news-record.com

Am I the only person who fails to see the horrors of allowing people to hang up their underwear? Would these Senators rather go through life thinking their neighbors don't actually wear undergarments?

I think a lot of folks would agree with you.

There's a legit philosophical argument to be made that the state shouldn't interfere with something that's better left to local governments. That's actually an interesting question: should local land use decisions be left to local governments or should statewide energy policy trump those concerns.

However, the discussion during the debate veered much more heavily toward the unsightly exposure to the neighbors' knickers - got a little childish actually. The more grown up debate here is over whether as part of protecting property values there might be an interest by the local government in curbing displays that some my find off-putting, but that's clearly not the discussion that went down here.

This only proves how hypocritical legislative bodies and their members are.
I thought one of the primary issues was climate change and the pending destruction of mother earth.

Can I install a solar powered fabric dehydration appliance/device?

Where are the environmental activists?
Why are aesthetics the determining factor here?
Can we get Duke Power and Progress Energy to help educate the legislature? It would seem they could benefit by reduced stress on their power grids especially during the summer months.

Yeah, how horrid to think a beachfront property owner might have to look at a pair of skivvies on a clothesline. Beautiful people shouldn't have to look at THAT.

Are you serious ? Are people really wasting my taxpayer dollars discussing something like this ? Aren't there more important subjects to address ? NC has an unemployment rate of over 10% ? Can we discuss how we are going to get jobs ? So what if people hang their clothes up. My parents did it every day. They couldn't afford a dryer back in the early 60's. Why should anyone care about someone else's laundry and what it looks like ? Don't people have anything else to do with their time ?

I was on the side of being able to hang out you cloths until I read the quote “It’s their small step that they can take toward global warming issue.” Once you use the global warming scam as a reason for doing anything it must be a bad idea.
If you want people to take you seriously don't mention the global warming scam.

Is this all these useless, worthless, self serving bastards in the NC State Legislature can do?
This is a excellent example of why we need "TERM LIMITS" so they will not become brain dead
while screwing away our tax dollars for being there so long.

This is so asinine! Clotheslines shouldn't even be an issue. There are those that are so inconspicuous (the "umbrella" type) and take up no room to speak of and can be almost hidden by a shrub or tree. Also, you can hang "unmentionables" inside your home on a drying rack. Years ago, before dryers, noone came up with these ludicrous and crass comments. The reasoning is superficial to say the least! The energy saved by hanging the clothes outdoors to dry is enough reason......that is without saying! But, believe it or not, there are those of us who love the smell of freshly air dried sheets and towels next to our body. It is the pure smell of nature! We shouldn't be forced by ANYONE to use clothes dryers. As far as I am concerned, that is a personal choice. We have enough dictators trying to run this country today without one to tell us how to dry our clothes!

I can't believe this is even an issue... if you have ever hung out clothes you would know that the unmentionables go on the inside lines with towels, sheets blankets etc on the outside line... no one ever made a fuss when hanging clothes out in the 50's and 60's...

Why would anyone oppose clotheslines in the first place? I cannot understand why, in 2009, there are still people in this world who would willingly submit to a housing agreement that is so obviously rooted in a desire for people to look down on their economic inferiors. What kind of wretched souls would even suggest these prohibitions in the first place? Have they no sense of how elitist they appear, not to mention ridiculous? Can they even begin to think salvation awaits them in the next life when they are so shallow in this one?

This is so fascinating! I live on a hill and the upside neighbors get rowdy and party,
so to just let them know I am still here, I strew laundry all over my deck for their
viewing dis-pleasure. LOL. On a serious note, I have a chain for a clothes line that runs along the eaves of the deck and isn't viewable from their house, and have hung things on clothes hangers there for years, not becuase of the cost of gas/elect for drying, but because that is kinder to my clothes. "Unmentionables" go on a couple small plastic "umbrellas" with plastic clothes pins from Bed Bath & Beyond which are hung on a hanging planter hook in the ceiling and from a plant hanger "arm" on the wall. That way, if someone comes by and we walk out on the deck, I don't have to worry that therre are my undies for all to see! I hang bed sheets on the deck rail. Yes, I LOVE the smell of fresh sheets and hate the smell of those perfumed dryer sheets. But, I do remember noticing how unsightly all the laundry looked when driving thru Italy several years ago. I realized that we Americans use dryers. However, many people want to lower bills AND to live more responsibly and simply and I applaud hanging out the duds. Just do it with some class, OK? Unless you hate your neighbors .. LOL

Check out this law article describing why this debate is so important; and, why these politicians got it wrong.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1407568

Homeowners are looking to make their property more energy efficient as the public grows increasingly aware of the impact an individual’s carbon consumption can have on climate change. As a result, green building architecture is quickly gaining approval by American homeowners; however, existing covenants, conditions, and restrictions have made it extremely difficult for many Americans to make their homes more energy efficient.

Line drying not only cuts your electric bill, it also extends the life of your clothes; none of that heat ruining the elastic in your underwear and making it smell like a burnt tire! Also, take a look at all that fluffy stuff that piles up in the lint filter of your dryer; that's your clothes disintegrating, slowly but surely. And you can't deny that line-dried sheets smell so much fresher and better than those that went through the dryer. As for looking at your neighbor's "unmentionables" on the line -- they're a heck of a lot better than looking at the wine, whiskey and beer bottles that people put out at the curb for recycling. I'd rather see that I have clean neighbors -- not drunken ones.

This is so typical. The government wants to tell us what kind of light bulbs we can buy, but does not want to give people the option of NOT using their energy sucking dryer? Retards.

what a waste of taxpayers time and money, these people deciding on this position and many others should be ashamed of themselves!!!!! what has our country come too!!!!! the homeowner associations have too much power on certain rights of people. they should be looked at on certain areas of peoples lives.

I think they should get Barbra Striesand to be their spokesperson. Remember when she said we should all save the earth and do our wash by hand and hang it out?

Are you seriously telling me that those PEOPLE up there are using OUR money to determine whether or not it's a good idea to let people hang their clothes out? Are you kidding ME?????????? Have they ever smelled a clean sheet hung out? Clean shirts? OMG and the savings alone! But using MY money to maybe make a BILL.
Shoot me now!!!!!

It had to come to this.... no politician wants ANY dirty laundry aired ANYWHERE....

I don't understand why everyone is getting their undies in a wad over this. It makes perfect sense to me. I grew up in an upper middle class neighborhood and every morning in the summer and on weekends my sisters and I hung out the laundry to dry in the backyard, as did most of our neighbors. We had a clothes dryer in the laundry room, but the sheets and bedding smelled so nice being dried outside, and they felt cleaner. I can remember Mom griping the electric bill during the winter and in the rainy season when she had to use the electric dryer. Since government has insinuated itself into every aspect of our lives, why is anyone surprised that they want to govern whether or not you hang your laundry in your own backyard. Our covenant in Homosassa, FL was so strict we couldn't even park our RV in our yard--we had to pay to park it in a private lot. The silliness that ensues when you get a bunch of lawyers on a homeowner's board is amazing. Also the level of immaturity of some of the comments of the council members was astounding. Beckons one to ask, "How old are you?"

We can't build needed roads, our schools are being short-changed, our funding is being wasted on pet projects and our Governor makes promises that she breaks in 30 days.

It's time all North Carolinians realize how dysfunctional the NC General Assembly has become. We need to turn over ever last one of the buggers. Regardless of your party, Don't vote for an incumbent in 2010. It's time expunge the political class.

A national news blog, drudgereport.com is making fun of North Carolina because of this story.

I think most HOA have meetings and allow the owners to vote to change the rules. Thats what we did. No biggie.