SBReview: From Shall To Should

This is from a post found over at the Santa Barbara Review.

Yes, we are going to have quite a time of it here on the American Riviera, trying to stay pretty for the tourists.

The new city council for the City of Goleta is now feeling confident enough to start the process of amending the General Plan to make it easier for residents to do what they want with their property.

No big changes are in store right now, the voters simply expressed a desire to have a friendlier more cooperative set of councilmembers. In that vein, some small words will be changed in the Plan, minutiae really.

One word that has particularly vexed citizens and politicians alike is the word “shall.” This irritating collection of five letters quite simply forces people to do things they just damn well don’t want to do, like conform to certain drainage requirements on their property, obtain permits for things like radio towers and dog kennels, and stage cockfights on Sunday.

To get along better with the voters, the council will consider just changing that one little word, “shall” to “should.”

There now. That’s friendlier!

Shall means must. That’s a requirement.
Should is a nicer, more gentle word that means maybe you should do something. It’s like saying, oh please clean up that rotting pile of garbage in your front yard but next week is fine, thank you kindly.

This new word will probably dot the new and improved general plan, dot as in Polka Dot Pink ain’t that so pretty.