Vicksburg is a cleaner town than it has been in years past.

Some of the credit goes to City Hall, which has placed more emphasis on appearance and has had more money to spend on litter crews than previous administrations. And from very few flower beds and ornamental plantings just 10 years ago, Vicksburg has created and maintains dozens of attractively landscaped areas today.

Some of the credit goes to organizations, public and private, such as the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Keep Vicksburg-Warren Beautiful. There have been coordinated efforts this spring to involve scores of citizens to take a day off from their jobs and work on painting up, fixing up.

Some people think aesthetics don’t matter in a community. They’re wrong. Planting a tree doesn’t make crime go away. A bed of roses doesn’t stop fractiousness or corruption. Keeping a fence in good repair doesn’t keep accidents from happening.

But, together, they do set a benchmark. They say we care about the town where we live.

We should all be proud of the many homeowners and businesses who invest time and money in the outward appearance of their property. More should join them.

A person who throws a bag of trash out of a car window or who does not keep a lawn or business premises clean is saying, “I don’t care.” There’s always room for more who do care.