Why does this job exist?

OK some idiot with too much power in my city has opted to waste money by hiring a bunch of people to walk around with noisy machines to blow leaves around. Yes, that's right. All these people do is walk around the street and blow leaves from one spot to the next. See, I wouldn't really care except for the fact that these machines that they use are incredibly noisy. It's so bad that it'll still cancel out your voice when you're talking, the TV and the stereo even when you close the door and windows! (don't get me started on how distracting it is when you're trying to read or study) I'd sort of understand if they were actually, y'know, vaccuming the freaking leaves but all they do is move it from one point to another. How is this a good idea?

I understand that these people need jobs. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that it's almost as if they practically created some useless and unneeded "service" outta thin air in order for these people to support themselves. I guess it can't really be done away with now since real people actually use this to live and thrive but it's still damn annoying.

Anyone else live in a neighborhood where they do this?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

They did it over here for a while, for "safety reasons".

Apperently old people kept tripping on the wet leaves. It had to be put to an end.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yes, old people should be put to an end. We just need the right plan...

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Leaf-blowers have always been a bit odd to me. I've never seen to point in just moving them to inconvenience someone else. Vacuuming seems like a much better idea. However, in the case of a city-wide leaf problem, I can easily see that vacuuming could lead to a problem, what with all the bags and all. So, blowing the leaves off of the sidewalks, yards, etc. seems to be a cheaper and semi-effective way to handle the problem.

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Well, its kind of like what they did in the 20's & 30's when the great depression started and all.

They invented jobs to keep people busy. And I think overall its a better idea to have people with jobs than have them on the streets, if for nothing else than your city's well-being. If people are slipping and stuff, they would be better on the roads instead of the sidewalk...I mean yeah you have the potential of car wrecks but a few leaves really shouldn't present too much of a problem.

How long are they in front of your house? If its for a really long time I can see why would would be pissed.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I thought it is always a part of a suite of cleaning operation that included washing the side walk, removing the trash, putting in new trash bags to public trash bins, removing graffiti at bus stops and cutting over arching tree branches, stuff like that. If I remember correctly, people are often hired to preform more then one of those job duties. I don't remember it ever being just one operation at once. Although the leaf blowing its more noticeable because the sheer noise.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I find leaf blowers a complete waste of time and energy. Yes guys, lets waste some gas blowing LEAVES to the side of the sidewalk.

You know I hear there's this thing called a broom. It sweeps things off to the side and requires no energy to run!

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Shonos

It sweeps things off to the side and requires no energy to run!

That depends. I still remember the back pain I get when I use to be in a school in Taiwan that had us sweep the field with brooms.

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Yea, I do agree a little bit annoying. I dont mind if they do it at 12:00pm but when on a weekend they start at 9:00am I just want to walk outside and shoot them. And lets not get a racist here. but most of these " leaf Blowers" cant speak english worth my left thumb, so asking them or talking to them period just makes it harder for anyone. of course when these selective individuals come through the line at the my local supermarket they seem to blow my eardrums out becuase of their lack of hearing.

to make a long story short, I think they are kinda ricidculous, sure they have some purpose..but gas Is getting to 4 dollars a gallon, stop wasting it on damn leaves :-p

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Hmmm.. this is the first time someones brought to my attention the fact that leaf blowers are really just leaf relocators.

Anyways the folk around my neighborhood who do the leaf blowing eventually scoop up the leaves (which are now in a smaller area due to all the blowing) and just take'em away. Personally I don't mind but like Loathor said, with gas prices going through the roof maybe its time to reconsider... like using a rake!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I was always wanting to ask this, why do they blow the leaves and not vacuum it? Their just making a mess from the mess that there already is.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Since when are leaf blowers a race? Next I suppose you'll say it's rascist to say that the majority of people who make up roofing crews in the midwest and southwest can't speak english either.

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Some guys opposing leaf blowers in their town started playing Leaf Blower Hockey all around town, including inside of the courthouse, to demonstrate how annoying it was.
Brilliant idea. Got them on the news and I think the city changed things.

I was speaking idiomatically.

What makes it 10 times worse is when they do it at 1AM or 2AM like the do here. it's so loud that I can hear it in my bedroom....on the other side of the apartment. They do it every day like the leaves have come back to the same spot over night......but there are not leaves....and if there are they're dead and dry ones that are too decomposed to move anywhere.

It get's annoying after awhile.... so we start to wonder why they do it....

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Quote:

I was always wanting to ask this, why do they blow the leaves and not vacuum it? Their just making a mess from the mess that there already is.

And then what? Hire another hundred dozen pickup trucks to clean out the mess?

Then again, some genius may as well come up with such a "solution"... To their financial problems. The extra funds from the work goes to someone's pockets.

FELIPE NO

Hah, ironically, I had never noticed the leaf blowers around until just now when reading this. There are leafblowers outside the apartment at this very moment....oh they just stopped.

When looking at the thread title I was expecting something more along the lines of "telemarketer" or "adult store manager".

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I live in a sane country. We have these ancient wonders here called rakes and brooms.

They work like a fucking miracle, produce hardly any noise and don't require so much as a drop of petrol!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Leaf blowers are aggravating when they are running for long periods of time, but I guess it is Easier than using a rake...we live in a world of convenience...

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Even though the noise caused by the blowers is more of an inconvenience than the job done by them?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Annoying as they are, the leafblowers on campus at least bag the leaves when they're done.

Although I think it is completely unecessary. Better off sweeping them onto the grass or on the dirt and letting them decompose. But no, we want to make our ground look beautiful.

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