It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. Upton Sinclair

Our neighborhood parking lot has 8 garages, two driveways, an alley, five tenements and an absentee slumlord. What could go wrong?

There's always someone trying to use the parking lot for nefarious purposes; fast cash through drug dealing, drug taking, auto repair, or motorcycle repair and sales. At the moment it's motorcycle business but before that it was drug dealing and before that title was illegally selling damaged cars. We push out one problem and a new one takes over.

At the moment the drug dealer and the motorcycle guy are competing. Whenever one leaves the parking lot the other steps in to dominate. So perhaps it's a perfect balance. Do we want to live with drugs or noise?

I wish we had a good landlord who kept the place lit and managed like the complex next door. Wishful dreaming. The thieves, liars and cheats always seem to be getting the upper hand back here. With an absentee slumlord I am naive to think otherwise.

I feel righteous! Can't we have what is right? Not without the cooperation of the slumlord. There are 18 families here. There are zoning laws. There are children who deserve a safe place to play. Is it really true that nothing can be done? Doesn't the landlord realize that his property is more valuable when it is well-managed? 

The stingy greedy lazy way is fraught with immense hazards. Doesn't he care? Apparently not.

 It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it. -Upton Sinclair