Baltimore was privileged to play host to the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors, an event held for Mayors of cities with at least 30,000 people. There are currently 1,210 members of this conference, but at the current rate of population loss in Baltimore City due to urban flight (both black and white) and extremely high murder rates, we should expect Baltimore to be removed from this Conference in a few years.
So at these conferences the Mayors get together and talk about economics, public policy, welfare, and other issues plaguing our large cities. To put it another way, it's the annual conference for the Mayors to collectively put their hats in their hands and reach out to the Federal Government and beg for more money.
This year was a little different. This time they didn't exactly ask for money directly. In order to spin their agenda and make it look more legit, they passed a resolution requesting Obama to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though they made no mention if him ending the current war he's got brewing in Libya. Perhaps that war is okay, because we'll ultimately remove an evil dictator from office. (Can you hear Obama saying, "Put that on my resume'!?) With the wars ending, this would allow the Federal Government to spend the billions of dollars that are currently funding the war to be redistributed to the cities so they can fight crime, urban blight, and the "I don't give a shit" attitude with dollar bills. Nothings solves a problem better than throwing dollar bills at it.
I find this attitude a little disturbing. While we are sitting here staring at a government that is $14 trillion in debt and suffering with economically debilitating unemployment, the politicians are more interested in the continued spending, but redirecting those dollars to them. There doesn't seem to be much, if any, mention of a reduction in spending. From the conference of Mayors, we seem to be hearing a chorus singing, "Screw the younger generation and kick the can farther down the road! Put some money on my plate, because I'm a big-fat toad!"
However, there is some good news. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was elected as the Trustee of the group. This will help because.........I have no idea. I guess it's just good PR for the city. And it gives O'Malley a puppet to help direct his policies and long-term visions that will ultimately help him become Master of the Universe. Or Secretary of State. Wouldn't he be a handsome Secretary of State? What's worse? O'Malley as Governor or O'Malley as Secretary of State? Personally, I prefer: O'Malley, lead singer of O'Malley's March. Come on Marty, focus on your music career! You'll be doing us a huge favor!
So anyway, back to those mayors. They had to stay somewhere while visiting our lovely crime-ridden city. Those dollars were spent in hotels, and bars, and bars, and bars, which the city can tax and use to build their casino. So all in all, I think it's all good. Bottoms-up!
Showing posts with label Martin O'Malley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin O'Malley. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Rapture Checklist
Everyone is talking about the Rapture. If you've been busy watching Jersey Shore, let me fill you in. Rapture is Judgment Day. It is the day that the heavens will open up and the Christians will be lifted up to heaven to live in eternal peace with Jesus. So, all you Jews, Muslims, and Tom Cruise fans - you're basically screwed.
There has been a lot of controversy about when Judgment Day would happen. 1526? 1610? 1866? 1984? 2000? What year was Martin O'Malley elected? That certainly made some people feel like it was the end of the world.
So now many are claiming that May 21st will be the end. It will start with earthquakes that will round the globe, destroying the continents, killing the masses, and virtually ending the Middle-East peace talks. It will destroy the world through the time zones at 6 o'clock. I'm not sure if that's am or pm, or daylight savings time or standard time. Will the end of the world happen an hour later in Arizona? (they don't follow daylight savings time)
With this end of the world things coming, it got me thinking. What do I need to do before I'm raised to my maker, or sent to have a seat next to Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Aaron Burr? If I'm sent to hell, do I have to sit next to Keith Olbermann? That would suck.
So here's a list of everything I need to accomplish before the end of the world tomorrow:
1) Cut the lawn
2) cut those lower hanging branches on the tree out front
3) wash the Honda
4) clean the fish tank
5) make out with Reese Witherspoon
6) fly an airplane
7) lose 25 pounds
8) have a beer with Tom Selleck
9) visit Vancouver
10) finish reading Red by Sammy Hagar
11) get a lower back massage by Sheryl Crow
12) refill the propane tank for the grill
13) replace and rotate the rear tires on the van
14) finish watching Season 4 of 30 Rock
15) eat the rest of the turkey in the frig before it goes bad
Once I get those things accomplished I'll feel much better. Can't leave those things left open-ended. What do you need to do before the end of the world?
There has been a lot of controversy about when Judgment Day would happen. 1526? 1610? 1866? 1984? 2000? What year was Martin O'Malley elected? That certainly made some people feel like it was the end of the world.
So now many are claiming that May 21st will be the end. It will start with earthquakes that will round the globe, destroying the continents, killing the masses, and virtually ending the Middle-East peace talks. It will destroy the world through the time zones at 6 o'clock. I'm not sure if that's am or pm, or daylight savings time or standard time. Will the end of the world happen an hour later in Arizona? (they don't follow daylight savings time)
With this end of the world things coming, it got me thinking. What do I need to do before I'm raised to my maker, or sent to have a seat next to Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Aaron Burr? If I'm sent to hell, do I have to sit next to Keith Olbermann? That would suck.
So here's a list of everything I need to accomplish before the end of the world tomorrow:
1) Cut the lawn
2) cut those lower hanging branches on the tree out front
3) wash the Honda
4) clean the fish tank
5) make out with Reese Witherspoon
6) fly an airplane
7) lose 25 pounds
8) have a beer with Tom Selleck
9) visit Vancouver
10) finish reading Red by Sammy Hagar
11) get a lower back massage by Sheryl Crow
12) refill the propane tank for the grill
13) replace and rotate the rear tires on the van
14) finish watching Season 4 of 30 Rock
15) eat the rest of the turkey in the frig before it goes bad
Once I get those things accomplished I'll feel much better. Can't leave those things left open-ended. What do you need to do before the end of the world?
Sunday, May 1, 2011
O'Malley to Constellation Energy - Good Riddance!
You know Constellation Energy CEO Mayo Shattuck is looking out of the window in his office thinking, "Thank God I don't have to sit around letting Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley piss on me in front of the voters every few years anymore!"
Last week Constellation Energy announced plans to be acquired by Chicago-based Exelon Corporation. The move strips Baltimore -area of its last Fortune 500 corporation. There remain only a few money managers such as Legg Mason, which on its current track will be gone in a year or less, T. Rowe Price, and.....I can't think of anyone else. All of the other major employers in the city are smaller divisions of companies based in other states.
Martin O'Malley has always shown his cards when it comes to for-profit corporations. He hates them. He hates that they charge money for the services they provide. He hates that they have to raise their prices to cover expenses. And especially with Constellation Energy, the parent company of the soon-to-be-gone BGE, he really loved to takes dumps on them.
And as much as most rational-thinking Marylanders hate O'Malley, you have to give him credit as a skilled politician. You'll remember a few years ago BGE's decision to raise rates 72% to national average levels at the expiration of an ill-conceived bargain struck by Democrats in the Maryland General Assembly allowed O'Malley to criticize Bob Ehrlich for not fighting an ultimately kicking him out of office. You may remember the commercials that O'Malley ran vowing that he'd fight against the evil money-hungry corporations.
And now that the money-hungry corporations are gone, O'Malley must be so happy that he's peeing in his pull-ups. "We showed them!" I can hear him saying. Unfortunately, I think all of this is lost on him. What corporations can call Baltimore home? What glamor does the city have when it doesn't show up on any lists as the headquarters? Where is the concern when the top-paying jobs depart for the new headquarters in other cities and leave only entry-level, supervisory, and regional manager positions? Where are the major hometown corporate sponsors for special events in the city? From the offices in Annapolis we only hear silence or misguided happiness.
In the next session in the General Assembly, do you think we'll hear politicians discussing the demands of Marylanders to make Maryland a more business-friendly state? I seriously doubt it. Our elected officials will be more concerned with issues like raising taxes to fund the out-of-control spending and in the eyes of the Montgomery County delegation, the biggest issue confronting our society - gay marriage.
BGE - it was nice knowing you.
Last week Constellation Energy announced plans to be acquired by Chicago-based Exelon Corporation. The move strips Baltimore -area of its last Fortune 500 corporation. There remain only a few money managers such as Legg Mason, which on its current track will be gone in a year or less, T. Rowe Price, and.....I can't think of anyone else. All of the other major employers in the city are smaller divisions of companies based in other states.
Martin O'Malley has always shown his cards when it comes to for-profit corporations. He hates them. He hates that they charge money for the services they provide. He hates that they have to raise their prices to cover expenses. And especially with Constellation Energy, the parent company of the soon-to-be-gone BGE, he really loved to takes dumps on them.
And as much as most rational-thinking Marylanders hate O'Malley, you have to give him credit as a skilled politician. You'll remember a few years ago BGE's decision to raise rates 72% to national average levels at the expiration of an ill-conceived bargain struck by Democrats in the Maryland General Assembly allowed O'Malley to criticize Bob Ehrlich for not fighting an ultimately kicking him out of office. You may remember the commercials that O'Malley ran vowing that he'd fight against the evil money-hungry corporations.
And now that the money-hungry corporations are gone, O'Malley must be so happy that he's peeing in his pull-ups. "We showed them!" I can hear him saying. Unfortunately, I think all of this is lost on him. What corporations can call Baltimore home? What glamor does the city have when it doesn't show up on any lists as the headquarters? Where is the concern when the top-paying jobs depart for the new headquarters in other cities and leave only entry-level, supervisory, and regional manager positions? Where are the major hometown corporate sponsors for special events in the city? From the offices in Annapolis we only hear silence or misguided happiness.
In the next session in the General Assembly, do you think we'll hear politicians discussing the demands of Marylanders to make Maryland a more business-friendly state? I seriously doubt it. Our elected officials will be more concerned with issues like raising taxes to fund the out-of-control spending and in the eyes of the Montgomery County delegation, the biggest issue confronting our society - gay marriage.
BGE - it was nice knowing you.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Martin O'Malley: Practicing to be Secretary of State?
Everyone knows that when Martin O'Malley gets elected to a new position he immediately has his eyes on the next one. Baltimore City Council to Baltimore City Council President. Baltimore City Council President to Mayor of Baltimore. Mayor of Baltimore to Governor of Maryland. Only Kathleen Kennedy Townsend kept him from getting elected a term sooner. After he won his second and final (thank God!) term as Governor of Maryland, I firmly believe he began looking at what his next position would be. And now I think we see hints as to what that may be.
Many pro-O'Malley blogs and newspapers such as The Sun get so excited talking about O'Malley's future that they pee their panties. I think they want O'Malley to be President. Remember the "alabaster cities'" speech at one of the Democratic inauguration?
“America the beautiful, whose alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears…”
After he said that a lot of people turned and looked at each other and without words, knowingly asked each other, 'what the hell did that mean?' But O'Malley's supports at The Sun were so giddy they immediately deemed him a future Presidential candidate.
There was a lot of talk of O'Malley succeeding Babs Mikulski when she finally retires (please!!!!!) as a United States Senator. I'm afraid to say that I don't think she'll ever leave that position and she'll live to be 130. And you know Pakistani-born Chris Van Hollen, 65 year old Dutch Ruppersburger, and 60 year old Elijah Cummings are thinking, "That's my Senate seat!" I seriously doubt that 70 year old New Yorker Steny Hoyer is electable as a U.S. Senator from Maryland. And being a hard-left-wing state, the next in seniority is Roscoe "P. Coltrain" Bartlett. But he's a Republican. So you can cross him off of the list.
So with a future U.S. Senate seat in doubt, this week Marty 'my daughter got arrested for public intoxication' O'Malley may be giving us glimpses of his future plans. He is on a "trade mission" to boost trade between Maryland and China, South Korea, and Viet Nam. I'm certainly not against him doing this. Everyone knows that Maryland businesses need all the help they can get in this anti-business state. I can't imagine that O'Malley is trying to drum up business for all of the Federal government jobs in this state.
So what do you call a politician who's going around foreign countries trying to boost relationships and economic trade? You call that person a Secretary of State. Hillary Clinton is our current booster of foreign relations. Other famous Secretaries of State are Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Jennings Bryant, John Foster Dulles, Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, and James Baker. Are we going to add Martin O'Malley to that list? God help us.
Many pro-O'Malley blogs and newspapers such as The Sun get so excited talking about O'Malley's future that they pee their panties. I think they want O'Malley to be President. Remember the "alabaster cities'" speech at one of the Democratic inauguration?
“America the beautiful, whose alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears…”
After he said that a lot of people turned and looked at each other and without words, knowingly asked each other, 'what the hell did that mean?' But O'Malley's supports at The Sun were so giddy they immediately deemed him a future Presidential candidate.
There was a lot of talk of O'Malley succeeding Babs Mikulski when she finally retires (please!!!!!) as a United States Senator. I'm afraid to say that I don't think she'll ever leave that position and she'll live to be 130. And you know Pakistani-born Chris Van Hollen, 65 year old Dutch Ruppersburger, and 60 year old Elijah Cummings are thinking, "That's my Senate seat!" I seriously doubt that 70 year old New Yorker Steny Hoyer is electable as a U.S. Senator from Maryland. And being a hard-left-wing state, the next in seniority is Roscoe "P. Coltrain" Bartlett. But he's a Republican. So you can cross him off of the list.
So with a future U.S. Senate seat in doubt, this week Marty 'my daughter got arrested for public intoxication' O'Malley may be giving us glimpses of his future plans. He is on a "trade mission" to boost trade between Maryland and China, South Korea, and Viet Nam. I'm certainly not against him doing this. Everyone knows that Maryland businesses need all the help they can get in this anti-business state. I can't imagine that O'Malley is trying to drum up business for all of the Federal government jobs in this state.
So what do you call a politician who's going around foreign countries trying to boost relationships and economic trade? You call that person a Secretary of State. Hillary Clinton is our current booster of foreign relations. Other famous Secretaries of State are Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Jennings Bryant, John Foster Dulles, Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, and James Baker. Are we going to add Martin O'Malley to that list? God help us.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
William Donald Schaefer: My Take
As you all know, William Donald Schaefer passed away last night. I think by law I'm obliged to eulogize him. So, in my own words, I am going to write about Mr. Schaefer as I remember him and also to respond to other things that I've heard and read about him.
Schaefer, Mayor Schaefer as most of us remember him, was first elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1955. I'm not positive, but I suspect that the Baltimore City Council was as corrupt then as it is now. In 1967 he was elected to Baltimore City Council President, a position proudly held by Martin O'Malley, Sheila Dixon, and Thomas Carcetti.
In 1971 Schaefer was elected to Mayor of Baltimore, all I may add before I was born. The 1960's and 1970's were not nice to Baltimore. Race riots, fires, white flight (or more politically correct - urban flight), the destruction of the middle class (read as the tax base), and the disappearing of businesses that employed the city residents. The business district was in decay, shopping was becoming non-existent, and the Inner Harbor became a rotting cesspool.
Schaefer entered office with the deck stacked against him. But with his charismatic personality and his tough-as-nails attitude, he attacked Baltimore's problems. I remember him saying that if you fill the pot-holes and pick up the trash, people will be happier. Legend has it that he would drive around the city looking for problems and report to the different city agency heads demanding that these problems be fixed. Carcetti did the same thing in The Wire. He used his powers (not sure if eminent domain was used) to redevelop the land around the Inner Harbor and dot it with tourist attractions. First came Harbor Place, then the National Aquarium in Baltimore, then the Science Center. He used the philosophy that 'if you build it, they will come.'
In 1986, Schaefer ran for Governor with Mickey Steinberg and crushed Republican challenger Thomas Mooney. Anyone remember him? Me neither. As Governor, he helped get the ball rolling on building Orioles Park at Camden Yards, the finest baseball park in all of the land. If you think your baseball stadium is cooler, you only think that because Camden Yards paved the way.
In 1999, after a 4 year absense from politics ( Gubernatorial term limits in Maryland - thank God!), Schaefer reemerged in Maryland politics as the State Comptroller. He served for several terms until finally being defeated by current State Comptroller Peter Franchot.
Many people loved the man and remember all of the good things he did for the city and state. However, I did hear one woman on the radio say today that he was the best Mayor, Governor, and Comptroller in the history of the state. He was definitely effective, but best ever?
There have been other great Governors of this state. Do you know of Governors Thomas Johnson, Albert Ritchie, Theodore McKeldin, and Robert Ehrlich? And Mayors? What about Ferdinand Latrobe, Howard Jackson, and Theodore McKeldin (the last Republican Mayor of Baltimore)? And Comptroller. I will flat-out say WRONG! Louis Goldstein was the greatest Comptroller in the history of the state of Maryland. And I met him when I was in elementary school.
Our current village idiot, Martin O'Malley, has been on the campaign circuit for his next position for the last 24 hours posing as a eulogist for our former Governor. When asked what Schaefer's claim to fame would be, he responded, not about his accomplishments in revitalizing Baltimore's Inner Harbor, but that he'd be proud of his willingness to talk to people and let them be heard. Really, Marty? Is that what you want in your epitaph? Shall I start carving that on your gravestone? I didn't think so. O'Malley seems to have a chronic case of diarrhea of the mouth.
And O'Malley, don't try to categorize yourself as a Democrat like Schaefer. Schaefer was a Reagan-Democrat. A moderate. Someone who represented the middle class and the broad spectrum of people that don't fully agree with either Republicans or Democrats. Schaefer endorsed George H.W. Bush (not G.W.).
Schaefer must also be remembered for his blunders. Remember when he called Anne Arundel County Executive 'old Mother Hubbard' when she was running against him as State Comptroller? Or when he said that the Eastern Shore was a shithouse? Remember Eastern Shore farmers clogging up Annapolis and circling the Governor's mansion with out-houses being towed with tractors until he apologized? Or when he said that people with AIDS are dangerous and we need a public registry so we know who has AIDS? And the leering at the butt of an assistant to Robert Ehrlich, asking her to come back and walk away again. Or his referring to women as little girls?
And let's not forget about the 2 blows to Baltimore that happened on his watch. In 1973 the Baltimore Bullets NBA team left for Washington (Landover). Then in 1984, the Baltimore Colts were ripped away from the city, tearing with it a bit of youth of many people my age. This was basically the result of a pissing match between him and Colt's demon Robert Irsay. Bob Irsay 1, Schaefer 0.
Then there was the pissing match between him and former (thank God) Governor Parris Glendening arguably the worst Governor of Maryland up until our current head of state. A fountain was dedicated to Schaefer's longtime partner Hilda Mae Snoops who died when he was in office. Dick, I mean Parris, turned off the fountain declaring that he needed to save water. I can't remember if this was before or after Glendening started having an affair with a woman that was his son's age. But it was definitely after he made gambling as a fund-raiser illegal, after he used it heavily in his effort to raise money as Prince George's County Executive running for Governor. Fortunately, former Governor Robert Ehrlich had more class and turned the fountain on with a nice ceremony.
Finally, one of my friends posted on Facebook "Baltimore is the way it is because of William Donald Schaefer. I wasn't quite sure how to take this. Outside of the revitalized downtown around the Inner Harbor, Baltimore is still plagued with corruption and crime. Baltimore's schools are the laughing stock of the nation and a thorn in the side of tax-payers across the state. Or the lack of an integrated public transportation rail system. I'm not saying that those are his fault, but those are problems that are common themes through the resumes of all of the Mayors of Baltimore.
My fondest memories of Willie Don, as he was affectionately known, was of him wading in one of the fish tanks at the National Aquarium when it opened and getting nasty with people that didn't agree with him. You have to appreciate his politically-incorrect courage to stand up and say what he thought was right and not say what was popular.
As my friend Duckman would say, "Willie Don, rest in peace". But we all know you're up there giving them hell!
What are your memories of William Donald Schaefer?
Schaefer, Mayor Schaefer as most of us remember him, was first elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1955. I'm not positive, but I suspect that the Baltimore City Council was as corrupt then as it is now. In 1967 he was elected to Baltimore City Council President, a position proudly held by Martin O'Malley, Sheila Dixon, and Thomas Carcetti.
In 1971 Schaefer was elected to Mayor of Baltimore, all I may add before I was born. The 1960's and 1970's were not nice to Baltimore. Race riots, fires, white flight (or more politically correct - urban flight), the destruction of the middle class (read as the tax base), and the disappearing of businesses that employed the city residents. The business district was in decay, shopping was becoming non-existent, and the Inner Harbor became a rotting cesspool.
Schaefer entered office with the deck stacked against him. But with his charismatic personality and his tough-as-nails attitude, he attacked Baltimore's problems. I remember him saying that if you fill the pot-holes and pick up the trash, people will be happier. Legend has it that he would drive around the city looking for problems and report to the different city agency heads demanding that these problems be fixed. Carcetti did the same thing in The Wire. He used his powers (not sure if eminent domain was used) to redevelop the land around the Inner Harbor and dot it with tourist attractions. First came Harbor Place, then the National Aquarium in Baltimore, then the Science Center. He used the philosophy that 'if you build it, they will come.'
In 1986, Schaefer ran for Governor with Mickey Steinberg and crushed Republican challenger Thomas Mooney. Anyone remember him? Me neither. As Governor, he helped get the ball rolling on building Orioles Park at Camden Yards, the finest baseball park in all of the land. If you think your baseball stadium is cooler, you only think that because Camden Yards paved the way.
In 1999, after a 4 year absense from politics ( Gubernatorial term limits in Maryland - thank God!), Schaefer reemerged in Maryland politics as the State Comptroller. He served for several terms until finally being defeated by current State Comptroller Peter Franchot.
Many people loved the man and remember all of the good things he did for the city and state. However, I did hear one woman on the radio say today that he was the best Mayor, Governor, and Comptroller in the history of the state. He was definitely effective, but best ever?
There have been other great Governors of this state. Do you know of Governors Thomas Johnson, Albert Ritchie, Theodore McKeldin, and Robert Ehrlich? And Mayors? What about Ferdinand Latrobe, Howard Jackson, and Theodore McKeldin (the last Republican Mayor of Baltimore)? And Comptroller. I will flat-out say WRONG! Louis Goldstein was the greatest Comptroller in the history of the state of Maryland. And I met him when I was in elementary school.
Our current village idiot, Martin O'Malley, has been on the campaign circuit for his next position for the last 24 hours posing as a eulogist for our former Governor. When asked what Schaefer's claim to fame would be, he responded, not about his accomplishments in revitalizing Baltimore's Inner Harbor, but that he'd be proud of his willingness to talk to people and let them be heard. Really, Marty? Is that what you want in your epitaph? Shall I start carving that on your gravestone? I didn't think so. O'Malley seems to have a chronic case of diarrhea of the mouth.
And O'Malley, don't try to categorize yourself as a Democrat like Schaefer. Schaefer was a Reagan-Democrat. A moderate. Someone who represented the middle class and the broad spectrum of people that don't fully agree with either Republicans or Democrats. Schaefer endorsed George H.W. Bush (not G.W.).
Schaefer must also be remembered for his blunders. Remember when he called Anne Arundel County Executive 'old Mother Hubbard' when she was running against him as State Comptroller? Or when he said that the Eastern Shore was a shithouse? Remember Eastern Shore farmers clogging up Annapolis and circling the Governor's mansion with out-houses being towed with tractors until he apologized? Or when he said that people with AIDS are dangerous and we need a public registry so we know who has AIDS? And the leering at the butt of an assistant to Robert Ehrlich, asking her to come back and walk away again. Or his referring to women as little girls?
And let's not forget about the 2 blows to Baltimore that happened on his watch. In 1973 the Baltimore Bullets NBA team left for Washington (Landover). Then in 1984, the Baltimore Colts were ripped away from the city, tearing with it a bit of youth of many people my age. This was basically the result of a pissing match between him and Colt's demon Robert Irsay. Bob Irsay 1, Schaefer 0.
Then there was the pissing match between him and former (thank God) Governor Parris Glendening arguably the worst Governor of Maryland up until our current head of state. A fountain was dedicated to Schaefer's longtime partner Hilda Mae Snoops who died when he was in office. Dick, I mean Parris, turned off the fountain declaring that he needed to save water. I can't remember if this was before or after Glendening started having an affair with a woman that was his son's age. But it was definitely after he made gambling as a fund-raiser illegal, after he used it heavily in his effort to raise money as Prince George's County Executive running for Governor. Fortunately, former Governor Robert Ehrlich had more class and turned the fountain on with a nice ceremony.
Finally, one of my friends posted on Facebook "Baltimore is the way it is because of William Donald Schaefer. I wasn't quite sure how to take this. Outside of the revitalized downtown around the Inner Harbor, Baltimore is still plagued with corruption and crime. Baltimore's schools are the laughing stock of the nation and a thorn in the side of tax-payers across the state. Or the lack of an integrated public transportation rail system. I'm not saying that those are his fault, but those are problems that are common themes through the resumes of all of the Mayors of Baltimore.
My fondest memories of Willie Don, as he was affectionately known, was of him wading in one of the fish tanks at the National Aquarium when it opened and getting nasty with people that didn't agree with him. You have to appreciate his politically-incorrect courage to stand up and say what he thought was right and not say what was popular.
As my friend Duckman would say, "Willie Don, rest in peace". But we all know you're up there giving them hell!
What are your memories of William Donald Schaefer?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Fallacy of In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants
I heard Lieutenant Governor Tony Brown on WBAL radio today talking about how wonderful it is that Maryland has all of these illegal immigrants and that our state is embracing illegal immigration with some new laws that are being passed.
As you probably know, Maryland State Senator Victor Ramirez (Democrat - Prince George's County) has been sponsoring legislation helping illegal immigrants for years. If I am not mistaken, this is the 2nd year that a bill is being pushed that would allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition to attend Maryland colleges, thus making is less likely that legal Maryland residents can get into college
Didn't Martin O'Malley run on a platform to increase college education opportunities for Maryland residents? Wouldn't admitting illegal immigrants take up spots that would otherwise go to legal Maryland residents? You have a pie. You can only cut it up but so much. Someone is getting left out with this legislation. Is it your child?
Liberal Maryland legislators continue to call these people undocumented individuals. I will continue to call them illegal immigrants. The current state of the bill would allow these illegal immigrants who have graduated from a Maryland high school to attend 2 year community colleges in Maryland and pay in-state tuition. Arguments for the cause say that we should not be punishing the children of criminals because of the illegal choices these criminals have made. Fair enough, except that these people shouldn't be in this country to start. Now we are providing conflicted laws that reward illegal immigrants for being here illegally. Are you following me?
To top it off, Tony Brown said today that Maryland needs an educated workforce and it makes sense for us to provide the opportunities for these illegal immigrants to get a college education so that illegal immigrants can make a contribution to our economy and keep Maryland moving forward. However, as an employer in Maryland, you KNOW that it is ILLEGAL to hire ILLEGAL immigrants. How is this legislation going to help them? Educated or not, illegal immigrants are not legally allowed to work in this country. And if you are an employer and you are caught hiring illegal immigrants, you face big fines. Would Maryland employers intentionally put themselves in this situation?
There are also some stipulations that the parents have to file taxes. Let's think about this - if you are an illegal immigrant and you are living here illegally, are you going to file taxes with the government to let them know you're here? Duh! (Thank you, Charlie Sheen) If any Maryland legislator honestly thinks that illegal immigrants are filing taxes and paying them, they are idiots.
The constant flow of pro-illegal immigration legislation is enabling the people that are the illegal immigrants. We're not doing anything to address the problem. We're giving more illegal immigrants a reason to come here. Eventually, more and more of your tax dollars will be going to support illegal immigrants in Maryland to provide services, such as healthcare, education, and social security, rather than having this money go to deserving LEGAL citizens of Maryland. How do you feel knowing that your benefits are being decreased so that the money can be used to support illegal immigrants?
And I think it goes without saying that we will need massive tax increases as the current structure cannot support the massive influx of illegal immigrants. Martin O'Malley continues to spin the rhetoric with this one. The massive annual tax increases on the middle class are called, "making sacrifices" and "we are all working together" and "we must all share the responsibility" and "making tough choices". What a bunch of crap!
Living in Maryland, it seems like the easy choice for Maryland legislators is raising taxes. The tough choice would actually be to lower taxes and stop this wasteful spending. But that's never going to happen in this state.
As you probably know, Maryland State Senator Victor Ramirez (Democrat - Prince George's County) has been sponsoring legislation helping illegal immigrants for years. If I am not mistaken, this is the 2nd year that a bill is being pushed that would allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition to attend Maryland colleges, thus making is less likely that legal Maryland residents can get into college
Didn't Martin O'Malley run on a platform to increase college education opportunities for Maryland residents? Wouldn't admitting illegal immigrants take up spots that would otherwise go to legal Maryland residents? You have a pie. You can only cut it up but so much. Someone is getting left out with this legislation. Is it your child?
Liberal Maryland legislators continue to call these people undocumented individuals. I will continue to call them illegal immigrants. The current state of the bill would allow these illegal immigrants who have graduated from a Maryland high school to attend 2 year community colleges in Maryland and pay in-state tuition. Arguments for the cause say that we should not be punishing the children of criminals because of the illegal choices these criminals have made. Fair enough, except that these people shouldn't be in this country to start. Now we are providing conflicted laws that reward illegal immigrants for being here illegally. Are you following me?
To top it off, Tony Brown said today that Maryland needs an educated workforce and it makes sense for us to provide the opportunities for these illegal immigrants to get a college education so that illegal immigrants can make a contribution to our economy and keep Maryland moving forward. However, as an employer in Maryland, you KNOW that it is ILLEGAL to hire ILLEGAL immigrants. How is this legislation going to help them? Educated or not, illegal immigrants are not legally allowed to work in this country. And if you are an employer and you are caught hiring illegal immigrants, you face big fines. Would Maryland employers intentionally put themselves in this situation?
There are also some stipulations that the parents have to file taxes. Let's think about this - if you are an illegal immigrant and you are living here illegally, are you going to file taxes with the government to let them know you're here? Duh! (Thank you, Charlie Sheen) If any Maryland legislator honestly thinks that illegal immigrants are filing taxes and paying them, they are idiots.
The constant flow of pro-illegal immigration legislation is enabling the people that are the illegal immigrants. We're not doing anything to address the problem. We're giving more illegal immigrants a reason to come here. Eventually, more and more of your tax dollars will be going to support illegal immigrants in Maryland to provide services, such as healthcare, education, and social security, rather than having this money go to deserving LEGAL citizens of Maryland. How do you feel knowing that your benefits are being decreased so that the money can be used to support illegal immigrants?
And I think it goes without saying that we will need massive tax increases as the current structure cannot support the massive influx of illegal immigrants. Martin O'Malley continues to spin the rhetoric with this one. The massive annual tax increases on the middle class are called, "making sacrifices" and "we are all working together" and "we must all share the responsibility" and "making tough choices". What a bunch of crap!
Living in Maryland, it seems like the easy choice for Maryland legislators is raising taxes. The tough choice would actually be to lower taxes and stop this wasteful spending. But that's never going to happen in this state.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Dr. Nancy Grasmick Comes To Eldersburg
Oklahoma Road Middle School was recently received the distinguished honor of being named a Blue Ribbon School in the state of Maryland. This is a great honor as there were only 6 schools in the entire state that received honor this year.
I received word that Dr. Nancy Grasmick, the State Schools Superintendent, was coming to the school to congratulate the school. I decided to "work from home" for the early part of the day, then venture over to the school to snap a few pictures and hear what she has to say.
I arrived early enough to get a seat in the bleachers, which would allow me to get a picture of her. Had I gotten there a little bit later I would have been sitting behind the middle school students and I would not have been able to see over their heads. Yes, most middle school students are taller than me now.
She's totally looking at me in this picture isn't she?
Dr. Grasmick was led into the school from behind me in her little delegation of dignitaries. She then walked down the center aisle of the gym up to the podium. Also in the delegation were current Carroll County Schools Superintendent Stephen Guthrie, School Board President Jennifer Seidel, School Board member Gary Bauer, School Board member Virginia Harrison, Carroll County Director of Middle Schools Barry Gelsinger, and Executive Director for Partnerships and for the Maryland State Department of Eduation Darla Strouse.
After some preliminaries from the delegation, a video presentation, and some kind words from Principal Hood, Dr. Grasmick got up and gave her short speech. There are 735(?) students at Oklahoma Road Middle School (ORMS). Did you know that 135 students at ORMS have straight A's this year? I bet there are not 135 students in Baltimore City that have straight A's. But all in all it was a nice presentation.
I only have 2 criticisms - Dr. Grasmick talks like a Kindergarten teacher. Every word is slow and deliberate and nurturing. That is perfect for 5 year olds. Perhaps not so much for adults and 11-14 year olds.
My other criticism is the video presentation by the school. The person that created the presentation was not a grammar specialist. And there were plenty of missing words. Check it twice dude. You'll eliminate most errors by rereading your work.
Here is Carroll County Public School Superintendent Stephen Guthrie. He's a very charismatic man. I could see him moving up in the chain of command:
My pictures are not that great. I was using my longer lens, but it certainly wasn't the 15-30,000mm that I want to get. It was the 55-200. It'll have to do.
I was hoping they'd have a question and answer session and I'd get to ask Dr. Grasmick if she's retiring on her own free will or if Martin O'Malley took her into the back alley (the same one that we suspect O'Malley took Doug Duncan into when O'Malley ran against him for his first run at Governor) and made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Everyone who follows Maryland politics knows that Marty and do not get along. I think it is because she doesn't play politics and didn't want to blow sunshine up his sphincter, which basically makes her a thorn in his Irish side. There was even a rumor that she was going to be a running mate of Bob Ehrlich when he was running either the 2nd or 3rd time.
So while Dr. Grasmick is considering this her "Tour of Excellence", I think we can also call this her farewell tour. I wonder if the next State Schools Superintendent will actually care as much about education rather than making the Liberal Governor look good. I somehow doubt it.
I received word that Dr. Nancy Grasmick, the State Schools Superintendent, was coming to the school to congratulate the school. I decided to "work from home" for the early part of the day, then venture over to the school to snap a few pictures and hear what she has to say.
I arrived early enough to get a seat in the bleachers, which would allow me to get a picture of her. Had I gotten there a little bit later I would have been sitting behind the middle school students and I would not have been able to see over their heads. Yes, most middle school students are taller than me now.
She's totally looking at me in this picture isn't she?
Dr. Grasmick was led into the school from behind me in her little delegation of dignitaries. She then walked down the center aisle of the gym up to the podium. Also in the delegation were current Carroll County Schools Superintendent Stephen Guthrie, School Board President Jennifer Seidel, School Board member Gary Bauer, School Board member Virginia Harrison, Carroll County Director of Middle Schools Barry Gelsinger, and Executive Director for Partnerships and for the Maryland State Department of Eduation Darla Strouse.
After some preliminaries from the delegation, a video presentation, and some kind words from Principal Hood, Dr. Grasmick got up and gave her short speech. There are 735(?) students at Oklahoma Road Middle School (ORMS). Did you know that 135 students at ORMS have straight A's this year? I bet there are not 135 students in Baltimore City that have straight A's. But all in all it was a nice presentation.
I only have 2 criticisms - Dr. Grasmick talks like a Kindergarten teacher. Every word is slow and deliberate and nurturing. That is perfect for 5 year olds. Perhaps not so much for adults and 11-14 year olds.
My other criticism is the video presentation by the school. The person that created the presentation was not a grammar specialist. And there were plenty of missing words. Check it twice dude. You'll eliminate most errors by rereading your work.
Here is Carroll County Public School Superintendent Stephen Guthrie. He's a very charismatic man. I could see him moving up in the chain of command:
My pictures are not that great. I was using my longer lens, but it certainly wasn't the 15-30,000mm that I want to get. It was the 55-200. It'll have to do.
I was hoping they'd have a question and answer session and I'd get to ask Dr. Grasmick if she's retiring on her own free will or if Martin O'Malley took her into the back alley (the same one that we suspect O'Malley took Doug Duncan into when O'Malley ran against him for his first run at Governor) and made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Everyone who follows Maryland politics knows that Marty and do not get along. I think it is because she doesn't play politics and didn't want to blow sunshine up his sphincter, which basically makes her a thorn in his Irish side. There was even a rumor that she was going to be a running mate of Bob Ehrlich when he was running either the 2nd or 3rd time.
So while Dr. Grasmick is considering this her "Tour of Excellence", I think we can also call this her farewell tour. I wonder if the next State Schools Superintendent will actually care as much about education rather than making the Liberal Governor look good. I somehow doubt it.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Training for the Port to Fort 6K
I've mentioned several times that my daughter and I have been training for the Port to Fort 6K to benefit the Believe in Tomorrow Foundation. We've run 3 times up at Liberty High School. Twice we've run with her friend, and once we ran with my donut-lovin' friend who loves donuts.
A 6K is 15 laps around the track. That's 3 3/4 miles. My first two times were 38 minutes and 40 minutes. Today I ran it in 34:54. I think that's an awesome improvement. What was different this time? I took 4 Advil about an hour before I ran. However, I think I need four more now. My feet are throbbing.
The race is next Sunday, so I think I'll be as ready as I can be. I'd like to keep running through the summer. I've gained way too much weight in the last couple of years.
To date we've raised $11,670!!! If you're still thinking about donating to Team Payton, please do so with this link:
Donate to Team Payton
I see that Martin O'Malley STILL has not made a donation to our team. Governor - I'm reaching out to you. Would you please make a donation to our team? I'd hate to tell my daughter with leukemia that our Democratic Governor didn't donate to her. Does he hate children with cancer???
A 6K is 15 laps around the track. That's 3 3/4 miles. My first two times were 38 minutes and 40 minutes. Today I ran it in 34:54. I think that's an awesome improvement. What was different this time? I took 4 Advil about an hour before I ran. However, I think I need four more now. My feet are throbbing.
The race is next Sunday, so I think I'll be as ready as I can be. I'd like to keep running through the summer. I've gained way too much weight in the last couple of years.
To date we've raised $11,670!!! If you're still thinking about donating to Team Payton, please do so with this link:
Donate to Team Payton
I see that Martin O'Malley STILL has not made a donation to our team. Governor - I'm reaching out to you. Would you please make a donation to our team? I'd hate to tell my daughter with leukemia that our Democratic Governor didn't donate to her. Does he hate children with cancer???
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Martin O'Malley - the Duplicitous Two-Headed Union Champion
Kudos to my college roommate Squirrel for pointing this out to me. Extra kudos because he lives in North Carolina.
Does anyone find it ironic \ funny \ embarrassing \ etc that Maryland Governor, the liberal extremist humanitarian champion of the people Martin O'Mally criticized Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for his approach to trimming his state's massive budget problem, only to present similar offerings to the Maryland General Assembly, drawing thousands of union protesters to Annapolis to picket? I know. You liberals will say, "Oh, this is different." Whatever. You know I'm right.
As you may know, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker proposed limiting the states' union collective bargaining abilities. Like most states, Wisconsin currently has a structural deficit of several billion dollars. If you attended a Baltimore City public school, a structural deficit is when you have obligations to fund certain programs, but do not have the revenue stream to fund them. So, for example, let's say the economy goes to the crapper and hundreds of thousands of people are unemployed in your state (though most likely not state employees). With less people working there is less income tax revenue. And with more people unemployed, they're obviously spending less money, thus resulting in less tax revenue. This is the money that the state relies on to function.
Now, where is the money going? The unions across the country have successfully signed lucrative contracts with the different state agencies to give their union paying dues members huge pensions, high salaries, and healthcare plans that are funded mostly by the state, not the employees - unlike the rest of us who work in the for-profit world. Now the states can't afford to pay them.
There are options. The state could implement massive tax increases. But that's not popular. And most people would probably agree that the unions are abusing the system. So taking away some of their kitty is probably more popular.
So as you can see, Governor Walker of Wisconsin is in a precarious position. But that didn't stop Maryland Governor Marty O'Malley from attacking him. The future pretty-boy Presidential hopeful said that Walker's actions, "...represents a recipe for failure and ill will..."
Then on Monday, Annapolis was choked full of union members protesting O'Malley's proposals for dealing with Maryland's own structural deficit. According to the Washington Post, Maryland has $19 billion (BILLION) in unfunded pension liabilities and $16 BILLION in retiree health benefits. That's a lot of cussin' money!
After stripping the state education budget of $94 million, O'Malley is now attacking unions with his proposals of cutting said pensions and retiree health benefits.
So while O'Malley is busy nationally painting his personal Dorian Gray picture for his Presidential run, he's locally screwing Marylanders with the exact same tactics that he criticizes Republicans for doing. That, my friends, is the definition of a hypocrite.
Does anyone find it ironic \ funny \ embarrassing \ etc that Maryland Governor, the liberal extremist humanitarian champion of the people Martin O'Mally criticized Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for his approach to trimming his state's massive budget problem, only to present similar offerings to the Maryland General Assembly, drawing thousands of union protesters to Annapolis to picket? I know. You liberals will say, "Oh, this is different." Whatever. You know I'm right.
As you may know, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker proposed limiting the states' union collective bargaining abilities. Like most states, Wisconsin currently has a structural deficit of several billion dollars. If you attended a Baltimore City public school, a structural deficit is when you have obligations to fund certain programs, but do not have the revenue stream to fund them. So, for example, let's say the economy goes to the crapper and hundreds of thousands of people are unemployed in your state (though most likely not state employees). With less people working there is less income tax revenue. And with more people unemployed, they're obviously spending less money, thus resulting in less tax revenue. This is the money that the state relies on to function.
Now, where is the money going? The unions across the country have successfully signed lucrative contracts with the different state agencies to give their union paying dues members huge pensions, high salaries, and healthcare plans that are funded mostly by the state, not the employees - unlike the rest of us who work in the for-profit world. Now the states can't afford to pay them.
There are options. The state could implement massive tax increases. But that's not popular. And most people would probably agree that the unions are abusing the system. So taking away some of their kitty is probably more popular.
So as you can see, Governor Walker of Wisconsin is in a precarious position. But that didn't stop Maryland Governor Marty O'Malley from attacking him. The future pretty-boy Presidential hopeful said that Walker's actions, "...represents a recipe for failure and ill will..."
Then on Monday, Annapolis was choked full of union members protesting O'Malley's proposals for dealing with Maryland's own structural deficit. According to the Washington Post, Maryland has $19 billion (BILLION) in unfunded pension liabilities and $16 BILLION in retiree health benefits. That's a lot of cussin' money!
After stripping the state education budget of $94 million, O'Malley is now attacking unions with his proposals of cutting said pensions and retiree health benefits.
So while O'Malley is busy nationally painting his personal Dorian Gray picture for his Presidential run, he's locally screwing Marylanders with the exact same tactics that he criticizes Republicans for doing. That, my friends, is the definition of a hypocrite.
Eludius - the Blood Donor
Martin O'Malley - do you donate blood? I never see you bragging about donating blood. I hear you bragging all the time, though. But never about donating blood.
I donated blood today. I called today to learn how many times I've donated in my lifetime. I know I've donated twice with the Carolina Blood Bank, but the remainder of the donation are through the Red Cross.
Chris, the friendly fella at the Red Cross customer service center, said that I've donated 39 times. However, he said the records only go back to 1999. I know that I donated once as a senior in high school to help my friend Tom with his Eagle Scout project. I donated a couple times while at Harford Community College. I donated on the day the Alfred Murah building was bombed in Oklahoma City in 1995 while I worked at the VISA Assistance Center in Owings Mills. And I know I donated several times at American Amalgamated Corrugated Conglomerate of America prior to 1999.
So by estimation, I've donated 47 times. Not too bad. I know there are others that have donated much more. I've always felt obligated to donate blood. It's easy to do and I've never had any problems. But now that my daughter has leukemia and has needed blood and platelets I feel even more dedicated - to the point where I'm going around harassing other people to donate. And I just calculated it - a donation is roughly 1 pint of blood. 47 pints is 5.875 gallons. I've donated almost 6 gallons of blood in my lifetime! Hokey-smoke, Bullwinkle!
Funniest donation story - was actually when I donated the day of the attack in Oklahoma City. There was a young girl donating in the chair across from me. She didn't look too good. Sort of gray in the face. You could tell by her eyes that she was mentally all over the place as the blood drained from her body.
The phlebotomist (people who take your blood) kept asking the girl if she felt okay. The girl said yes. I don't even have an education in phlebotomy and I could tell she wasn't okay. Nonetheless when she finished they let her get up and instructed her to walk over to the table to get some juice and cookies. She took two steps then started staggering to one side until she was doing a face-plant on the linoleum. Yes, that's probably not too funny. But it is. They laid her down, got her fluids and she was eventually okay. But, duh, I knew she was going to pass out.
I donated blood today. I called today to learn how many times I've donated in my lifetime. I know I've donated twice with the Carolina Blood Bank, but the remainder of the donation are through the Red Cross.
Chris, the friendly fella at the Red Cross customer service center, said that I've donated 39 times. However, he said the records only go back to 1999. I know that I donated once as a senior in high school to help my friend Tom with his Eagle Scout project. I donated a couple times while at Harford Community College. I donated on the day the Alfred Murah building was bombed in Oklahoma City in 1995 while I worked at the VISA Assistance Center in Owings Mills. And I know I donated several times at American Amalgamated Corrugated Conglomerate of America prior to 1999.So by estimation, I've donated 47 times. Not too bad. I know there are others that have donated much more. I've always felt obligated to donate blood. It's easy to do and I've never had any problems. But now that my daughter has leukemia and has needed blood and platelets I feel even more dedicated - to the point where I'm going around harassing other people to donate. And I just calculated it - a donation is roughly 1 pint of blood. 47 pints is 5.875 gallons. I've donated almost 6 gallons of blood in my lifetime! Hokey-smoke, Bullwinkle!
Funniest donation story - was actually when I donated the day of the attack in Oklahoma City. There was a young girl donating in the chair across from me. She didn't look too good. Sort of gray in the face. You could tell by her eyes that she was mentally all over the place as the blood drained from her body.
The phlebotomist (people who take your blood) kept asking the girl if she felt okay. The girl said yes. I don't even have an education in phlebotomy and I could tell she wasn't okay. Nonetheless when she finished they let her get up and instructed her to walk over to the table to get some juice and cookies. She took two steps then started staggering to one side until she was doing a face-plant on the linoleum. Yes, that's probably not too funny. But it is. They laid her down, got her fluids and she was eventually okay. But, duh, I knew she was going to pass out.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Who is Supporting Team Payton?
I've been absolutely amazed at the generosity of people since we started Team Payton to benefit The Believe in Tomorrow Foundation. So many people have joined to run or walk while dozens of others have made generous donations.
I decided to do an analysis to breakdown who is giving.
I went to St. Anthony's from 1978 - 1986. The school was located on Frankfort Avenue in East Baltimore, but sadly no longer exists. 6 of my friends from St. Anthony's have donated or are running.
After one of our neighbors was murdered in 1986 when we lived in Rosedale, my parents decided it was time to get out of the ghetto. A week after I graduated from St. Anthony's from the 8th grade we high-tailed it to Bel Air up in Harford County. I attended Bel Air High School from 1986 - 1990. Yes, we were the first class to graduate in the 90's, which obviously made us the coolest class EVER. 4 of my friends from high school are participating in the event.
After high school I did a two-year rotation at Harford Community College where I met my wife. So she counts from this era. After HCC I transferred to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. One of my good friends from Winthrop has made a generous donation.
I worked a couple of jobs after college - first at the Visa Assistance Center in Owings Mills for a few months, but then left when I was offered a lucrative job at the now-defunct Carr Lowrey Glass Company in Westport, one of the many ghettos in Baltimore City (I was making $20,000 per year to start!!!). After I was happily laid off from that job, I got started at American Amalgamated Corrugated Conglomerates of America, where I've successfully moved up the ladder up to the gluing and amalgating department.
9 of my coworkers are running in the race. Another 27 have made donations. I work with some wonderful people.
In 1999 my wife and I moved from Bel Air to Eldersburg. We have rockin' neighbors who are the kindest, most generous people we've met. Maybe that means we haven't met that many people. Or we really are that lucky. 7 of our friends and neighbors are running, walking, or have made donations (and a few are walking AND have donated money!).
And there are the people I don't even know. I suspect they are friends of friends, but to think that you would help take up a cause for people you don't even know, what remarkable people! I didn't count, but I would estimate about 50 people we don't know have either signed up for race day or have made donations. To those of you we don't know or don't know yet - thank you!
Our family is helping, too. My niece is actually the 4th largest individual fund raisers thus far. My sister-in-law, my nephew, my niece, and her boyfriend are all participating. And 2 of my wife's cousins and her aunt and uncle have donated.
We have several families from my children's sports teams that have donated. And one of our best family friends from Church is on board. We were informed that the Sunday School project for this month is Team Payton. So we expect a lot of participation from them.
I still have several friends that keep promising that they will sign up.
Who hasn't signed up? Martin O'Malley hasn't signed up. Martin O'Malley - you are officially invited to sign up to run with us or make a donation to our team. If you do so, I promise to be nice to you for an entire week! Show some love, Gov!
If I've convinced you to sign up or make a donation, the CLICK HERE.
I decided to do an analysis to breakdown who is giving.
I went to St. Anthony's from 1978 - 1986. The school was located on Frankfort Avenue in East Baltimore, but sadly no longer exists. 6 of my friends from St. Anthony's have donated or are running.
After one of our neighbors was murdered in 1986 when we lived in Rosedale, my parents decided it was time to get out of the ghetto. A week after I graduated from St. Anthony's from the 8th grade we high-tailed it to Bel Air up in Harford County. I attended Bel Air High School from 1986 - 1990. Yes, we were the first class to graduate in the 90's, which obviously made us the coolest class EVER. 4 of my friends from high school are participating in the event.
After high school I did a two-year rotation at Harford Community College where I met my wife. So she counts from this era. After HCC I transferred to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. One of my good friends from Winthrop has made a generous donation.
I worked a couple of jobs after college - first at the Visa Assistance Center in Owings Mills for a few months, but then left when I was offered a lucrative job at the now-defunct Carr Lowrey Glass Company in Westport, one of the many ghettos in Baltimore City (I was making $20,000 per year to start!!!). After I was happily laid off from that job, I got started at American Amalgamated Corrugated Conglomerates of America, where I've successfully moved up the ladder up to the gluing and amalgating department.
9 of my coworkers are running in the race. Another 27 have made donations. I work with some wonderful people.
In 1999 my wife and I moved from Bel Air to Eldersburg. We have rockin' neighbors who are the kindest, most generous people we've met. Maybe that means we haven't met that many people. Or we really are that lucky. 7 of our friends and neighbors are running, walking, or have made donations (and a few are walking AND have donated money!).
And there are the people I don't even know. I suspect they are friends of friends, but to think that you would help take up a cause for people you don't even know, what remarkable people! I didn't count, but I would estimate about 50 people we don't know have either signed up for race day or have made donations. To those of you we don't know or don't know yet - thank you!
Our family is helping, too. My niece is actually the 4th largest individual fund raisers thus far. My sister-in-law, my nephew, my niece, and her boyfriend are all participating. And 2 of my wife's cousins and her aunt and uncle have donated.
We have several families from my children's sports teams that have donated. And one of our best family friends from Church is on board. We were informed that the Sunday School project for this month is Team Payton. So we expect a lot of participation from them.
I still have several friends that keep promising that they will sign up.
Who hasn't signed up? Martin O'Malley hasn't signed up. Martin O'Malley - you are officially invited to sign up to run with us or make a donation to our team. If you do so, I promise to be nice to you for an entire week! Show some love, Gov!
If I've convinced you to sign up or make a donation, the CLICK HERE.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Martin O'Malley: Nepotism is Our Friend. And Relative.
Everyone who has ever held a real job knows that nepotism is bad. If you're a Baltimore City public school graduate, you're probably asking, 'what is nepotism?'
Nepotism is granting favors to relatives or friends regardless of merit. In most cases, situations of nepotism would be severely criticized. It should not be tolerated. But it's an entirely different situation here in Maryland. Especially with the Democratic Party.
According to the Daily Record, on February 18th, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley re-appointed his wife Katie O'Malley to a 2nd term as a Baltimore District Court Judge.
Isn't that something that Tony Brown could have done? Is there no conflict of interest in appointing your wife to a position of power, regardless of her qualifications? This isn't illegal??? I'm not questioning her ability to serve that position. Most likely she deserves it. It just should be someone else doing the appointing.
Then, according to Robert Lang on WBAL.com, on March 4th, Martin O'Malley nominated his brother Peter to be the next chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
It's bad enough that Katie O'Malley is the daughter of former Lt. Governor and former Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. Now we have an O'Malley as Governor. An O'Malley as a Baltimore District Court Judge, and will soon have an O'Malley as the chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
Is this the modern Kennedy family? This is the political mafia at its finest.
Imagine if the Republican Party had done the same thing. You KNOW the liberal press and the Democrats would be going ballistic. Instead, they sit quietly on the sidelines blissfully nodding their heads in agreement. Remember the old Bugs Bunny cartoon with Mugsy and Rocky? This is the Democratic Party in Maryland. Sitting around saying, "Okay, boss."
When I become rule of the world, my wife will become Czar of Family Care, my father will be the Czar of Public Policy, my mother the Czar of Healthcare, my brother will be he Czar of Public Works, my sister will be the Czar of Information Technology, and I'll let my kids choose what they want to do. And you'll like it. Because I'm in charge.
Nepotism is granting favors to relatives or friends regardless of merit. In most cases, situations of nepotism would be severely criticized. It should not be tolerated. But it's an entirely different situation here in Maryland. Especially with the Democratic Party.
According to the Daily Record, on February 18th, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley re-appointed his wife Katie O'Malley to a 2nd term as a Baltimore District Court Judge.
Isn't that something that Tony Brown could have done? Is there no conflict of interest in appointing your wife to a position of power, regardless of her qualifications? This isn't illegal??? I'm not questioning her ability to serve that position. Most likely she deserves it. It just should be someone else doing the appointing.
Then, according to Robert Lang on WBAL.com, on March 4th, Martin O'Malley nominated his brother Peter to be the next chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
It's bad enough that Katie O'Malley is the daughter of former Lt. Governor and former Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. Now we have an O'Malley as Governor. An O'Malley as a Baltimore District Court Judge, and will soon have an O'Malley as the chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
Is this the modern Kennedy family? This is the political mafia at its finest.
Imagine if the Republican Party had done the same thing. You KNOW the liberal press and the Democrats would be going ballistic. Instead, they sit quietly on the sidelines blissfully nodding their heads in agreement. Remember the old Bugs Bunny cartoon with Mugsy and Rocky? This is the Democratic Party in Maryland. Sitting around saying, "Okay, boss."
When I become rule of the world, my wife will become Czar of Family Care, my father will be the Czar of Public Policy, my mother the Czar of Healthcare, my brother will be he Czar of Public Works, my sister will be the Czar of Information Technology, and I'll let my kids choose what they want to do. And you'll like it. Because I'm in charge.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Dear Martin O'Malley....
Dear Martin O'Malley,
You thought you were rid of me, didn't you? You are not so lucky. To the contrary, while my misfortune has been to your benefit, you can consider your reprieve over.
To fill you in, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Keeping you honest has not been a priority of mine. However, you will be pleased to know that she responds well to treatment and is currently in remission, though her chemotherapy will continue for at least another 2 years and 4 months.
Maryland has some great hospitals and doctors, but I don't want you to take credit for that because you have nothing to do with that benefit. I have a great employer who has been very supportive during our challenging times, but I don't want you to take credit for that, either. You have nothing to do with employers supporting their employees in Maryland when in fact you seem to go out of your way to chase profit-seeking companies out of the state because they are greedy big businesses.
I must say that your defeat over former Governor Robert Ehrlich was a win-lose situation for me. I lose because you remain as Governor. I win because I can continue this blog to point out why you and many of your cronies do not deserve to be in office.
So, in summary, you can put your guard back up, start spinning the news, and release the rhetoric. Eludius is back, Buddy-Boy.
You thought you were rid of me, didn't you? You are not so lucky. To the contrary, while my misfortune has been to your benefit, you can consider your reprieve over.
To fill you in, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Keeping you honest has not been a priority of mine. However, you will be pleased to know that she responds well to treatment and is currently in remission, though her chemotherapy will continue for at least another 2 years and 4 months.
Maryland has some great hospitals and doctors, but I don't want you to take credit for that because you have nothing to do with that benefit. I have a great employer who has been very supportive during our challenging times, but I don't want you to take credit for that, either. You have nothing to do with employers supporting their employees in Maryland when in fact you seem to go out of your way to chase profit-seeking companies out of the state because they are greedy big businesses.
I must say that your defeat over former Governor Robert Ehrlich was a win-lose situation for me. I lose because you remain as Governor. I win because I can continue this blog to point out why you and many of your cronies do not deserve to be in office.
So, in summary, you can put your guard back up, start spinning the news, and release the rhetoric. Eludius is back, Buddy-Boy.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
More Calamitous - An Asteroid or Martin O'Malley?
I read today that two asteroids came within lunar distance from Earth today. What that means is the two asteroids flew between the Earth and the moon. Fortunately they were far enough away and didn't hit the planet. The asteroids were said to be about 20 to 40 feet in length and were only discovered on Sunday.What caught my eye in the article, other than the liberal hysteria that our asteroid detection programs need more money from the White House, is that we need to do more work to find rogue asteroids that might hit the Earth.
What in the world are we going to do if we find an asteroid projected to impact our planet? Send Bruce Willis up in a spaceship to blow it up? Do we really want to know that one will hit us and we're all going to die?
That'd be like knowing that Martin O'Malley is going to win another term as governor. Would you want to know that? Would we want to prolong our suffering knowing it was going to happen? I think not. Just don't tell me if it's going to happen.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
O'Malley Campaign Losing Traction
Late week when the Ehrlich campaign delivered a debate proposal to Martin O'Malley's band of reveling fools, an O'Malley spokesman said that "Ehrlich is losing momentum in this campaign because he represents the past...".
Today, with the Ehrlich campaign continuing to lose momentum, they have caught up to O'Malley in the poll numbers. A Rasmussen poll now shows that race for governor is statistically tied, with Martin "I whiten my teeth" O'Malley receiving just over 45% of the vote and Ehrlich getting over 44%, but with the error margin at +/- 4%, they are statistically tied.
A recent Gonzales Poll showed similar results, declaring that there is no clear winner.
O'Malley, on the other hand, while taking breaks from brushing his hair and applying makeup, likes to cite his own doctored numbers which shows that he is the greatest Governor in the history of the land and that voters favor his massive historical tax increases and look forward to additional massive tax increases next year when there is no more stimulus money to fund current fixed expenditures.
Critics of both polls say that respondents do not include clueless people who have no phones (or clues) and will blindly support Democrats on all issues regardless of the consequences.
Hopefully O'Malley supports will take the advise of 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan and "Don't vote!". Of course he also said, "Did you know that in the amount of time it takes to vote you could play three games of pool? Three! Now that's fresh."
Today, with the Ehrlich campaign continuing to lose momentum, they have caught up to O'Malley in the poll numbers. A Rasmussen poll now shows that race for governor is statistically tied, with Martin "I whiten my teeth" O'Malley receiving just over 45% of the vote and Ehrlich getting over 44%, but with the error margin at +/- 4%, they are statistically tied.
A recent Gonzales Poll showed similar results, declaring that there is no clear winner.
O'Malley, on the other hand, while taking breaks from brushing his hair and applying makeup, likes to cite his own doctored numbers which shows that he is the greatest Governor in the history of the land and that voters favor his massive historical tax increases and look forward to additional massive tax increases next year when there is no more stimulus money to fund current fixed expenditures.
Critics of both polls say that respondents do not include clueless people who have no phones (or clues) and will blindly support Democrats on all issues regardless of the consequences.
Hopefully O'Malley supports will take the advise of 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan and "Don't vote!". Of course he also said, "Did you know that in the amount of time it takes to vote you could play three games of pool? Three! Now that's fresh."
Monday, August 16, 2010
O'Malley - Duplicitous As Always
As reported on WBAL.com, Republican candidate for Governor Robert Ehrlich sent the O'Malley camp a letter requesting several debates. The letter proposed 5 debates between the current governor that everyone despises and the former governor that everyone loves, but can't believe they didn't vote for in the last election. Even my liberal friends are saying that Ehrlich didn't deserve to lose that one.
Anyway, the O'Malley camp said that they would love to debate Governor Ehrlich should he win the Republican primary. Like he's really going to lose that one. Just another liberal jab to pretend that Ehrlich's candidacy is anything but certain.
Meanwhile, in their response, O'Malley says that they originally challenged Ehrlich to a debate in April, prior to when Ehrlich had declared himself a candidate in the race, a debate which Ehrlich never responded.
Let me get this straight - O'Malley was ready to debate Ehrlich when he was not an official candidate for governor, but now that he is an official candidate for Governor, he wants to wait until he wins the primary so that they are certain that it is he that they will be debating?
O'Malley - Maryland's First Class Jerk - Moving Maryland Around in Circles.
Anyway, the O'Malley camp said that they would love to debate Governor Ehrlich should he win the Republican primary. Like he's really going to lose that one. Just another liberal jab to pretend that Ehrlich's candidacy is anything but certain.
Meanwhile, in their response, O'Malley says that they originally challenged Ehrlich to a debate in April, prior to when Ehrlich had declared himself a candidate in the race, a debate which Ehrlich never responded.
Let me get this straight - O'Malley was ready to debate Ehrlich when he was not an official candidate for governor, but now that he is an official candidate for Governor, he wants to wait until he wins the primary so that they are certain that it is he that they will be debating?
O'Malley - Maryland's First Class Jerk - Moving Maryland Around in Circles.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Worst Person in Baltimore - Pat Jessamy
The nonsense in Baltimore City seems never-ending. The city is nicknamed 'the city that bleeds' for a reason. Fortunately, the 300+ murders per year during the Schmoke and O'Malley administration are gone (at least for now). But while murder rates are down over the last few years, shootings are not.
One has been consistent in Baltimore City over most of that time - Baltimore City State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy. It's her office's job to convict criminals and put them in prison. Instead, her office has the conviction rate mimicking the Orioles batting average. As anyone who is a family member or friend of a victim, it seems as if her office goes out of its way to protect the criminals.
And this is just some of the background of why Patricia Jessamy is an unqualified incompetent nut. Things got even crazier lately.
For a while, Baltimore City was going through Police Commissioners like heroin addicts go through needles. I don't think the mayor's revolving door ever stopped spinning before the guy in charge was dismissed for another.
Then along came Fred Bealefeld. Under his leadership, murders have gone down even more than under any recent commissioner. I'm not sure about shootings, because the news seems to lead off with about 4 or 5 every evening. However, from the perspective of us fearful residents looking in from the county it appears that he's doing a good job.
Then Commissioner Bealefeld decided to put up a political sign to endorse Gregg Berstein. Who's that, you ask? Why - he running against Patricia Jessamy for City State's Attorney. And all hell broke loose.
Immediately Miss Jessamy started hooting and hollering how it was inappropriate (for him to endorse someone other than her????). Then she demanded an investigation of him, which pretty much everyone ignored. Jessamy then received a tepid backing (though he would not endorse her) from former high crime mayor Martin O'Malley.
And then to prove that she continues to have diarrhea of the mouth, Miss Jessamy said:
"(Bernstein) doesn't understand the state system. I think he has spent all of his time or the majority of his time in federal court. Federal court is like a private school in a high-rent district. The Baltimore city state's attorney's office and Circuit Court are like a public school in a low-rent district. He does not have a clue."
She wants to complain about inappropriate? I think this is near the top of the list. Mr. Bernstein is clueless? Honey - look in the mirror. It is you that are clueless.
And for this, Patricia Jessamy wins this month's award for the Worst Person in Baltimore.
VOTE FOR BERNSTEIN !!!!
One has been consistent in Baltimore City over most of that time - Baltimore City State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy. It's her office's job to convict criminals and put them in prison. Instead, her office has the conviction rate mimicking the Orioles batting average. As anyone who is a family member or friend of a victim, it seems as if her office goes out of its way to protect the criminals.
And this is just some of the background of why Patricia Jessamy is an unqualified incompetent nut. Things got even crazier lately.
For a while, Baltimore City was going through Police Commissioners like heroin addicts go through needles. I don't think the mayor's revolving door ever stopped spinning before the guy in charge was dismissed for another.
Then along came Fred Bealefeld. Under his leadership, murders have gone down even more than under any recent commissioner. I'm not sure about shootings, because the news seems to lead off with about 4 or 5 every evening. However, from the perspective of us fearful residents looking in from the county it appears that he's doing a good job.
Then Commissioner Bealefeld decided to put up a political sign to endorse Gregg Berstein. Who's that, you ask? Why - he running against Patricia Jessamy for City State's Attorney. And all hell broke loose.
Immediately Miss Jessamy started hooting and hollering how it was inappropriate (for him to endorse someone other than her????). Then she demanded an investigation of him, which pretty much everyone ignored. Jessamy then received a tepid backing (though he would not endorse her) from former high crime mayor Martin O'Malley.
And then to prove that she continues to have diarrhea of the mouth, Miss Jessamy said:
"(Bernstein) doesn't understand the state system. I think he has spent all of his time or the majority of his time in federal court. Federal court is like a private school in a high-rent district. The Baltimore city state's attorney's office and Circuit Court are like a public school in a low-rent district. He does not have a clue."
She wants to complain about inappropriate? I think this is near the top of the list. Mr. Bernstein is clueless? Honey - look in the mirror. It is you that are clueless.
And for this, Patricia Jessamy wins this month's award for the Worst Person in Baltimore.
VOTE FOR BERNSTEIN !!!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
O'Malley Assigns Blame for Baltimore Murder
After much media hoopla and finger-pointing over the murder of 23 year old Johns Hopkins researcher Stephen Pitcairn, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has decided to jump on the blame bandwagon and has assigned the blame to Judge John Howard.
Judge John Howard twice released murderer John Wagner who was sent back to the streets to release his violent wrath upon society.
After learning that Judge John Howard was appointed by former Governor and current opponent Bob Ehrlich, it is easy to see why O'Malley is jumping on this. Though absolutely ludicrous, he will surely assign the blame of Stephen Pitcairn's murder to Bob Ehrlich. If Ehrlich hadn't appointed John Howard to his seat, then he wouldn't have released John Howard back on the streets and John Wagner would still be alive. Watch - it will happen.
In fact, O'Malley went on to say, "Whenever I appoint judges the question I always ask each and every one of them is will you send people to jail when they have a history and they are found guilty in front of you of shooting, robbing, committing crimes of violence against others". I'm sure he really says that. But the timing of the rhetoric is good, right?
The ridiculousness of this argument is obviated by the fact that judges and prosecutors in Baltimore City routinely release criminals back onto the streets. Thousands of criminals were released back onto the streets while O'Malley was mayor of the city that bleeds.
John Wagner is no anomaly. In fact, he's the status quo of the Baltimore judicial system. Two weeks ago Martin O'Malley would have praised John Wagner for giving these victims of society a second chance. Now the table has turned and he surely will use it as an opportunity to reassign blame.
Trust me. It will happen.
Judge John Howard twice released murderer John Wagner who was sent back to the streets to release his violent wrath upon society.
After learning that Judge John Howard was appointed by former Governor and current opponent Bob Ehrlich, it is easy to see why O'Malley is jumping on this. Though absolutely ludicrous, he will surely assign the blame of Stephen Pitcairn's murder to Bob Ehrlich. If Ehrlich hadn't appointed John Howard to his seat, then he wouldn't have released John Howard back on the streets and John Wagner would still be alive. Watch - it will happen.
In fact, O'Malley went on to say, "Whenever I appoint judges the question I always ask each and every one of them is will you send people to jail when they have a history and they are found guilty in front of you of shooting, robbing, committing crimes of violence against others". I'm sure he really says that. But the timing of the rhetoric is good, right?
The ridiculousness of this argument is obviated by the fact that judges and prosecutors in Baltimore City routinely release criminals back onto the streets. Thousands of criminals were released back onto the streets while O'Malley was mayor of the city that bleeds.
John Wagner is no anomaly. In fact, he's the status quo of the Baltimore judicial system. Two weeks ago Martin O'Malley would have praised John Wagner for giving these victims of society a second chance. Now the table has turned and he surely will use it as an opportunity to reassign blame.
Trust me. It will happen.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
O'Malley Praises Baltimore's Crime Enhancer
O'Malley, in a show of Democratic solidarity, praised the Baltimore State's Attorney for the wonderful job she is doing letting criminals have easy sentences which allow them to go out and kill more people.
On Sunday night, 23 year old Steven Pictairn, a research technician at Johns Hopkins University, was stabbed to death by 2 thugs, husband and wife duo nonetheless, after robbing him of his wallet. The thugs, John Wagner and Lavela Merritt, are no strangers to crime. Both had earlier robbed people in the area and were apparently staking the place out for victims. Additionally, John Wagner is a convicted violent career criminal and both have long rap sheets. And for some reason, they always seem to get out of serving their sentences in their entirety.
Time and time again the court system in Baltimore City, from judges to attorneys, seem to have made it their priority to not try too hard. Their efforts to ensure that violent criminals remain on the streets has been successful. While in office as City State's Attorney, Jessamy's watch has repeatedly seen criminals released back into society where they commit more crimes and kill more people. Jessamy has helped maintain the fact that Baltimore is one of the most violent cities in the country. And she seems fairly proud of that fact - well, she seems proud of her work, but that's the most obvious accomplishment.
And on Thursday, Martin O'Malley praised her and her office for the hard work they do. If the hard work they are doing is putting criminals back on the streets, then Martin O'Malley must love the murders that happen in the city. If Martin O'Malley really cared about reducing crime in poor urban areas, he would do more than talk about the hard work that prosecutors and judges do. He would actually implement strategies that actually reduce crime - like locking up criminals for a long time.
I'm no criminal justice major, but to me it seems like if you lock up all of the criminals, they won't be committing as many crimes on the streets. If you give them short sentences or just release them altogether, then they will be on the streets and they WILL commit more crimes.
So Marty, you need to realize that the people of Maryland are not that stupid. Praising Patrician Jessamy for her continued failure as a State's Attorney is a failing strategy. But I encourage you to continue it so that you can start you new job early next year.
On Sunday night, 23 year old Steven Pictairn, a research technician at Johns Hopkins University, was stabbed to death by 2 thugs, husband and wife duo nonetheless, after robbing him of his wallet. The thugs, John Wagner and Lavela Merritt, are no strangers to crime. Both had earlier robbed people in the area and were apparently staking the place out for victims. Additionally, John Wagner is a convicted violent career criminal and both have long rap sheets. And for some reason, they always seem to get out of serving their sentences in their entirety.
Time and time again the court system in Baltimore City, from judges to attorneys, seem to have made it their priority to not try too hard. Their efforts to ensure that violent criminals remain on the streets has been successful. While in office as City State's Attorney, Jessamy's watch has repeatedly seen criminals released back into society where they commit more crimes and kill more people. Jessamy has helped maintain the fact that Baltimore is one of the most violent cities in the country. And she seems fairly proud of that fact - well, she seems proud of her work, but that's the most obvious accomplishment.
And on Thursday, Martin O'Malley praised her and her office for the hard work they do. If the hard work they are doing is putting criminals back on the streets, then Martin O'Malley must love the murders that happen in the city. If Martin O'Malley really cared about reducing crime in poor urban areas, he would do more than talk about the hard work that prosecutors and judges do. He would actually implement strategies that actually reduce crime - like locking up criminals for a long time.
I'm no criminal justice major, but to me it seems like if you lock up all of the criminals, they won't be committing as many crimes on the streets. If you give them short sentences or just release them altogether, then they will be on the streets and they WILL commit more crimes.
So Marty, you need to realize that the people of Maryland are not that stupid. Praising Patrician Jessamy for her continued failure as a State's Attorney is a failing strategy. But I encourage you to continue it so that you can start you new job early next year.
Friday, July 16, 2010
O'Malley Admits "Tactical Mistake"
You've probably heard those hideous attack ads that O'Malley is running on the radio. I've blogged about them before. Funny how the incumbent is already on the attack. I thought it was the person running against the incumbent that was supposed to run the attack ads.
On WTOP radio today our smiling buffoon admitted that his attack ads that implied Ehrlich's guilt and involvement in the Gulf oil spill and his votes in Congress favor of big oil (which were bipartisan votes - meaning both parties voted for the bills) were "tactical mistakes" not lies like they really are.
O'Malley had repeatedly lied and implied or stated directly that Ehrlich was in the pockets of big corporations. You know the ones - the big corporations that are fleeing Maryland's high taxes and taking jobs with them. The big corporations that hire thousands of people. O'Malley hates big corporations that hire thousands of Marylanders.
Part of the problem with O'Malley is that he has two opponents. The first is former Governor Ehrlich, who now is creeping into the lead with probable voters. The other opponent is himself. People just plain don't like O'Malley right now. They don't like his arrogance. They don't like his condescension. They don't like his rhetoric. And they don't like the fact that he constantly blames everything on Ehrlich. As my wife always tells my kids: "Take responsibility for your actions." And O'Malley is just not doing that right now.
And probably most importantly, people don't like O'Malley's record as a governor. And that is haunting him. And because of his incompetence and failures, he is running against his own record.
This may be an election just like 2002. People didn't really vote for Ehrlich. They voted against Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. It's starting to look like people may again not be voting for Ehrlich, but against O'Malley. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully it's a nice repeat of 2002
On WTOP radio today our smiling buffoon admitted that his attack ads that implied Ehrlich's guilt and involvement in the Gulf oil spill and his votes in Congress favor of big oil (which were bipartisan votes - meaning both parties voted for the bills) were "tactical mistakes" not lies like they really are.
O'Malley had repeatedly lied and implied or stated directly that Ehrlich was in the pockets of big corporations. You know the ones - the big corporations that are fleeing Maryland's high taxes and taking jobs with them. The big corporations that hire thousands of people. O'Malley hates big corporations that hire thousands of Marylanders.
Part of the problem with O'Malley is that he has two opponents. The first is former Governor Ehrlich, who now is creeping into the lead with probable voters. The other opponent is himself. People just plain don't like O'Malley right now. They don't like his arrogance. They don't like his condescension. They don't like his rhetoric. And they don't like the fact that he constantly blames everything on Ehrlich. As my wife always tells my kids: "Take responsibility for your actions." And O'Malley is just not doing that right now.
And probably most importantly, people don't like O'Malley's record as a governor. And that is haunting him. And because of his incompetence and failures, he is running against his own record.
This may be an election just like 2002. People didn't really vote for Ehrlich. They voted against Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. It's starting to look like people may again not be voting for Ehrlich, but against O'Malley. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully it's a nice repeat of 2002
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