Support Local Animal Rescue

As reported in Saturday's Gazette, Heaven's Gate Animal Rescue in Brooklyn Park is in dire need of donations and volunteers. I encourage you to help them in anyway you possibly can.

Whatever Happened to the Freedom of Association?

The Teacher's Assocation of Anne Arundel County is raising hay with the County School Board over the "Fair Share" law enacted by the General Assembly last year. The law, sponsored by Senator Phil Jimeno, authorizes the Board to enact a fee on teachers who choose not to affiliate with the union. The premise, according to TAAC Executive Director Bill Jones, is that

About 25 percent of our members aren't paying a dime, but when we negotiate a salary raise, they got it. When we went to court last year to fight for health care, they contributed nothing to the legal fees, but they benefitted...It's time to take the burden off good people who pay dues, and who have been paying the freight for everybody.

Whatever happened to the Freedom of Association? There are many reasons why teachers choose not to affiliate with the union. Often, it is because of the union's political leanings; potential members do not want their membership dues to be directed in a manner to support candidates to which they are ideological opposed. Many of those who do join only do so in order to have access to reasonably price, job-related insurance coverage.

The Union's position on this is understandable to an extent. They believe that they should be compensated for the work they do in neogtiating the contractrs with the Board. However, the contracts being negotiated on the behalf of all teachers; not just members of the Union. Those who choose not to affiliate with the Union understand that they are voluntarily surrending their right to be represented in these negotiations.

At no time should the School Board be strongarmed by any particular organization into collecting a fee from people who make a decision not to affiliate with that organization. Americans have the freedom to associate or not to associate with any individual or organization that they desire without being required to pay a fee for the privilege.

A Taxing Situation

Senator Phil Jimeno again voted against the Governor's slots bill on Friday. That makes three years in a row that Senator Jimeno has voted against the slots bill.

What is interesting in Senator Jimeno's voting records on the slots bill is the fact that no only has he voted against the slots bills every time, but he has also voted against every proposed amendment to the Senate version of the slots bill in both 2003 and 2004 (the 2005 info has not yet been posted). That's ten amendments each year the Senator has voted against.

What is most disappointing about Senator Jimeno's slots votes are not that he opposes slot machines. It is the fact that I know the Senator will continue to support additional increases in our taxes after voting no to an alternative revenue source.

This and That

Just a few things on the front of mind:

• The SUV Surcharge was put to bed yesterday, proving that every so often common sense does prevail.
  
  
• There is another reason to oppose HB625. The referendum provisions in the bill require only a plurality of the vote to implement any system. Theoretically, we could have a situation after a referendum that leaves 64% of the voters opposed to the winning system. That will only create more problems than
  
  
• Delegate John Leopold has been published twice in recent weeks; not by any county-based paper, but the DC Area's Gazette Newspapers. The pieces, both curiously co-written with Democrats, deal with redistricting and property taxes.
  
  
• This morning's snow event north of Baltimore reminds me why I am glad I never pursued meteorology as a career.
  
  
• After the Terps loss in Raleigh on Tuesday night, they need to win two out of the last four games to finish .500 in the conference. While that shouldn't be a problem, this team has been so inconsistent recently that nothing is for certain. The Terps may make the tournament, but expecting them to make a serious run at the Final Four is expecting too much.
  
  
• While it may be still cold, and there may be wintry weather on Sunday night, take solace in the fact that spring is nearly here: Orioles pitchers and catchers report tomorrow!

SUV Surcharge Would Do More Harm than Good

Montgomery County Delegate William Bronott of Montgomery County has introduced House Bill 424, which was heard yesterday by the Envrionmental Matters Committee. Bronrott's bill would levy a $750 surcharge on SUV's over 6,000 pounds.

The bill is just another example of legislation driven on behalf of environmentists who are far outside of the American Mainstream. The environmental effects of such a bill, purported by Bronrott to be the raison d'être for the bill, would be negligible. The bill would also have a number of unintended consequences that would do more harm than good, not the least of which would be:

• More cars on the road: vehicles targeted by this bill(such as the H2, the Yukon, Excursion, etc) are often used by parents to carpool children to and from school, soccer practice etc. Smaller vehicles will not allow as many children to be transported en masse, requiring more parents to drive more vehicles to the same location
• Lower gas tax revenues: If consumers buy fewer large SUV's, they will consume less fuel in filling their vehicles, even in moderately smaller vehicles.
• More costs for farmers and small businesses: Farmers and small businesses often use vans, SUVs, and large pickup trucks to earn their living. Increased fees for registration of these vehicles will crimp their abilities to continue to tributed to the small business marketplace of the state. Even the bill's fiscal note points out the potential high costs to small businesses.

The bill defeats the common sense test; there is no value to passing it. It is just another piece of politically correct legislation coming from Montgomery County (where, ironically, is the place that I see more large SUV's on the road than any other location in our state).

No Excuses

The General Assembly as a whole has no excused for not stiffenening penalties for assaulting a police officer before. But supporters of HB2 and the similar SB47 are hopeful to pass such legislation this year. As the Capital notes today, supporters are hopeful to have the legislation pass so that the penalties for assaulting a police dog are no longer stiffer than assaulting a human police officer.

There is no excuse for this legislation not to pass. As the Capital story notes, similar legislation has been introduced in each of the last five sessions of the General Assembly. This is common sense legislation to protect those who put their lives on the line upholding the law and trying to provide for our public safety. It is sad that this bill has not passed before, but hopefully both houses can rectify that situation this year.

Sweep of Duke Huge for the Terps

If you are a Maryland sports fan you know by know that the Terps swept the season series from Duke last night with a 99-92 overtime win at the Comcast Center. A great win for the Terps and one that will solidify their profile come tourney time. It's amazing to consider that this team swept Duke, given the trouble the Terps had in the losses to Clemson and Miami. The win last night was just as important given the fact that the next two games are on the road, which given the team's road woes would have made it nearly impossible to finish at or above .500 in conference.

The Terps also became the first team to sweep Duke in conference play since the '94-'05 Terps. But that Duke team finished 13-18 and missed the NCAA tournament. The fact that the Terps beat the Devils on the road when Duke was # 2 and againt at home with Duke # 7 is an incredible feat for this team.

As Seen on CJR

Color me more than a little surprised that the Columbia Journalism Review's Campaign Desk quoted my posting regarding Mayor O'Malley's remarks about the President's budget.

O'Malley Crosses the Line(Again)

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley has again stepped over the line with his recent remarks about President Bush's budget proposal, according to today's Washington Post:

"Back on September 11, terrorists attacked our metropolitan cores, two of America's great cities. They did that because they knew that was where they could do the most damage and weaken us the most," O'Malley said. "Years later, we are given a budget proposal by our commander in chief, the president of the United States. And with a budget ax, he is attacking America's cities. He is attacking our metropolitan core."

This of course is not the first time O'Malley has indicated his disdain of the Bush Administration when compared to terrorism or al-Qaeda, with his remarks at the John Kerry fundraiser in June 2004. But once again the Mayor has stooped so low as to use inflammatory rhetoric and to again insult the memories of those who perished on September 11th for political gain. Even O'Malley's fellow Democrats, namely his likely 2006 Democratic Primary opponent Doug Duncan, distanced themselves from O'Malley's remarks.

This is just the latest in a series of statements that should make one wonder how fit to govern Mayor O'Malley really is.

Compass Pointe: Council Made Best of Bad Situation

The County Council issued $26 million in bonds last night and took over Compass Pointe. While not the optimal solution for anybody, the County Council made the best situation it could in an incredibly bad situation.

The most frustrating aspect of the Compass Pointe situation is that it was an easily avoidable stiatuation. The Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) was not allowed to provide own or develop corporations that would compete with as a for-profit entity. That was changed upon passage of Senate Bill 486, spearheaded by our County Senate Delegation and Senator Phil Jimeno. The Bill allowed for MEDCO to compete with private businesses, paving the way for the construction of Compass Pointe.

While the Council made the best of a bad situation, this was a situation that clearly could have been avoided had our Senate delegation followed the laws of common sense and kept State Government out of the golf business.

Military Retirement Tax Exemption Past Due

It's good to see bipartisan support in the General Assembly for House Bill 245(and the cross-filed Senate Bill 211) that would exempt retirement income of military retirees frorm that state income tax. 21 Senators and 66 Delegates so far have co-sponsored the legislation, as well as having the full support of Governor Ehrlich.

I'm glad to see that there is finally widespread support for this legislation. The bill will help encourage Maryland's veterans to stay in our state without being subjected to our relatively high rates of taxation. Additionally, this is a great benefit for military vetarans who had to choose between a higher income living in other states that currently exempt military retirement income, or having less income but maintaining a close proximity to Baltimore and Washington-area Veteran's hospitals and medical facilities.

Another Year, Another School Board Bill

It's almost become an annual event of the General Assembly's yearly legislative session; members of the county delegation have entered a bill to change the selection process for members of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. This year, Delegates Leopold and McConkey have introduced House Bill 625, which will provide county voters with a variety of options.

According to the Sun story (the text of the bill is here), the bill will continue to keep the student member of the Board as the eighth member, but voters will have the option to have the remaining members chosen by:

• Appointment by the County Executive, with County Council Approval
• Appointment of three at-large members by the County Executive, with voters electing the remaining four members according to legislative districts.
• The current system.

I have seen the current nominating system from both sides. Both as a a candidate for the Board in 2003, and a voting delegate to the School Board Nominating Convention in 2004, it is easy to recognize early in the process that voters come to the Hearings with preconceived notions as to which candidate they will support. Often, candidates and their supporters recruit dozens of individuals to come and support their causes. As a candidate, I knew at the beginning of the process which candidate was going to receive the most votes from the convention. Even so, the choices are still dependent on the appointment of the Governor. It is far from a perfect system.

The Election of School Board members, while a wonderful idea in principle, is far from wonderful in execution. An already politicized body will become even more so when candidates have to stand for re-election every four years. What is puzzling about this bill is that one of the choices for voters will be a mix of appointed and elected members. It would be more logical, if Board Members were to be elected, to elect all members of the Board (except the Student Member) and elect one member from every Councilmanic District(such as House Bill 677 from the 2004 Session).

The most logical of the presented options in this bill is appointment by the County Executive, with approval of the County Council. The current nominating system can be maintained, with all of its plusses and faults, while allowing the members of the Board to be confirmed by the officials who are responsible for their purse strings.

Regardless of the desire for change in the selection process, the likelihood of legislation passing is slim. The effort to change the process has been ongoing for more than a decade. If legislation could not be passed in the aftermath of the 2002 selection process, it seems unlikely that legislation can get through the legislature this year.