Ireton’s “Slumlord of the Week” – Policy or Sham?

Today’s front page story in the Daily Times regarding Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton’s new “Slumlord of the Week” policy fails to answer several questions:

1. Is this “policy” meant to accomplish anything?
2. Why doesn’t Ireton actually do something to fulfill his campaign promise “to ‘close loopholes’ in the city’s municipal codes and get crime out of neighborhoods”?

IF Ireton was actually doing something to close these loopholes and to actually enforce the spirit, as well as the letter, of the city’s zoning laws that would be one thing.  Instead, we have seen one woman loose her rental income because of zoning (last Sunday’s DT), but we’re not seeing any progress in taking care of the scores of non-conforming uses in the city.

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O’Connor Testifies Against Election of Judges

Retired US Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor testified yesterday before the Maryland Senate yesterday in support of AG Doug Gansler’s proposal to end the election of judges in Maryland.  O’Connor argues that ending the election of judges would help to reinforce confidence in our nation’s courts and end the appearance of corruption innate in judges being forced to seek campaign contributions.

Sounds great.  Appointed judges are so much better.  Right?  Not really.  Appointing judges just moves the politics from out front into the back room.  Maryland Sen. Allan Kittleman (R-Howard) hits the nail right on the head:

If this passes, no longer will any citizen of Maryland have the right to run for judge. If you’re not a favored son of a governor or lawmaker, forget about it. You will have to play the political game.

An excellent, and recent, case in point – Does anyone really believe that Senate Majority Leader Mike Miller’s son would have been appointed a judge IF NOT for his father’s political clout?

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Scandal Brewing At PAC-14

We haven’t written much about PAC-14, Wicomico County’s public access cable channel in quite some time.  Because of that, many of you may think that all is well there.  Sadly, you would be mistaken.  The crew running PAC-14 (along with some of the vocal “supporters”) are just as conniving and deceitful as always.

We have to admit that we made a mistake.  We tried to be fair and allow PAC-14 Executive Director Mike Goodson and a majority of PAC-14’s board the opportunity to do what they said they were going to do.  Instead, this merry little band has decided that giving Wicomico taxpayers the “middle finger” is the best route to obtain their goals – and those goals have little to do with providing viewers an opportunity to watch their government in action and providing citizens the opportunity to produce local content.  No, the goal of the PAC-14 board is to siphon money from the taxpayers and build an entity that will eventually be handed over to Salisbury University so that taxpayers will no longer have even a marginal say as to how a portion of their tax dollars are being spent.

Thanks to elected officials like Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt, Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton, Salisbury council members Louise Smith, Gary Comegys, and Shanie Shields, along with unelected “volunteers” such as Phil Tilghman, Elizabeth Bellavance and WCBOE President Mark Thompson, expect PAC-14 to blossom into an organization which wastes money (your money) on consultants and plans for grand schemes while refusing to adhere to the basic rules of transparency (which are in their own by-laws).

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Who’s Your Corporate Daddy

Barack Obama lectures the Supreme Court (and lies while doing so).  Lefties throughout the land whine about “special interest” money.  Maryland Dem chairwoman Susan Turnbull even has the gall to rail against the “Citizens United” decision.  Yet, MDDEM’s couldn’t survive without corporate and union cash.

Maryland Democrats … How’s that hypocrisy thing going?

Thanks to Red Maryland for this excellent video.

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In Salisbury, Working People Need Not Apply

As Salisbury councilwoman noted on the radio this morning, today’s Salisbury City Council work session is “relatively meaty”.    While I haven’t talked to councilwoman Debbie Campbell today, it’s a decent bet that she won’t be there.  Why?  Campbell has to work for a living.  So does Cohen, but fortunately she is self-employed.

The “council majority” of Louise Smith, Gary Comegys, and Shanie Shields don’t work for a living.  They live off of the teat of the taxpayer.  Therefore, why not move work sessions to the morning.  The meetings aren’t televised.  Working citizens can’t attend.  Campbell can’t attend many.  Cohen will undoubtedly miss a few because she has to earn a living.

By this action alone Smith, et al provide an excellent argument for not allowing anyone on a PUBLIC pension to hold elected office.  No – I’m not advocating that action.  I’m just noting that there is an argument to be made when people like Smith, Comegys, and Shields behave as they do.

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Despotism Returns to Salisbury

When elected officials waste your tax dollars your recourse is limited.  You can complain.  You can lobby your officials.  Ultimately, you can vote those persons out in the next election.  One of the wonders of our great nation is our willingness and ability to replace politicians with the ballot rather than the bullet.

Sadly, there are instances in our local, state, and federal governments when officials steal from the taxpayer – either through embezzlement or spending public monies that are not lawfully appropriated.  Do we resort to the bullet?  Of course not.  This is America; that’s what prisons are for.

During the fascist regime of the former Queen of Barrieland, Salisbury taxpayers witnessed a constant, and consistent, stream of spending public funds without lawful appropriations.  When current Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton ran for his present post he promised voters that this type of behavior would not be repeated under an Ireton regime.  Sadly, this has proven NOT to be the case.

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Wealthy Marylanders Vote With Their Feet

Liberals never learn.  They cling to the discredited belief that all you need to do to raise government revenue is raise tax rates.  Wealthy Marylanders are showing Gov. Martin O’Malley that they have options too.  They can move to a more tax friendly state.

In 2007 O’Malley and his leftist pals in the legislature instituted the so-called “millionaires surcharge”.  Montgomery County is learning that if you raise taxes they will leave:

County officials estimate next year’s budget deficit will be more than $761 million. Much of the shortfall is tied to a few residents who have either lost money in the economy, died or fled Maryland’s new millionaire tax.

County records show Montgomery lost $4.6 billion in taxable income between tax years 2007 and 2008. The number of income tax returns above $1 million declined by 27 percent during that time.

Despite this “shocking revelation” of basic economics, those stalwarts of fiscal sanity – the Democrat majority of the Maryland General Assembly – are considering extending the “surcharge”, which is set to expire next year.  Perhaps O’Malley should call newly elected New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and ask him how many high earners abandoned the Garden State under the tax and spend policies of Christie’s predecessor – Gov. John Corzine.

Go ahead Marty – dance while Maryland burns.

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Steele Flunks the Test Again

MPPI Senior Fellow Marta Hummel Mossburg tags RNC chair Michael Steele for the rank hypocrisy of his book – "Right Now: A 12-step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda".  While Mossburg hits Steele on many of the right specifics, she should have expounded more on her “Ignatius Reilly” theory of the Michael Steele persona.

Steele’s problem is a simple one – he believes in nothing.  Michael Steele has shown himself willing to pander to almost any audience at the drop of a dime.  He’s conservative.  He’s cool.  He’ll use scarce RNC resources to back an unapologetic left-winger in the NY-23 race.  He’ll take credit for the victories in Virginia and New Jersey, when he had absolutely nothing to do with them (and the RNC’s contribution was an appreciated one of finance and a few bodies).

Michael Steele is the embodiment for why tea party activists, and the conservative movement in general, should look at the GOP as ONLY a means to an end and hold them off with a ten foot poll.  Sure, various state parties (such as RPV) should be looked on as allies.  Some state parties, such as MDGOP, should be viewed as irrelevant except for their easy access to the ballot.

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Should We “Throw All The Bums Out”?

As usual, last night’s Lower Shore AFP meeting was interesting.  Ed Urban of the Wicomico Tourism Board spoke about why the County Council did the right thing by spending $1.5 million of “free money” for a new parking lot at the civic center.  While I don’t thing many folks agreed, the discussion was civil.  Salisbury City Councilwoman Debbie Campbell came to explain how the current council majority AND the Ireton administration are illegally spending tax dollars WITHOUT appropriation.

For me, the most engaging moments came AFTER the meeting was over.  I listened to several good people make the argument that just because someone is an incumbent, they are somehow “tainted”.  This is a view that disturbs me greatly.  Experience is not a crime.  In fact, most societies have considered it a virtue.

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Support HB 653

On Thursday, the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee is due to consider HB 653.  Among other things, HB 653 would require a 2/3 vote to increase taxes.  It would also prohibit the state to assess real property at a value greater than its true cash value.

Among the sponsors of HB 653 are Del. Mike Smigiel (R-36) and Del. Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio (R-37).  Where are the names of our own delegates – Norm Conway, Page Elmore, and Jim Mathias?  As noted earlier, Conway and Mathias like to portray themselves as “fiscally conservative”.  Ditto for Elmore.

History has shown that the only way we can limit government is to “starve the beast”.  Politicians will simply not do it on their own.  Call or email your delegates and ask them to sponsor HB 653.

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