Dear Michael,

In the last e-letter, you ran a letter from a neighbor in the 4700 block of Vincent regarding the litter problem. I live on Vincent right behind the football field and I agree that this is a problem. I have sent e-mail letters to our Councilmember, our ERNC representatives, Mayor's office, as well as the city departments that handle roads in our area and have not received any responses from anyone. My street is in desperate need of being repaved, we need speed bumps because we are close to the school and speeding that occurs here every day--it's only a matter of time before a child gets hit on this street--is that what it is going to take to do something? We also need street cleaning because we are near the school and litter is a huge mess that we should not have to clean---the city should be cleaning the 4700 block of Vincent!

I truly believe that living near a school should not be mean that you are living in the worst part of a neighborhood. Unfortunately, it seems our city leaders consider these areas slums. I think our children deserve better. Our schools should be considered the temples of our communities and the areas around them sacred ground. I wish our city leaders gave more than lip service to the ideas of neighborhood, education, and beautification. Sorry for the rant but I am feeling like a second class citizen on this street in Eagle Rock. I wish the city would help us out (or at least respond).

Sincerely,

Amy Sloboda

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Dear Michael, We live adjacent to the Yosemite Rec Center and we are constantly amazed at the amount of graffiti and tagging that occurs there. Is there any organized group or entity that is trying to deal with this problem so that we can get involved? Thanks, Michael Larsen
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I'm publishing these two letters to get the word out. Trash, litter and tagging are on-going issues throughout the community. I'm sure this comes as a surprise to no one living in Eagle Rock, or anywhere else in Los Angeles. Community Clean-up Days are great to start off a big push but don't seem to do much to stop the chronic problems of trash and graffiti. I'll contact the Parks Department and the Council Office to see what, if any groups, are working on these problems in the parks, and get back to you with what I learn. Given my complete lack of success in dealing with the dumpster problem at Eagle Rock Park so far (lots of promises but no action), I'm not optimistic, but I am getting angry. I fear that individuals will have to continue to pick up the trash of others, but will also contact the school about utilizing its service clubs and community service requirements to have the areas surrounding the school policed on a regular basis. We might all think about personalizing the litter issue as well and when we see someone we know toss something on the street or out of a car, call them on it. Eagle Rock is a small town and I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone I recognize toss something out of a car window or pitch something onto the street.

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Tina Kaye writes:

Michael.

Thanks for your short and sweet Thanksgiving day message. Short and sweet are always the best kind. When messages are not short and sweet I find that I skip or scan them. SHORT and SWEET are really the only kind that most of us actually ever care about. SHORT is sometimes even more important than sweet. With short and sweet in mind, I'll just say thanks again. t

It is absurd that a man should rule others that cannot rule himself. Latin Proverb

Happiness depends upon ourselves. Aristotle

In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice the path of faith, the path of hope and the path of love toward our fellow man. FDR

Tina:

Thanks for your letter. Allow me to respond in the same spirit in which your message was written. I’m seldom short or sweet. Besides, I get paid by the word and have been able to double my TERA salary by writing long, boring messages. But I sympathize with your difficulty in comprehending or maintaining interest in anything more than a sound byte so I will tell you that my messages are likely to be shorter prior to Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, for your future planning. I suggest you go ahead and skip or scan the message other times of the year and instead, satisfy your need for short and sweet through Golden Book Classics and Cliff Notes, possibly moving up to Reader’s Digest Magazine and Reader’s Digest Condensed Books as your tolerance for comprehensive coverage and abilities to understand facts increase. And you might find that as you read more and understand more, your tendency to be redundant, to repeat yourself, to say the same thing over and over again (you know, redundant) will decrease. But until that time, stay away from National Public Radio, the New York Times, or KCET. Better you should remember that KFWB can give you the world in 20 minutes, there are some who think USA Today gives comprehensive coverage to world events, and Fox News makes it simple (if it bleeds, it leads). I was also going to recommend that you purchase a “Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations” or similar book to save you the trouble of thinking of anything witty or relevant to say, but note that like others of a similar bent, you must already have done so, or at least have mastered familiar quotes on the internet. Congratulations! Short, sweet, and simple; right at home with the lowest common denominator.