Spitting in the Wind

I don't know what it takes for people around here to get riled up. I haven't heard much outcry even after the talk about raising property taxes by almost 100%. Then there's the possible meth lab in the Blackhawk Hotel, renting the Freight house to do a study, buying the old LULAC Club for a park entrance, etc.
As someone who has lived here most of my 50+ years I can remember when kids could walk all over this town without the parents, police, or anyone else having to worry about them. This was back in the days that you got in trouble for locking the house because nobody could remeber where the keys were! We had five and dime stores, soda fountains, movie theaters, drug stores, and department stores all downtown. It seems sad that we can't elect a city government that can balance a budget and get people excited about living here again without spending millions of dollars.