Right to Dry Legislation

One of my fondest memories of childhood is watching my mom hang fresh laundry on the clothesline to dry in the warm summer breeze; no “fresh linen” room deodorizer can even come close to the real smell. We always slept better on sheets that had been hung out to dry. So who would have ever guessed that a person would have to get legislative approval in order to use a clothes line. Unbelievable right? In today’s world though that just happens to be the case. Due to homeowners associations who argue clotheslines are visually unappealing, and lawsuit fearing landlords who are worried about personal injury liability, clotheslines have become a thing of the past. This has created advocacy groups for both sides, those who feel they should have the right to utilize energy efficient, environmentally friendly clotheslines, and those who feel clotheslines are an eyesore and should be banned. Even The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have joined the fracas publishing articles examining the environmental movement now dubbed as “The Right to Dry”. What do you think; right to dry, or right to be aesthetically appealing?