|
Close to Nowhere
By Linda Jones Politicians and litter We’ve all heard that politics make strange bedfellows. During
these recent campaigns, and reading one of the letters to the editor in
this week’s newspaper, I’ve had a brilliant idea that would really make
for “strange.” How about if politicians decided that how much litter there is in their districts mattered? Maybe,
instead of ranting and raving about how bad the “other” fellow is --
maybe, just maybe, they could go walk up and down any highway or byway
in their districts and pick up some of the litter. On
a side note here, I decided several years ago, that if a politician ran
a negative, ugly campaign, I was going to tune him out and not vote for
him. I don’t want to hear how bad the other guy is -- I want to hear
what you’ve done and what you’re going to do -- and litter in our
beautiful state is a big enough problem for all our politicians to
worry about. But, and isn’t there always a but -- litter is not just a problem for the politicians. Litter
is my problem and your problem. I love it when county
officials/politicians have prisoners out picking up litter on Highways
7 and 310. I drive those highways going and
coming constantly and the sight of those guys with the white vans
idling alongside always makes me happy. My drive
to and from work and everywhere else is beautiful. Summer and winter
the evergreens are gorgeous and in the fall when the other trees turn
glorious shades of red (are they going to do that this year?) it’s
stunning. Of course, in the spring, with the dogwoods blooming alongside the evergreens, it’s equally stunning. And
then, you look at the roadway -- cans, paper, trash, soda bottles, you
name it, line our highways and mar the beauty of our area. What will it take to make “us” stop littering? I
have to confess, the inside of my car often resembles a trash bin. The
floor is littered with soda bottles and assorted wrappers, etc. We do
not throw our trash out on the highway! Eventually, I need gas and
there is always a convenient trash can right beside the gas pump. By
the time my gas tank is full, the garbage inside my car has been picked
up and put in its proper place -- a real trash can, not the roadside. As a “mug wump” (that’ll be explained next week I hope) I am still undecided on who to vote for this election. So, politicians, tell me something good! And pick up your campaign litter!
|
