Raise the Hammer

D.Knox, I agree.

The well-off contribute to this dismaying bizzardom more so than the poor and unstable, IMO. Look at all of the bought up, derelict property downtown, which is just sitting there boarded up and has done so for months (some even years). If these buildings are allowed to sit vacant and decaying for this long, what do they think this will do to the surrounding properties? Of course it brings property values down.

It also sends out the message to all who pass through or frequent the area that this property is down and out for the count, no one cares what happens there, so it's okay to chuck that candy wrapper in that general direction. Well, why not an empty cigarette pack too, then? An empty beer can; a half-full beer bottle; "Hey Fred, don't pee on that side of the building, we sleep there!". Before you know it, Fred's got a freshly derelict building next door to call his own.

It's a self perpetuating cycle and is fueled by none other than lax laws and by-laws. The city should rewrite some of these. Give landlords a time limit of six months to clean up these properties and bring them up to code. Failing that, tear them down at owners' expense. Most important part of the puzzle - don't just have laws, enforce them! If I buy a house today with old electrical wiring and panel, chances are good that I will not be able to properly insure my house until I get that wiring updated. Chances are that the insurance company will give me a set time limit by which I must complete the updates, no ifs or buts. Well, what's good for the goose...

edit: Oh, and speaking of bizarre... I find a highway full of over-sized SUVs with single occupants in them, many sitting there banging at the steering wheel and swearing out loud or muttering under their breath, all losing nerves in the crawling traffic... I find that scene infinitely more bizarre than the less stressed out Fred in his raggedy coat, asking for a quarter every time you pass by.

Comment edited by al.hamilton on 2010-08-14 23:07:24