Hoyer Claims To Be “Playing It Straight”

If you think you’ve heard them all, try again.  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) claims that the Democrats are “playing it straight” regarding their possible attempt to sleaze ObamaCare into law without making House Dems actually vote on the matter.

I’m pretty jaded, but this one takes the cake:

"We are playing it straight," Hoyer insisted. He said American voters would not care what process Congress uses to enact a sweeping health care overhaul and would focus instead on the merits of the new law.

At the same time, he defended the use of the procedural sidestep, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that she was considering employing. He cited statistics that, he said, showed that Republicans had used "deeming" process about twice as often as Democrats over the years.

Hoyer did not specify what period of time or what types of legislation were approved using the procedure.

When, exactly, did the House Republicans ever use this tactic?  Honestly, I’d like to know.  IF – and that’s a BIG IF – Hoyer is not lying, I want to know if any of these GOP pirates are still in office.  If they are we should find primary opponents for those guys.  Proposing to pass legislation without actually voting on it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL.  It doesn’t matter if the GOP did it in the past, it’s WRONG.  But even IF Hoyer is telling the truth, I guess his Mom never taught him that two wrongs don’t make a right.

I’m a conservative, not a radical.  However, if House Dems actually use this tactic of “deeming” a bill to have passed to force ObamaCare on an unwilling electorate it’s time to take to the streets.

Sphere: Related Content

Why Does the WCBOE Protect Criminals?

Harken back to the days of the great landfill scandal.  After Sheriff Mike Lewis caught the criminals and States Attorney Davis Ruark sent them to jail it was discovered that the miscreants would be collecting full county pensions.  Shame on us.

By law, nothing could be done about the problem at hand.  However, Wicomico’s county council did take steps to make sure that such an event wouldn’t occur in the future.  If a county employee was found guilty of defrauding or otherwise stealing from the taxpayers they would forfeit the county’s contribution to their pension.

Last year it was discovered that a Wicomico County Board of Education (WCBOE) employee was defrauding the taxpayers (or if you are a lefty – “stealing form the children”).  I’m sure it wasn’t the first time; nor the last.  Assuming that this woman is convicted and sentence to jail, she will be eligible to receive her full pension.  Shame on us again?

Maybe.  The WCBOE bureaucrats read the paper.  Hell, thanks to their “special relationship” they practically run it.  But, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as to why they didn’t pass a resolution similar to the county’s soon after the county passed their new pension rules.  However, in early December of last year the Wicomico County Council sent a letter to superintendent John Fredericksen asking that they adopt a similar resolution.  Almost four months have passed.  NOTHING.

If the WCBOE doesn’t act, then the next time an employee is discovered stealing from the taxpayer, the fault will lie squarely on Fredericksen and the board.  Perhaps Fredericksen, et al, will argue that their collective bargaining agreements wouldn’t allow them to pass such legislation.  But wait, I thought that it was all “FOR THE CHILDREN”.

Tomorrow – Part I of The Big Field Trip, our expose of waste, fraud, and abuse in the WCBOE Travel Budget

Sphere: Related Content

AFP Causing Ruckus About Baltimore County Pensions

Baltimore County councilman Kevin Kamenetz (D) is leaving the council to run for county executive.  If he is successful, and serves two terms as county executive, he will leave office with a pension of at least $108,000!  Perhaps that is why he is pleading with Baltimore County AFP co-chair Steve Bailey to quit talking about the pensions paid to members of the Baltimore County Council.

They say that timing is everything in politics.  For Kamenetz, the old adage is proving true.  No one seemed to whine when former county exec Dutch Ruppersberger bolted for Congress, taking a sizable pension with him.  Unfortunately for Kamenetz, what was once a hypothetical outrage has become real – and the public ain’t liking it too much!

Last fall, councilman Vincent Gardina announced that he would not seek a sixth term.  Gardina, 54, will leave council and collect 100% of his $54,000 annual salary for the REST OF HIS LIFE!  Now, incumbent councilmen like Kamenetz are taking heat for a pension system that was put in place back in ‘50’s (when council pay was $3,000 / year).

Tonight, the Baltimore County chapter of Americans for Prosperity will host a Town Hall forum on pension reform for our county council, county executive and general assembly.  The forum is from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Towson Library, 320 York Road.

Sorry Councilman Kamenetz!  This is an issue that needs to be talked about.  Kudos again to AFP for facilitating an event where average taxpayers can learn more about their government and how their hard earned dollars are being spent.

Sphere: Related Content

Fredericksen Needs A Little Economics Lesson

It’s pretty obvious from yesterday’s Daily Times op-ed that Wicomico County schools superintendent John Fredericksen never bothered taking an economics class during his many years of post-secondary education.  Fredericksen seems to be under the delusion that the Wicomico County Board of Education (WCBOE) is somehow an “economic engine” that grows our local economy:

The Wicomico County school system is one of the region’s top three employers, an economic engine with 25 schools and more than 2,500 employees. Our employees support the Wicomico County economy and the communities where they live, magnifying the effect of dollars that are spent on public education.

While I certainly don’t expect Fredericksen to grasp Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, he should at least take the time to tackle Henry Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson.  Government spending CANNOT CREATE WEALTH.  Wealth creation is what grows an economy over the long term.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

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.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

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?

Sphere: Related Content

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).

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

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.

Sphere: Related Content

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.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

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.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Next Page »