Take pride in your town and don't litter

Sikeston Mayor Mike Marshall got on a bit of a rant during Monday's city council meeting over the issue of trash in our community. Hizzoner told assembled Public Safety officers to get tough on the trash issue here and he made his impassioned plea in unmistakable terms.

Right on, Mayor!

Mike Marshall realizes that trash is not our largest problem. But he also realizes that the issue of trash strikes at the core of community pride. Trash alone is just a symbol of an attitude that reaches deep into a community. If we can't control something as simple and as easy as trash, then how in the world are we to tackle more important issues? Mike Marshall gets it.

Going back 14 years now, this newspaper has repeatedly addressed issues of community pride. Trash, eyesores, decaying property and a lack of responsibility were high among those concerns. And we've repeatedly voiced those issues time and time again. We have no plans to stop anytime soon either.

Here's the issue with trash in our community. It doesn't take large amounts of money to remove our trash, it takes only pride and cooperation. Crime prevention takes money. Improved streets take money. Attracting business and jobs to our community takes money.

But trash removal is cheap. It takes every individual exhibiting just one ounce of pride. But sometimes the cheapest improvements in society are the hardest to achieve. Maybe we have become one such example.

When businesses or newcomers first arrive here, they don't have the time to look deep into our community and recognize our traditions, our accomplishments, our progress. Instead they have a fleeting time to witness that which is most obvious. If you visit some other community, you don't take the time to explore their history, to examine their master plan for improvement. You simply look around and make judgments on what you see. And if you see trash, your impression is tilted in a negative direction. If you see buildings in disrepair or crumbling, your impression is tilted in a negative direction.

Let's get behind the Mayor and make a communal commitment to change the appearance of our community. Bend over and pick it up! And when you witness someone ignoring this basic rule of a civilized society, let them know how you feel. If that doesn't work, Public Safety officers are more than willing to convey that message.