreement that would dampen local alcoholics' musical accompaniment. While the current rules do not lack a waft of draconian stench, limiting establishments from playing on a nightly basis, or past last call (despite rumors that the latter actually *decreases* drunken brawls), the new regulations being considered would restrict acts to a pre-midnight time slot for some venues, while prohibiting performances in "residential" regions (those where more than sixty percent of the buildings within a two-hundred fifty foot radius are primarily used as residences). Given the dwelling-heavy nature of the city, the Council's proposed modifications would act primarily as a ban, especially for the college-friendly watering holes sprinkled amidst Rutgers students' homes. Though some intoxicated locales do play the role of the obnoxious town drunk to a tee, the vast majority of the relevant businesses have taken acceptable precautions, including the installation of soundproofing and the hiring of crowd-controlling shaved gorillas. My next door neighbor (the Budapest Lounge) frequently hires local bands to mingle with the brew-guzzling Scarlet Knights, and only during intermittent cigarette breaks with doors ajar does the sweet stench of guitar screeching meander into my bedroom. And these offenses only bother me when I've consumed a tad too much caffeine (and so am distracted from counting sheep) and when I have work in the morning, neither of which happen on a regular basis. What government officials (and large portions of the populace) often forget is that there really isn't any time when you could safely assume individuals desire sleep (and so quiet). Much more distracting than the occasional musician slaughtering classic tunes nearby for some folks are the morning commuters that daily pour into town for the sole purpose of contemplating how to maximize the profitability of a new-and-improved baby shampoo. Nor is there any level of noise so low that one could safely assume individuals to be unbothered. Rather, the mere fact that one lives with others in so tightly packed a community *necessitates* a very large quantity of understanding. Rather than stomp out the up-and-coming musicians in the name of peace and quiet in one's home, relax and take a Valium, and perhaps try to reason with the perceived offenders before breaking out the legislators, whose sense of proportion was confiscated just prior to their acceptance speeches.
july.thirty-first.two-thousand
The coercive sanity that elected officials supposedly obtain at the "Public Service & You" re-orientation that marks the start of their political careers has failed us once again. The Hub City Council is currently pondering a change to the live music licensing agreement that would dampen local alcoholics' musical accompaniment. While the current rules do not lack a waft of draconian stench, limiting establishments from playing on a nightly basis, or past last call (despite rumors that the latter actually *decreases* drunken brawls), the new regulations being considered would restrict acts to a pre-midnight time slot for some venues, while prohibiting performances in "residential" regions (those where more than sixty percent of the buildings within a two-hundred fifty foot radius are primarily used as residences). Given the dwelling-heavy nature of the city, the Council's proposed modifications would act primarily as a ban, especially for the college-friendly watering holes sprinkled amidst Rutgers students' homes. Though some intoxicated locales do play the role of the obnoxious town drunk to a tee, the vast majority of the relevant businesses have taken acceptable precautions, including the installation of soundproofing and the hiring of crowd-controlling shaved gorillas. My next door neighbor (the Budapest Lounge) frequently hires local bands to mingle with the brew-guzzling Scarlet Knights, and only during intermittent cigarette breaks with doors ajar does the sweet stench of guitar screeching meander into my bedroom. And these offenses only bother me when I've consumed a tad too much caffeine (and so am distracted from counting sheep) and when I have work in the morning, neither of which happen on a regular basis. What government officials (and large portions of the populace) often forget is that there really isn't any time when you could safely assume individuals desire sleep (and so quiet). Much more distracting than the occasional musician slaughtering classic tunes nearby for some folks are the morning commuters that daily pour into town for the sole purpose of contemplating how to maximize the profitability of a new-and-improved baby shampoo. Nor is there any level of noise so low that one could safely assume individuals to be unbothered. Rather, the mere fact that one lives with others in so tightly packed a community *necessitates* a very large quantity of understanding. Rather than stomp out the up-and-coming musicians in the name of peace and quiet in one's home, relax and take a Valium, and perhaps try to reason with the perceived offenders before breaking out the legislators, whose sense of proportion was confiscated just prior to their acceptance speeches.
