By: Diane Benjamin
Mayor Koos doesn’t think you are capable of not answering your door. He must be sitting in his house bored. Maybe his next order will be establishing a hotline to report offenders. (Just like in China)
http://normal.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2084
Mayor Koos issues Emergency Order Suspending Solicitation Licenses
On Wednesday, April 8, 2020, Mayor Koos issued Emergency Order 20-009 suspending solicitation licenses while the Governor’s stay-at-home order is in effect. For all Town of Normal Emergency Orders, see www.normal.org/covid-19.
I wouldn’t mind a law not allowing door to door solicitation period. It has been interesting and quiet as I haven’t gotten a telephone solicitation call in 2 and 1/2 weeks. One of the few good things this situation has brought. I do not feel Koos should be able to uni-laterally make this decision however.
I never got a license to sell anything door to door. Sold tons of stuff for scouts and school and other programs. It is not like I have ever had a someone knock on my door peddling vacuums. Is anyone even doing door-to-door sales right now? That would violate social distancing and aren’t likely an essential business anyway. If someone knocks on my door and I don’t want to open it I would just tell them to go away, problem solved. It does seem like emergency orders are coming out like they are candy.
I want to see an emergency order that no pothole can be bigger than 8” across and 5” deep. Their are some huge ones on Rabb at School and Main. Go on east on college and the are dozens. Out by Rivian you have to practice evasive driving techniques. Can’t have a coffee and drive anywhere outside of upitty town without it being in a sippy cup.
Let me get this straight. Cashiers get to work. Bridgestone is starting back up. Drive throughs are open. Hell, even the mayor’s bike shop is open. But if someone knocks on my door I can have them arrested? Fantastic! I never could say no when kids ask me to buy crap for their school anyway. Now I can send them off to the gulags if they try. Maybe this will teach them why socialism is a bad idea.
I suspect Koos doesn’t sell kids bikes either. But he probably does. He will gladly take money from kids but won’t let kids sell to him.
Koos must really hate kids to go to this extreme.
ANOTHER great example of Christopher just doing SOMETHING to TRY and get us ALL to believe that he’s needed and is “running uptown” And everything is JUST FINE!
As for selling door to door in uptown? I wouldn’t give them the benefit of my services even IF I was selling fire ants!
Things must be SLOOOOWW at the tricycle shop..
The only people I’ve ever had come to my door in Normal trying to sell me anything is Normal Town Council candidates trying to get themselves reelected and Dan Brady recruits bought and paid for by Bruce Rauner.
Never thought this was even a problem before the virus. Waiting for the picture of a Girl Scout being cuffed for selling cookies.
Maybe there’s a competition in the progressive mayors club to see who passes the most number of useless orders. Seattle has a tattle reward. Within a week Normal will have one too.
This could be his economic development solution. Creating Covid fines is solution to replace the tax revenue Koos is loosing from the economy collapse.
Hello!
I was just wondering what issue you find with this order. It makes a good deal of sense that companies with solicitation licenses would be using them right now. Everyone’s home, and that means that door to door sales is by far the easiest way to reach people. It’s also a particularly dangerous way to reach people as that would bring sales people into close contact with potentially infected people, enabling the virus to be spread directly from house to house. I don’t agree with everything the mayor does, but I’m glad that this cautionary order was issued.
It is really tough to not answer the door! Do you need government to handle other personal things for you too?
That’s funny!
Haha, I’m not too worried about myself, I don’t plan on opening the door any time soon, but thank you for kind concern!
I’m mostly worried for people who don’t understand the weight of the crisis. Like the stupid college kids going to the beaches on spring break. I have no doubt that there enough people with a similar mindset that solicitation could prove to be an issue.
Town has had ZERO complaints. Now you say what?
I suppose I say that that’s really great news! I’m very happy to hear that people are following orders as much as needed and I’m even more happy that less people are getting sick because of it.
I am however still confused as to how the issuance of this order has proven to be in any way problematic or inconvenient. It’s just a cautionary order, and I think the town’s best option at the moment is to be cautious. It doesn’t mean that they don’t trust us. It just means that the individuals in the offices whom we have elected want to be as clear as possible as to what our response should be.
If you want the government to be your mommy and daddy and expect to pay for it!
I mean yes, that does tend to be how governments work, and I do pay for it, quite happily. I think you might find “The Social Contract” by French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau interesting, it might clear that point up a bit.
I don’t really want to be nannied by the government in this crisis, and I am not especially concerned for myself. I’m fit and healthy. I just don’t see what about this is nannying. The mayor is just trying to be as clear as possible, just like the president and his staff are. This order cost very little in terms of taxpayer money. I suppose it might have taken a couple of minutes of the mayor’s or his staffer’s time and whatever the cost of the only to sign it was. So all in all, I am okay with the government being my mommy and daddy right now, especially because I don’t have to pay much for this small gesture.
But I suppose I might be missing something. If you could tell me what issue you take with this order, I would really appreciate it.
I did. Maybe you want a French nanny state, but real Americans don’t.
I don’t want a French nanny state, and I never said I did. Rousseau advocated for freedom and liberty, and has also been dead for centuries. He was, however, also especially influential on the American founding fathers and the writing of the US Constitution. I’m not sure how much more American you would like me to be.
I hope you understand that I’m grateful for the posting of this order much in the same way that I’m grateful for your work on this website. It is vital to the continuation of democracy that we have a well informed public in open communication with government and you help with that as much as an executive order can.