Less talk, more action

I have mentioned before that we really love living where we do, here in the storied Carney section of Baltimore County, MD.  And one reason is the outstanding people around here.

One of the most outstanding is our nonpareil county councilman, Mr David Marks. It was Tip O'Neill, onetime speaker of the House of Representatives, who said, "All politics is local," and he made a great point. You can discuss issues of cosmic importance, matters that affect the state, the nation, and the world, but if your trash and recycling isn't getting picked up, if you turn on the faucet and get nothing but rusty dust, if you have a crowd of rakehells and whoresons terrorizing your neighborhood, well, the Keystone pipeline doesn't mean that much to you right then. Take care of the local business, and everything works out fine.

And that's why Councilman Marks is so outstanding. I tell you, if you set out to design the perfect local politician, the first thing you want is a man or woman who knows the district and the issues, has the intelligence to sort out what matters are most pressing and which can wait, and more than anything, someone who is THERE! Woody Allen said that 90% of genius is just showing up, and you can't name a community event where you don't see Mr Marks. And you see him participating, not just standing around handing out smiles and bumper stickers.

Case in point: one of the complaints his office receives concerns trash and litter. Yes, even in 2021, there are ignorami who toss beer cans, McBags, and used face masks on the streets and parking lots. 

In the face of this, some politicians will issue position papers in which they take a hard line AGAINST throwing lunch leftovers onto the highway. Some politicians will call for a press conference, where they announce that they are "seriously looking into" the matter. Some  - but not many - will actually DO something about the problem, which is why I am happy to point local residents to a Facebook page enlisting volunteers to meet at the snowball stand this Saturday to begin to clean up our highways and streams. Mr Marks is the prime mover behind this.

Meet here.

For those who say, "I'm just the average Joe (or Josephine), so what can I do?" here is the answer. Turn up this Saturday at Kona Ice at 0830, dressed to get something done, and help do it!