Manassas VA defines "Family"
Recently, Manassas VA, a state adjoining Maryland in which I live, passes a law that defines "family" as including only parents and their offsprings. Uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews and such are "unrelated persons," and, by implication, so are grandparents. The law goes on to say that having more than one "unrelated person" living under one roof violates the city's zoning ordinance, and city inspectors are scheduled to visit "selected" households to inquire about the number of residents and their relationships. Clearly, this is a clever way to wage, as a Washington Post editorial headlines, "War on Immigrants."
This law reminds me of another one, enacted in San Francisco in the early part of the 20th century, with Chinese immigrants as the intended targets. This SF law stipulated the minimum number of square feet for each resident in a household, with violators being sent to jail. The rigorous enforcement of the law forced over-crowding in jails, resulting, ironically, in the jails not meeting the city's own minimum-space requirement. Per force, the law had to be repealed.
The city fathers in Manassas, undoubtedly, had learned from the SF episode and have improved upon it -- thus, I give them a mark for being "clever."
Posted at 7:12 pm, Saturday, December 31, 2005
This law reminds me of another one, enacted in San Francisco in the early part of the 20th century, with Chinese immigrants as the intended targets. This SF law stipulated the minimum number of square feet for each resident in a household, with violators being sent to jail. The rigorous enforcement of the law forced over-crowding in jails, resulting, ironically, in the jails not meeting the city's own minimum-space requirement. Per force, the law had to be repealed.
The city fathers in Manassas, undoubtedly, had learned from the SF episode and have improved upon it -- thus, I give them a mark for being "clever."
Posted at 7:12 pm, Saturday, December 31, 2005
posted by David H. Li at 4:58 PM
2 Comments:
Mr. Li one of the parents is either a son or daughter of the grandparents, thus an offspring. In my mind this meets the city's definition which reads "...parents and their offsprings". By the same token as long as the uncle or aunt is a child of one the grandparents they too can stay in the same household. You can extend this to include as many generations as you like.
What's the problem?
Let see a family is parents and their offsprings? Sounds reasonable.
Now one of the parents has to be either as son or daughter of the grandparents. This makes he/her an offspring of the grandparents. We are still within the limit. You agree?
The grandparents could have another son or daughter who should qualify as an offspring. According to the law I think this person`s spouse and children may reside under same roof.
My take on this is that as long as they can establish a parent-offspring relationship then the number of people allow to stay under one roof is limited only by the space.
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