One Man's Issue

County Executive John Leopold is nothing if not persistent. Particularly true when it comes to his obsession with outlawing panhandling.

Leopold has for several years attempted to completely outlaw panhandling in Anne Arundel County, going back to at least the 2004 session of the General Assembly. Many members of the county delegation are sponsoring HB 250, which will again attempt to ban roadside solicitations in Anne Arundel County.

But I have a question; is this really a problem that any normal citizen is worried about?

Sure, you see people in the median strips along Ritchie Highway, particularly near Marley Station Mall, and near Ordnance Road. And they are soliciting money for various charities. And, from what I see, they stand there. They don't "dart into traffic" as some supporters of this legislation contend. They are really just there. I tend to ignore them because they really aren't hurting anybody.

So with all of the other problems going on and issues to deal with, why are we even talking about dealing with panhandling? On the list of the top 10 issues facing our county, panhandling does not even sniff the bottom spot. Why does Leopold find it necessary year in and year out to try and push for this legislation? Particularly so in the face of his blatant hypocrisy, making his name shortly after moving from Hawaii by waving a sign on the side of the road, in some places creating a much, much more dangerous situation than any panhandler could (such as, for example, standing with his foot on the white line of Route 100 during the morning rush hour the most vivid of my memories).

HB 250 is a waste of everybody's time and should have never seen the light of day. And Leopold needs to find other things to worry about...