You are cordially invited to join Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.

Friday, April 9^th, 11:30 a.m. at the farm of:

Hon.  Lewis R. Riley

7257 Parsonsburg Road

Parsonsburg, MD

for an Ehrlich for Governor Campaign Announcement

Join Bob to help him announce his 2010 Candidacy for Governor of Maryland

This event is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, please email Bonnie Luna at bnluna@verizon.net

Directions:  Rt. 50 traveling east from Salisbury or traveling west from Ocean City, turn north on Parsonsburg Road.  Parsonsburg Road will intersect with Old Ocean City Road (Rt. 346). 

Cross Old Ocean City Road and continue north on Parsonsburg Road.  The Riley farm is the third house on the right (7257 Parsonsburg Road) located on south side of the post office.

Turn right into the driveway and park on the right.

Richard Falknor poses an interesting question – Can Tea Partiers Extract a NO NEW TAXES pledge from former Maryland governor and 2010 candidate Bob Ehrlich?  There is no question, we should demand such a pledge before offering our support to Ehrlich.

Typically, I’m not a big fan of tax pledges.  They’re gimmicky at best (even though Grover Norquist may strike me dead).  We don’t know what a Gov. Ehrlich may encounter if he replaces current governor Martin O’Malley in January.  Cutting spending is almost always the preferred approach to fiscal policy, but tying a governor’s hand for four years isn’t necessarily prudent.  Ehrlich could cut (or eliminate) some taxes while replacing SOME of them with a different tax scheme.  However, despite these arguments, Ehrlich needs to commit; and commit now.

Maryland is a strong governor state.  Ehrlich would set the budget.  The legislature could only cut.  Maryland’s budget is already locked in to many entitlements and pseudo-entitlements such as Medicaid and the Thornton money for education.  These are the root of Maryland’s “structural deficit”.  Yet, there are still many places that Ehrlich can cut to force the likes of (Senate President) Mike Miller and (House Speaker) Michael Busch to come to the table.  The MSEA (Maryland Teachers) may be their biggest constituency, but the the Maryland Classified Employees ain’t that far behind (which is another sad commentary about Maryland’s fiscal situation).  Ehrlich may need the legislature to enact pension and civil service reform, but he can cut positions in the budget.

While Ehrlich managed to put together a passable fiscal record during his 2003 – 2007 term, he can’t claim the mantle of past governors such as Ronald Reagan (CA), George Allen (VA) or current governors like Chris Christie (NJ) or Bob McDonnell (VA).

If Ehrlich is serious about winning, he has some serious work to do.  He needs the support of all groups under the conservative tent.  This includes values voters and 2nd Amendment folk who didn’t work particularly hard for Ehrlich in 2006.  He needs to show voters that he’s more than just someone “who’s not as bad as Martin O’Malley”.  That doesn’t motivate the grassroots support that he will need to oust O’Malley in a bluer than blue state like Maryland.

Ehrlich can start by courting tea party activists and related groups like the AFP.  HE CAN START BY SIGNING THE PLEDGE!

Delaware -

NCCo Council talks pay cut AFTER tax hike.

Kilroy highlights Delaware bills calling for transparency in school district contracts and disbursements.

DelawareLibertarian finds flaws in Delaware FOIA reform.

David Anderson argues for Delaware gay marriage ban.

Maryland -

8% of Maryland seniors may not graduate.  I guess that making them take a test lowers their self esteem.

Majority leader Miller says it’s time to change state song.  I’m sure that will fix all of the state’s woes.

Ehrlich ally on Cordish slots team.

Phillip Morris getting help from Maryland Dems.  If you can’t get a tax cut, hike the taxes on your competitors.

Tax amnesty moves forward.

Virginia -

McAuliffe proposes tax relief.  Virginia Dems have such a great record on that one.

More GOP chairs call for Frederick to go.

Sex show at William & Mary.  Public institution needs to be “open minded”.  Sure!

Uranium mining study OK’d.

National -

Card-check dealt another set-back.

Cantor attacks Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget.  Perhaps a real fiscal conservative would be more convincing.

Jindal rebuts Obama … again.

DelawarePolitics.net defends Michael Steele.

END

Wicomico County dispensary board chair Stewart Haemel claims that he’s not a politician. He can sure tell stories better than just about any I’ve ever known. At Tuesday’s County Council meeting Haemel took the opportunity to stand before the TV cameras and tell some real old fashioned “fish stories”. Like watching a bad French movie, Haemel needs translation – if you want to hear the truth versus the sounds emanating from his lips (sub-titles are in italics):

I feel compelled to address the issue of accountability. – Sure you do Stew! Up to now you’ve been claiming that you don’t have any accountability.

We (the WCLCB) opened our books to two members of the county council. – Reality check Stew! Two council members – Stevie Prettyman and Gail Bartkovich – visited your auditor because there was a serious inventory discrepancy in last year’s audit. Neither you nor Mr. Stern “opened the books” to anyone.

We have invited the members of council to our offices. … We offered them “unlimited access”. – Really? Which ones? The ones I’ve asked certainly don’t recall being invited to your offices. How about your meetings? Whether you think so or not, the WCLCB is subject to BOTH the Maryland Public Information Act and the Maryland Open Meetings Law. Yet you won’t even tell the public when you meet. I’ve personally called over a dozen times and have been told everything from “board meetings are for the board and staff only” to “we’re too busy to meet on a regular schedule”.

We provided four years of DETAILED disbursements, which was beyond our statutory obligation. – Your lawyer tried that one too, until Ed Baker said that he would see him in court. As noted above, and in the AG’s opinion that you love to quote out of context, the WCLCB is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act. It doesn’t matter whether the Wicomico County Council asked for the information, or Joe Q. Citizen, the law requires that you produce it. Don’t try to act like you’re actually complying with the law. The only reason that the County Council has received the bit of information they have to date is because they threatened you with court action … and you and your lawyer know that you would lose.

You saved my favorite to last Stew!

You quote from that AG’s opinion again, “Absent a change in law…, the County Council has no role in overseeing these disbursements.” – That’s correct Stew. There’s just one problem. The County Council has NEVER claimed that they have the right to oversee (meaning direct) the disbursements. Members of the council have questioned them. It is their responsibility to demand a fair accounting of the taxpayers’ money. So have I and many others. You were appointed to run the WCLCB. That means that you were appointed to be a steward of the taxpayers money.

Unfortunately, you and your cohorts seem to believe that “broad discretion” translates into “authority to steal from the taxpayer”. You’re wrong! Every dollar taken in by the WCLCB is the taxpayers’ money. What is left, after you pay LEGITIMATE expenses for the operation of the dispensary, is required to be returned to Wicomico County – UNLESS the county council allows you to keep a portion as a capital reserve.

Every dollar handed out to social clubs, paid for political propaganda, or doled out to your pet charities is a theft from the Wicomico County taxpayer. You don’t like the attention it receives. Tough! It’s time to resign … or start doing the job Bob Ehrlich asked you to do. I honestly don’t think that he asked you to pick the pockets of your neighbors.

That’s why your electric bill has gone down since Martin O’Malley was sworn in. Hasn’t it?

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gIcoRIzc74]

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