Bagged in Mt. Pleasant: This trick is no treat

More than likely, Mt. Pleasant has opened up a bag of worms with its first-time official trick-or-treat bag policy for borough children. It's the proverbial government solution in search of a problem.

In response to the borough purportedly getting bombarded by “outsiders” during its scheduled trick-or-treat hours, Mt. Pleasant this year is providing its own Halloween bags; these can be picked up at the police department or fire station. But not to worry: Residents won't have to show their “papers” — proof of residency — to pick up bags for their children.

And local police won't be doing any random bag checks during trick-or-treat, scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 29. So ultimately, the question of whether to treat or not is left up to residents if munchkins show up on their doorsteps without the official borough bags.

Any conceivable gain from this bag policy is bound to be offset by negative PR. Are residents supposed to be so selective as to decide which kids deserve treats — and which kids don't — based on their trick-or-treat bags on an occasion that's intended for all children?

Residents, themselves, are fully capable of deciding whether to give out candy for trick-or-treaters and how much they'll provide. Ham-handedly specifying which kids are entitled to trick-or-treat in Mt. Pleasant inevitably is going to leave a sour taste in more than a few mouths.