One More Reason For Limited Government … FEMA

Here is a video of a FEMA official instructing police officers that Christians and our nation’s founders were TERRORISTS!

Thomas Jefferson never fired a shot in anger during the Revolutionary War.  George Washington never ordered the assassination of anyone.  YET, these people who preached LIBERTY and LIMITED GOVERNMENT are deemed TERRORISTS by some nameless, faceless government bureaucrat.

H/T:  SbyNEWS

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McDonnell – Drill Here, Drill Now

Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell does not want the federal government to further delay the granting of leases off the Virginia coast.

"It is time to develop our offshore energy resources to create new jobs and provide necessary new revenue for schools, roads, public safety and alternative energy research and development in Virginia," McDonnell wrote to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

Gov. Tim Kaine has been less than supportive of exploration off of Virginia’s coast.  In February, he asked the Dept. of the Interior to postpone the process of awarding exploration leases.

Here is a link to the text of McDonnell’s letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

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Gansler Proposes Postponing Judicial Elections

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler wants to take away your right to elect judges.  At least that’s what the headline in today’s Annapolis Capital reads.  In reality, Gansler is proposing that judges have to be confirmed by voters within 10 years of their appointment rather than the current two years.

In theory, Gansler’s proposal has merit.  In theory …  In reality Gansler wants to make what is already political patronage even more deeply entrenched.

Judgeships are political appointments, nothing more.  That’s not to say the most judges aren’t well qualified; I’m sure they are.  However, forcing a judge to stand before the voters on occasion isn’t such a bad idea.  Although judges are rarely turned out of office, forcing them to stand before voters helps to keep judges grounded.  If you doubt this, you need only look at the federal judiciary.

Our founders designed the federal judiciary with lifetime appointment to prevent undue political influence on the judiciary.  Sadly, we have reached the point where political appointees to the federal bench and literally make law from the bench.  One need only look to the 9th US Circuit to see a living, breathing argument for a limited term of office for federal judges.

As I noted earlier, Gansler’s proposed has theoretical merit.  However, his left wing ideology shines through:

Gansler, however, argued that voters don’t have enough information after a year or two to make an educated decision. He also said voters regularly unseat minority judges, undoing the efforts of recent governors to diversify the bench.

"It becomes a contest run on popularity, often with racial undertones," Gansler said of the contested elections. "There is an obvious dearth of minorities on the bench."

In Gansler’s world, only the liberal elite posses the wisdom to appoint judges.  If a judge refuses to enforce the law or adequately sentence dangerous criminals, voters should have little to no recourse.

If anything, the current system doesn’t force judges to appear on a ballot often enough.  Rather than be elected to a 15 year term, perhaps judges should have to stand for re-election every 8 years.

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Delaware Judge Faces Sexual Abuse Charges

Court of Common Pleas Judge William C. Bradley faces two lawsuits alleging sexual abuse over 30 years ago.  Bradley remains on the bench.

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O’Malley to Face Primary Challenge

It doesn’t appear that Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will be able to skate to next November’s general election unscathed.  According to Julie Bykowicz at the Baltimore Sun’s Maryland Politics Blog, O’Malley will have a primary challenge – former House Majority Whip and Secretary of Veterans Affairs George W. Owings, III.  Both Bykowicz and the Gazette’s Alan Brody report that Owings will officially announce his candidacy on January 6th in Prince Frederick.

Will Owings present a formidable challenge to the lefty darling O’Malley?  It’s too early to tell.  However, Owings, a Calvert County Democrat, will be able to draw support from a sizable number of moderate – conservative Democrats who share Owings’ disdain for the fiscal shenanigans Marylanders have witnessed under O’Malley’s (lack of) stewardship.

Self identified “progressives” love O’Malley and seem to think that everyone opposed to his Obamanite policies is some right wing Republican.  If they bothered to talk to a few folks in groups like Americans for Prosperity or even at Tea Party rallies, they might be shocked to discover how many are registered Democrats.

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Delaware to Suspend Doctor’s License

The Delaware Board of Medical Practice will hold an emergency meeting today to vote on the emergency suspension of Dr. Earl Bradley’s license to practice medicine.  Bradley, a Lewes pediatrician, has been charged with the rape of 9 children and is suspected of molesting at least 100 children over the last decade.

Bradley is being held in the Delaware state prison in Smyrna in lieu of $2.9 cash bail.  Because Bradley is considered an “imminent danger to the public”, the Board chose to undertake an “expedited investigation” and hold today’s hearing.

"Even though someone is incarcerated, tomorrow they might not be incarcerated," said James L. Collins of the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation.

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McDonnell Proposes Change in Budget Process

Virginia’s Governor-elect Bob McDonnell has proposed a change in Virginia’s budget cycle.  McDonnell proposes to move the biennial budget to begin in odd numbered years.

Under the current system, Virginia’s biennial budget is adopted in even number years.  Because of this, a Virginia governor (who may not succeed him or herself) has the opportunity to craft only one budget during his term in office.  The second budget is introduced after the current governor’s successor is elected.

Currently, a governor proposes a budget days before leaving office, and the succeeding governor has little time to make what could be sweeping changes before presenting it to lawmakers.  McDonnell said the current arrangement means one out of every two budgets submitted requires no accountability or management from the governor who proposed it.

Read more

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Maryland Assessments Fall Almost 20%

This year’s property assessments go out in the mail today to Maryland property owners.  For those reassessed this year (Maryland automatically reassesses real estate on a revolving three year schedule), property owners will see an average decline of 19.7%.  Don’t expect a drop in your tax bill though.  Because of the way Maryland calculates its “Homestead Tax Credit”, it would take several years of declining property values to see an actual reduction in your property tax bill (if rates remain the same).

Many homeowners will not see corresponding declines in their tax bills come July 1, however, officials warned, unless local governments reduce the tax rate, which is unlikely because they need the revenue.

Many residents are paying taxes on only a fraction of their home’s assessed value because the state’s Homestead Tax Credit program caps the amount of increase that may be taxed each year. As home prices climbed rapidly early in the decade, owners were protected from sudden jumps in tax bills. While statewide the cap is set at 10 percent, most jurisdictions have lower ceilings.

In some jurisdictions, home owners can actually expect a rise in their property tax bills despite the precipitous decline in home values:

"Unless they bought a home in the last two years, they will still see an increase in property tax," said Raymond S. Wacks, Howard County’s budget director, because the county’s cap is suspended on newly purchased homes for one year. That revenue cushion may disappear in another year or two, however, if prices continue to fall, he warned. Anne Arundel officials expect a similar scenario, despite the 19.7 percent drop in home prices from Annapolis north. Overall values, of residential and commercial properties, in Arundel declined 17.9 percent.

"It will have minimal impact" on revenues, Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold said, because of his county’s 2 percent annual assessment cap.

In Wicomico County, home of Delmarva Dealings, assessments fell over 18% – slightly less than the state average.  Rather than a lower homestead tax credit, Wicomico has a 2% revenue cap.  Revenue from real property taxes may only rise 2% or the increase in the cost of living, whichever is less.  In the current fiscal year, property tax revenue was only allowed to rise 0.1%.

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Gilmore Named President of Free Congress Foundation

Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore has been named as the new President and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.  The foundation, and its predecessors have been a key part of the conservative movement. 

Reached at his Henrico County home, Gilmore said that he no longer practices law and plans to devote most of his time to the organization. He will also continue to serve on four corporate boards.

Gilmore was governor from 1998 to 2002. He was chairman of the Republican National Committee for 10 months in 2000-2001.  Gilmore ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008 and lost to Democrat Mark R. Warner, who had succeeded Gilmore as governor.

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If You Spend Enough Money You Can Reduce Crime? …

… or poverty … or just about any other social ill.

That was the mantra of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s – at least among the liberal elite.  Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) surely ranks as one of those.  That must be why he’s pushing a bill to coddle gang members rather incarcerate them.

From the Daily Press:

Scott said calls for tougher sentencing do not address the continuing cycle of gang crime. "The research is absolutely clear. … Mandatory minimums are a waste of taxpayer money," said Scott, who contends that the public wants the attention shifted to prevention.

Scott’s Youth PROMISE Act — Prison Reduction through Opportunity, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education — involves steering federal grants to local agencies or groups that can demonstrate they use proven methods to prevent young people from joining gangs or turning to crime.

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) has withdrawn his support of Scott’s legislation precisely because Scott refuses to include tougher sentencing guidelines in the bill.

When will the left learn.  Citizens want more police, not more social workers.

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