According to The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel, disabled Milwaukee resident Peter Tubic received a fine for parking his van at his parents home without a license plate in 2004. The city said that Mr. Tubic’s parking ‘incident’ violated zoning regulations.
Never mind that Tubic’s car was parked and was therefore not violating any traffic laws. Ignore the fact that an idle vehicle parked in a private drive usually isn’t the cause of too many problems. City government has never been known for common sense.
The radiator in Tubic’s car had broken, and Tubic couldn’t renew the plates without passing the state-mandated emissions test. He said he couldn’t afford to fix it and was overwhelmed with caring for his sick parents. So Tubic did not pay the fine.
Because Mr. Tubic ignored a $50 parking fine in 2004, the city recently confiscated his $245,000 house. The city of Milwaukee foreclosed on Tubic’s house on West Verona Court after repeated attempts to collect the fine, which over the years had escalated to $2,600.
Owen Robinson, a blogger in Washington County, correctly opines, “Under no circumstances is it reasonable for the government to confiscate something that is nearly 100 times more valuable than the amount owed.”
The Social Security Administration has deemed Tubic mentally and physically disabled since 2001. He has a host of physical diseases and a personality disorder that limits his cognitive functioning, they say.
Mr. Robinson, the blogger, astutely sums up the situation: “The government’s proposed remedy will make [things] worse. This man is disabled and mentally incapable of handling his affairs. But at least he has a home that is paid off and some stability. If they take away his home, what will become of him? Will he be forced onto the public dole so that he can afford to rent a place? Will he become homeless and require space in shelters? How much more than $50 will it cost the taxpayers if the city takes his home away?”
The bottom line is that our government now has the authority to take away private property whenever it deems necessary and there is no one who will stand in its way.
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