CRIME: How to keep bad guys out

The K27 tragedy asks why are cities like Post Falls or Coeur d’Alene encouraging criminals to move here? Are we really serious about having a safer city? Here are three ways that have worked in other places:

1. Barricade out the criminals: You want a safer city, don’t you? So did Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. Every non arterial residential street that bordered Torrance was blocked off. Permanently. This GPS nightmare helped make PVE one of the safest cities over 10,000 in the U.S. Millionaires only. PVE also has an art jury that tells you what color your house can be or look like.

2. Quit building rental property (aka starter homes and apartments): Reagan’s supply side economics still rings true. Flood the market and lower rents … hello, criminal renters. Why do you think Ron lived in Santa Barbara and Bel Air, and not Compton or Moreno (aka moron) Valley? Quality not quantity.

3. Triple tax rental property: South Carolina did this. Somehow having to earmark three to four months rent for taxes took all the fun out of being a slumlord millionaire. Why is it we can tell which house is a rental house by how the yard looks? Pride of ownership still matters. But seeing how offended you are by these suggestions proves how uncommitted you are to mitigating crime in any Idaho city.

Either learn from mistakes or repeat them.

MIKE RENO

Post Falls

BUD: Loss of a true warrior