It is hard to believe that people in this world just do not see the real problems or solutions to create a better community in their towns. I am referring to the Aug. 22 column by Shanna Rogers on how we can make Lewiston’s inner city a better place to live.

Creating better housing will make the city a better place. Of course it will, until the people who have been unemployed and on welfare for many generations move in.

The lead issues do not create the filth, the pests or the animal excrement that landlords need to deal with on a daily basis. As local landlords, my wife and I have worked hard to create nice, clean and maintained housing for the past 20 years. In that time, we have seen this town losing ground and turning into a slum.

Trash littering the streets, hallways that cannot be kept clean longer than an hour, dogs relieving themselves on sidewalks and lawns with nobody picking up after them.

New housing in the inner city will not solve these problems. We need welfare reform.

We need jobs to give people their pride and dignity back. I have seen new subsidized housing in countless U.S. cities after one year; it is not a pretty picture.

Let us deal with the real problem and drop the rose-colored glasses. Years of poor leadership cannot be remedied overnight, but realizing the real problems can be a great start.

Steven Goulet, Greene

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