Why Do Democrats Believe That Basic Laws Don’t Apply to Them?

In 1776 Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith published An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.  For the first time someone laid out, in writing, the basic economic laws which have been in effect since there were enough people to trade among one another.  Despite the indisputable fact that only God can violate the basic laws of our market, liberals continue to believe that government must be a god.

An excellent example is the administration of Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and his Democrat allies in the legislature.  As Marc Kilmer points out in a piece published in the Baltimore Examiner, increasing taxes has the simple effect curtailing demand.  Yet, liberals continue to claim that demand is unaffected by increased cost due to taxation.

Why would Democrats continue to believe that something so basic simply doesn’t apply to them?  Again, Kilmer points to the answer.  Government needs to control spending.  There lies the root of the problem.

To acknowledge that spending needs to be controlled violates a basic tenet of liberalism.  To admit that Democrats can’t simply spend to their hearts content would end the reason for their existence.  Consequently, Democrats must continue to grow spending.  It doesn’t matter that such a policy is simply unsustainable.  Raise taxes and claim that the problem is solved.

When the truth comes out – as it predictably will – simply blame Bob Ehrlich and raise taxes again.

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Bailout – Leadership Absent, Hypocrisy Abounds

Where was the leadership during yesterday’s bailout debacle in the Congress?  It surely wasn’t wasn’t coming from either the Democrat or GOP camps.  Unfortunately, hypocrisy – the life’s blood of Washington – seemed to be in ample supply on both sides of the aisle.  With claims that the world economy will collapse without action by the US Congress, it’s been politics as usual – except the players are getting more air time.

It’s the Democrats fault.  No, all of the blame lies with Republicans.  Let’s blame it all on President Bush.  Your head will literally spin watching the players pass the buck.

While everyone spoke prior to yesterday’s vote, if you were a Democrat you seemed to parrot the same speech:

We need to all come together because this is the nation’s problem.  It’s the world’s problem.  And of course we all know that this is due to the failed economic policies of the Republicans.

Republicans used a similar tack; simply claiming that this debacle lays at the feet of Dems.

You’ll seldom here me say this, but the truth is somewhere in the middle.  It is absolutely true that we can trace the root of SOME of these problems to the Clinton administration … even the administration of Jimmy Carter.  It is equally true that too many Republicans approved of a system bereft of reasonable regulation and allowing institutions to merge to the point that they were too big too fail.

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Class Envy? or …

… Franchot for Governor?

An editorial in this morning’s Daily Times read more like your typical Democrat whining, until you get to the end.  To base an op-ed on a report issued by the “Progressive Maryland Education Fund” is suspect at best.  To dance around the edges of “tax the rich” is to be expected from the left.  To call for more state spending while refusing to acknowledge that spending is at the core of the state’s fiscal crisis is to be expected.  To claim that:

Efforts by Comptroller Peter Franchot to more strictly enforce existing tax collections, including an examination of vendors that win state or federal contracts to make sure they do not owe additional taxes to either government, can help bridge the revenue gap and thereby free up funds to help enable more Marylanders to share in the benefits of living in the nation’s wealthiest state.

is ridiculous on its face.

Sure, I would love to see a primary fight between Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and his not so friendly Comptroller.  However, to argue that better tax enforcement is going to “bridge the revenue gap” in Maryland doesn’t even qualify as a pipe dream.

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Is the PAC-14 Fiasco Coming to An End?

Today’s meeting with two of the three “partners” in PAC-14 was fairly interesting.  While nothing was definitively settled, we did learn that the SU Provost has decreed that SU will not longer be a “partner”.

See a copy of Dr. Jones’ letter to Wicomico County

We’ll have more details later.

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The PAC-14 Fiasco Continues

This morning at 10AM, representatives of the three “partners” in Salisbury / Wicomico’s public access channel will gather in room 305 of the GOB.  All those interested in the future of public access in the area should try to attend.

Rumors are flying that representatives of Salisbury University will try to play a heavy handed game – including threats of pulling support from the station.  Given that the University’s representatives, along with Salisbury City Administrator John Pick, are at the root cause of the current turmoil we would not be surprised by almost any tactic.

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The Choice Is Really Pretty Simple

He may be cute, articulate, and charismatic but the ONE obviously isn’t the one for President.

With all that is going on in the world today, do we really want someone in the White House who ADMITS that he needs on the job training?

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WCLCB – How Many Ways Can You Pick A Pocket?

What’s next at the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board?  Caribbean cruises for all employees?  New cars for all?  Don’t think that it’s so far fetched.

In their latest scheme to deflect attention away from THEIR corrupt practices, a public agency has decided to threaten YOUR elected officials with litigation.  If that isn’t bad enough, YOU are paying for it.

Claiming that that remarks by Wicomico County Council members Stevie Prettyman and Joe Holloway are,

“Dragging the liquor board members and their reputations through the mud does not advance the public’s understanding of any of the issues involved, but only damages the board members in their personal lives and reputations in a most unfair and inappropriate manner,” Laws stated.

For a very brief moment, let’s assume that what WCLCB attorney Victor H. Laws, III says is true.  Isn’t that a problem for the three board members?  Why should Laws be involved?  This is equivalent to Barrie Tilghman and Allan Webster suing Joe Albero and using Salisbury tax dollars to pay their respective lawyers.

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The PAC-14 Debate Continues

The debate over PAC-14 continues.  The only question that remains is whether or not the Wicomico County government will kowtow to the wishes of Salisbury University and continue to hand over tax dollars without any oversight.

Saturday, the Daily Times published an article describing the current state of PAC-14 fiasco.  From Greg Latshaw’s piece we can surmise that the Barrie Tilghman administration is in lock-step with SU in their desire to hand over hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to a self-perpetuating board that has no responsibility to the taxpayers and will receive no oversight.  Despite the fact that both the city and county attorneys agree that the current board (one whose majority is appointed by the Salisbury and Wicomico governments) is the true governing body of PAC-14, Salisbury City Administrator John Pick claims:

However, City Administrator John Pick said the board of directors “basically doesn’t exist,” because it was appointed as an interim board.

“Rather than having a board, which is a step down or two from the real authority of the city, county and Salisbury University, we should get together without them,” Pick said.

As a key member of the Tilghman administration, Pick has never been particularly concerned with the truth; only with doing the bidding of his master.  Note that Pick claims that the board “basically doesn’t exist” despite the fact that both the Salisbury and Wicomico County governments have adopted the by-laws, thereby making the current articles and by-laws the governing documents of PAC-14.  Pick also states that “we should get together without them (the board)”.  That’s pretty funny John.  You HAVE been getting together without them for over a year.  Of course, truth is merely a convenience with the Tilghman administration.

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WCLCB – If You Tell a Lie Often Enough

Is there wasteful spending at the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board?  Absolutely.  Does the WCLCB engage in spending that may be criminal?  Yes.  However, if you read this morning’s op-ed in the Daily Times you would believe that the dispensary is pure as the driven snow.

Dispensary manager Justin Collis again attempts to pull a “bait and switch” on the taxpayers.  He lists a litany of expenditures that no one has attacked and then tries to portray council members Stevie Prettyman, Gail Bartkovich and Joe Holloway as somehow out of touch.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The expenses for employees during the holiday season last year were $1,340, not the “thousands” some would have you believe.

That would be lovely, except that the “thousands” of dollars Prettyman, Holloway and Bartkovich have noted are not for Christmas food baskets.  Collis isn’t honest, or foolish, enough to attempt justification of thousands spent on taking dispensary employees to Dover so that they can drive race cars around the track.

Collis doesn’t mention taxpayer funds handed out to local non-profits and social clubs.  Why?  Because they can’t justify them.  Our county council rightly chose to strip funds out of the county budget that would have allowed County Executive Rick Pollitt the authority to hand out tax dollars to non-profits of his choosing.  What the dispensary board does is far worse.  These people are not elected and have no oversight.

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The Choice Is Really Pretty Simple

He may be cute, articulate, and charismatic but the ONE obviously isn’t the one for President.

With all that is going on in the world today, do we really want someone in the White House who ADMITS that he needs on the job training?

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