CODE: Cut down government

Everyone wants a quality home, but it ought to be their choice, not that of the government. Increasing snow load from 40 to 70 pounds sounds like a great idea, and would actually cost very little in the construction of a home, but would be a big expense for supermarkets and larger buildings. By the way, when was the last time you read about a home collapsing from snow load? Small buildings rarely collapse.

In 1960, when I first started building commercially, the Uniform Building Code was just one slim volume. Now it includes multiple volumes and a great part of it has to do with “building green” and energy. This looks more like a program to make money for those in the business of supplying building products.

What would make a lot more sense would be a business that certified buildings. You build to their specifications. They make inspections at stated intervals and then when the house is finished they certify the building, something like what the bank does. If folks don’t want that, then they build without it, but it would soon be obvious that if you wanted to later sell your house you would work to have it certified. The difference is that here it is private enterprise that is working with certification, rather than the government. Frankly, it is rare to find an inspector who has ideas that help the contractor. Further, inspections almost always cost the job a day.

I think the county is on the right track. Maybe give it a little more thought and see where it ends up. We can cut down on government if we give it enough thought.

JIM HOLLINGSWORTH

Coeur d’Alene