Greetings to all of you trash talkers out there, the Reborn River Rat Here again,

Glory and Hallelujah, all is not lost!

Nan and I were on our way to church the other day following a late model Mazda pick up truck with two young men in it.

As we approached a traffic light the driver attempted to throw a coke can into the bed of the pick up.

Well, I’m here to tell you, that can had a mind of its own. It arched gracefully through the air, hit the tool box and bounced over the side of the truck to land in the street.

The light had turned red so as I neared the truck I had determined to get out and pick up the can.

I was mumbling self righteous and uncomplimentary mumbles when the passenger in the pickup beat me to it. He jumped out, retrieved the wayward can and threw it into the truck.

A moment later the light changed and we were on our way but not before the driver of the truck saw me smiling and waving. It was with a good feeling that I drove past the truck and honked and waved.

Just imagine if everyone was as conscientious as those two young men. How clean our roads and highways would be.

I have concluded that there are quite a few of the good citizens out there that don’t realize it’s against the law to litter but then, I could be wrong and they do know and just simply don’t give a darn. (There Holly Lisle, I used a four letter expletive and I believe it is appropriate!)

I would like to believe that folks care but maybe I’m just stupid and living in some utopian dreamland, what do you think?

The existing laws on the books right now are ineffectual in the sense that the fines for littering are so minimal they are laughable with no real incentive for the courts to prosecute the offender.

Throw a piece of trash out the window of your automobile and it might, I say, ‘might’ cost you fifty dollars, but then probably not because the average peace officer is not going to bother himself over so trivial a matter.

Make it a two hundred dollar fine plus court costs for a first time offense and publish the offenders names on the front page of the news paper followed by a five hundred fine for a repeat offense.

That is what Texas has done, minus the newspaper thing and they have begun a cleanup campaign that is really showing results in clean hi-ways and millions of dollars paid into their state’s coffers along with millions more saved in labor for the necessary clean up.

Could it be that the good citizens of Florida like to see their State embellished and emblazoned with the detritus of careless and contemptible and ignorant individuals? I think not.

Are we, the citizens of Florida, the Sunshine State; the # one tourist State in the union, less caring, less intelligent, and so enamored with filth that we can’t, or worse yet, can but choose not to, take a stand on such an important issue?

I am going to treat this issue by comparing Texas laws with Florida laws next time. If they can do it why in the name of all that is holy can’t we?

You have a nice day now ya hear. The Reborn River Rat

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