Sand gets in our teeth

Sand is everywhere. It's blowing around in the streets and the sidewalks. It's on the driveways, on the steps, the kitchen floor. It's public sand.

The Department of Public Works spreads it on the streets all winter and keeps a big pile handy for anybody who wants some for their sidewalks or driveways or just to carry around in their cars or trucks. All you need is a bucket to haul some home for yourself.

Pretty soon, now that winter's over, they'll come around with a big machine to sweep it up again.

Where other people have "infrastructure," we have public works. Public works is something people do together—build it, take care of it, share it, and keep it. Infrastructure is something you lease to Taiwan.

Public works is better. Not just the sand, but all of it belongs to us.