Vandals should get lesson in hard work

Frontiersman editorial staff

The fairgrounds in Palmer are normally a place of happy gatherings, community and good memories. Recently, the grounds were a place for another kind of gathering. Vandals paid a visit to one of the Valley's jewels, and they left an expensive mess behind.

During the off season, many Valley residents pay a fee to park RVs and boats in one of the buildings at the fairgrounds. The vandals entered that building and did extensive damage to private property. They also damaged state fair property, including buildings, and left behind what may be $60,000 worth of damage.

The dollar amount is painful, of course, but it is not the only damage done by this kind of senseless vandalism. The people whose property was damaged have lost a sense of security and trust, at least for the time being, and those of us who enjoy the state fair and other events at the fairgrounds have been cheated, as well.

While no crime can be encouraged, at least some of them can be understood. A person who steals to provide for loved ones is still guilty of a crime, but at least we can comprehend the motives.

This sort of crime, though, has no discernible point. It causes hurt to others for apparently no reason. The criminals here stood to gain nothing, but the victims lost much.

The victims most directly affected were obviously the owners of the RVs, but we all were victims of these thugs who apparently committed their crime for little reason other than boredom.

The damage was extensive, and it must have taken some time. This was not a rock thrown through a single window or a can of spray paint emptied on a wall. This was a major project that involved trespassing and the large-scale destruction of property. We can only imagine that people who commit this sort of crime have not worked hard for something they wanted. How else could they have so little value for the property of others -- and for property shared by the community?

When the vandals are caught, we hope their punishment is severe. We also hope that there is something of a lesson in it. They should be made to work hard to make up for what they did.

How many hours of work at minimum wage adds up to $60,000? Perhaps it would be enough time for them to understand the true ramifications of their pointless actions.