To the editor:

Winter snows have come again, and we are still stuck with Lawrence’s onerous (for some) snow-shoveling ordinance. But the passage of a year does not make a bad law good.

Lawrence seems to be getting a reputation throughout the TV broadcasting area, and not a good one, from what I’m hearing.

Should citizens be compelled to labor by and for government, for whatever causes it deems good? That is the crux of the issue; friends of freedom will, I believe, say no.

Some may believe this is a trivial matter, that it does not warrant concern. Then should laws concern themselves with trivia? But I think the matter is not so trivial, though its supposed benefits probably are. It is for many an added burden, concern and annoyance, and it sets a bad precedent.

Also, in some cases, shoveling is likely to produce sidewalks that are more slick and dangerous to walk on, not less so. The law takes away from individuals the freedom of judgment as to local conditions. Its repeal should be an issue in the upcoming election.