A recent Speak Out argument hit home for me recently when a few times I saw trash blow out of someone’s vehicle and on to the road. There was also the guy, on a bicycle, who rode through the parking lot behind the Press Gazette’s building and tossed a half-empty soda can at our closed dumpster. On the one hand, I want to shake my finger with my other hand on my hip and tell these lazy, ignorant people to dispose of their trash properly. I should have said something to the guy on the bike, but I sense my words would have been as effective as tossing a half-empty can at a closed dumpster. On the other hand, I should also check my own righteous indignation. My car is certainly not clean. I’ve got old pamphlets, an ancient leather cap, some bits of mail, and even last Halloween’s mask in my back seat. Once, maybe even twice, I think some loose napkin made a getaway during a high-speed drive out an open window. At least paper is biodegradable, right?
So the aforementioned argument went something like this. One person wrote, “I’m new to Santa Rosa County and I see a lot of litter. The government should add a tax to fix a problem I brought up.” A response said, “The government wastes enough money on silly things like cleanliness. Go back to New York.” Now, I hope these two don’t take offense to my playful take on their perspectives. I also don’t think the first person is a communist or the second, an anarchist. What I find fascinating about the discussion are in fact those two classic points of view. There exists the problem of X. One person says, “The governing authority should levy a small tax and spend it fixing X.” Another person says, “Taxing everyone for X is unfair and excessive.” A case can be made for both sides. Cities and counties already spend money for beautification. One reason they do so is to attract business and residents. However, they wouldn’t have to do so if private business and individuals already handled this. Individuals also have the power of the vote to do something about officials’ spending policies.
Meanwhile, trash on the streets may be a problem, but the Blackwater Pyrates make sure trash on the river is not. This private group annually takes it upon themselves to clean the river. In September, they removed 300 lbs of trash. The county is also hammering out the details of ECUA handling our trash and recyclables. Individuals will pay for the service they want to a company through a contract made with local government, a service for which residents have been anxiously awaiting. The amount of power government has is disproportionate to how much we’re willing to get off our behinds and do. We might be paying a river cleanup tax without volunteers. Personally, I think paying to remove litter is unnecessary, but if enough people find the trash unbearable, some solution will come forward.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Politics of trash talk