I know I haven't posted in a while. I've been very busy designing and building a web site for the Democratic Club of Worcester County. I hope to get back to posting regularly in about a month.
[...]I know I haven't posted in a while. I've been very busy designing and building a web site for the Democratic Club of Worcester County. I hope to get back to posting regularly in about a month.
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There's been a lot of public hand-wringing and breast-beating over the small number of bids received to operate slot machines in Maryland - only a total of six bids were received for the five possible sites. Two of the bids came without the required deposit, suggesting that [...]
Opponents of nuclear energy frequently cite the problem of 'waste disposal' as their rationale for opposing this energy source. And it's true that, for various reasons, including political infighting, this problem has not been completely solved. But the primary alternative to nuclear power doesn't look so good [...]
The hits just keep on coming for the Maryland State Police. Yet more embarrassing revelations surfaced the other day in their long running spying scandal. The State Police can't seem to make this problem go away and there's a good reason for that. They still won't admit [...]
I've been busy on other projects, but it's time to get back to posting. The 426th session of the Maryland General Assembly begins on January 14th and runs until April 13th, 2009. The session will be, as always, in the historic State House which is reopening after [...]
The most recent commission to examine the death penalty in Maryland released their report today. The final report of the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment can be found here. The Commission voted 13 to 7 to recommend that capital punishment be abolished in the State of [...]
In my last post I took a look at the election results on the Eastern Shore where the Democrat Frank Kratovil ended eighteen years of Republican success in the First Congressional District by narrowly beating Republican Andy Harris. I also pointed out that, despite Kratovil's win, [...]
Thanksgiving is over, Christmas shopping has begun, the hunters are out in full force and it's cold here on the Eastern Shore. So I guess this is as good a time as any to take a closer look at results of the recent election, particularly here on [...]
It's good to hear that President-Elect Obama is planning on more fiscal stimulus for the American economy and even better to hear that he plans to stimulate the economy by investing in infrastructure rather than just sending out checks to everyone. We have been ignoring our infrastructure' [...]
The opening of the 2009 session of the Maryland General Assembly is less than two months away and, of course, the maneuvering has already started. As expected, the early action is all about money.
Over at the Maryland Politics Watch, Adam Pagnucco reports that Rich Madaleno has [...]
As the national and global economies continue to deteriorate, we're fortunate that Maryland is in a better position than most states. We're relatively wealthy, our economy is largely service based and a steady stream of Federal government expenditures supports much of the state economy.Â
Nevertheless, we're definitely [...]
Well, it looks as thought the bid by the Club For Growth to put their man, Andy Harris, into Congress, may have been sidetracked. After the first round of counting absentee ballots, Democrat Frank Kratovil's lead has increased to 2,003 votes. Tomorrow the election boards will look [...]
It was an exhausting campaign that seemed to go on forever, but the voters have spoken (although it's not clear in some cases what they say) and it's time to look ahead.
Slots
After many years there is finally a clear decision that we will have slot machines in [...]
The Maryland State Board of Elections has released the final voter registration numbers for next week's election and the numbes are encouraging.
With strong voter registration efforts by both parties this year, the number of voters registered in Maryland has increased by 320,247 this year to a total [...]
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Maryland's unemployment rate rose in September to 4.6% from a rate of 4.5% in August. More than 138,000 Marylanders are looking for work but unable to find it - an increase of about 33% since the beginning of the year.
Yet, [...]
The Maryland Board of Public Works (pictured above), consisting of Governor Martin O'Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp, met last week to make cuts to the state's budget.
The cuts total either $300 million, $297 million, $348 million, $345 million or $280 million depending on where [...]
Voter registrations continue to surge in Maryland and most of the surge is going in the Democrats' direction as recent numbers from the Maryland State Board of Elections confirm.Â
As of October 15, there were 3,360,846 registered voters in Maryland of which 1,898,571 were registered as Democrats [...]
We know both from the calendar and from the changes in the weather that winter is on the way. On top of the economic problems we already face, the Energy Information Administration has already issued warnings that the cost of many heating fuels will be higher this [...]
With just about a month until election day, there are a few things that seem clear.
In the Presidential race, Obama/Biden will win in Maryland and win big. Of course, this was a foregone conclusion from the beginning and neither party has mounted a presidential campaign here because [...]
The financial resuce bill which was introduced in the House today represents a compromise that was negotiated between the Rebublican and Democratic leadership and which addresses most of the objections to the administration bill which I raised here earlier.Â
Well, we saw more clowns today in [...]
The Federal Election Commission posted the August fundraising reports from the presidential candidates and, at least here in Maryland, it's not really much of a horserace. Let's go to the numbers.
Statewide, McCain has raised $2,475,320 from Marylanders through the end of August - certainly an impressive sum. [...]
I have to depart today from my usual practice of focusing on Maryland politics and issues to comment on the financial debacle unfolding in Washington and New York. Once again the taxpayers and citizens are being taken for a ride by the Paulson, Bernanke, Bush and the [...]
Unemployment in Maryland increased again last month. And while we don't have unemployed standing in bread lines as shown in this 1910 photo, things could be better.
According to the Labor Department, unemployment in Maryland increased to 4.5 % from 4.3% in July. The increase in unemployment [...]
The Maryland state budget is facing a shortfall and it's not just pennies, nickels and dimes, either. According to the latest estimates, revenue in this fiscal year will be $432 million below projections and next year could see a $1 billion shortfall. The shortfall reflects economic conditions [...]
Recent incidents on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge have renewed interest in an additional bridge to ease traffic congestion and provide an alternative route between Maryland's Western and Eastern Shores. There are really only two problems holding back the construction of a third span - money and political [...]
Many people are expressing surprise that Republican representative Wayne Gilchrest has endorsed Democrat Andy Kratovil to succeed him in representing Maryland's First District, but it doesn't surprise me because this race is not about party politics.Â
Andy Harris, you see, is one of a few individuals hand-picked by the [...]
There's a lot of enthusiasm for wind energy these days, and rightly so. It's an enormous untapped energy source and wind energy is basically pollution-free, once the turbines are built and installed. There are a couple of problems, though that need to be addressed.Â
The New York [...]
Some 100 college presidents, including six from Maryland have again raised the question of what is the proper age to allow legal consumption of alcohol. Predictably, their proposal to revisit the issue has raised a storm of protest from those who don't want to even debate the [...]
I just got back from some travel and ran across these items in the news.Â
Energy Governor O'Malley has recognized that the solution to Maryland's energy problems lie not just in conservation but also in the construction of new generating facilities in the state. With brownouts or [...]
In the last post we looked at the issue of global warming and discussed the factors that contribute to the phenomenonand potential effects. Today we'll look at some actions that we can take on an everyday basis to help combat global warming. I want to [...]
Having taken a look at fundraising by the congressional candidates in Maryland's first district, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at how the two major party presidential candidates are faring in their fundraising in Maryland. As before, all data [...]
In my last post I looked at the individual contributions that each of the candidates in Maryland's First Congressional District had reported and contrasted the source of contributions for Frank Kratovil, which were almost 95 percent from Maryland residents vs. the source of contributions for Andy Harris, [...]
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has reported the results of fundraising by Congressional Candidates in the First District for the quarter ending June 30. Not surprisingly, Andy Harris continues to lead. The Republican raised avout $432,000 during the quarter and lent his campaign $100,000 of his [...]
The Baltimore Sun, Washington Post and a host of other newspapers report today that the Maryland State Police have repeatedly spied on groups opposed to the death penalty or opposed to the war. Despite the fact that the police spies reported no plans for illegal activity [...]
It seems that the project proposed by Bluewater Wind to place wind turbines off the Delaware coast is heading toward approval and may well be expanded and extended to the Maryland coast off of Ocean City. Governor Martin O'Malley expressed his support for the Delaware project yesterday [...]
I thought, with all the progress being made, it would be a good idea to post an update of the energy/electricity situation in Maryland.
So what's happened? Actually, not much. While there has been some slight progress, we are mostly standing still as demand continues to grow. Let's [...]
Several newspapers and TV stations, including the Daily Times here on the Shore, recently carried an article discussing the increased use of 'performance pay' in Maryland schools. According to the article, Prince George's County schools are instituting a series of 'performance bonuses' for teachers while Harford and [...]
As I write this the price of crude oil is somewhere near $145 a barrel - a sum that would be unimaginable a couple of years ago. As I wrote earlier, it is a classic supply and demand situation - the demand continues to rise, driven by [...]
Energy prices are high. For all intents and purposes, they are going to stay high - maybe get higher. While the price of oil might fall back to a previously unimaginable $100 per barrel, the long term trend is going to be for it to increase. Why? [...]
Bernie Hayden, over at Maryland On My Mind, writes a nice post about jobs and education questioning whether our education system is preparing people for the jobs that are available. There are plenty of careers where there are far more jobs than qualified people to fill them. [...]
The Milken Institute recently released their 2008 State Technology and Science Index recently. The Index ranks states in their ability to succeed in the technology-driven information age. Maryland was ranked number two, just behind Masschusetts. The author of the study pointed out that states that [...]
Certainly one of the issues on everyone's mind these days is the price of gasoline and the price of oil. The runup in the price of both over the past couple of years has everyone wringing their hands and looking for solutions. Every politician from the [...]
Average incomes on the Shore and in Western Maryland are much lower than in the Baltimore/Washington corridor and poverty rates are, by and large, higher. What, if anything, can or ought to be done about that? Not surprisingly, I have some suggestions.
I've written often here about the [...]
In the last post we talked about the wide discrepancies in wage rates in Maryland. The majority of Marylanders, who live in the densely-populated areas around Baltimore and Washington, earn wages that are considerably higher than average while those who live in the less-populated areas of Western Maryland [...]
 We were all pleased to see the announcement from the Census Bureau last year that Maryland had become the wealthiest state in the country as measured by median household income ($65,144) - edging out New Jersey and Connecticut. At the other end of the list, Mississippi ($34,473), [...]
 Summer is upon us and lots of Marylanders will be heading to the Eastern Shore this weekend, perhaps to do a little boating. More precisely, a lot of Marylanders will be heading for the beaches this weekend. For many, the Eastern Shore is just a place they [...]
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I have a few notes and comments on some recent items affecting the Chesapeake Bay.
Crabs
It looks as though the new crab regulations proposed by the state are going to stick. While there have been lots of complaints by watermen, particularly those on the lower Shore where [...]
Like everyone else who follows politics, I'm impressed with the results of the recent congressional elections. What was more or less the 'solid south' for the GOP is not looking so solid anymore. Let's take a look at the results.
The 14th Congressional District in Illinois, [...]
It's been a soggy couple of days on the Shore and we're looking at a few more before we finally break into our late spring and summer weather. While I'm waiting I want to catch up on a few items of interest that caught my [...]
Pilgrim's Pride is the latest chicken producer to report a loss. The report by this company, the largest chicken producer in the country, follows the loss reported by Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat producer, of a loss for the third quarter. Purdue Farms, the [...]
Well, I received my 'economic stimulus' yesterday. I'm not sure what we'll do with it. Probably it will go into a money market account for the time being. The total tab for all of these economic stimulus checks (actually, wire transfers in most cases) is [...]
This is the second part of my two-part post examining energy options for reducing Maryland's greenhouse gas emissions. In my previous post we looked at a variety of energy alternatives available to replace the large, base-load coal plants that generate so much greenhouse gas [...]
I've been taken to task for not being sufficiently supportive of the state's greenhouse gas reduction program and expressing only lukewarm enthusiasm for the 640 mw gas-fired power plant proposed for Charles County. I guess I should explain.
The state is so excited they have talked [...]
State Senator Andy Harris, concerned about rising gas prices, has suggested that Governor O'Malley call a special session of the General Assembly for the sole purpose of repealing the state gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
While his proposal has obvious political appeal, particularly [...]
There have been a few items in the news in the past week or so about Maryland energy issues. I thought I'd go over them quickly.
First, the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) has signed a contract with Comverge to provide 75 megwatts of 'Virtual Peaking [...]
I've written a lot about the electricity supply problems in Maryland (and I'll write more) but there's a problem with another kind of energy that is affecting us all.
The photo above was taken in June of 1941, a few months before Pearl Harbor and the [...]
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released new crabbing rules for 2008. In response to comments received on their original proposals, these rules are somewhat less restrictive. They still could have a significant impact on Maryland watermen, particularly those on the Lower Shore.
There [...]
No, the Manet painting has nothing to do with today's post, I just like it. I just wanted to catch up on a couple of items.
CRABS
I think what the two Governors agreed upon was a sensible approach to trying to preserve the crab fishery in [...]
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has released proposed new restrictions on crab harvests that are designed to help restore the crab fishery to its former size. The move comes after several years of declining harvests and signs that the crab population of the Bay [...]
The O'Malley administration was pretty succesful in getting its energy legislation through the General Assembly. Of course the bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent over the next twelve years failed, but that was really just grandstanding. It would have had no measurable [...]
This is the first of a series of posts that will examine the results of the recently completed Maryland General Assembly session.
There was not a lot of activity in the criminal justice area in this session. The major piece of legislation - to allow [...]
I've written before about the inadequate plan offered by the Maryland Energy Administration and the O'Malley administration to solve Maryland's energy problems. In the face of inadequate generating facilities (in 2006 we consumed about 63 million megawatt hours (MWH) but produced only 49 million), [...]
With a little less than a week to go in this session of the General Assembly, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at where we stand on new legislation and particularly, how that legislation might affect the Eastern Shore.
Criminal [...]
I have to say that I was mildly pleased to see that the state has agreed to a settlement with Constellation Energy of their long-running feud and their mutual lawsuits. The not only ends the ridiculous attempt by the state to go back on its [...]
Well, actually they haven't. With about two weeks left in the session and high initial hopes for some initiatives it looks like our political leaders have niftily avoided having to take a position on most majore issues.
The big issue, of course, was abolition of the [...]
The Baltimore Sun and the Salisbury Daily Times both ran articles today on the crisis in the H2B (seasonal temporary worker) program, while the New York Times ran an article on problems caused by the limited number of H1B (professional or technical work) visas.
Many of [...]
It looks as if the General Assembly is going to approve two controversial traffic safety measures this year, after a lot of debate.
The first measure is one that would authorize all 24 local jurisdictions to use speed cameras in highway work zones statewide, and, subject [...]
I thought I'd take a brief look at how well our leaders and representatives are doing in Annapolis and elsewhere in trying to restore the Bay. I'll try and separate the talk from the action. Here are some quick capsule summaries:
Storm Water
Storm water runoff [...]
Two recent bits of news have caught my eye. Last week the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in a 4-3 decision that master plans or comprehensive plans developed by local jurisdictions or growth management plans enacted by the state basically have no legal effect; counties [...]
The number of foreclosures in Maryland continues to climb as the housing market deteriorates. While the problem is widespread, the number and rate of foreclosures varies considerably throughout the state. In Kent County on the Upper Shore, there were 52 foreclosures filed in 2007, a [...]
The crowded parking lot outside of the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters shown here is a good indication of how defense and government spending are helping support the Maryland economy. While the US economy as a whole shed some 22,000 jobs in January, Maryland eked [...]
In the above image from NASA's Terra satellite you can see large amounts of silt pouring down the Susquehanna river into the Chesapeake Bay. This gives us a rough idea of the large amount of nutrients and pollutants that pour into the Bay every day [...]
Recently, Maryland and Virginia have both expressed concern about the viability of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery. While the results of the winter dredge survey are not yet available, evidence points to continued deterioration in the number of crabs in the Bay and the [...]
The Maryland General Assembly is considering legislation to update and strengthen the Critical Area Act first passed in 1984. The intent of the Act was to limit development in the area within 1,000 feet of the Chesapeake Bay and later the Coastal Bays and especially [...]
Since the beginning of the automobile age (this photo of a Buick Roadster in a ditch was taken in 1909) there have been car accidents. As the number of cars has grown, so has the number of accidents. Speeding is a contributing cause to [...]
State Senator Paul Pinsky has introduced legislation that would put into place a 'cap and trade' system to limit the amount of greehouse gases emitted by Maryland industry and eventually reduce them by 90%. The legislation has the support of Governor O'Malley and many others. [...]
There are plenty of people in Maryland who are opposed to any taxes at all. Andy Harris is a good example, he is proud that he has voted against any tax, even the 'flush tax' which is helping to clean up the Bay. Apparently, it [...]
This beautiful photo (click on it to see it full-sized) is of the Kinzua Dam on the Allegheny River in Warren County, Pennsylvania and the adjacent Seneca Pumped Storage Facility. The dam was built in 1960-1965 by the Corps of Engineers to control flooding on [...]
As we've beend discussing, Maryland faces a crisis in the supply of affordable and reliable electricity. Consumption in Maryland far outstrips generating capacity in the state and transmission facilities to bring power into the state are so overtaxed that there is agreement we face the [...]
yesterday we talked about the unhappy results of energy deregulation in Maryland. Today the state faces three basic problems with its electricity supply.:
When electricity was deregulated in Maryland back in 1999, proponents of deregulation promised a competitive, low-priced and efficient system of producing and distributing electricity that produce benefits for the producers and consumers of electricity. At the time, you may recall, electric utilities in Maryland (and [...]
Okay, yesterday we took a look at how well the Presidential candidates raised money in Maryland and where they got it. Today we're going to look at some Congressional candidates.
Anyone in the First District knows about the knock down, drag out fight among the Republican [...]
With the campaign finance numbers out, I thought I'd take a quick look at how well the various candidates are doing in Maryland and on the Shore - the Presidential candidates today and the Congressional candidates tomorrow. Then I'll return to the energy mess in [...]
Everyone seems to agree that Maryland is in a mess when it comes to reliable, affordable energy. Homeowners, who have seen rate increases from 36% to 72% agree; the Maryland Energy Administration which foresees the possibility of of rolling blackouts beginning in 2011 agrees; the [...]
Progressive Maryland blogs, including those over at Free State Politics and over at Politicker MD are filled with posts about the evils of slot machines and how slots will be easily defeated in the upcoming referendum. I don't agree.
As I understand them, the [...]
Well, President Bush has once more vetoed the expansion of the SCHIP (the State Childrens' Health Insurance Program) and Congress has failed to override the veto. SCHIP is a program to provide health insurance for children in low-income families not eligible for Medicaid. The program [...]
I spoke yesterday about some of the difficulties working class families have getting by, not just in Maryland, but nationwide. Declining real wages over the past twenty years or so together with the loss of many manufacturing jobs have made it increasingly hard for middle [...]
It’s not surprising to me that Governor O’Malley’s numbers are down. Many people resent the tax increase and don’t see anything in the Governor’s budget that’s going to help them. Of course, many don’t trust government at all and many Marylanders simply haven’t had time [...]
The Governor has submitted his budget for Fiscal Year 2009 (Beginning July 1). At first glance, it looks pretty much as expected. The proposed operating budget represents about a four percent increase from the current year (almost six percent if you count transfers from the [...]
Governor O'Malley has released his energy plan this week. It has three major components:
Well, the primary season is going hot and heavy here in the First District and over in the Fourth District. In each case an incumbent faces one or more strong challengers. In the First District, Republican Incumbent Wayne Gilchrest faces a well-funded challenge from State [...]
First, I want to apologize for not posting for several days. I've been ill, but the medical technology seems to be doing its job and I plan to make up for the missed posts.
The regular session of the General Assembly began today. Governor O'Malley laid [...]
I just want to follow up on some earlier posts and take another look at the upcoming General Assembly session. Some issues will be raised that will be difficult to deal with and might cause us to wonder who's in charge up there.
Chickens!
First, as I [...]
