The German’s are just plain nuts. And I’m half German which probably explains a lot to many of you.
Taking a broom to chimney sweeps
Thousands of Germans want to sweep away a Nazi-era law that authorizes chimney sweeps do regular chimney checkups by force if necessary.
The 1937 law, introduced by Interior Minister Heinrich Himmler, makes chimney sweeping compulsory, London’s Sunday Telegraph reports.
It also gives a sweep, or Schornsteinfeger, the right to enlist police and firefighters to break down people’s doors if residents do not let them in.
“They broke in and officers had to handcuff me and press me against the wall as the sweep went about his business,” said Harry Hollmann, 77, part of a network of more than 100,000 people demanding a change in the law. “It’s outrageous. I have had gas heating from the 1990s. I don’t need my chimney swept at all.”
Authorities set prices of up to $200 a visit and householders must accept the service up to four times a year.
A chimney sweeps spokesman responds: “Yes, we can force people to accept our service. Yes, people cannot choose their Schornsteinfeger, but he also cannot choose his clients. Our service is not like any other — it is a legal obligation in the interest of public safety.”
This is a perfect example of good intentions gone terribly awry. One can draw parallels to some of the laws in existence here.
Thats some serious job security!
This is not really any different than all the bureaucrats who service us against our will on a daily basis. Maybe if pencil pushers broke down our doors we’d wake up an do something about it…
It’s be ever better if they used giant pencils to break down the door with!!
My 4th grade teacher had this massive 4-foot long pencil, made out of wood & it was fully functional – it was great to see him write stuff with it.
1937?
You know, I had no idea… Laws enacted while Hitler was in power and before the fall of The Third Reich are still laws in Germany? I guess I was wrong, but I just assumed that a new government meant new laws written on a clean slate.
Clearly there are things I didn’t know about WWII
This isn’t right. It’s enough to make Mary Poppins’ head spin and spit pea soup.
Laws like this probably made sense for that era and regime. Burning millions of Jews can soot up any chimney
#5 – you are correct.
I do not believe that this is entirely true. The german constitution was completly rewritten after 1945, so I have a feeling while certain laws about fire safety (that are not part of the constitution) may be from that era, the fact that the Schornsteinfeger is mandatory is definately reinstated after WW2 by the USA, the UK, Russia and fucking france.
– Robin, from Germany
Sure it’s crazy that the laws stayed on this long, but that happens everywhere.
And you have to remember that unswept chimneys were a major cause of fires back in the 30’s when people used coal. Couple that with the fascism, it isn’t (too) hard to understand why chimney sweeps were regulated and sometimes forceful back then. Again, it’s crazy the law stuck around, but that happens everywhere. I wouldn’t blame the Germans.
By they way, isn’t ‘Dvorak’ a Czech name, like the composer?
Great! Now Dubyah and his Nazi’s at Homeland Security have a new way to rape our civil liberties.
All registered Democrats with fireplaces get very nervous!
Glad to see other countries are just as messed up as the U.S.
9. “By they way, isn’t ‘Dvorak’ a Czech name, like the composer? ”
“Filed under: General— Uncle Dave @ 2:28 pm ”
Is it really that hard to comprehend that Dvorak isn’t the only one posting here?
Chimney sweeps need jobs too.