The Makings of Something Special

Maybe I am still under the influence of early season promise, but it is becoming harder and harder to dismiss the Orioles as anything less than the real thing. The Orioles again rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Red Sox last night 11-8. The number of times that the team has rallied from a late-inning deficit to win comfortable has been absolutely amazing. That is what leads me to believ that this team has the makings of something special. Clutch hitting, great defense, clutch performances out of the bullpen; these are the things that make up a team that plays deep into October.

What really makes it sweet, however, is the fact that the Orioles are three-games ahead of second place Boston, and four-and-a-half games ahead of fourth-place New York.

Musical Chairs

The Musical Chairs of Maryland Politics will now be in full swing with Congressman Ben Cardin's official entry into the U.S. Senate race. Cardin's entry into the race opens up his 3rd District seat, and that seat will attract several prominent area politicians. Several Delegates and State Senators will likely toss their hat into the ring and, at the very least, test the waters. This will be specifically true in Baltimore County, but the Howard County and Anne Arundel County sections of the district may also see some candidates. The good news is that this will allow new Republican candidates a better opportunity to win these seats.

The Republican Party will field a strong andidate for Cardin's seat. Cardin's popularity in the district really hindered any effort to make a serious challenge for the seat while he was the incumbent, with totals hovering around one-third of the vote. But despite those numbers, the Republican Party has a good chance of winning the seat if the party presents a strong candidate.

The White Elephant

The White Elephant of a "Fair Share Fee" is still being discussed by TAAAC in their contract negotaitons with the County School Board. The Board is insisting that all teachers be forced to pay the union regardless of whether or not they want to belong to the Union. But a retired Glen Burnie High School teacher and Board of Education Attorney Tyson Bennett easily explained every reason why teachers should be forced to pay a fee to TAAAC for their services:

"TAAAC is a very poor negotiator," said Clarence Riggs, a retired social studies teacher at Glen Burnie High School who still substitutes three days a week after a 35-year career. "My grandmother could out-negotiate TAAAC, and that's why I quit a long time ago. Their hearts are in the right place, but they're not professionals.

Mr. Bennett said some employees oppose the political positions TAAAC takes, and the candidates it supports.

"Those people may say, 'I don't want to put money into the union and have them spend my money on candidates I don't want, or political positions I don't support," he
said.

As I have stated before, nobody should be forced to pay dues to an organization that they do not wish to be a member of. If the shoe were on the other foot, I highly doubt that that TAAC President Sheila Finlayson, or even the bill's primary sponsor Senator Phil Jimeno, would want to be strongarmed into paying a fee to an organization that they do not belong to or do not wish to support.

The Board of Education should continue to reject calls by the Union to force non-union teachers to pay such a fee. Just because the Board is empowered to enact such a fee does not mean that such a fee should be enacted.

A Curious Anniversary

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the launch of New Coke. As this MSNBC article notes, It seemed like a good idea at the time. Clearly, one of the greatest marketing disasters of all time in the sense of a product launch, despite the boastful claim from this ad. Less well known, however, is that sales of the rebranded Coca-Cola Classic were higher than the original Coke prior to the launch of New Coke.

Cnd all was not lost for New Coke. The product was rebranded as "Coke II" and held a small share of the market in the midwest for a time, and may still actually be sold there today.

Plan Now

Looks like the asteroid scientists thought would hit Earth in 2029 may have a better chance to score a direct hit as early as 2034 according to the Times of London:

A huge asteroid which is on a course to miss the Earth by a whisker in 2029 could go round its orbit again and score a direct hit a few years later.

Astronomers have calculated that the 1,000ft-wide asteroid called 2004 MN4 will pass by the Earth at a distance of between 15,000 and 25,000 miles — about a tenth of the distance between the Earth and the Moon and close enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Although they are sure that it will miss us, they are worried about the disturbance that such a close pass will give to the asteroid’s orbit. It might put 2004 MN4 on course for a collision in 2034 or a year or two later: the unpredictability of its behaviour means that the danger might not become apparent until it is too late.

This does not look like it would be the "big one" that would wipe out civilization, but 1,000 megatons is twenty times larger than the 50-megaton Tsar Bomba exploded by the Soviets in 1961. Widescale devestation and destruction is likely, either through the asteroid hitting a large metropolitan area, or by the tsunami generated by an oceanic impact.

We need to be ready for such an eventuality if it were to occur. We need to be able to understand how to destroy or deflect such an impact object from hitting earth without inflicting additional damage here on earth, either from the radiation of a nuclear explosion or by a "chain-gun" style reaction from blowing the object into smaller pieces. We should plan now, so we do not have to improvise from training and experience like the Apollo XIII engineers had to do on the fly 35-years ago this month.

Setting Low Standards

As every major media outlet in the area has reported, Martin O'Malley has been named one of the five best big-city mayors in America by Time magainze. The full article has yet to be posted online, but the Sun reported that the magazine notes that "O'Malley has only slightly dented the murder rate."

Of course, that is like saying the federal government has only slightly dented the use of illegal narcotics. The murder rate in Baltimore is rising. Has been rising for several years. In January, the city was on pace for one murder per day. The use of illegal drugs continues to go up. The students in Baltimore city public schools continue to achieve less than their suburban counterparts in buildings that are crumbling around them.

The magazine notes that the city is on the verge of a renaissance. And to be fair, the Inner Harbor and the westside near the Hippodrome are having increasing development. Federal Hill and Canton are continuing to gentrify. But ask somebody who lives on Edmondson Avenue, or Park Heights Avenue, or Patapcso Avenue if their areas on the verge of a renaissance. Ask those border communities in the county, including our very own Brooklyn Park, if their neighbors on the other side of the city line are experiencing urban renewal and lower crime rates.

I love Baltimore. Baltimore is a great city and it is the largest and most important city in our state. But we cannot fool ourselves into thinking that everything is wonderful. People are moving out of the city in droves. The crime rate keeps inching higher and higher. Businesses, for the most part, are leaving the city. The City Council last year approved another tax increase. The Council, in cojunction with O'Malley, threatening to tax non-profit organizations knowing that the tax would disproportionately affect one of the city's largest and most important employers in Johns Hopkins. City Hall is more concerned with blaming all of Baltimore's problems on Annapolis and Governor Ehrlich than addressing the needs of the city. And O'Malley is certainly more concerned with raising his profile and political stature by making questionable public pronouncements to bolster his soon-to-be-announced candidacy for Governor than he is with the actual business of governing the City.

If Martin O'Malley is one of the best big city mayors, (curiously lumped in with other big city big spenders), it means that Time is setting low standards.

Sweep!

The Orioles swept the Yankees this weekend at Camden Yards, and it is hard to contain my enthusiasm for this team. The big inning on Friday. The comeback on Saturday. Jumping ahead and keeping the lead today. This is what makes a team special.

The Orioles sweep today was the first time the Birds have swept the Yankees since 1997. I do not think it coinicidental that '97 was the last time the Orioles made the playoffs.

And today, the Orioles are in sole posession of first place in the American League East, with a four game lead on the New York Yankees. How sweet it is.

Doing it right

The proposed FEC restrictions on internet politicking are getting a challenge in Congress, where there is a bipartisan effort to exempt the internet from the FEC's jurisdiction under McCain-Feigngold. The bill, being put forth by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Texas Republican Congressman Jeb Hensarling is a simple, one page bill that exempts the internet from the FEC's domain.

The bill is a no brainer. Hopefully it is passed and signed by the President before the FEC can issue any draconian restrictions.

Go figure

It is probably less than coincidental that Baltimore city is finally showing a surplus now that Martin O'Malley is gearing up his campaign for Governor. More money for schools, police, and children's programs do not hurt his political profile either.I am willing to bet, however, that the O'Malley camp wishes that the Sun left out this sentence:

Other jurisdictions around the state are also experiencing budget surpluses, but the situation is a rarity for Baltimore, which imposed a package of new and expanded taxes a year ago to close a budget gap.

It is not hard to deduce that "a package of new and expanded taxes" would be in store for Maryland if O'Malley were to win in 2006.

Early Season Promise

You do not want to get too caught up in the 4-3 start to the Orioles 2005 season. But given how much has not gone right for this club so far, good things are on the way.

Start with the bad. The middle-to-long relief guys of Rick Bauer and newcomers Steve Kline and Steve Reed have ERAs of 18.00, 23.14, and 13.50 respectively (and that was before Kline shot his mouth off). The bullpen has cost the team two games so far. Melvin Mora has fewer base hits than Brian Roberts has home runs. Four regulars are hitting under .250. Nobody except for Roberts is hitting with any power.

There is also a lot of good. The starting pitching (with the exception of Daniel Cabera) has been better than advertised. Fresh off of a 50 double season last year, Brian Roberts right now leads the AL in slugging and OPS, and is tied for the Major League lead in home runs(4, one short of his full season career high).

This team is better than a lot of people expect. Let's hope that the sluggers really get started and we can see how many runs this team will score.

Privacy Advocates win in North Dakota

The North Dakota legislature has overwhelmingly approved legislation that bars insurance companies from using information on the "black box" of a car from being used to rates.

Given the high insurance rates that Maryland drivers face, such legislation should be enacted by the General Assembly. Of course, given the continued support of red-light cameras and now speed cameras by Democrats in the legislature, I would not suspect that Marylanders would be afforded such lbierties any time soon.

Reason for Pessimism

Everything is not rosey on the School Board selection front. Despite the failure of HB625 during the just concluded legislative session, supporters of the bill are optimistic that the bill will be passed in 2006. From the Sun story:

Three of the county's five state senators initially had problems with the House bill. [Senator] Jimeno said some parts of the county weren't adequately represented on [Speaker] Busch's proposed nominating committee. Jimeno also complained that the bill failed to give the County Council a role in the selection or to offer public hearings on possible board members.

Busch's bill passed the House on March 28. The county's senators tinkered with the bill until Monday, adding amendments to include more representation for West and North counties, Severna Park and Annapolis. This shored up support from every Anne Arundel senator except Jimeno, but too late for a Senate committee vote.

Instead of addressing the notable problems with the bill, mainly that the legislation only creates a facade of active public participation in the process, the Senate decided to horse trade over which geographical areas and which interest groups were to be represented on the Commission.

A bullet was dodged this year by not passing the bill. Looks like we will need to work hard to make sure that this bill fails next year as well.

Speaking of Bad Bills...

I have not yet commented on SB57, the bill passed by both houses that Prohibits the transporation of minors as passengers in cars driven by drivers on a provision license.

Parents have enough trouble as it is making sure that their children remain active in their schools and their communties. Parents are having to work more and work longer hours in order to pay the high taxes that we pay here in Maryland. Many families allow their children to ride to and from school, practice, rehearsal, etc. with other students who are attending the same function. Now, unless that child is a close blood relative of the driver, it will be illegal for a driver to give someone a lift in such circumstances.

Is there an epidemic of distracted driving? Is not distracted driving already a crime?

When I received my drivers license, I regularly drove my friends too and from places, whether or not it was from school, to rehearsal, going to the movies, etc. There really was no harm in doing this. Nor is there a necessity to pass this legislation. It is the epitome of "feel good" legislation that accomplishes little, though I am sure at lesst one legislator uttered the phrase "if it saves just one child's life, it was worth it."

All Clear

Well, the General Assembly has cleared out of Annapolis with the adjournment Sine Die of the legislature this morning. As usual, it has been a bad year for common sense in Annapolis. The minimum wage bill and the Wal-Mart bill all passed., but thankfully did not garner veto-proof support in either house. We still do not have a slots bill. The Governor's veto of an international trade bill and the selection process for members of the State Board of Elections were overridden.

A few good things did happen. HB625, the County School Board Selection Bill, died without a vote on the Senate floor, saving us from the Michael Busch/John Leopold selection plan. The Clean Car Bill and the SUV Surchage died in committee in the Senate. Stiffer penalties for assualt of a law enforcement officer finally passed both houses late last week.

Then there are the things that make you scratch your head. The Military Retirement Tax Exempton was inexplicably not given a chance in the Senate.. The List bill that would protect individuals from having their names used by political candidates without permission was defeated by the Ways and Means Committee.

What is the moral of this story? We need to elect more responsible leadership to the General Assembly next November. Leadership that is actually responsible to their constituents as opposed to the party line.

Big Brother Comes to Hopkins

Big Brother enrolled at Johns Hopkins yesterday with the school's unveiling of their new security camera project yesterday. To really hammer home the privacy issues involved with these cameras, they are programmed to recognize particular actions that may or may not be somebody committing a crime.

School officials have yet to answer how a camera is going to protect somebody from a crime actually being committed.

But here is the real reason that JHU has paid $500,000 for this system:

In March, police arrested a man who they believe is responsible for Trinh's murder. He has yet to face trial. Elser's murderer also hasn't been found, and his family has offered a reward for information leading to an arrest.

It is understandable that the school wants to help make the campus more secure. But these cameras are indicative of the "Do Something" strategy that has been sweeping the nation. Nobody is more of less secure than they were now. The camera does not stop a crime in progress. The only difference is that instead of having no leads on a suspect they can view the tape.

Board of Ed Has an Opportunity

The negotiations between the School Board and the Teacher's Union(TAAAC) have broken down and State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick has formally declared an impasse in negotiations. The union is now considering a "work-to-rule" action among their options. We all know that work-to-rule actions do little more than hurt the students, though it is understandable that without the right to strike the union has few options at their disposal.

The Board of Education has a tremendous opportunity here. Negotiations have broken down over salaries and benefits, the union noting that the average salary of count teachers is 14th in the state. I have no opposition to increaisng pay and benefits for teachers. But what will the union do for the Board of Education and the students in exchange.

This is the perfect opportunity for the Board to adovacte greater teacher accountability. If teachers want to receive a higher wage, they should be held more accoutable for their actions. Greater accountability is something that is very attractive to rank-and-file teachers; it is union officials who oppose greater accountability measures.

The Board of Ed has an opportunity here. Let us hope that they seize it.

Mixed Message

Senator Phil Jimeno sure has sent a mixed message on whether or not he supports regulating businesses in the last 24 hours. Senator Jimeno voted against SB790, the so-called "Fair Share" health care bill aimed primarily at Wal-Mart, something I had discussed before.

Senator Jimeno then turned around and vote for HB391, the Minimum Wage Increase bill. What is even worse is that in addition to voting for the bill, Jimeno voted against an amendment that would have allowed a break for small businesses that provided health care coverage.

Senator Jimeno's votes are not consistent. I appreciate his support in protecting a large company such as Wal-Mart that provides employment and low cost goods to the citizens of our district. But I cannot express plainly enough my disappointment in his vote for the minimum wage bill, a bill which the Maryland Chamber of Commerce worries will hurt the small businesses that are already struggling to surive in today's economy.

One cannot lose perspective about the importance of small businesss. They provide some of our most basic goods and services, they create jobs, and they can help revitalize our communities. Small businesses are the epitomization of the American Dream for many people. Small business owners are dedidacted individuals who work hard, are proud of their work and their establishment, and take tremendous pride in their communities.

Why does Senator Jimeno want to make the American Dream more difficult to achieve?

Taking a Hint

John Stossel on townhall.com noted how government overregulation can indeed ruin a good thing.

Every once in a while, people in Washington have a good idea. A really good idea. An idea that creates jobs and provides a service people like.

Then, the government gets involved.

Some years ago, a married couple, Taalib-Din Uqdah and Pamela Farrell, went into business braiding hair, African-style. They called their shop Cornrows & Co. If politicians' speeches are right, Uqdah and Farrell were heroes: Inner cities need businesses, and the couple had built a booming business in Washington, D.C. They had 20,000 customers, employed 10 people and took in half a million dollars a year. Some women came from as far away as Connecticut, six hours away, to have their hair braided by Cornrows & Co.

Did the politicians honor these entrepreneurs for contributing to the community? Find ways to encourage others to do similar things? Well, the government did respond. But it wasn't with encouragement.

Local bureaucrats ordered Uqdah to cease and desist, or be "subject to criminal prosecution." Why? Because he didn't have a license. "It's a safety issue," said the regulators. Those who run a hair salon must have a cosmetology license. The chemicals they use dyeing or perming hair might hurt someone....

...It's unclear what beauty school would have taught him. Beauty schools didn't even teach the service Cornrows & Co. provided.

Leave it to government to get in the way of a successful business. Perhaps our state could take a hit and learn a thing or two about the damger overregulation can have on our small businessmen and women.

Say What? # 2

"If[Governor] Ehrlich does not understand that our inalienable rights supersede marital rights, he does not belong as the head of the government of this state. I cannot in good conscience help him to be re-elected to an office he does not deserve."
- Former Republican and Senate Candidate David K. Kyle to the Maryland Gazette, 4/2/2005 regarding his leaving the party because of President Bush and Governor Ehrlich's actions regarding the Terri Schiavo case

I have never seen eye-to-eye with Mr. Kyle on a variety of issues. However, I am struggling with the concept that Mr. Kyle seems to have embraced; when did the Governor of Maryland receive expanded jurisidiction over Florida?

It seems like Kyle was looking to leave the party. It is disappointing that he decided to use the Terri Schiavo case for his own political needs to announce such a change.

The Greatst Day on the Sports Calendar

Usually falling on the first Monday in April, we are blessed every year with the greatest day in sports. The beginning of the baseball season and the ending of the college basketball season.

The Orioles game was a sight yesterday. It was great to be in attendance at Opening Day for once, with the pomp and the circumstance, and the fireworks (lots of fireworks). There were player introductions. The loudest ovations coming for B.J. Surhoff, Elrod Hendricks, and Sammy Sosa. The loudes boos and catcalls for Sidney Ponson and Senator Paul Sarbanes, Sarbanes' boos coming before he bounced the cermonial first pitch.

But anytime the Orioles start the year with a 4-0 win, their first Opening Day shutout since Rick Sutcliffe blanked the Indians in Camden Yards' first game, it is a good day.

Then, last night, the Illinois-North Carolina game was everything that every pundit expected. In the end, the best and most talented team won. Nobody can argue that Illinois plays great team basketball, with possibly the greatest trio of guards to occupy the same backcourt in the history of the college game. However, nobody could argue that Carolina had the most talent, played effectively as a team, and deserved the win. A great end to a great season, and I appreciate the fact that for the second time ever my pick to win the tournament actually won.

Play Ball!

Today is Opening Day, the unofficial start of summer. We are forutnate enough to have tickets to today's game, the first time that I am getting the opportunity to go to Opening Day. This Orioles team will finish over .500. Daniel Cabrera and Erik Bedard will have breakout years in their first full seasons as members of the starting rotation. Sammy Sosa hitting fourth or fifth will certainly give opposing pitchers something to think about as an additional run producer. A middle of the order or Mora-Tejada-Sosa-Palmeiro-Lopez is a formidable fivesome in the heart of the lineup.

This Orioles team, at worst, wins 84 or 85 games. At best, this Orioles team could win the Wild-Card. The Yankees are not as good as everybody thinks they are, as the youngest player on the team is 28-year old utilty man Andy Phillips, who has played all of five games in the big leagues. (By contrast, three members of the Orioles starting rotation are younger than Phillips).

Thank goodness that baseball season is here. We have had steroid talk, steroid hearings, and now a steroid suspension. It is past time to take it to the field. Play Ball!

Desperation

Maryland Democratic Leadership is starting to sound and act more desperate heading into next year's election. Senate President Mike Miller is pushing a plan to move the 2006 primary election to June 20th. The plan has the support of Miller and Congressional Democrats, but not of Speaker Busch.

Certainly, there are merits to holding Primary Elections earlier than the second Tuesday in September. However, those merits are not the reason this idea is being discused. The idea is the latest act of desperation by state Democrats to avoid a situation where they have to deal with two bitter, contested primaries for Governor and U.S. Senate. Moving back the primary date will allow Democratic candidates more time to raise money and to reconcile all sides prior to the General Election.

Moving the Primary date should be discussed...sometime in 2007. Moving the Primary now, with little discussion, this close to the election smacks of desperate partisanship as opposed to good public policy.