A South Texas Shame:  Corpus Christi is a beautiful city by the sea; but it's a shame that our beautiful city has a serious litter problem.  If you don't believe it, just look at the roadsides as you drive on SPID and other roads and streets.  Fortunately, it's an easy problem to solve.  The equation is very simple: just litter less and pick up more. 

Here are some suggestions:

Please don't deliberately litter.  Our streets, beaches, parks, and public places are not a trash can.  We are on this beautiful Earth to guard it and keep it, not trash and ruin it.  It's a very easy and simple thing just to dispose of trash properly. 

Please take precautions to prevent accidental spillage of trash.  Don't put loose trash where it can be spilled all over the place.  Garbage put out for collection should be put in closed bags in closed trash cans to prevent spillage by the wind, by wandering scavenging animals, or during collection.  Try not to use round trash cans that can easily blow over and roll all over the street; and don't leave trash cans out on the sidewalk or in the gutter all week long detracting from the looks of the neighborhood.  Don't put loose foam packing peanuts in the trash -- bag or box them securely so that they won't be scattered all over the neighborhood.

Keep your area clean.  One would expect that only the nastiest of litterbugs would litter a clean area.

Please help pick it up.  Just grab a trash bag and pick up some of this litter -- you'll feel better, burn a few calories, and help beautify the city.  We have some volunteer litter pick up in our neighborhood and it really makes a difference.  If you walk for exercise, just carry a plastic grocery bag or two with you and help pick up some of this litter -- you'll burn more calories and help the environment.  I see a lot of people who walk by litter and never pick anything up.  It is your right not to volunteer; but we could really use your help.

This is not someone else's problem.  These are your streets, your parks, your beaches, your city, and your Earth.  What these litterbugs are doing to our city is wicked; and "all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing".

Help keep our city beautiful.  Being surrounded by beauty is good for the soul.

Encourage the city and state governments to pick up more of this litter.  I was pleased to see the mayor address this problem; but the problem is still with us, and more needs to be done.

Realize that this litter will end up in our storm drains contributing to clogging and flooding when the rains come, and then as trash polluting our bays and waterways. 

Remember that littering is a crime and subject to a fine of $500 or more.

Yes, littering is a crime; and people who litter are criminals.  People who teach children to litter by their bad example are teaching children to be criminals, so don't do it.

If you have a video camera, you could tape some of these litterbugs in the littering act  and turn them in to the police.  If we can prosecute some of these criminals to the fullest extent of the law, perhaps it will have an impact.

If you smoke, don't throw your cigarette butts everywhere.  Our streets, beaches, parks, sidewalks, and yards are not your ash tray.  And, please try to quit the smoking habit.  If you can quit, you will have a longer, healthier life; and we will have cleaner streets.

If you drink, don't throw your cans and bottles everywhere.  Our streets, beaches, parks, and public places are not your trash can.  And, don't stuff cigarette butts or other trash in those cans and bottles to make them harder to recycle.  Don't throw bottle caps or can tabs out on the street.  Leave the tabs on cans, and recycle. 

When you're done with your fast food, don't throw the messy trash right out in the middle of the street.

Don't tear your litter into many little pieces before you throw it out the window to make it harder to pick up.

Please don't drive around with loose trash in the back of your truck that can blow out all over the road.

Obey the leash laws and don't let your dogs run free to turn over trash cans, tear into trash bags, and do their business on other people's lawns (and don't let them do this last one if they are on a leash).

Don' be a nasty little litterbug, filthier than a cockroach, crawling around our city leaving a mess in your tracks.

Let's be a clean city not just in terms of our air quality.  With just a little bit of effort we can minimize this litter problem and win back our sparkling city by the sea. 

Improvement is possible.   The litter after the 2001 4th of July celebrations was improved as compared to 2000.
 

Please don't litter your own yard or neighborhood.  Even an animal will not soil it's own nest.  And, keep your yard, sidewalk, street and surrounding area free of litter regardless of where it came from.

Pick the litter up off your lawn before you mow it.  Don't just mow over the litter cutting it up into many little pieces making it harder to pick up. 

Please maintain your house and yard as well as you can.  Please don't move into a nice home with a nice yard and just let it go to pot.  And, if you move into a bit of a fixer upper, please do fix it up.

Don't leave grass and weeds growing in the cracks and gaps in the sidewalk and pavement around your yard -- this looks really shabby.  Zap it with a trimmer or a little Roundup.

Please don't leave your mailbox door hanging open -- this looks really tacky.

Don't leave things around in the yard that will hold standing water and breed mosquitoes after a rain.  Check out this good article on mosquitoes. 

Don't let big fire ant mounds grow in your yard -- dust them with a little Ortho Orthene Fire Ant Killer and they will die.

Don't park your vehicles on the street all the time unless you have too.  The street looks better when it's not cluttered with vehicles.  The street is not a parking lot.  And, please don't park on the front lawn.  If you must park in your front yard, don't turn it into a rutted mud pit, pave it. 
From the Caller Times letters:

 Front yard blight
   What is wrong with some of the people in Corpus Christi? We moved into what we thought was a nice neighborhood. We have since found there is a family that parks in their front yard! We find there is no ordinance against it unless they block the sidewalk. 
   Corpus Christi isn't even as progressive as the bedroom community of Garland, near Dallas. Even they have an ordinance against parking in the front yard, and they enforce it! If people don't have enough respect for themselves or their property not to park in the front yard, how do they expect their neighbors to have any respect for them? 
   Parking in the front yard is the first step down for a neighborhood. Can't we get an ordinance passed on this? I'll bet if this happened in one of the council member's neighborhoods, it would get passed so fast it would make your head spin. 
   Cheryl Anderson 
 
 

 Someone else's litter
   Shame on all of us for being so nonchalant about litter in Corpus Christi! Recent letters urging citizens to do their part by picking up litter as they see it, and to always ensure that trash is disposed of properly, are right on target. 
   A good citizen understands that each person has a responsibility to contribute to the betterment of the community, and assumes that responsibility. 
   Contrast him to the person who assumes that someone else (a.k.a., the city) will always be there to pick up after him. 
   Good citizenship extends to local businesses, as well. Much of the litter we see from Ocean Drive to South Padre Island Drive and all points in between is courtesy of retailers who overfill their dumpsters and leave them open for the contents to blow in the Corpus Christi breeze. 
   A trip to Parkdale Plaza will provide a fine example. The parking lot is a minefield of litter, and windblown trash lines the fence at property's edge. 
   "It's not our trash" is no excuse. If the wind blows someone else's trash into my front yard, am I to leave it there until the owner reclaims it? 
   Individuals and businesses can make a difference. 
   If we don't take the responsibility, then shame on us! 
   Scott Elliff 

 Pick up the stuff
   My husband and I are new residents of Corpus Christi and also have traveled extensively. We have always been aware of the litter problem, or lack of, in the areas we have lived. So when we moved off of Laguna Shores Road, we decided to do something about it. We picked it up. 
   We benefited in many ways. We met nice people who stopped and expressed their appreciation; we felt we had done something for our community and we made our area more beautiful. We intend to keep this activity up. 
   The wind does play a big part in the problem of litter in Corpus Christi, and there are groups taking responsibility for our beaches, but anyone can take responsibility. Just one day, every few months would help, plus the benefits: exercise, self- gratification and creating beauty. 
   Shirley Collier 

 Get tough on litterers
   The City of Corpus Christi has laws against littering. 
   Let's enforce these laws instead of picking up everyone's litter. Not only would this be preventive maintenance, but the fines charged would be a source of income to help the budget. 
   Announce and publicize that beginning Labor Day 2000, Corpus Christi will begin enforcing the laws. Then put "Litter Police" on the streets, beaches and parks issuing tickets to anyone leaving or scattering trash. A few heavy fines and the word will get around. 
   The city of Nashville, Tenn., has the reputation of being one of the cleanest cities in the country, and I understand the litter laws are strictly enforced. A person can be fined up to $2,000 for throwing out a cigarette butt. 
   People would have a choice: "Pick up or pay up." 
   Sam W. Main 

 Appalled at trash
   We were appalled and saddened as we read that it had taken 35 city employees most of the day to gather 35 truckloads of trash from Cole Park after the Fourth of July festivities. 
   What type of people would just drop pop bottles and paper and plastic and baby diapers onto the ground as they finish with them? What type person would want his children to learn such manners? Not only is it unsightly and unsanitary, but it is costing each citizen quite a bit of money from an already overburdened city budget. 
   Would trash cans and signs asking your help be of any assistance? 
   How about if the city pays security personnel to police the events taking place, spotting each time a person drops trash, requiring that it be picked up and put in a can or back into the cooler? Would that prevent all of us having to pay so much for clean-up afterward? 
   The waterfront is our front yard, people. Don't litter. 
   If each person or parent assumes responsibility for his own and his children's litter, what a difference it could make! 
   Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Camp 

 Beach pollution deadly
   Have you ever gone to the beach? Well, if you have, you have probably seen the litter, trash, and waste of all kinds. We should keep our beaches clean because they are home to many animals and the plankton in the ocean provides most of the air we breathe. 
   People enjoy going to our beaches and having parties and picnics, but they do not like to clean up their messes. If they don't start making an effort to clean up their messes, in a few decades there will be really no beach to go to.
   Also, the beach is home to many animals, and we pollute their homes by dumping plastic bags, glass, aluminum cans, gas, oil, and plastic six-pack rings. They get into the animals' stomachs and get caught on birds' and turtles' necks. If we keep polluting, the animals will eventually die off. 
   Most people think the air we breathe is from the rain forest, but really most of it comes from the ocean through tiny plants called algae, and the process of photosynthesis. 
   Now you know what could happen if we don't stop polluting. I hope I stressed this enough, and that you will tell others. Remember, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. 
   Joshua Stuever 
   (12 years old) 

 Pick up the trash
   I am not a radical environmentalist, but I do enjoy nature and all it has to offer. This town has great access to waterways and all the sports and recreation that go along with it. We should all make a conscious effort to take out what we bring in to these areas. 
   The amount of litter on the shorelines in Corpus Christi makes New York City look like a golf course. Pitch in and pick up, even if you didn't make the mess. It will make our area a nicer place to live and visit. 
   Rob Clemens 

 Deposit law needed 
   Your front-page feature "Littered City by the Sea" (Aug. 20) points up a situation that has been obvious for quite awhile. Of course, Corpus Christi is not the only city having this problem, but I have noted that several northern states, notably Michigan, are virtually litter-free. 
   We noticed how clean everything looked there during a trip several years ago, and upon inquiring why were informed that there is a state law requiring a 10-cent deposit on all drink containers, whether they are plastic, metal or glass. This makes people think twice before they throw away a dime, and if they do toss the container, someone will quickly pick it up in order to collect the deposit money. As a boy, I resold discarded bottles regularly, which usually paid for my Saturday movie, soft drink and popcorn. I imagine lots of kids would like to do the same thing today. No doubt a deposit law would be a paperwork burden for store owners, but I feel the benefits would offset any downside. 
   Robert E. Albin Sr. 
   (Fulton) 

 Trashy beaches
   It bothers me that our beaches in Corpus Christi are in such bad shape. This is one of the places in Texas that tourists come to relax on the beaches and swim in the oceans. It is very hard to do this when there is trash everywhere you look. 
   I just moved here and I used to come here to vacation and I remember being very surprised at how the beaches looked. 
   Many people end up going to the island if they want to have a nice time on the beach, and when people do this, it brings in less money for Corpus Christi. The hotels suffer as well because many of them are located on the beach. 
   Quite frankly, the beaches are just too dirty for people to have a great time. There has to be something we can do about this. 
   Tiffany Parker 

 Pick it up
   Last week, when I was taking my daily jog down the beach, I noticed an unreal amount of garbage around me. Many times I had to dodge large patches of trash that consumed many yards of the beach. This is the worst condition that I have ever seen our beaches in. 
   I later wondered how all of this garbage showed up on the beach, only to realize that it most likely was from local citizens. Tourist season isn't going very strong right now, so it probably wasn't their fault. The trash wasn't washed up from the Gulf. It has to be the locals trashing their own beach. 
   Trashing our beaches is pointless. We are the ones who have to look at it every day, and we are the ones who have to pick it up. No one and nothing benefits from the trash on our beaches. So why does it continue to happen? 
   Trash cans are placed every hundred yards or so on the beaches. People need to make sure that their trash reaches these cans instead of the beach. There is no point of spending our taxes for these cans if they aren't going to be used. 
   If everyone does their fair share, the result could be remarkable. I hope everyone who reads this realizes how easily we can stop the trashing of our beaches and beautify our city. It just takes a lot of care and a little effort. 
   Justin Griffin 
   (Port Aransas) 

 Recycle plastic bags
   We are so fortunate to live in this beautiful city and enjoy our lovely beaches and bays. One way all of us can show our pride in Corpus Christi is to help reduce the number of plastic bags that are caught by the wind and deposited in trees, fences and empty lots. 
   I encourage each citizen to take time to recycle plastic bags and ensure that they are not littering our community. I also challenge every resident and visitor to clean up litter around your home or place of business. If everyone picked up one piece of trash every day, imagine how clean our city would be! 
   Daiquiri Richard 
   (Executive Director 
   Beautify Corpus Christi Association) 

 Trash hog 
   To the individual I observed while driving down Doddridge Street cleaning out his vehicle by throwing out soft drink bottles, cans, pieces of cellophane, potato chip bags, and other assorted garbage paraphernalia: You are the reason so many tourists question our city's slogan and so many residents are throwing up their hands in despair. 
   How are we ever to create a more desirable living climate in this city if our citizens don't take more pride in themselves and their community than to dump their trash in the most convenient public location? 
   Judi Bachor

 A jewel sullied
   I just returned from a visit to one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Padre Island is a national treasure, and should be treated as such. 
   So why is it that the beach is covered in trash, waste, and other articles of junk? Shouldn't Padre Island be treated like the other national parks? Why is this being ignored? The president is a Texan! Who can we call, write, or e-mail to get something done? I have some ideas, but I live in Oklahoma. I'm from Texas and want to move and retire in Corpus Christi or Padre Island. 
   Please let's do something, anything. Hopefully this issue doesn't fall on deaf ears. 
   Brad Heath 
   (Sand Springs, Okla.) 

 Trashing island 
   In traveling around the country, people recommended that I stop at South Padre Island, where it was possible to park overnight on the beach. 
   As great as it was to park near the water, it made me sad to see so much litter around such a beautiful area. The afternoon I arrived, I planned to pick up two plastic shopping bags full of trash, but found two more bags of litter before I left, and found another bag while picking up trash. I ended up with three bags and a couple of large items. 
   When something is so important it has to be brought with you, why can't the packaging or container be taken out when the item is consumed? Pack it in, pack it out. 
   It was even more irritating to see all the litter out at the north end of the island. South Padre Island, as well as so many more spots in nature, is too pretty to be ruined with our garbage. 
   Sue Hollins 
   (Los Gatos, Calif.) 

 City clean-up needed
   The streets and vacant lots west of the Coliseum area continue to be filled with trash during special events. On my daily walk I pick up trash from seven short blocks and five empty lots (two of them, temporary parking). 
   From May 2 through May 6 I averaged the following each day: five full trash bags (seven bags on May 6); about 30 cans; about seven dirty diapers; and about 10 beer or liquor glass bottles. 
   I propose the city make a clean city every day a top priority as follows: 
   Establish a continuing task force to set rules, budget and inspection (on a statistical basis) for weekly control. 
   Enforce the anti-littering laws and, if they are inadequate, set up enforceable rules. It appears our book laws are never enforced. Although drastic, the Singapore system is worth study and at least partial emulation. 
   Change the supervision of all activities, including leased parking on empty lots, with prevention of littering and cleanup if needed. 
   Continue current improved special cleanup as done for the Buccaneer Days parade. 
   John W. Waldron 

 City still a dump
   Last year, our City Council enacted an ordinance to control the handling of large limbs and other trash that had been piling up around the city. This ordinance was to go into effect on Jan. 1. 
   Unfortunately, this ordinance hasn't made an impact on those who don't care how much trash is piled up along our streets. 
   Within days after the city has picked up the large limbs and other trash, these people again line our streets with limbs, furniture, mattresses, large appliances and other trash. 
   I contacted a city employee to find out why the trashing of our streets continues. I was told that the city employees who would normally issue citations are still waiting to receive the necessary paperwork from city attorney. 
   I have two suggestions: One is to enforce the ordinance. If this cannot or will not be done, then I suggest that the ordinance be repealed and let those who are violating it anyway continue to make Corpus Christi into a huge trash dump. 
   I sincerely hope that we will be able to see a marked reduction in the amount of trash and the length of time that it remains along our streets. 
   Claude C. St. Clair 

 Webmaster's note:  Citizens: please learn and obey the law; and city: please enforce the law. 

 Slobs trash beach
   I took my family to see the C-Sculptures Saturday and was angered by the amount of trash scattered along the beach, primarily beer cans. 
   What bothered me the most were the beer bottles. Who are these people? Don't they know it's illegal? I heard one pop as a truck drove over the trash. I saw children running barefoot nearby. Do we need to make it illegal to sell bottled beer in the Corpus area? Maybe we should. Please don't trash our beach. 
   Jay Crook

  No art in trash
   It was with interest that I read the article by Guy Lawrence (June 10) regarding the C-Sculptures and was very encouraged that 130,000 people attended the event. However, I was very dismayed that there was no mention of the absolute trashing of the beach that occurred that weekend. 
   My wife and I are strong supporters of tourism and are looking forward to the possibility of Packery Channel becoming a reality. 
   However, if we can't figure out a way to handle the trash generated by large crowds, how are we ever going to handle the increased tourism traffic that we hope to attract with Packery? 
   The one-way traffic on the beach was a good start, but how about posting parks/recreation personnel at the entrances and giving each vehicle entering the park a couple of trash bags, then posting personnel at the exits with dumpsters and requiring a "toll" of a full trash bag before a vehicle is allowed to leave. 
   I still believe that the majority of the public would take personal responsibility and pick up their own trash, but for those who don't, enforcement of the litter laws and fines would send the message that we mean business. 
   Eduardo and Gloria Riddle 

 The despoilers
   Thank you, Corpus Christi and the local taxpayers, for providing a free beach, a great place to swim, sun-bathe, build sandcastles, walk, read, relax, enjoy a picnic or a barbecue, and restrooms with a shower included, all for free! It's just too bad that most days it is disgusting to watch people trash this wonderful waterfront park. 
   As a resident of "North Beach," I hope the next step is to fence the area, put up a locked gate and charge admission like most other places do. 
   Maybe then you could control the glass bottles, baby diapers and piles of garbage that these insensitive, filthy people leave behind. 
   On the days that I am able to walk the beach with my garbage sack, I have picked up as many as 100 glass beer bottles! I cringe at the thought of a little child cutting his or her foot. 
   J.T. Yeater 
   (Kenedy) 

 Squalid beaches
   I just returned from a visit to Corpus Christi, and was shocked at the condition of the beaches and the very apparent lack of concern by anyone to do anything about them. 
   The coast of Texas was once a pristine and wonderful place. Today it seems to be a great place to catch hepatitis. Walk on the beach? Not this cowboy. I'm not going to risk gangrene from the numerous broken bottles. I have seen landfills with less garbage. There seemed at times to be more cigarette butts than seashells. The only type of refuse I didn't see while walking on the beach was a dead body, which I'm certain is only because it was likely buried by the several feet of rotting seaweed. What kind of people leave furniture and large car parts on the beach? 
   I am a 34-year true Texan, born and raised, and a United States citizen second. I really love this state, and it really breaks my heart to see the refuse of nothing less than human trash littering our beaches. I thought I would never see the day when New Jersey and New York had better beaches. 
   Garrett Perkins 
   (Lubbock) 

  Bad sight
   While on vacation July 20-28 we were saddened to see so much trash on the beaches. I myself and three children personally picked up seven full trash bags of garbage on Corpus Christi Beach, which, by the way, was much cleaner than North Padre. 
   Corpus Christi is the "Sparkling City by the Sea" because of the sun's reflection off the beer and cola cans. I love the city of Corpus Christi and wish the city would at least install many more trash cans on Corpus Christi Beach that would be much closer than the four I saw near the parking lot. 
   I also wish smokers would stop putting their smokes out in the sand and then using the sand as an ashtray. Those filters float. 
   I even saw a women change her child's diaper and leave it on the beach. Cannot more civic organizations pull weekends to help clean up? As regular vacationers to Corpus Christi, we might start looking elsewhere after this past summer. We own a condo on the beach and would hate to sell it because the beaches are filthy. 
   Pat Darsey 
   (Little Rock, Ark.) 

  No return on taxes
   On a recent trip to the beautiful city of Port Orange, Fla., my wife and I were amazed to see the difference between that city and Corpus Christi. The streets are well maintained, they have beautiful, clean parks, and the City Hall, police department, courthouse, etc., are beautifully landscaped with lakes and fountains. The city's equivalent of Shoreline Boulevard was immaculate, complete with ornate street lights, beautiful designs in the sidewalks and crosswalks, and not a piece of trash in sight. 
   Imagine our surprise when I inquired about my brother-in-law's property taxes on his $125,000 home and he replied "less than $2,000 a year!" Our home is over-appraised at $65,000, and our property tax last year was $1,600! 
   Where are the lush parks? The lakes? The immaculate downtown? Not in Corpus Christi! Every year this city tries to squeeze more money out of its residents, and what do we have to show for it? Trash everywhere! Parks that we are embarrassed to show to visitors! Horrible roads, many without sidewalks, open drainage ditches full of trash and overgrown. 
   It's time we look at where our money is going, and start electing officials that put it in the right places. 
   Craig Cavanaugh 

  The Kingsville way
   Recently you featured a letter from a Corpus Christi resident with Kingsville connections. This person made negative comments about the garbage collection system in Kingsville, which includes the use of city-owned dumpsters. I would like to offer a different view. 
   The writer mentioned that seniors cannot handle the dumpsters. I am a Kingsville senior, with little strength, but I have no problem pushing the dumpster down my very long driveway. Since I recycle all paper and dispose of vegetable waste in my compost bin, I do not add much garbage to the landfill, but even when the dumpster is full, it rolls easily. 
   It's true that some people leave the dumpsters in the street longer than they should. Even then, however, the streets are generally free from spilled garbage. With our old system, there were constant problems with dogs overturning cans and containers being damaged. 
   Corpus Christi leaders will have to decide which system is best in your city. I am glad that Kingsville officials chose the efficient , clean dumpster system. It definitely represents progress. 
   Julia Smith 
   (Kingsville) 

  Could be cleaner
   While watching the news on Channel 3 the other night, I heard the police chief's comments lauding the efforts of the Stop Trashing Corpus Christi campaign. 
   He said he believes Corpus Christi can become the cleanest city in Texas, possibly the cleanest in the nation. 
   I'd love to see that myself, but I'm more realistic. The chief has probably never been to cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota of comparable size, where one is hard pressed to find even a cigarette butt in the gutter. Even New Braunfels is light years ahead of us where cleanliness and civic pride are concerned. I have yet to see wadded-up used diapers in the parking lots there and plastic grocery bags flapping in the tree branches.
   Tom Dukes 

  No glass on beach
   The Pepsi advertisements on the Super Bowl were cute, but I am always concerned when advertisers show glass bottles on the beach. Although I have never seen it enforced, there is a law prohibiting glass containers on our beaches. 
   I would like to see Fox and the other networks tell these sponsors that those type of ads are in very poor taste, especially when they are promoting illegal and dangerous activities.
   Sure, the Pepsi in the '60s beach scene, and another favorite of mine, the Corona beer with the palm trees and the surf, present an appealing use of the products, but I get angry whenever I see these types of ads. Broken glass and bare feet don't mix. 
   Maybe our local cable companies and networks could run a warning label across these ads saying "Notice: Glass containers are illegal on Corpus Christi area beaches." I doubt that will happen, but I hope people get my point. If you're going to the beach, take cans, and recycle them when you're done. 
   Brad Brown 
   (Portland) 

  Dirty beach 
   My husband and I returned from Corpus Christi from a long Labor Day weekend. I feel compelled to write as I found your beach to be extremely neglected. It is sad to see how tourists and locals show such a disregard for one of Texas' treasures. 
   I noticed there were very few garbage cans available on the beach, which might be an excuse for those visitors to leave beer bottles, dirty diapers, cans, etc., strewn about the beach. Is there no beach patrol to help enforce the no-littering laws and no glass containers? 
   Not only is this a disgrace to our coast but also a disgrace to Texas. So much for "not messing with Texas".  We won't be back. 
   Amy Noyes 
   (San Antonio) 

 Filthy city
  Last week I walked and drove along New Smyrna Beach in Florida. I witnessed thousands of beach goers and hundreds of vehicles with miles and miles of pristine beaches without litter. 
  Contrast that with this week's walk and drive along our beach from the north end of J.P. Luby Surf Park to Bob Hall Pier. Less than a hundred beach goers and a few vehicles, with miles and miles of left-behind beer cans, beer bottles, beach chairs and toys, articles of clothing, and "used" baby diapers. Then, I thought, this is the same litter I see in Corpus Christi, along our roads, at our intersections, in our parking lots, and yes, even in the yards of some of our residents. 
  So I guess it is unrealistic to expect our beaches to be pristine and without litter when we live in the "Filthy City by the Sea." 
  Steven Sibert 

 Trashy element here
   It's too bad that it took the trashing of the Bayfront on July 4, 2000 to get the attention of the mayor and the public. Our litter problem is nothing new. The recent outpouring of letters from residents and visitors alike won't change anything. 
   We have a trashy element in Corpus Christi that was well-represented on our most recent holiday, and they aren't likely to read the editorial page. 
   Unfortunately, civic pride and neatness are virtues that cannot be forced upon people who live by the motto "Someone else can clean it up". 
   Tom Dukes 

 Webmaster's note:  Let us hope that somehow, someday, someway, the people who like to litter Corpus Christi will change their ways and become good, clean, responsible citizens.