Property owner chooses to burn his leaves

This is in reply to those who have written in support of a burn ban in Rock Falls, specifically Eddy Lilly in his letter on Nov. 12 titled “Stop leaf burning (cough, cough).” 

I would like to express first my disdain that you would consider me, and those who burn leaves, as incapable of making a rational choice.

Second, I will agree that there was a lot of burning this past weekend. But it was simply due to the fact that the weather was so nice. You and others act as if, every day, a cloud of burnt leaf smoke hangs over the town.

Third, I enjoy the smell of burning leaves. It reminds me of fall and childhood. My wife, on the other hand, does not like the smell. But does she think it should be banned? No, because, unlike you, just because she disagrees with something, she doesn’t think it needs to disappear.

And I guess that is what I am getting at here. When did Americans get the mentality that just because they disagree with something, that it should no longer happen? What happened to personal freedoms and choices?

If I choose to burn my leaves, then let me do it. It is my yard and my property. Let me burn my leaves.

And I understand that there are those with allergies and asthma, and that burning leaves is rough on them. But, let me state that I have severe allergies to ragweed starting in late August all the way through late September, and yet I don’t think it should be town mandated to remove all weeds from households.

How selfish and contemptuous of me to think that just because I don’t like it, then everyone else should not like it, either.

Though I very rarely burn leaves, I fully support the right of those around me to burn leaves.