Sunday, August 31, 2008

Policy : Graffiti - Car Hoons - Dirty Streets

The most common annoyance to us all is graffiti and car hoon behaviour. They both really irritate, like a mossie in the room at night. Unlike a can of fly spray or a good swat to kill a mossie, graffiti and road hoons are more difficult to stop.

Mayoral candidates who claim to have the solution will soon be wealthy men because this is a global problem experienced in all towns and cities in the western world who are looking for answers.

In the short term we need a sizeable budget item allocated to chase our tail with these people. Over what other council activity this takes priority is to be determined by the new Council.


In the longer term we begin in the kindergarten and with adult education. I understand graffiti artists and car hoons to be the modern vandals - they are individuals detached from social values of respect for the other - a value generally eroded through the 1960's social revolutions. They see public roads, public and private property as a personal possession for them to express themselves in ego-centric behaviour that annoys the hell out of the rest of us.

We need civic leadership to promote our traditional social values - respect for the other - love of neighbour - without having to necessarily like them. That is a bonus of life.

As far as dirty streets go, it is the result of a Council not doing its job.

To fix, you change the people running it.

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