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Cedar Rapids looks dirty, unkept
I have been noticing several disturbing things coming into the city on Interstate 380 from the south. I don’t see a “welcome” sign. I do see a lot of trash along the roadside and 4- to 5-foot high weeds along the road which never seem to be cut. Coming into the city from the north on Interstate 380 is a different story because Hiawatha apparently is taking care of roadside trash and weeds.
City government of Cedar Rapids, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. I remember City Manager Jeff Pomeranz stating that people shouldn’t have to be used to seeing over the growth along the roads. So, why are we having to become accustomed to this? It looks terrible. This is not what West Des Moines looks like, so why does Cedar Rapids have to look like this? What an impression we must have made on the dignitaries who recently visited from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We look like we have no pride. Our city looks dirty and unkept.
I can remember when people used to say what a beautiful city Cedar Rapids was. No more. Every year our city gets worse. Streets falling apart, trash all over the road sides and weeds everywhere.
Please share with me all the advantages of this new form of government; I am waiting to hear them.
Dianne Reininga
Cedar Rapids
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There is a direct correlation between the trash on the streets and the rise of Liberalism in the city.
David is back, making things up again. He does not have an iota of proof for what he says. He never does.
He’s got his big motor shut off and his trolling motor going this morning.
So, liberals are driving all those scruffy, slovenly, ragtag regressives out onto the streets where they can be viewed with horror by passersby? Who woulda thunk it?
On a regular basis I take a plastic bag and pick up trash around my neighborhood. It is amazing how many people toss out fast food items, plastic bottles etc. The biggest offenders are smokers. Their empty cigarette packages are too many to count. There shoud be a heavy fine for littering. If there is a fine, it needs to enforced. This would save the city money, and maybe someone would think twice before tossing a bottle or empty cigarette package out the window. I alway wonder how clean they keep their house.
There ought to be a law against MT water bottles and energy drinks also…
I would agree with the letter. A close relative came to visit us recently from NE Iowa. I was sharing some of the sites around town when he asked me why was there so much trash everywhere? I could not provide an answer? I have also become ashamed of Cedar Rapids, her trash and her streets.
Isn’t it odd…there’s more trash now than years ago…would you blame the young…they are more enviromentaly aware…but yet seem to litter more than years ago when people supposedly weren’t…or is it that it’s the American way now that enviroMENTAL issues are for other people…NOT them…the enviroment starts with YOU…not the farmer down the road or big oil,mining,etc,etc….people only worry about imagined enviroMENTAL issues they can’t see…it’s time they start worrying about issues they can see…
I’ve made this observation before, but in my nearly 50-year awareness of CR, it has always been a disheveled city. I recall riding in my dad’s car as we drove down First Avenue near the Quaker Oats plant circa 1961, and being amazed by two things: (1) the incredible profusion of paper litter on the streets and sidewalks; and (2) the bone-jarring condition of the railroad crossings. In the past 50 years, CR has made inroads in the second problem; the first remains problematic, but I swear that 1961 CR was EVEN GRUBBIER than it is today.
Donald I agree we have taken the one bag challenge and have picked up religiously. It seems to be an ongoing ordeal. It’s depressing to go out week after week and see the same garbage. We even helped on I380 clean up. Can’t even tell we were there. SAD!!!!! But I do think it’s cleaner than the past. As kids Henry’s on 16th Ave would give us a shake, hamburger and fries for cleaning up, We did it every week. Everyone was happy.
Thanks to those cleaning up 380… And other places…380 is quite the mess in the spring…
Someone needs to explain something to me. Dave says it is the liberals that cause trash and yet conservatives say government is too large. I assume that Dave would suggest we have less government employees which would mean less people to pick up trash. So if we follow Dave’s theory we would lay off more and save money and then somehow the trash would just magically disappear? What am I missing here? Is it just that Dave blames liberals for anything presumed bad and credits conservatives for everything including world peace?
Liberalism – coming soon to a theater near you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFKdczGkmtU
I don’t believe the trash is a partisan issue. I think it is the result of, throw stuff out the car window, it’s not my problem! Lack of enforcement of littering laws in Cedar Rapids, A city council that is either blind or does not care about the city or it’s streets. I recall a recent discussion about putting up welcome signs at the borders of town. I read the comments and thought as soon as visitor turn into the city limits, they would be thinking “yup, welcome to some of the worst streets to drive on and the damn trash blowing every where!”
oops, so I see the problem as an attitude issue.
What would be wrong about able bodied recipients of food stamps and welfare being required to help clean up the city a few hours each week? Just an idea, even though the problem is bad attitudes of irresponsible people!
Omg….you can’t say that….people on welfare working a few hrs a week to pick up trash….my god you posted this yesterday…I can’t believe the bleeding hearts ain’t smack you down on that one…must of fell through the cracks…
I remember years ago that MHI in independence had a farm,most counties had what they called the poor farm or county farm…people helped out growing animals for meat or sale..a big big garden, MHI even had a dairy….I remember they/ somboby all of a sudden decided you can’t have residents doing things like that…I also remember going to the Delaware co farm to pick up the last of their hogs…those guys that took care of those hogs cryed…it was something meaningfully they could do…sad how things are supposed to change for the better…it’s a good thought joe…but good luck on that one…
I have ALWAYS thought that able bodied people who are drawing some form of welfare should be required to do some kind of work. My understanding is that the unions complained that would take jobs away. I heard the same thing about requiring prisoners to do something while they are incarcerated. I am sure if what I was told is wrong someone will correct me but that is what I was told. If it’s true than there needs to be some kind of a resolution.
Frank, I heard the union objections too. I can believe it, but Iowa is a right to work state, and I haven’t ever believed the unions could prevent the city from putting able bodied recipients to work cleaning up our town, to qualify for currently free money.
Our city council has two or more strong union backers who won’t do anything without the union approval. Justin was president of the Quaker union for years and Swore was and still is involved in union affairs. He wouldn’t dare cross them because I have been told they put a bunch of money into their campaign and they aren’t about to go against them (even if it is good for the city and taxpayers) I was told by another council member the unions had put 50k in one councilmans effort to be elected