[SEL] OT-Amish Restraint Laws

[Steve W.]

Tommy,
 Some very good points in that post. Most of the Amish in this area are
all good folks. The problem is that the new laws as enacted are based
solely on the people being Amish, NOT poor craftsmen or bad folks. The
new codes specify Amish by name not just stating that you cannot use
ungraded lumber or must use treated lumber. The local Amish will build
entirely using store bought lumber if you want them to.


Steve Williams

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judge Tommy Turner" <lcjudge at scrtc.com>
To: "The SEL email discussion list" <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2005 1:28 PM
Subject: Re: [SEL] OT-Amish Restraint Laws


> Rich,
>
> Not all Amish build the high quality work you mention. We have 2 sects
> or clans of Amish in our area. One group is very neat and orderly.
They
> live in the nice white houses with the neat barns out back. What ever
> they tell you, bank on it as it will be that way. They are expert
> craftsmen who build cabinets, homes, barns, install windows and doors,
> etc. You couldn't ask for a better group to call neighbors or part of
> the community. The other group is quite the opposite. If you take logs
> to them to be sawed, you may get the lumber from the log you took,
maybe
> not. I've also seen rather large logs produce rather small piles of
> lumber. They're not beyond puchasing a piece of antique equipment,
only
> to "forget" to ever pay for it. We've even had some incarcerated in
> jail. If you've never had to lock up an Amish, you're missing an
> experience. I'm making these comments as we tend to view ALL Amish as
> expert craftsmen seeking a simpler way of life who are . Most are and
> are assets to a community. However, they mirror the rest of society in
> that some aren't. From Steve's initial post, it sounds like the Amish
he
> mentions fall into the former rather than latter group that I talk
about
> and are a plus to his area. But, there may be some in his area that
> aren't. Here in KY we have a Workmans Comp law that requires all
> contractors to be covered under a workers comp insurance policy.
Before
> the law, the home/property owner assumed all liability for any
worker's
> injuries suffered on his premises in the absence of workers comp
> coverage. For example, if a worker fell off of a roof and broke his
leg
> and didn't have workers comp, the homeowners policy covered the
incident
> up to its limits, then the homeowner's pocket book kicked in from that
> point forward. If a permanent injury was suffered by the individual,
the
> homeowner could be looking a ongoing costs for many years. We've had
> discussion at great length on the SEL about the need for insurance. No
> one, Amish or otherwise, is working on my home or property without it.
> The inferior materials issue that Steve mentions probably go back to
> building codes. For example, only treated wood can be used where it
> comes in contact with the ground. Also, many homes must be constructed
> with materials meeting certain grades as required by mortgage lenders,
> to receive home owner warranties, etc. I would suspect most of the
Amish
> materials are ungraded. Most are good people and a plus. Some aren't
> though and sadly the laws that keep them straight apply to the good
> folks as well.
>
> Tommy Turner
> Magnolia, KY
>
>
>
>
> >Boy, that is a new one on me! I dont know too much about the Amish,
> >but from what I do know and from what other people have told me, they
> >are a rather admirable bunch of folks and normally not a detriment to
> >the community, except when they dont hang lamps on the backs of
their
> >buggies at night and cause traffic accidents by being rear-ended.
> >
> >About the anti-Amish work laws, personally, I think it is a disgrace!
> >It is clearly an infringement of their Constitutional rights to be
free
> >of persecution based on religion. I know that the laws get around
that
> >by using the excuse of inferior materials and construction methods,
> >but as has been quite adequately explained already, the proof is in
> >the pudding! There are plenty of 150-year-old Amish structures
around
> >as examples of their inferior craft. Unscrupulous people do take
> >advantage of the Amish all the time because they take quite seriously
> >the Biblical admonition of turning the other cheek and they will
not
> >defend themselves, and it looks like the anti-Amish laws will go
> >unchallenged from the Amish quarter and it will take a non-Amish
> >advocate to challenge the laws on their behalf.
> >
> >In the 1994 Northridge Quake here in Southern California, there were
> >tens of thousands of badly damaged and destroyed homes throughout the
> >area. The Amish came here as fast they could by whatever antiquated
> >means they found acceptable for the long distances they had to
travel.
> >Then they went through the quake-ravaged neighborhoods performing the
> >antiquated but time-honored activity of house-raising bees rebuilding
> >and repairing the homes of low income and elderly folks for free.
Under
> >those circumstances, if anyone had complained about the Amish being
> >here, the complainers would have stood a very good chance of getting
> >treated to another time-honored antiquated activity - - - they would
> >have been tarred, feathered, and ridden out of town on a rail!
> >
> >Work and play safely,
> >
> >Rich Allen
> >
> >
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> SEL mailing list
> SEL at lists.stationary-engine.com
> http://www.stationary-engine.com/mailman/listinfo/sel
>