Newspaper Editor - Yard Debris Pickup Is Too Taxing

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The Janesville Gazette's editorial on June 12th titled "Yard work is the order of the day," was a seemingly minor and harmless rant imploring Janesville homeowners and residents to find the time and make the effort to clip the hedges and pick up yard debris. They even suggested it might be better to lend a helping hand to a neighbor that may have been effected by the downturn in the local economy before they recommend that you report them to the city for code enforcement. Their compassion is uplifting.

Plus, you never know when a doped-up head-banging freelancing wannabee journalist from one of those liberal rags like Mother Jones or Rolling Stone (sarcasm) might trip into Janesville and start asking questions about the economy and begin snapping pictures with their Brownie Hawkeye camera. So put on a happy face and keep those lawns mowed.

Okay, it's understandable to want to keep up appearances, but what does the newspaper's Op-ed editor propose soon after that editorial? In his blog, he suggests (broaches or wonders if) Janesville should get rid of our twice-a-year yard waste pickup to save $30,000.

Blog Excerpt:
(My favorite line from his post with a slight modification)
Residents who don’t take advantage of the (...substitute any government service you don't use here...) might wonder why they’re helping pay for the service through their tax dollars.

That's the newspaper's conservo-community spirit that I've grown to know over the years.

So whadda'ya think? The editor feels that if those tree-hugging liberals up in Madison can cut two of its eight crews that regularly collect yard debris, then certainly the manic-conservatives running the City of Parks can eliminate our bare bones twice-a-year yard waste pick up altogether.

I suppose the theory is if the liberals in Madison keep lowering the bar for us, the newspaper at least have someone to blame when asked, "What the hell happened to this place?"