The self-centered power and control of a Homeowners Association

These people need to get a good dose of reality shoved up their backsides... From Florida's St. Petersburgh Times:

Foreclosure looms over Tarpon Springs man who walked dog off leash
Robert Wirth Jr. may lose his house � all because of walking his dog in a deed-restricted community without a leash.

What seems like a relatively minor infraction has snowballed into a protracted court battle that he claims has cost him more than $100,000 in legal fees.

"We're running out of time because we're running out of money," said Wirth, 52, who works as a real estate broker.

It all started more than seven years ago because Wirth insisted on walking his black Labrador, Cole, regularly without a leash.

When we bought this place, one of the show-stoppers was whether or not it had a Homeowners Association or any CC&A's -- if it had, we would have not gone through with the sale. This sort of organization tends to have a really short shelf-life and can go bad at the slightest provocation.