Blount County won’t reimburse for destroyed House
County workers accidentally burned down a woman’s home. However, the county will only reimburse her for $100K despite her property being assessed at $230K. She volunteered to let two county trucks dump brush on her property. They knocked over a power line that caused the fire. And this is beautiful:
Don Stallions, who heads the Risk Management Department for Blount County, said the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act protects the government from being sued out of existence.
Well, after displaying such incompetence, is that necessarily a bad thing?
“The government used to be immune from law suits,” Stallions said. “People need to realize that the government isn’t like a business. When you sue a business, you get money that was generated as profit by an income-producing company. When you sue the government, it’s the people’s money you’re dealing with.
Really? There was a time when we couldn’t petition the government for a redress of grievances? You know, first amendment and all that?
“The Tort Liability Act allows counties in Tennessee to do business. Without it, our counties wouldn’t be able to function.”
Do your employees really screw up so much that that is an issue?
Stallions said Blount County has had numerous property damage claims in the past, but none that he can recall involving a claim on an entire home.
I guess so.
Via Ben.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:37 am
There is a reason why letting the government on your property without a warrant is bad.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:59 am
When you sue a business, you get money that was generated as profit by an income-producing company.
What is the result of all the laws that have fines and court costs associated? If taxes are supposed to go to run the government and pay the public servants then all of those fees and penalties are profit, now pay up suckas!
February 20th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
There was no time when you couldn’t petition the government for redress, but there was indeed a time when any such petitions were guaranteed to be futile. Until they passed the Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946 at the federal level, and comparable legislation at the state, sovereign immunity was the rule (as it still is with respect to topics these statutes don’t cover).
That said, the spokeshole’s claim that government is special because the money belongs to “we the people” is revisionist nonsense. The doctrine idea behind sovereign immunity is that the king can do no wrong. We the people didn’t make that rule up; we inherited it from the Brits by default.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Lesson in this: never voluntarily cooperate with the government.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Stallions:
“People need to realize that the government isn’t like a business.”
{…}
“The Tort Liability Act allows counties in Tennessee to do business.”
Well, okay then.
You know what? If I were a complete fucking asshole, I might long for a career in which I could say any stoopid thing that drifted through my head and not have my narrow ass summarily kicked right out into the street.
February 20th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
“When you sue the government, it’s the people’s money you’re dealing with.”
When you sue the government, it’s money that used to be the people’s money you’re dealing with. Once nefarious politicians have gotten control of it, the money can hardly be said to belong to the people anymore, since it’s out of their hands.