What This HOA Said About The American Flag Is INFURIATING

This may be an incredibly unpopular opinion, but I hate the idea of Homeowner’s Associations with the burning fury of a thousand suns. Probably because I’m a farm kid who spent her childhood running around acres and acres of open ranch land and a huge front yard with the nearest neighbors miles away, I don’t particularly have a favorable concept of some nosy busybody coming around to make sure the fence is painted a certain color and the yard is mowed with regularity. Anyone who would have done that back home just had waaaay too much time on their hands and we would have laughed them off the property. I mean, yes – we took care of our lawn and area around our house and kept things looking nice. But that was for our family’s benefit and enjoyment; no one else’s. We didn’t have anybody TELLING us how our house and yard should look. And if the old beater farm truck broke down in the driveway and it took a few days/weeks to get it moved – well, that was our business.

When I moved to the city and found out that there were entire organizations dedicated to poking their noses in and around other people’s property simply because of where that property was located – and people actually PAID to have this indignity pressed upon them – I thought these people were NUTS. Who in their right minds would VOLUNTARILY do such a thing??

(And even after ten-or-so years of living in the city and having the concept explained to me over and over by people who actually like HOAs, I’m no closer to being convinced. I’m only grateful that not every neighborhood is part of an HOA and I don’t have to choose to live in one).

That being said – if I had temporarily lost my mind and joined this particular HOA, I would be spitting nails right about now.

According to this, an HOA in Murray, Utah, is forcing people living in the neighborhood to take down their American flags. Their reasoning? It’s because American flags are considered holiday decorations – like 4th of July or Veterans Day or Memorial Day or other national holidays. And if it’s not one of those days (or ten days within one of those holidays), you’d better take it down or risk the wrath of the HOA board coming down upon your head –

I don’t know what ticks me off more – that this HOA is forcing people to take down their American flags, or that this is happening practically in my backyard. Good grief, Murray – what the heck is wrong with you guys?? I thought you were more sensible than this!

If someone told me I couldn’t fly an American flag outside my house, I’d tell them to go pound sand – HOA or not. The American flag should be the most unifying and respectful and non-controversial thing to put out in front of a house. It’s not like every house was decked-out in red, white, and blue like a 4th of July float. It’s just a flag flying in the front yard. It’s not hurting anyone and it’s allowing the people who own the homes in that neighborhood to pay respect and honor to their country and the people who’ve died for it.

Utterly ridiculous.