Comments on: Make Your City Better without Raising Taxes http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2009/01/12/103783_make-your-city-better-without-raising-taxes.html Bridging the gap between saving money and investing Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:46:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cindy M http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2009/01/12/103783_make-your-city-better-without-raising-taxes.html/comment-page-1/#comment-515567 Cindy M Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:04:05 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3783#comment-515567 Bravo, this one hits home with me, glad I'm not the only walker/bus rider who notices this stuff. I live in a fairly decent neighborhood on a corner at a busy intersection, so it goes without saying I'm used to occasionally picking up stray beer bottles and McDonald's leftovers out in my front yard. I once had plans to plant some flower-ground cover in the strip between the sidewalk and the street, but came to the conclusion it's easier just using the mower to blow the 4 million cigarette butts out on the street and then sweep it all up. There are rental properties on either side of me, the landlords of which seem to have tried a bit harder since I moved here several years ago and am always out in the yard. People do get to know you that way, even the police, and most applaud the effort. Anyway, my city actually is good about putting money into the parks, maintaining streets, just purchased 20 new buses, etc. I crack myself up though here lately; I'm suddenly bothered by the bus cubicle that sits cattycorner to my view every morning. It's fairly new but has gotten gross enough that it occurred to me that some early fine spring morning, I'm gonna sneak across the street and spritz the daylights out of it. But I'm tickled the city at least chopped down all the crappy honeysuckle weedy stuff that was close to it. What really gets me is the incredible laziness of people. There are nice heavy, frequently emptied concrete trash containers all over the place, but people would rather throw their plastic crap down on the ground real close to these containers instead of right into the container. I do wish things would turn around more, that people would start taking more pride in their surroundings in general, especially the younger folks. Meanwhile, I'm at least getting plenty of exercise. I hate gyms. Bravo, this one hits home with me, glad I’m not the only walker/bus rider who notices this stuff. I live in a fairly decent neighborhood on a corner at a busy intersection, so it goes without saying I’m used to occasionally picking up stray beer bottles and McDonald’s leftovers out in my front yard. I once had plans to plant some flower-ground cover in the strip between the sidewalk and the street, but came to the conclusion it’s easier just using the mower to blow the 4 million cigarette butts out on the street and then sweep it all up. There are rental properties on either side of me, the landlords of which seem to have tried a bit harder since I moved here several years ago and am always out in the yard. People do get to know you that way, even the police, and most applaud the effort. Anyway, my city actually is good about putting money into the parks, maintaining streets, just purchased 20 new buses, etc. I crack myself up though here lately; I’m suddenly bothered by the bus cubicle that sits cattycorner to my view every morning. It’s fairly new but has gotten gross enough that it occurred to me that some early fine spring morning, I’m gonna sneak across the street and spritz the daylights out of it. But I’m tickled the city at least chopped down all the crappy honeysuckle weedy stuff that was close to it.

What really gets me is the incredible laziness of people. There are nice heavy, frequently emptied concrete trash containers all over the place, but people would rather throw their plastic crap down on the ground real close to these containers instead of right into the container. I do wish things would turn around more, that people would start taking more pride in their surroundings in general, especially the younger folks. Meanwhile, I’m at least getting plenty of exercise. I hate gyms.

]]> By: Lisa http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2009/01/12/103783_make-your-city-better-without-raising-taxes.html/comment-page-1/#comment-515551 Lisa Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:17:57 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3783#comment-515551 Its amazing how just walking can give you a sense of connectedness to your community (people and land). Its amazing how just walking can give you a sense of connectedness to your community (people and land).

]]> By: Alex http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2009/01/12/103783_make-your-city-better-without-raising-taxes.html/comment-page-1/#comment-515236 Alex Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:25:52 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3783#comment-515236 Justme: I guess this is typical of city govts. My neighborhood looks like a tornado zone -- most yards are trashy, junky, weedy, with dead cars, trash cans that stay crubside for the entire week, fallen Christmas decorations, and the streets are full of deep potholes, but God help you if you put up a Garage Sale sign w/o a permit. The city swallows a camel and gags on a gnat. Had I foreseen how the neighborhood would deteriorate and how sorry the city services are (their various fees and taxes keep increasing), I would have never moved here. Justme: I guess this is typical of city govts. My neighborhood looks like a tornado zone — most yards are trashy, junky, weedy, with dead cars, trash cans that stay crubside for the entire week, fallen Christmas decorations, and the streets are full of deep potholes, but God help you if you put up a Garage Sale sign w/o a permit. The city swallows a camel and gags on a gnat. Had I foreseen how the neighborhood would deteriorate and how sorry the city services are (their various fees and taxes keep increasing), I would have never moved here.

]]> By: justme http://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2009/01/12/103783_make-your-city-better-without-raising-taxes.html/comment-page-1/#comment-514678 justme Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:54:40 +0000 http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/?p=3783#comment-514678 I had a ugly weedy spot space in front of my house between my fence and the road It was ugly dead and weedy so I mowed it mulched it and planted calendula it looked very beautiful maintained it that way for years then one day city sent me a public nusiance notice and told me i was to stop or be fined as a neighbor had complained about the flowers! I laughed as I bet they would considering their yards were full of trash so i mowed down the flowers and just let the city workers mow it once a blue moon I had a ugly weedy spot space in front of my house between my fence and the road It was ugly dead and weedy so I mowed it mulched it and planted calendula it looked very beautiful maintained it that way for years

then one day city sent me a public nusiance notice and told me i was to stop or be fined
as a neighbor had complained about
the flowers! I laughed as I bet they would considering their yards were full of trash so i mowed down the flowers and just let the city workers mow it once a blue moon

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