Collateral in the Dirt Wars - The Attack of the Leaf Blowers

This morning while walking to catch my connecting bus in downtown Sacramento, I was given the all to familiar opportunity to enjoy a "dust bath" - two gentlemen armed with high-power leaf blowers were kicking up a literal dust storm on the sidewalk. Though when they saw me coming, they did throttle-down and lower their weapons, it was far too late. With the air being relatively calm, the menacing cloud of grit enveloped me as I did my best to hold my breath while accelerating my pace and attempting (hopelessly) to shield my eyes.

Later, on the bus, after my eyes stopped watering, I pondered yet again the unanswered question that has plagued me ever since I started my "bus walks" as I like to call them. The question, in its simplest form: Who's dirt is it anyway?

Here's the deal - the sidewalk is dirty, I get that part. So blow the dust out into the street. Now the street is dirty (the sidewalk on the other side, too). Here come cars and trucks and buses, (other people's leaf blowers...) Wind. Now the sidewalk is dirty again. If I ever want a career with perfect, eternal job security, I think my search is over.

All I really want to know - and I do encourage comments on this one - am I the only one who thinks this method of "sidewalk maintenance" is nuts? I know they're doing it this way (probably) because there's an ordinance against doing it with water (air vs. water, hmmm... breathe vs. drink... hmmm....)

Ah, the things life begs us to ponder...