Who Is Responsible?

I have fond memories from when I was a young kid in the 1940s and early 1950s.  I was a tender young Farm Kid , along with five other siblings who were taught responsibility as we observed our parents.  Back then it was illegal to allow weeds to flourish on your property.  My parents operated an 80 acre farm and the Canadian Thistle was a noxious weed which when it appeared on your property had to be eliminated.  The county officials took note of these weeds and if the Farmer did not control them the county would and the cost would be billed to the land owner.  

 While the above picture of a structure on Millerfield Road in Macon is not a noxious weed, it certainly is an eyesore.  I do not know how long this structure has looked like this, however I would suggest that the house owner be required to repair the structure.  When I acquired this picture on November 24th I did note that a "Roll On/Roll Off" box was in place so maybe the house is being repaired.  However, everyone who resides in Macon, Georgia is aware of the abundance of dwellings that look even more ugly than this.  Admittedly, a program is in process known as the "Five By Five" to eliminate this type of eye sore; however we often hear the campaign rhetoric during the election cycles that let us know that when we elect a specific candidate that the problems facing our community will be eliminated.  So, the question I submit today is:  How long do the people of Macon have to wait for progress to happen?  How long before the eye sores such as this, and many more are eliminated?

 As I traveled into Macon on Shurling Drive this past Sunday I noted this sight.  I had to stop and record this picture.  As I took the picture I thought of the current land owner and how he or she regards their investment.  It may be that they do not live in the area; however they are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of their property.  Do we in Macon and/or Bibb County have rules and regulations defining the responsibilities of property owners?  As I drove away from this location I quickly recalled my own upbringing as a Tender Young Farm Kid and how My Dad insisted that My Sibling Brother and I dig up with a shovel the noxious weeds in the cow pasture each year. I got the impression that this land owner does not care.  

 I also realize that it is not only private land owners who are not responsible for their property.  This is a view of the score board at a Football Field located on Shurling Drive.  I know that this eye sore has been present for several years.  I also suspect that this is on public property owned by the Bibb County School System.  What can be done about this eye sore?  Can "We The People" expect our public officials and appropriate government organizations to  also be responsible for the property they are charged to maintain?

 I do not know who owns this property.  I did note a "For Sale" sign nearby.  What is of great concern here is that the property appears to be the dumping area for soil from a nearby building/construction project.

Then there are always the post election signs that candidates and/or their supporters fail to remove after the election/s are over.  This one is a sad testament to a campaign that is now over, yet the sign remains.  If I recall correctly this candidate promised a better future if he was elected.  In fact his campaign web site proclaimed this: "Join us on this journey of a NEW BEGINNING FOR A NEW MACON... ONE CITY – ONE FUTURE!"  I would humbly suggest that the journey for this candidate include the removal of campaign signs which are now out of date.

In concluding this Blog Post, another view of this abandoned structure near the Gray Highway on Shurling Drive.  I would submit that the people, "We The People" deserve better than what is being allowed to happen.  We do not need these or other eye sores which remind us all of what we view on Television when the news is focused on "Third World Countries" elsewhere on Planet Earth.