The Woes Continue at The Sun

Everyone knows that The Baltimore Sun lays off 10% of it's workers ever week. It's really become evident in their print addition. Gone are the days of the multi-sectioned newspaper containing relevant articles written by Baltimore writers. Here today are is the 8-page paper written by out-of-town writers from the AP about events that you could care less about.

Now, it has become evident that not only has the print edition suffered, but now the online edition is suffering. I suspect they fired their layout editor. I mean, who needs to check the layout to make sure it's proper anyway? That's like keeping those pesky home inspectors on the government payroll.

So here is the layout from an article this morning. If you are really enthusiastic about the poll on the left side of the page, you get to answer it a second time on the right section a few inches down. Perhaps The Sun is just being generous. But I suspect they are continuing their stupidity. Or Martin O'Malley made them do it and we all know that when Marty says jump, editors at The Sun say, "How high?"

Letter From House Republican Caucus

I received this from Delegate Susan Krebs. This is not my own writing.
__________________________________________________

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Shannon Oxley (410) 841-3401
Carrie Simons-Sparrow (410) 841-3401

Maryland House Republicans Respond to O’Malley Budget Cuts

Maryland House Republicans today responded to Governor O’Malley’s announcement of his planned budget cuts with skepticism.

“ Last year at this time we were told that the state was in a fiscal crisis, and the only way to deal with the situation was to increase taxes, while still continuing to increase spending” said Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell. “Both during the special session and the 2008 regular legislative session, we continued to remind the administration and the Democratic leadership that increasing taxes and spending at a time when the economy was headed into a downturn was irresponsible and reckless. By disregarding our advice, they have created the situation that makes these cuts necessary. They cannot simply blame the national economic downturn.”

The actions taken during the special session of 2007 raised taxes in Maryland by $1.3 billion, the largest increase in State history, while total spending increased from fiscal year 2008 to 2009 by 4.2%, an increase of $1.3 billion. The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington, D.C., announced on Oct 15th that, according to their annual review of “business friendliness” of each state’s tax systems, Maryland dropped from 24th in the nation to 45th. This was the largest decline of any state in the nation, a direct result of the O’Malley tax increases.

“This administration has increased taxes and spending in an already gloomy economic environment. Raising taxes right before a national recession has worsened this crisis, dampening consumer spending and creating a climate that will discourage job creation” said Minority Whip Christopher Shank. “Yet Governor O’Malley refuses to acknowledge his own part in the current situation, and continues to ignore our calls for responsible fiscal leadership.”

“The House Republican Caucus has offered an alternative budget proposal for the past two years, and we have been soundly ignored and even flippantly dismissed for entirely partisan political reasons” continued Delegate O’Donnell. “Are the administration and the legislative leadership going to continue setting unrealistic budgets and coming back with doomsday scenarios as an annual event? Or will we finally recognize that significant, honest, ongoing reductions and a fundamental change in attitude is the only way to prevent exactly that?”

“We will continue to offer alternative budget solutions that are thought-out, honest, and reflect core priorities” said Delegate Shank. “Cutting core state priorities like public safety and services to vulnerable populations would not be necessary if the Administration and Democratic leadership had restrained the rate of growth and reigned in spending like we proposed for the past two sessions. Now is the time to seriously consider all of the options available in order to ensure that Maryland citizens are served by their government rather than being encumbered by it.”

nooooo. my break is ending.

WHY OH WHY DOES SPRING BREAK LAST A WEEK? I am dreading the end of this weekend. Back to school and we HAVE FINALS. How horrible is that. Augh. Life is becoming sucky after such a beautiful week. I have a pile of homework to do and I am dreading to do it. I have to clean my room too. This is why I hate SUNDAYS!!!!

So I have wasted the last two days with this:

I am usually pretty late with social networks. I usually refuse to get them but I eventually give in. Whatever. Facebook is pretty okay. I just enjoy having superpoke wars. But now I am already bored with it. But I regret getting it after this break. Because I will probably end up hours on it along with myspace and soompi and not do my homework. You horrible people who make these addicting social networks and forums. YOU RUIN LIVES. Think of the grades that have lowered because of your addicting website. I think I have gotten steadily worse in school ever since I discovered the wonders of the internet back in sixth grade. All the hours I wasted not studying. Wish I could have slapped myself back then. Don't you just hate yourself when you realize how stupid you were a couple years ago and how you could have benefited yourself now if you have changed stupid habits like that. Yes I know that is confusing but you get the jist right.

Yesterday I spent an hour trying to fix the vacumn with my brother. I broke the vacumn, I don't know how but it broke. Well we were able to unscrew stuff and figure out what made it work and we fixed it. I was very happy to fix it. I felt so accomplished. Maybe I can even be an engineer. Yeah right. Well I went to Borders and I decided to buy two new books. AP PREP BOOKS. WHOOT. :(
Who the hell models for these books? I bet they have never taken an AP test in their life because YOU WOULDNT WANT TO MODEL FOR THESE BOOKS. Though I do life how culturally accurate they make these AP prep books by trying to promote diversity with covers with different ethnicities. I bet so that way those white supremist kids can say "ill buy the prep book with the white kid on the cover because it is better". Well I do thank the people who write these prep books because all the ap procastinators in the world would not be able to survive without them. Or else we would just have to read our textbooks. And that would suck. Though I can proudly say I read 95% of my AP US history textbook. And I am very proud to say I read like 96% of my AP World History textbook (except I skipped all the crappy inset pages). The AP World book was horrible and I cannot believe a college student can read it let alone a little sophmore like me last year. Sigh the things we do to get into college. I am sure there are kids out there sacrificing a limb or two for the college they want to get into. I am horrified at the college application system and all the greedy middlemen involved in the process. We have to at least pay like $60 for a freaking application even if we don't get into the college. How sucky is that. Very sucky. It is already horrible enough that our parents save since we are born for our college education, they get broke the first year we get into college. Well that is what student loans are for rightttt? Yep, the minute I get out of college and get into the workforce, I have to pay for the stupid ass degree that I worked my ass for. And for some people, they can't even get a decent job with their degree. They end up working at Verizon or for their parents' restaurants/dry cleaners (yes I know people who have ended up like this). Is this what America was made for?

So I read a book at Borders today (well I skimmed) about baby boomers and their good deeds and how so many of them are becoming philanthropists and the first page was on congratulating on the baby boomers for being alive for so damn long and for realizing that they are alive and kicking and they want to keep working. And it went on to talk about how the baby boomers were realizing all the problems in the world and they wanted to "fix them" like global warming and genocide and war in IRAQ. Well thanks baby boomers but you guys pretty much caused those freaking problems for us, generation X and Y. So it has been raining a lot in the mid-west states and why? BECAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING. Yes weird weather patterns = global warming. Well Hanh told me a couple days ago that apparently all the baby boomers are asking for their social security money NOW (because they raised the age up and the economy is getting pretty bad) and they are all getting it this year. So pretty much the social security fund is pretty dried up. Great so probably I will be working until like 90 years old if I live that long. But I mean you can't live on social security alone for retirement, that is why I see like 50 year olds working at Walmart because the cost of living is not going to covered by social security and retirement alone.

Yeah and to complain about the education system in CALIFORNIA. So the budget has been cut again by Mr. GOVERNATOR. Yes and my english ap teacher told my class she spends at least a couple $1000s on just her classes alone for PAPER and other supplies. It is pretty ridiculous. And the governor tried to pass a univeral health care proposal for California? Screw universal health care, we need to educate the people first. My school is not that poor but even we are suffering under the budget cuts. Now think about the schools who are totally below welfare zones. Those kids have no opportunity and nowadays the only way to get into a REAL college is through aps, sat scores and extracurriculars and all of those add up with MONEY. And the UCs are raising tuitions like crazy and raising the bar on the percentage of applicants. UC Davis = school that most people at my school dont want to go to because it is so close to home only accepted 5% of their applicants THIS YEAR! WTF. Everyone go apply to UC Berkley next year so I can be like the only one to apply to davis. Maybe that will give me a better chance. I hate how everyone applies to 20 colleges that they don't even care about just to see if they "get in". It is a waste of MONEY and it is unfair for the kids who apply to FIVE college because they really want those FIVE colleges. And end up getting into ZERO while those kids with their 5.6 GPAS get into ALL 20. Life is unfair. Yes it is.

And my rant about life is over. Back to thinking about doing my synthesis essay.
So where has PACHIA been? She needs to update .

--CHRISTINA