The Politics Meister

A few Tuesdays ago I found myself in Baltimore’s northwestern suburbs. Around 9AM I received a phone call from my grandmother asking me to pick her up off of Greenspring Avenue in Pikesville and take her to a doctor’s appointment also off of Greenspring. It seemed like an easy request. I would need to get on to 795 then 695 and finally the Greenspring exit off of 695. It was after 9AM so rush hour had to be over.

A little before 9:30 I ran into my first problem in the middle of 795. Traffic suddenly slowed to a crawl. On the radio they were talking about problems on 83 and both sides of 695. I quickly figured out that 795 was backed up all the way to 695. Eventually I could see 695, both sides of it were totally backed up! How can people put up with situations like this every day? In the city there always is some sort of escape route in most traffic situation. I was trapped on 695 until Park Heights (where I took a masterful back route using Stevenson road and Old Court). I had a lot of time to think during this frustrating journey. I know there has to be a substantial number of people who commute like this who would give it all up to live in Baltimore if Baltimore had a better reputation and property tax structure. The self-employed lifestyle that I live in Baltimore is far more rewarding and less frustrating than sitting in endless traffic jams. The city of Baltimore needs to do a better job of marketing itself to people who hate the situation I found myself in on that Tuesday. There is no shame in trying to make Baltimore a livable place for the middle class descendants of the people who once lived here. We need their property tax revenue and they need to quit these insane traffic jammed commutes.

The final destination on my journey was a brand new medical complex located at the new quarry development off of Greenspring in Pikesville. A few years ago this area was just a huge hole in the ground, but today it is a sprawling development filed with overpriced condos, houses, doctors, and stores that cater to the over-60 crowd that is stuck in and around the development. There are also plenty of younger people who live in the vicinity and patronize the businesses there. With all the empty houses and lots in Baltimore they still find numerous people and businesses that are willing to invest in gigantic new boring developments based around a hole in the ground in the county.  We need leadership in Baltimore that will come up with creative solutions that will get some of these people back into the city. Selling out to corrupt developers that produce inferior products is not a creative solution by the way. Property Taxes and public safety are two huge issues that must be properly addressed before the city can really compete.

Below are two photos I took at the quarry. To be there in person and to have seen what was once there really shows how desperate the situation is for Baltimore City. In the county a hole in the ground becomes a sprawling city while in Baltimore parts of a once sprawling city become a hole.

Start the Revolution!