Old Man Says to Hell With the Government, He'll Fix Potholes Himself, Dammit

If this catches on, local governments will have to choose between anarchy and saving on infrastructure repair.

An 84-year-old man in rural Nova Scotia, Canada just did what many of us have always fantasized about — he rolled out his own heavy equipment to fix the road in front of his house, according to Global News.

Preston Perry of Upper Nine Mile River was sick to death of the suspension-bending potholes in his gravel roadway, and — like Charles Bronson in any movie starring Charles Bronson — stormed out the door to take matters into his own hands.

Years of complaints (and a petition) made to local political representatives was met with a brick wall of inaction much harder and flatter than the surface of MacIntosh Road.

“I know they can’t do a perfect job now this time of the year, but you could at least make it passable,” Perry lamented.

Using an honorable tractor that sports a patina that can only be described as “Titanic-esque,” Perry went to town on the World War One battlefield roadway, which measures about two-thirds of a mile long.

This vigilante of public works infrastructure claims he isn’t doing it just for himself and his neighbours, but also for his 82-year-old wife, who suffers from a spinal injury. Potholes do a number on her, he said.

Though a pave job would end the troubles of the road’s occupants, the language used by public officials isn’t promising for a speedy fix — which is why Perry is still fixing the road on an as-needed basis.

And if more equipment is needed, don’t worry — his grandson owns a backhoe, Perry told reporters.

For displaying an admirably stubborn, get-things-done attitude, Perry deserves a round of applause. This is how you win wars, people.

[Image: Preston Perry, video capture/Global News; Death Wish, Paramount Pictures]