When land developers plan housing projects, business parks, health care complexes, school campuses or recreational areas, the streets, and often buildings, are named. Who would want to move to a street with a vulgar or ugly name, like Vulgar Parkway or Pneumonia Avenue? Wouldn’t that also affect property values?

People living on Righteous Way or Freedom Highway would surely avoid lower property market appraisals resulting from a street name.

Another example of what might be nice is if Henpeck Road in New Kent County became Harmony Road.

People exposed daily to morally enhanced names for streets would be affected positively in their lives. It would actually result in citizen character building because the goodness of the virtues would rub off on the people seeing these street signs.

Streets in New Kent County that now have virtues as their names are Neighborly Lane and Peace Road, undoubtedly inducing better-than-otherwise social interaction among their residents.

Suppose a street is named Sanctity Place. Would there be less cussing and promiscuity there? Naming a street leading to a church Forgiveness Lane would fit in well with the church’s teaching. It also may serve to soften some people’s aim for hateful revenge for an ill done to them.

In recent surveys, a huge majority of Americans think morals in this country are tanking. Do we want to advance our country morally and technologically? Is there a chance that idealistic names and similar moves might help cut crime and improve compatibility of people’s behavior in the community? Might it even cause people to pull together to make us the best country for living here?

NEAL WALLACE

Quinton