Simple solution to litter from fliers

Friday, Nov. 4, 2005 | 9:22 a.m.

Linda Bushyager, in her Oct. 25 letter to the editor, wrote: "I am totally for freedom of speech, but I am against litter." We all know that litter from the people handing out escort and stripper services' fliers on the Strip has been a problem for years.

Many people who encounter them for the first time will take the pamphlet, flier, whatever, glance at it, and drop it as they go, so it piles up on the sidewalk and in the gutter.

Freedom of speech says the businesses can do that. A good-looking, trash-free sidewalk says they shouldn't.

I have a solution that is both constitutional and will bring some money to both Clark County and people who can use it: Hire retired people to pick up the litter.

I, like most people, am on a fixed income (that is, mostly fixed to go down each year). I believe there are many who would pick up litter for a few hours a day, one or two days a week. Problem solved.

To pay them, have one person collect all that the others pick up and sort it out by advertiser. Since littering, per se, is a crime, charge each advertiser 50 cents for each piece a worker hands in -- the county gets half and then pays the collector-worker the other half.

The advertisers have a right to advertise; we have a right to a cleaner city. Would I work four hours a couple of days a week for 25 cents per flier picked up? You bet I would! And surely someone in the county treasurer's office could handle the tallying up and check writing.

George Appleton

Las Vegas