I fell but got back up

To the Editor:

On Tuesday evening, going home from work, I "fell" into a crater on Church Street behind the post office where there is supposed to be a road.

This small oversight by the City of Brazil cost me $350 for a broke ball joint, coupler, control arm and mount.

Four parts, with one literally broken off and found on the road, to say nothing of needing $79 or so worth of front end alignment now.

Working for Harper Studios by Harris Bank, I have a choice of "crater cruising" on Church Street, Franklin Street or the dips on Meridian Street. Any way you go at it, there's no way I can get to work by driving on a road. And I drive a four-wheel drive SUV. If I'm taking this kind of damage in my truck, I can only imagine the state of everyone else's passenger cars.

The so-called streets in this town are ridiculous. They have been for decades.

Every time someone runs for mayor, the same old promise of "I'll fix the streets" is made.

And it never happens.

I would appreciate it if the city were held responsible for these damages. Having just paid $700 in state and county income taxes, and based upon population, I have to wonder -- where does the money go?

I also want everyone to know that the next night, I had to have a vehicle (mine was not drivable) to get out to Northview to photograph the Wabash Valley Wrestling (kids) Club.

If not for Dale and Josh at One-Stop on United States 40, I would have been hitching or walking.

They stayed late and got the repairs done, when they didn't have to do that.

Now, about these goat paths? Oh, hang on -- my neighbor has goats. His pasture is a lot smoother.

Keith Lawson,

Brazil