A “Prebuttal” to O’Malley’s Groundhog Day Speech

Today, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will deliver his annual “State of the State” speech.  Brian Griffiths and Red Maryland have put together a “prebuttal” to O’Malley’s address:

Ironically, O’Malley has chosen to deliver his address on Groundhog Day.  Griffiths draws an appropriate parallel between O’Malley and the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day.  If you remember, the premise of the film is that Murray’s character lives the same day over, over, and over again.

Under O’Malley, Maryland citizens have endured the same things over, over, and over again.  We have suffered the same:

• Excuses
• Calls for Tax Increases
• Calls for Expanded Government Services

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Ellen Saurbrey on Town Halls and Tea Parties

Former Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ellen Saurbrey has entered the blogosphere as the newest contributor on Red Maryland.  Today Saurbrey discusses the true motives behind crowded, vocal town hall meetings and the burgeoning Tea Party movement.

Americans want the right to make their own choices about how they live and are not about to turn life and death decisions over to an army of social engineers and faceless bureaucrats without a fight. A feeling of helplessness had taken root in many quarters but suddenly health care town hall meetings awakened a sleeping giant.

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Who Is Maryland’s Insurance Commissioner? …

… And why you should care.

It’s widely acknowledged that the People’s Republic of Maryland isn’t the best place to do business.  When new business growth is so closely tied to government contracting, that should always be a tip-off, regardless of the state’s proximity to DC.

One of the many reasons for Maryland’s lack of competitiveness is its insurance industry; not the industry per se, but the bad regulation that causes sky high insurance rates.  This is one of the costs of living in a soviet-style one party state.

The current commissar overseeing the insurance industry is O’Malley hack Ralph Tyler.  My Red Maryland colleague Mark Newgent provides an interesting analysis of Tyler, his “performance” as Insurance Commissioner, and its effects on Maryland’s economic competitiveness.  (It’s Mark Newgent.  Do you need more reasons to read this important and insightful analysis?)

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The Leftist Answer to Free and Civil Discourse?

Red Maryland – that champion of all that’s right and what should be in the People’s Republic has been temporarily (we hope) locked down! Evidently Google – the owners of Blogger (Red Maryland‘s web host) – has heeded complaints that Red Maryland has somehow violated its Term of Service agreement. This usually means that they have been reported as a spam blog.

As I am not one to subscribe to conspiracy theories, I would be hesitant to claim that this is some leftist conspiracy to knock conservative speech off of Blogger. Unfortunately, Red Maryland’s dilemma is not an isolated case. We’ve even had similar difficulties at Delmarva Dealings in the past (with a different host). As Red Maryland founder Bill Streiff notes on Red State, other conservative voices are being silenced as well.

Hmmm…

PS – You can still read Red Maryland. We just can’t post new material.

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Is School Choice a Silver Bullet?

Eric Luedtke of Free State Politics asserts that conservatives consider vouchers a “silver bullet”. A few weeks ago my call for merit pay (hardly an original idea) was claimed as some sort of conservative silver bullet.

No one on the right that I am aware of has made such a claim. Whether it be vouchers, a comprehensive program of school choice, the institution of teacher accountability, or merit pay – all (and more) are part of a comprehensive solution to improve our public schools. This sure beats the hell out of the NEA’s solution: tax people more, spend more money, don’t demand any objective results.  Let’s worry more about a child’s “self-esteem” than whether they can read.

Personally, I could care less about a child’s “self-esteem” as long as he or she can read, write and cipher. Nothing improved my middle son’s “self-esteem” more than earning the highest grade in his first math class this summer at Salisbury University; or being one of the top two or three in his second, and much larger class. (BTW – He just finished his junior year in high school and had to repeat both pre-algebra and algebra a few years back.) Nothing builds “self-esteem” like hard work and study; something that our current public schools have either forgotten or chosen to ignore.

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O’Malley Dumps on Base

My friend and Red Maryland colleague provides an excellent analysis of Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s seeming disregard for the people who put him in the Governor’s Mansion.

Raise taxes. Dump on Big Labor. What’s next? Supporting school choice?

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When Independence Only Means Prosecuting Republicans

My friend and Red Maryland colleague Brian Griffiths examines the hypocrisy of Maryland’ Democrat elite when it comes to the independence of the State Prosecutor’s office. It seems that it’s only OK to prosecute Republicans in the People’s Republic.

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Lincoln and Bush – Two Wrongs DO NOT Make a Right

My Red Maryland colleague Last Reporter takes Thursday’s 5-4 SCOTUS decision on granting habeas corpus to Gitmo detaineess and draws an excellent historical analogy (with a bit of local flavor). For an opposing view, check out our local curmudgeon Bill Duvall.

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Why Didn’t I Get Paid to Go to PTA?

Your tax dollars at work! Red Maryland explains why $1 million will be spent to get parents to attend PTA meetings in Baltimore City.

I may actually start to agree with Bill Duvall about public education.

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The Maryland Way – If You Can’t Win, Change the Rules

The rules are simple – there are no rules. If you can’t win today, change the rules tomorrow and demand a rematch. This is how Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is attempting to get rid of Maryland Schools Superintendent Nancy Grasmick.

Grasmick refuses to resign. The State Board of Education continues to have faith in her. What’s O’Malley to do? According to Senate President Mike Miller, Grasmick will not survive another term. Why not? O’Malley and the Democrat-controlled legislature will merely change the law as to how a superintendent is appointed. Read more

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