While this idea of mandatory sprinkler systems on "new" homes and condos sounds like a good idea (especially to the manufacturers of said systems), let us stop and think for a moment. At this time, do we need government intrusion into our homes? Do we need the added expense to a housing market that is already down and out? Do we want a system that can freeze during a power outage and cost another fortune to replace? Can this law be forced on the Amish?

It makes a lot more sense to manufacture a device that could be installed in rooms, much like smoke detectors in each room, that when a certain temperature is reached would activate a dry chemical extinguisher. This type of system might be a lot more affordable for all homes and save more lives (and dollars) than a mandatory wet system that is trying to be rammed down our throats.

What happened to American ingenuity? Must we legislate every whim (or lobbyist's goal) into being?

Wayne Brown

Heuvelton