For A Northeastern State That Is Supposed To Be The Reddest, Pennsylvania Sure Has A lot Of Regulation (York: how much, neighborhoods)

[ny789987]

Much more suffocating than New York. Have a dinky little kayak, had to register it. Registering and inspecting a vehicle is a lot more onerous and convoluted than New York. Had to pay a heavy bounty to the PA licensed shake down mechanic to get my stickers. After I purchased my puppy, I was warned by the pet store that if I didn't register my pet right away, a Pennsylvania "dog warden" would be knocking on my door. Don't even get my started on the liquor laws.

[Duderino]

Pennsylvania may have more conservative politics than the rest of the Northeast, but that does NOT equate to less bureaucracy.

Pennsylvania has one of the oldest formalized state governments in the country -- not to mention one of a handful of truly full-time state legislatures (http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-s...islatures.aspx). Historically, it has never been a state that is lacking for an appetite to regulate.

[trackstar13]

ny789987

While I think car inspections are a scam, registering a kayak is ridiculous, and the liquor laws in PA are antiquated, I disagree that the dog registration policy is a bad thing because it helps with lost dogs and adds accountability to pet owners. Growing up I was a paperboy and being bit by a rabid dog was probably one of the worst experiences of my life and the worst part about it was that there was really nobody accountable for letting their unlicensed dog attack a kid. I love dogs and pets, but there are many irresponsible owners and registering dogs can at least help keep those people accountable and protect responsible owners.

Welcome to PA and you mentioned some of the worst things about PA compared to NY, but don't forget about the gun laws in PA when compared to NY and the taxes in NY compared to PA. Also, don't forget about the "free" state parks in PA, which compare very favorably to the state park fees in NY.

[StAcKhOuSe]

Originally Posted by ny789987

Much more suffocating than New York. Have a dinky little kayak, had to register it. Registering and inspecting a vehicle is a lot more onerous and convoluted than New York. Had to pay a heavy bounty to the PA licensed shake down mechanic to get my stickers. After I purchased my puppy, I was warned by the pet store that if I didn't register my pet right away, a Pennsylvania "dog warden" would be knocking on my door. Don't even get my started on the liquor laws.

+1

agreed, it is pretty ridiculous. i had the same issues with car inspection. it's like an act of congress to get your license from another state. five forms of id, etc. i am so glad i moved outta pa. also to mention that they tax you for the "privilege" to work in most townships upon getting a new job.

they dont even sell beer/wine/liquor in convenience stores or supermarkets..???

for the three awful years that i lived in pa, it was a massive headache. pretty soon, the pa legislature will probably pass a law making it mandatory to register & pay a fee prior to taking a dump.

[ny789987]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

ny789987
Growing up I was a paperboy and being bit by a rabid dog was probably one of the worst experiences of my life and the worst part about it was that there was really nobody accountable for letting their unlicensed dog attack a kid.

I agree with you to a certain degree. Ensuring that dogs are vaccinated is important, but I couldn't believe that there were actually "dog wardens" randomly going around neighborhoods and knocking on doors? Sounds like 1984. How much do these people make, and couldn't the state make better use of its resources?

As for the car, to get a license you had to hand over 15 million pieces of ID, and to register you (of course) had to go to some private agency that required a convoluted, nightmarish process of tracking down your title and lien. Inspection was the worst because having the PA plate and the NY stickers branded you as a Criminal-Mobile with constant pull overs by the cops, and you were willing to pay the crooked mechanic whatever he wanted just to get your stickers and make it all stop.

[trackstar13]

ny789987

I didn't even know we had dog wardens until you mentioned this and I have never met one so I am not sure about how much these people get paid. To me the registration is important because if the dog runs away they look it up in a central database and find the owner. If the dog runs away and bites someone then there is accountability because they can find the owner. If the dog is not registered they can fine someone and force them to register it. The idea makes perfect sense to me, but truthfully I am not too sure about the administration of it and if it is actually effective.

In theory car inspections are a great idea if they save lives, keep people safe from injuries, etc. However, the system in PA is really an unusual special interest driven quasi public-private enterprise. If PA really cared about driver safety they would immediately revoke all licenses for private inspection stations and start a government run inspection program that employed objective parties to check cars for various safety issues. If a car was found deficient the owner would have a certain time period to have the specific defect fixed by a professional mechanic and documentation would have to be provided to the government inspection organization. This setup would be a major hit to some mechanics though because it would more than likely increase the pass rate for inspections. The best mechanics would be fine though because people would still use them for maintenance and failed inspections. One of the things I really miss about living in a state without inspections is the ability to comparison shop when it comes to car issues. In PA many times when people fail an inspection they just pay for the recommended repairs at whatever price is offered because they have to pay for the inspection pass/fail.

I have mentioned that there is potential corruption in this system previously, but the other issue is the pricing. If someone fails an inspection they have to pay for it and then take the car elsewhere and pay for another inspection if they want to try and compare pricing between mechanics. This is very cumbersome and yet another problem with the system.

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by StAcKhOuSe

+1

agreed, it is pretty ridiculous. i had the same issues with car inspection. it's like an act of congress to get your license from another state. five forms of id, etc. i am so glad i moved outta pa. also to mention that they tax you for the "privilege" to work in most townships upon getting a new job.

they dont even sell beer/wine/liquor in convenience stores or supermarkets...???

for the three awful years that i lived in pa, it was a massive headache. pretty soon, the pa legislature will probably pass a law making it mandatory to register & pay a fee prior to taking a dump.

Oh my god, life must have been so awful for you having to go to the state store to get alcohol instead of the supermarket. That is so much more than just a minor inconvenience, however did you survive? In case it didn't come across over the internet, that was sarcasm. I can only imagine how good your life must be if you really consider this a "massive headache".

[pman]

Originally Posted by PA2UK

Oh my god, life must have been so awful for you having to go to the state store to get alcohol instead of the supermarket. That is so much more than just a minor inconvenience, however did you survive? In case it didn't come across over the internet, that was sarcasm. I can only imagine how good your life must be if you really consider this a "massive headache".

indeed, it's a minor inconvenience to drive to DE or NJ to get to a decent wine store

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by pman

indeed, it's a minor inconvenience to drive to DE or NJ to get to a decent wine store

I get plenty of decent wine here. Can't speak for your local state stores but mine are pretty good and I have picky tastes when it comes to wine.

[StAcKhOuSe]

Originally Posted by PA2UK

Oh my god, life must have been so awful for you having to go to the state store to get alcohol instead of the supermarket. That is so much more than just a minor inconvenience, however did you survive? In case it didn't come across over the internet, that was sarcasm. I can only imagine how good your life must be if you really consider this a "massive headache".

yeah, uncalled for sarcasm. but thank you for insulting my intelligence by explaining to me that you were using sarcasm. i can only conclude that this kneejerk response is a retaliatory defense mechanism to anyone who challenges your belief that PA is a fairyland paradise. how many more unsuspecting posters are you going to flame for sharing their experiences with the PA bureaucracy? you can crawl back under the rock from which you came now.

i addressed several other issues and this is the one you focus on?