Published: May 07, 2008 12:42 am            

Readers' Forum: Wednesday, May 7

Are we content to live with trash?

When I think back to a time of my growing up years on South Harding Avenue in Terre Haute, I remember life a different way. We heated our homes with coal. The black smoke and soot belched from chimneys all across town and country. When it snowed on cold winter nights we could awake to ground covered with a blanket of black speckled snowfall. This was living life for folks playing outside in the ’40s and ’50s.

I knew dirty snow was something beyond our control. Some people heated their homes with kerosene oil or wood heating stoves, not many choices. Gas furnaces came into place later, even converted coal to gas. Alas, I thought dirty yards and streets could be a thing of the past. Boy was I wrong.

By the time the 1960s came along so did the dawn of American fast food and drink. One form of ugly would soon replace another. It was a new era in the Wabash Valley that saw trash on every corner, down every street and now today on every country road and across all the farm fields. We are living in the midst of one giant county landfill and seem to be loving it.

Most people think it’s been like this forever because it’s hard for them to remember when our environment was trash free. The farmers just plow it under because its there. We have arrived at a point in time where it’s hard to distinguish the God given nature from the man-made filth. Anything and everything man made is either deliberately dumped, tossed or allowed to blow out of or from the beds of trucks or the windows of passing vehicles.

And I include the large company trash trucks with a full leaky load. This adds to the tons of trash already in place. We have a major litter problem along with the placement of broken glass and sharp metal strung up and down the county. A health and safety issue exists.

Vigo County government in 2008 is positioned well to be part of the problem by what they will not do, or be all of the solution with laws and enforcement. Any good move to correct the mess always upsets someone. But those who litter are denying the rest of us our right to clean property and a clean county. It’s hard work to first wish to, then keep a presentable environment. But it’s not impossible if we just start somewhere.

Think about it. A stranger comes here from elsewhere USA looking at us close up. What will a person think? Move here, raise a family, make friends, retire and watch grandchildren play in the trash? Looking back I preferred the black speckled snow a lot more.

— Charles Schaffer, Jr.

Terre Haute



Let’s hope Valley gets more visits

My family was among the thousands who enjoyed the opportunity to interact with our national candidates. The record-setting voter registration and primary participation illustrates that the voting public responds to this personal engagement.

From my venue, the security and logistic demands of the Secret Service and the campaign staffs were handled professionally. I would like to commend those who worked quietly but diligently to make the events a success and reflect positively on our community.

Special appreciation to the city and police department of Terre Haute, the Vigo County sheriff’s office, and the Vigo County School Corp. as host of two events.

With such an enthusiastic response, hopefully we will see the Wabash Valley visited again before November.

— Dr. Jim Turner

Terre Haute

        

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