Mike Burkett's Jan. 11 article on the "out of control" drug problem in Payson should be read by everyone who lives in, and loves, Rim country - - and should serve as a wake-up call for the community at large, especially the town's leadership - both political and religious.

First, we shouldn't be surprised at the regrettable development - not when all the ingredients for it have been in the making for years. I've lived in Payson three years (my wife and I having moved here from the mean streets of Phoenix), and I have observed several underlying trends that have contributed to the steady proliferation of a criminal, drug-based underclass in a town whose small population is no longer a bulwark against the typical fears that haunt the average, security-challenged city-dweller.

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