I rejoiced to see the letter to the editor by Bud Hatfield in the July 5 edition of The Chronicle. In the letter, Hatfield took the Chehalis City Council and manager to task for the general appearance of Chehalis. He cited tall grass, weeds, vacant lots and overgrown private yards.

I, too, noticed the weeds among the roses that line 13th Street at Recreation Park as you enter Chehalis from the freeway. The weeds were as tall as the roses. Once those roses were the epitome of the City of Roses. Teams of ballplayers couldnt have helped but notice those roses in past years. Each year I watch to see when those roses are pruned so I know when to begin working with my own roses.

It wasnt too many days after Hatfields letter that I noticed that the strip of roses had been weeded. The weeding had been done, but the roses still arent the same as before. The patch of roses at the intersection of 13th and South Market are still full of tall weeds as I write this column.

I think the lack of care for the roses is endemic of our general society these days. The hours at the Chehalis swimming pool have been cut back; the cost of lessons has increased. The Pearl Street Pool in Centralia hasnt been open for some time. These are other examples of the mentality of the anti-tax groups. The budgets are tight, and no one is willing to even mention the concept of raising taxes to fund those items.

I can remember a few years ago, as our current President was campaigning, the cry went up, Yes, We Can. Today, I more often hear from our leaders, national, state, and local, No, We Cant. Id like to check the actual votes for the last year or so, but when the Centralia City Council tallies their votes, its often 6-1, with one no tax councilor in the minority.

For some reason, weve lost the sense of the common good. The anti-tax limited-government folks who want us to return to the letter of the original U.S. Constitution have forgotten that the Preamble refers to the people of the United States that includes a purpose specifically spelled out to promote the general welfare.

Instead, we now have a group that says, we dont need that sense of working together. Its now Ill take care of me, you take care of yours. Weve forgotten about shared responsibility, mutual interests, the public good or even civil society. Weve gotten to a point of a vending machine government. Let someone else prune the roses, theyre not mine. Clean streets? Ill just ignore the litter.

Its at this point that some mutual interests come into play. Do I want the ambulance to come immediately when I call 911, or does another five or 10 minutes matter? How about the water in my tap in the kitchen sink? Restaurant inspections, I can do without them; Ive never gotten sick eating at any place in Lewis County. Do I really need the library, or can I get along without it?

Currently the president and Congress are battling over the budget and debt ceiling. On the local level, times are tough as well.

However, smart investment and spending counts for better livability with parks, infrastructure and yes, roses along the entrance to our cities.

We have volunteers who have helped clean up the city, erase graffiti, take care of the parks and tidy up neighborhoods. However, those volunteers are not a substitute for able and professional government, with the backing of the citizens and voters. Regardless of your views, we all share our fortune and future. Lets live by the Golden Rule, and continue to promote, support and pay for the common good and the general welfare.

Paul Crowner, a retired Centralia music educator, can be contacted at PaulCrowner@RainierConnect.com.