Annapolis Capital Punishment

(the following letter by CP was published recently in The Capital:

The front page story and color photo (July 14) about the gentleman-plumber who built his own baseball diamond in Millersville cries “Foul”. He may be a hardworking and decent fellow, but this speaks volumes about the widening schism between the haves and have-nots in our society.
The man built this field because “it was tough to find a top-notch county owned field” and “space was tight and a storm could easily flood fields, making scheduling even more difficult.” While parents such as myself volunteer to coach sports and prepare our crowded, heavily used and worn, public athletic fields for our unwashed masses of children, his have their own ball field!!! Ironically, the paper’s banner headline that day read, “Budget cuts means fewer professors, bigger classes.” Perhaps he’ll build his own school next.
Our country has so much wealth amidst so much poverty, yet few places have such blatant displays of this growing inequality as do Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. Whatever is lacking or under-funded in our public schools, parks, transportation, libraries, police and fire departments, or health care system, the rich always get more and more and more for themselves. They get bigger homes, bigger cars, bigger bellies, bigger lawns and bigger use and waste of energy, water and land--not to mention bigger tax cuts than do we. This is not acceptable. All the while, we see more and more undereducated, undernourished, under-loved and underachieving fellow citizens.
I am reminded of Dr. Seuss’s Lorax, who was always figgerin on biggerin and biggerin. We need more and better bleachers in our society for the many and not more sky boxes for the few. Build it and we will come.

Paul Foer
Annapolis