Dear Editor,

When I look around the county and see a lot of the old homes that have been deserted, I wonder why something has not been done with them. Are taxes being collected? Are family members still living? These become places for homeless or drug addicts. We need some strict county laws on these old homes for they are safety hazards.

Sometimes, when pride goes, we need the county commissioners to put in some laws. Yes, when we buy a house, we should be able to do some things to beautify it so that our neighbors don’t complain and keep the grounds up. We have a neighborhood watch where I live and when the neighbors tell me, “I don’t care what the yards look like or what my neighbors do,” it bothers me. When I see neighbors that don’t cut grass and have junk cars in their yard, I say that they do not take pride in how the neighborhood looks. That is what apartments are for. I realize a lot of men enjoy restoring cars, but they belong inside a building or behind a stockade fence where they can’t be seen. We need the commissioners to make this a county law, so the officer in charge can issue a summons to them.

Another subject I would like to address is the young drivers. I have talked to several that have the wrong attitude about their speeding tickets. They say it is just a ticket and go pay the fine. I say they need to go before the judge and give a stiff warning on what they will do if they get another and also see a film on what happens when you cause an accident. We should do something more on the people that drive on suspended licenses.

Years ago, when Effingham County decided to have trash pick-up, one numbered trash can was for each house. If you moved, the can stays with that house. It costs $96 a year on your tax bill for each additional trash can. I know that some people need more and I am sure they have paid to have extras.

Sorry folks, I am one of many that feel this way and let’s make our county a county to be proud of.

Jim Miller