Melanie Martinez of Austin wants to impose her vision of what her neighborhood should be on all of her neighbors.

As is the norm there is always a justification based on some so-called "history" or heritage:

"Every neighborhood is like a story book and every house is a page in that book. If you start tearing out the pages, you don't have a story anymore," said Martinez, who lives in a 120-year-old Queen-Anne-style cottage on Newning Avenue.

Why is it that all of the onerous rules imposed on those who own homes in "Historical Preservation Districts" only apply to the exterior of the house?

Aren't you tearing a page out of history by having in your house, say, electricity? And plumbing? And telephone and internet? To say nothing of the Viking ovens and SubZero refrigerators that you know adorn the homes of those wealthy enough to put up with this stuff.

If true historic preservation is really the goal you should do it inside and out. Otherwise, the goal is just run-of-the-mill, look-at-me exclusivity.