Maryland DMV Giving Those Who Make “Corrections” To Licenses Automatic Renewals For Five Years.

I noticed that there was a small error on my driver’s license that needed correcting.  So I went to the DMV and asked to correct the error. The  charge for correcting an error on the driver’s license is only $22.  Now my license needs to be renewed in three weeks because that is my birthday and it has been 5 years since  my last renewal.  It costs $30 to renew you driver’s license.  To my surprise (feigned somewhat) it turns out that if you pay the $22,  to fix an error, weight, height, etc. on your license, the DMV automatically renews your driver’s license for 5 years.

Now my experiment was not really about saving $8, it was more about seeing if it is true that there is an automatic renewal by the State DMV of those licenses brought in for corrections to them.  It turns out the rumors in the Hispanic community are true.  This brings two problems immediately to mind.

First, how much money is the State of Maryland losing each year to renewals as a result  persons coming in before renewal time to pay for a corrected license and then the license is automatically renewed for five years?   Second, how many illegal aliens have brought licenses in for minor corrections to have them automatically renewed for another five year period?

I am in the process of asking the DMV to answer some questions about how many requests for corrected licenses were made each of the last four years.  I have a sneaky suspicion that the numbers are going up each year.  The Real ID Act is being put in place to halt  the policy of  driver’s licenses being given to those without proof of legal presence in the country. If we do not put a halt to this policy,  the numbers of those seeking corrected licenses and receiving automatic  five year renewals of their driver’s licenses shall continue to escalate. 

I  am also seeking information about where the law or regulation is that allows the automatic five year renewal for those who merely seek to make a small correction on their licenses.  I believe it is an administrative policy that seeks to get around the federal and state legislative actions.   This policy appears to be a pro-illegal immigrant action which will allow thousands of persons otherwise ineligible for a Maryland drivers license to maintain one for a longer period of time and at a cheaper cost than even Maryland residents pay for a five year extension.

I will update everyone once I receive the requested data from the DMV.  In the mean time I trust that the department will at least halt the policy of giving automatic five year extensions to anyone who requests a correction to their license.  I would suggest that ”corrections” be  done but no extensions be given. If a correction is done within six months of the renewal date then the driver should be required to pay the renewal fee and be issued a new license not a corrected license (as I was actually required to do).   For those renewing, it would be preferred, obviously, if they were required to show proof of legal presence. (Yes, we could require that such common sense precautions be taken before issuing driver’s licenses to anyone.) Unfortunately, the prevailing political climate in Maryland is a socialistic, One World State, mentality that subjugates our Independence to an idealistic universalism. None the less,  the DMV needs to correct this policy as soon as possible so as to prevent thousands of illegal immigrants from taking advantage of the  policy in an effort to get around the legislature’s efforts to require compliance with the federal Real Id Act.  It will not take long for the illegal immigrant population to discover that there is no need to prove legal residency if every four and a half years one need only go to the DMV and request a “corrected” driver’s license and receive an automatic five year extension on the life of the license. This policy needs to be addressed and corrected as soon as possible.

Watch for updated information as it becomes available.

Cecil County Blog Calls Tax Increase A Cut!

What is so hard about understanding that an increase, is an increase,  is an increase!  A decrease in an increase, which leaves an increase in place is still an increase.  It does not matter if you lower the increase 2 cents per hundred dollars of assessed value if you do not reach the constant yield.   

I wrote an earlier piece reacting to the Cecil Whig headline which wrongly declared  the cut of the increase as a Tax cut. Once again for the benefit of Mr Zane and any of his readers who are being mislead by his failure to understand  that in fact the County Commissioner’s are proposing a tax hike on the citizens of Cecil County for the 14th year in a  row!

 The tax rate is currently at 96 cents per $100 of assessed value on real property in Cecil County.  In order to keep the taxes on the same piece of property the same as were assessed last year, the county would have to reduce the tax rate by 6.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.  This is because the County has increased the assessed value of real property over the last year.

This additional proposed increase in tax assessments brings in an additional $966,569 of revenue for the county.  Bringing in almost an additional million dollars in taxes does not amount to a decrease in taxes and is not a proposed tax cut!  It is irresponsible to mislead the people and to print the Democratic lie that the reduction of a proposed increase is a decrease in taxes. It is not now nor will it ever be.  Yet Mr. Zane  writes that it is a decrease and that I should be happy with the partial decrease.

At a time when grass roots organizations are springing up across the country to challenge increased taxation; local newspapers and Republican Bloggers call increases, “decreases” and seem to stand with the tax oppressor instead of the tax payer. 

Mr. Zane also took the time to imply that I should not be pointing out that Commissioner Hodge had made promises to hold the line on taxes because I have not attended the budget meetings.  Mr. Zane should perhaps call me or check his facts, in the future, before printing assumptions.  I was at the last public meeting to discuss taxes and since last year when Senator Pipkinand I held community meetings in Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Caroline counties I have met with members of the Cecil Citizens Against Taxation (C-CAT) to discuss various aspects of the budget and held meetings at my office to discuss the Cecil County  Budget.   Mr. Zane would not know that because he has not been at the budget hearings or participating with the core group of citizens Democrats and Republicans who are working very hard to find places in the budget where cuts can be made or questions need to be asked regarding the budget.

Lastly I want to address the “Anonymous” commenter  who Mr. Zane allowed to attack me without any citation to an event, speech, vote or behavior they disagreed with.  I think that people who do not have the courage to sign their names to their writings should be ignored.  I understand that there may be a rare instance when someone is in fear of retaliation or they wish to be anonymous to save their job but rarely is that the case.  It is more likely to be that the anonymous author knows that what they write is indefensible and perhaps even know that  it is wrong and they therefore wish to be unaccountable for their libels and slanders.

The other problem with Anonymous commenter’s is you can not call them up to tell them they have been misled by the Blog they just read into thinking that their tax increase is really a cut of some kind.  In this instance I think the Anonymous commenter knows the proposed tax increase is actually an increase but has decided to praise Mr. Zane for his misunderstanding of taxes and to encourage Commissioner Hodge to break his election pledges to hold the line on taxes.

Commissioner Hodge Told Voters He Would “Hold the Line on Taxes” During the Campaign.

Since the Commissioners are at the point where they will soon make a decision on whether they are going to raise taxes, I have gone back to check on some of the campaign pledges from the fall of 2008.  While Commissioner Hodge was out seeking votes in the competitive 5th district race, he always made it clear to people that he would “hold the line on taxes” and make sure their voices were heard. His advertisements in the Whig (image below) last campaign season, emphasized his promise as he also assured citizens that he would “protect our rural character.”

His web site (image above), which he still maintains on the World Wide Web at http://hodge2008.com/issues.html outlines his platform with more detail and contains statements he made to a variety of groups while he was out on the campaign trail asking for votes.  Here are a few of those promises made to get elected:

1. Cecil County Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum – “Today’s economic challenges mean the citizens of Cecil County have to make tough decisions every day about how to spend their hard earned dollars. The County Commissioners have to step up to the plate and make those same tough decisions and be good stewards of your tax dollars. . . . We have an obligation to hold the line on taxes for the hardworking families of our community. I am committed to work hard every day to do so.”
2. Cecil County Voters Guide – “Like many of us, I’ve been frustrated at the lack of action by the County Commissioners over the years in many areas – including increasing taxes, keeping growth out of our rural areas, increasing crime and gangs, etc. I have the education, background and successful business leadership that will enable me to be ready on day 1 to hit the grounding running as your county commissioner.”
3. Cecil County 21st century Republican Forum – County Commissioners have to prioritize the many competing needs and wants of our citizens, and make tough decisions while being excellent stewards of your tax dollars. . . . This will be especially important in Cecil County’s immediate future because we face decreasing real estate tax assessments, increases in costs for expenditures previously paid by the State, and reduced tax revenues due to the current economic conditions. . . . “

Looking Back One Year Ago: Cecil County Tax Headlines

 

Cecil Whig calls a tax hike a tax cut.

This is the political speech of the left, calling a tax increase a decrease  The true “bottom line” is and always will be, if you pay more taxes this year than you did last year it is a tax increase!  End of story, simple but true, no ifs, ands or buts, no political spin.  Conversely, if you pay less tax this year than you did last year it is a tax cut.  (To those just joining the overtaxed minority, the “tax cut” is rare thing indeed.)

The tax rate is currently at 96 cents per $100 of assessed value on real property in Cecil County.  In order to keep the taxes on the same piece of property the same as were assessed last year, the county would have to reduce the tax rate by 6.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.  This is because the County has increased the assessed value of real property over the last year.

This additional proposed increase in tax assessments brings in an additional $966,569 of revenue for the county.  Bringing in almost an additional million dollars in taxes does not amount to a decrease in taxes and is not a proposed tax cut!  If the newspaper industry has any questions about what is happening to it, they need look no further than this as an example of what is wrong.  At a time when grass roots organizations are springing up across the country to challenge increased taxation; local newspapers call increases, “decreases” and seem to stand with the tax oppressor instead of the tax payer.

The public will get two opportunities to comment on the proposed tax rate at a public hearing at 2 P.M. & 7 P.M. on Tues. May 12, 2009.  Unfortunately, most of the taxpayers will actually be working at 2 p.m. on Tues. so they can actually pay their taxes.  Therefore I ask those that are unable to make the Tuesday 2 P.M. or 7 P.M. hearing to please call or E-mail your County Commissioners.  (Their email address are found at the bottom of this post.)

 Once you have called or E-mailed your Commissioners let us know by posting a quick comment or note so that we can tabulate and report here on the Blog what the taxpayers of Cecil County feel about this proposed tax increase.   Those who can make it at the 7 P.M. hearing are encouraged to attend if at all possible.

Please note there are encouraging signs, Commissioners Mullin and Hodge pledged during their campaigns that they would not support any new taxes.  I have no reason to believe that they will not live up to their pledge to the citizens of Cecil County.   Commissioners Lockhart & Demmler are inviting the citizens to participate and seem very willing to consider the opinion of the public.  Commissioner Tome has been less vocal on the issue and I trust still has an open mind on the subject.

 I still believe that this is one of those rare times when public input, loud and clear, can effect a change in the direction our government is heading regarding a tax increase.  The starting point is to know the facts and be sure the commissioners know that you know a decrease is a proposed increase, not a cut in taxes.  We are not seeking a cut just the “constant yield.” i.e. keeping our taxes the same as last year.

 The vote on taxes will be on May 26, 2009, so let’s turn up the volume, and tell your friends and neighbors to contact the County Commissioners by one of the methods below.

 

Commissioner’s Email Addresses

1. Commmissioner Demmler’s Email Address:  rdemmler@ccgov.org;
2. Commissioner Hodge’s Email Address:  rhodge@ccgov.org;
3. Commissioner Lockhart’s Email Address:  blockhart@ccgov.org; Commissioner Mullins
4. Email Address:   jmullin@ccgov.org and
5. Commissioner Tome’s Email Address:  wtome@ccgov.org

Young Republicans Urge Taxpayers To Contact The County Commissioners.

The following message is being passed on by the Cecil County Young Republicans and is worthy of your attention, no matter what your political affiliation.

 

On Tuesday, the Cecil County Commissioners will be voting on key
department budgets for this year’s county budget. In order to avoid a
tax increase, the county must cut its spending by about 5% across the
board.

We need as many calls/messages in the Commissioner’s voice mail box
today and tomorrow so they get a clear message that county residents
don’t want new taxes. We also need to flood their email inbox with
encouragements to do what is right — cut spending and keep our taxes
where they are (at the very least).

I am trying to recruit 10 people to help me by leaving a message for the
County Commissioners — all you have to do is just call this number:
410-996-5201

If you call today, you can just leave a message. This makes things very
easy—you don’t have to talk with anybody. And by leaving one message,
that will hit all five Commissioners. So, its just one phone call.

Here is an example voice message you might want to leave:

    Hi my name is _______________ and I live in ______, MD. I am calling
    to urge the County Commissioners to cut spending and keep our taxes
    the same as last year. We are in very tough economic times, and the
    last thing we need is increased taxes! If the County Commissioners
    would like to contact me they can call me at ___________________ or
    e-mail me at _________________. Thank you!

Also, I want to get 10 people to EMAIL each county Commissioner. What
makes this even easier is that you can send all 5 Commissioners e-mails
in one e-mail message—you can get this done in 5 minutes (depending on
how long your e-mail message is).

Here are all of the County Commissioners e-mail addresses (simply copy
them and paste them into your send bar):

wtome@ccgov.org,
blockhart@ccgov.org,
jmullin@ccgov.org,
rdemmler@ccgov.org,
rhodge@ccgov.org

Here is an example email you might use as a starting point — make sure
to edit it and customize it so it applies to you.

    Dear Commissioners:

    I would like to thank you for your service and work for our
    community. I am writing to ask that you join other commissioners in
    cutting spending in order to keep taxes the same as last year.

    Our family is facing the challenges of our tough economy and we have
    no choice but to live within our means. We want our county
    leadership do to the same — please cut spending and keep our taxes
    down.

    I look forward to hearing that you each have done your part. Again,
    thank you for all your hard work for Cecil County.

    Sincerely,

    Your Name Here
    Your Zip Code

If you do call, would you come back to this note and leave a comment
letting me know? My goal and commitment is to get at least 10 people to
call and email.

Please help us out — don’t wait. Just call and write up a quick email
right now. Also, share this with any friends you know that might be
willing to join in. Just a few minutes could possibly mean hundreds of
$$ saved in taxes next year.

Someone Noticed: Elkton Should Let Citizens Know What They’re Discussing at Workshops

From Someone Noticed

The town’s policital leadership has advised that it will hold a workshop on March 11 at 4:00 p.m. The announcement does not indicate the items that are going to discussed at the meeting. This practice of not listing the important items the board is going to examine, contrasts with the norms of other area local governments. For example, we just surfed over to the Cecil County and Chesapeake City government sites. Both of those local entities manage to publish the items they are considering. This is a helpful practice for good government since it allows citizens to participate in the process and stay informed.

We’ve mentioned this before, when we wrote a piece called a Tale of Two Towns. We strongly encourage the town to consider this opportunity to help keep citizens informed. It is at these meetings that the commissioners typically get the details on proposals, ask questions, and decide how they’re going to vote on an issue. Unless something most extraordinary happens, they will simply cast their vote at the monthly meeting.

Article continues on Someone Noticed

Someone Noticed: Elkton Commissioners Get Told Where Taxes Come From

From Someone Noticed

———————

Commissioners Hear From Citizens About Where Taxes Come From at Town Meeting

In these demanding times when municipal, state, and federal officials need to worry, more than ever, about tight budgets and the financial burdens placed on taxpayers, a discussion about several expenditures involving the town were on the minds of at least one elected official and two citizens at the Elkton town meeting this evening.

Article continues on Someone Noticed

Washington Post: Media Need Not Reveal Web Posters’ Idenities”

From The Washington Post ——

Media Need Not Reveal Web Posters’ Identities

Ruling Applies 1st Amendment to Internet

By Aaron C. Davis

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 28, 2009; Page B08

 

Operators of newspaper Web sites, blogs and chat rooms that allow readers to post anonymous comments using pseudonyms do not have to readily reveal the posters’ identities in defamation suits, Maryland’s highest court ruled yesterday, further shaping an emerging area of First Amendment law in the Internet age.

The Maryland Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling and ordered that NewsZap.com, an online forum run by Independent Newspapers, does not have to disclose the identities of forum participants who engaged in an online exchange about the cleanliness of a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in 2006.

Article Continues on Washington Post

WBAL: “Court Defends Anonymous Web Posters”

From WBAL Radio News —-

Court Defends Anonymous Web Posters

Court Defends Anonymous Web Posters Saturday, February 28, 2009 WBAL Radio as reported by Robert Lang Read the Maryland Court of Appeals decision in this case. View File The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, has ruled that three people who posted anonymous comments online about the cleanliness of a donut shop can remain anonymous. The court decision also offers guidelines for when the identity of anonymous web posters can be released. The decision came in a case filed by Eastern Shore developer Zebulon Brodie, who owns a Dunkin Donuts in Centreville, against Independent Newspapers, Incorporated

Click here to go to the full article

Someone Noticed: Reporters Can Serve an Important Function as the Public’s Eyes & Ears

From Someone Noticed —

Reporters Can Serve an Important Function as the Public’s Eyes & Ears

February 18, 2009 · No Comments

The Maryland Open Meeting Law helps journalists report on the more important happenings taking place at meetings of governmental bodies across the state. For reporters struggling to thoroughly cover their political beats and get the full story, this important tool helps a lot. It is a tool, as we’ve mentioned before, that our neighboring newspaper makes sure it uses to hold the boards and commissions to the requirements of the law. That is a very good thing for the public’s right to know, as well as for newspaper circulation and revenue.

Curious to know how frequently local newspapers use this method, we surfed over to the violations page of the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board to get an idea of how many complaints the board had investigated from Cecil and Kent counties.

Article Continues on Someone Noticed

Someone Noticed: Cecil County Editor & Publisher Offers Observations . . .

From Someone Noticed

By Dan Meadows

I had a magazine once, for a short time. Some of you may remember it, Pet Companions Magazine. We wrote about all sorts of pet-related issues, both serious and not so. Dog biscuit recipes, books on animal topics, articles about animal welfare issues, and most importantly, a big, two-page list of rescues and shelters of all kinds in this region. I even gave away the back cover, the most prime area of real estate in each issue, to a different rescue or shelter every month. We had money in the bank, issues on the street, and people knew the name. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with smiles and folks would tell me how much they looked forward to the new edition, and how excited they were to do the new crossword puzzle. I liked that part the best, I think. I spent two or three hours each month writing all the clues for that puzzle; people with names like animals, cars named after animals, and best of all, lots of questions about old cartoon character animals. I’ve always wanted to work Foghorn Leghorn into something I’ve done. Well, that’s one life’s dream satisfied, anyway.

But now its gone, sucked away in the great fiscal hurricane of 2008, and all that’s left behind is the rubble of collection notices and former friends. Some days, I don’t even miss it. There’s something oddly compelling in getting up, going to work, putting in your eight hours and heading home to start all over again. No decisions to be made more important than whether or not I need gas, no thoughts required short of what I need to get through. But most days, it kills me.

Article Continues on Someone Noticed

Blog Traffic Exceeds 61,000 Views in Jan.

The blog has had over 61,000 views in just the month of January.  In addition, readers have posted over 1,000 comments.  About a month ago, it was recognized as one of the 100-fastest growing English language blogs in the world.

One of the Top 100 Blogs of the Day, WordPress Says

WordPress monitors web traffic on the Internet and reports each day on the the 100-top blogs for a variety of categories.  These include the volume of unique hits, as well as the hottest topics on the World Wide Web (based on Internet traffic).  This serves as an important measure about which blogs are getting the most visits in the entire universe of blog traffic.

Once the story about the CCSPCA story was posted, visits skyrocketed.  As you will see in the image below, this site was twice selected for the top 100 site over the past few days.  It was one of the 100-busiest blogs in the English language and it also had one of the hottest 100-topics for all the blogs hosted by WordPress.com

MVA refusing to answer Delegate Smigiel’s questions about employees who sold licenses to drive school buses to illegal alliens.

It has been about a year since I first asked Mr. Kuo, administrator for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration,(MVA) about the illegal sale of driver’s licenses by MVA employee’s to illegal aliens. I wanted to know about all illegal licenses sold by MVA employees but noted that I was particularly troubled by the number of  licenses sold which would allow the buyer to drive a school bus. I requested details about  what happened to the buyers and sellers of said licenses.

At a hearing in the joint session room I asked Mr. Kuo for the information and was told he was not sure he could disclose it at that time because there was an investigation still on going. I asked, Mr. Kuo, if the Governor was aware of the investigation and I was told “yes, he is.”

Now, first and formost, I do not believe there is any investigation, not involving the legislature or it’s members, of an executive branch of government that should be considered confidential from the legislature. After all, we do decide whether the agencies even exist and certainly should be able to review and investigate the actions of the employees of agencies we create, especially when the lives and saftey of our constituents is at stake.

At the time, I requested all information related to the investigation and any information which was no longer “confidential”. (After all, some information had already been shared with the Governor and therefore there had to be some specifics available to share) I also asked to be kept informed of the status of the investigation. To date I have received no information, despite repeated requests.

From everything I know about Mr. Kuo, he appears to be a good man who works hard at his job. I have no reason to believe that it is his choice to hide this information from the public. I have been in politics long enough to know that his reluctance to provide me the information is most likely because it will prove politically embarrasing for the administration and those who support the “safe haven” approach to illegal immigration.

I am not really interested in embarrasing the administration over their open arms policy towards illegal aliens. (They are doing a fine job of embarrasing themselves without my help)
What I am concerned about, are the efforts to cover up the details about how many State of Maryland employees were involved in the sale of driver’s licenses, how many were sold, to whom and what was done to the buyers and sellers. Were any of the school bus driver’s licenses used, are they still being used and what changes have been made to protect the citizens of Maryland in the future?

While the press were present for my questioning of Mr. Kuo and heard his answers, they have ignored the matter.        I can not ignore the matter. I do not trust the State to do the right thing. Will the State follow up to make sure that all the missing licenses are found and that all those who sold or bought driver’s licenses illegally are prosecuted? Will policies be enacted to protect us from future problems? We need to be sure that there is no possibility that someone is out there driving a school bus with a driver’s license that was illegally purchased from a State employee.

I have written follow up letters and will continue to press, through freedom of information requests, public hearings and or the courts, if necessary to obtain the requested information.

Stay tuned for further updates as the Session progresses.

State proposes emergency regulations to change HSA requirements.

During the last week of December I received a package of proposed “emergency regulations”.  As I read through them I was surprised to see amongst them an emergency regulation scheduled to take effect on Dec. 31, 2008 which would eliminate the need for all students to pass the High School Assessment (HSA) in order to receive a diploma.

The State of Maryland has spent tens of millions of dollars preparing teachers and students to get to the moment when passage of the HSA will finally actually determine whether a student obtains a diploma.  Starting in the summer of 2009 Maryland High School seniors will be required to pass the HSA tests given in January and April of each year. Students are tested in Algebra, Biology, Government and English.

Realizing that some students might struggle over the test even after having taken them several times, a “Bridge Plan” was established as an alternative means to meeting the graduation requirement.  A student that could not pass the HSA after two or more attempts could still obtain a diploma if they could show that they “were making satisfactory progress toward graduation, had participated in locally administered or approved assistance, and have demonstrated satisfactory attendance as determined by local standards.”

Apparently, the creation of the Bridge Plan exception is not enough to sway the concerns of the Educational bureaucrats.  They now plan to try to pass “emergency regulations” that will allow those who have failed the HSA and been unwilling or unable to complete a “Bridge Plan” to appeal the denial of  a diploma.

The State Board of Education spent so much time, effort and money telling teachers and students that the new policy was that the State was now serious about the educational requirements we attach to Maryland High School diplomas and that there would be consequences for failure, yet now, when the day of reckoning arrives, the State decides to create a loophole big enough to hide its massive educational failures within.

Before we abandon the path of responsibility and accountability we should have a public discussion of  whether it is better to stay with the current HSA program and the Bridge Plan or to abandon them by allowing students to obtain their diplomas regardless of whether they have met the established minimum standards.

As a member of the Administrative, Executive, Legislative, Review (AELR) committee I exercised my right to request a public hearing on the proposed regulations. The hearing will be scheduled shortly after the 2009 session begins.

Standing in solidarity with O’Malley’s easy targets.

After consulting with many of my fellow legislators on what options we have and what is the best way to show our solidarity with our fellow State of Maryland employees I have decided that I will donate one days salary to a charity in each of the four counties that make up a portion of the 36th District.

Governor O’Malley made news recently when he decided to give State employee’s the early Christmas present of a few days off without pay. Legislators are exempt from being furloughed, but many of us want to show solidarity with our staff and support personnel so we had to decide whether to give back a portion of our pay and how to go about it. After pondering on the problem, I have come to the conclusion that the State has enough of my money and that of my constituents, which it consistently fails to spend wisely. So, I will instead, donate my money to  local charities.   By giving to a local charity, in each county, I can assure the money will be used locally and that my constituents benefit directly.

Frankly, I am perplexed as to why Governor O’Malley would have chosen to make examples out of the State employees. It was the easy way to make a point, “Times are tough”, we get it. What our constituents want to hear is, what do we intend to do about the nearly half a billion dollar revenue projection deficit and the one and a half billion dollar structural deficit.

What we don’t want to hear is the sorry excuse that no one could have forseen the national economic crises. I was there when many of us stood on the floor during debate and argued not to raise taxes because there were all the signs that we were heading for a recession.  I also know that the taxpayers don’t want to see us take the easy way out by just shifting the responsibility onto the Counties.

We deserve to hear some answers from those responsible for leading us out of the State’s fiscal crises. What I want to hear is that the Governor will propose a budget with 2% or less growth and will consider real significant government down sizing with the elimination of ineffective or redundant programs.

There are numerous places to make real cuts (not just decreases in increases), it will just take a little courage on the part of the Governor to lead us into those places politically hard to go.  Hopefully his is prepared to do so,  now that he has warmed up on the easy targets.

Whig failed to cover several issues raised at the annual Delegation meeting.

At the annual Cecil County, “Meet with the Delegation Day” this year several newsworthy issues rose which unfortunately were not reported on by the local press. The treasurer’s yearly request that the mechanism for raising the pay of the treasurer be reevaluated made headlines but little else was reported on.

Other newsworthy events which were not reported on were the Delegation’s inquiry into why the Elk Landing Board of Directors would have entertained the idea of selling adjoining land recently purchased with State open space funding.

Elk Landing Foundation board member, Mr. Josh Brown told the delegation it was the idea of the town of Elkton. (See reports in Someonenoticed.wordpress.com) The Delegation pointed out that our credibility is damaged when we go to Annapolis, ask for State open space funding to purchase land while extolling the benefits of its historical significance, in the battles of 1812, to the State of Maryland, receive the money, then, less than five months later, the Elk Landing board and town of Elkton, try to sell the land for commercial development. The delegation requested that in the future we be consulted before the Town of Elkton attempts to sell land purchased with State funds.

Another item which one would have thought worthy of being reported to the public was when the delegation inquired of the Board of Education why the taxpayers were being asked to pay over three million dollars for the new Elkton High School stadium when we had actually already paid for the stadium once before. The additional costs were explained as being attributable to cost overruns and increased cost of materials which caused other monies to have to be redirected. To this day I am not sure how much Elkton High School renovations are actually over budget, nor where the extra tens of millions of dollars went. Perhaps these are questions the citizens will seek answers to when they meet with the Commissioners on January 13, to discuss the 09 projected budget.

This leads to another area which the delegation discussed with the County Commissioners. It was announced that the County would not be able to go forward with the new School of Technology. I suggested that the County not close the door to the idea but rather wait to see if the O’Bama Administration does as it has proposed and provides about a trillion dollar economic stimulus package geared to infrastructure. If that occurs we suggested that the County Commissioners should be prepared with “shovel ready” projects such as the tech school, a list of bridges and the MARC line link. The Cecil County Commissioners were receptive to and encouraged by our suggestions.

Another area of discussion which should have been reported on was when Senator Pipkin advised the Commissioners that there were two bills that he and I would be submitting. The first would require that the Economic Development Director for Cecil County be a County employee. Currently, Cecil County’s Economic Development Director, Mr. Vernon Thompson is paid in excess of $130,000 per year. When the Cecil Whig recently published the list of the County’s top paid employee’s Mr. Thompson’s salary was not listed because he is not an employee, he is an independent contractor. Aside from the fact that he is being paid an excessively high salary, his contract does not even include and exclusivity clause. Thus, he is free to work for Delaware, Harford County and whomever else he chooses while being paid over $130,000 per year by Cecil County. Thus a company could contact him about relocating and he would be free to suggest to them they relocate in Delaware, Harford County or elsewhere. The County has raised his contract payment about $5,000 every year for the last few years with little accountability for what they receive for the expenditure. I suggest that the spring the County Commissioner’s consider advertising this as an employee position at between $80,000 and $90,000 per year to see what caliber of individuals apply. If the County is able to hire a qualified person as an employee to perform the tasks of economic development director at $80 to $90 thousand dollars, they would have saved enough to hire a new teacher or police officer and still save the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

Senator Pipkin also told the Commissioners that he and I would submit a bill to prohibit a County Attorney from also representing a city or municipality because of perceived inherent conflicts of interest. This has been a problem not only in Cecil County but also in other counties in the 36th District and the State.

Also unreported was that the delegation was working with the local government officials to prevent future problems. For instance, the delegation asked the health department, the department of social services and Upper Bay Mental Health to be proactive in working out a plan to address the impending increase in gambling addictions. Everyone present agreed this was a good idea and is now moving forward to be ready when legalized gambling is expanded in Cecil County.

There were other positive messages which came out of the meeting such as the congratulations given to Major Foster of the Cecil County detention center for his efforts in working throughout the summer and fall of last year with me to finalize the Correctional Officer’s Bill of Rights Act (C.O.B.R.A.) I was able to get the bill passed for Cecil County last year and it is inevitable that additional counties will want to bring their officers under the protection of C.O.B.R.A.

These are just a few of the events that were discussed or which took place at the annual Meet with the Cecil County Delegation Day. The press can not cover everything that takes place so I trust this helps the citizens who were unable to be there, to better understand what occurred. Please let me know your comments, questions or concerns.

Town Cancels Meeting with Delegation About Homeless

The Town of Elkton finally agreed to meet with Senator Pipkin and I on Jan. 8 to discuss the crime situation in Elkton, unfortunatley today I received notice that they have canceled the Jan 8 meeting. They are requesting a meeting on a Thursday while the legislature is in session. We will work with the town to get a meeting around their schedule. In the meantime, it certainly would be nice if they could address the immediate problem of the large debris field, which they left along the banks of creek  under the bridge. Certainly that doesn’t require a meeting to correct. Please be sure to see our photo page on this subject. Also check back frequently for we’ll keep the blog updated.

If you agree, please contact the Mayor and Commmissiones and ask them to clean up their mess under the Senator Walter Baker bridge.  Here’s the link to the town web site so you may email them or call them.

Elkton Paralyzed by Fear of the ACLU

During the first week of December, we set up the Christmas tree and the nativity scene in the office window. Things were starting to feel like the holidays. A day or so later a member of my legislative staff went to lunch in Elkton and was surprised to find one of Elkton’s homeless men standing along side of route 213 urinating in the road. Thinking such behavior might be detrimental to attracting shoppers to the downtown area, she reported the problem to a nearby Elkton police officer.  The officer was busy writing a ticket, but said he would take care of the matter as soon as he was done. My staff member waited for the officer to finish and then watched as he drove by the man who was pushing a shopping cart down the sidewalk along 213 towards Elkton.

After my staff member related the lunch time misadventure, I suggested a call to the desk Sergeant to advise him of the experience. Perhaps the officer received another call to an emergency and could not stop, we would not know unless we called. The desk Sergeant was on the road at the time, but promptly returned our call. The Sergeant was empathetic to our situation, but stated he was as frustrated as we are and would see if one of his policemen on patrol spotted the man. My staff member proceeded to have a conversation with him about the ACLU case and my staff member told him we would look into the issue. I appreciate that the Sergeant promptly responded and was honest in his response and concern about the problem.

It appeared clear to me that the “hands off the homeless policy” was originating further up the political chain of command, so I put in a call to the Chief of Police. The Chief was not available at the time, but did call back within the hour. I explained what happened to the staff member and he expressed his sympathy for what was witnessed and stated if the homeless violate the law they will be arrested. I explained to the Chief of Police about the many constituent complaints I had been receiving regarding rising crime in the Elkton area. After giving several specific examples I asked if he would meet Senator Pipkin and me at 5pm in my office on Monday in order to discuss our concerns about the crime problem. The Chief’s response was to say “crime happens everywhere”. “Crime happens everywhere” is the last response I would have expected to receive from Elkton’s Police Chief.  I then went on to explain to the Chief that I had received several constituent complaints about the homeless men living under the Walter Baker Bridge. The Chief’s response to this was that, “We don’t know who owns the bridge”. (All I could think at that time was, you didn’t really say that, did you?) I asked, “Well, what is being done to determine whose bridge it is?” I asked if one of the homeless goes to sleep drunk and rolls off into the river and drowns will the excuse be, “We did not know who owned the bridge? I mentioned that I had been told that one homeless man had been recently stabbed under the bridge and thus, this was a dangerous situation that needed correction. Once again, I asked the Chief if he would meet with Senator Pipkin and me. I suggested that if there was a problem with the Town being able to support him, or a lack of funds, we would help in anyway we could. I was told the Town fully supports him and he has everything he needs. I would eventually ask at least two more times to schedule a meeting with the Chief, but he never accepted any of my requests to schedule a meeting or offered to meet with us at any other time or place.

On Thursday of the next week, the Mayor was at the yearly meeting with the “Cecil County Delegation’s Legislative Request day.” Senator Pipkin and I brought up the problem we had with the Police Chief and were told by Mayor Fisona that any homeless violating the law should be arrested and that he would schedule a meeting with the Senator, me and the Police Chief.  As I was driving to work on Friday morning, I was shocked and dismayed to see numerous police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and various emergency personnel around the Walter Baker Bridge and Marina Plaza. I immediately knew that the rain over the last two days had caused the river to rise and whoever had been sleeping under the bridge when that happened was in trouble. It turned out that one man had to be taken to the hospital for hypothermia and a second man was missing. As of Friday, it was thought he may have walked away or he may have drowned, but authorities were not sure at the time. It seems to me that the firefighters and rescue personnel would not have needed to be risking their lives by going into the river looking for people who may have been sleeping under the bridge, had the town not taken a hands off approach with Elkton’s homeless.

I realize the homeless are our brothers, sisters, neighbors and loved ones, in need of assistance. Elkton offers many services to those who wish to avail themselves of said opportunities.  My concern is with the apparent attitude that many of the homeless are now free to appear drunk in public, camp or sleep any where they choose and violate any number of misdemeanor laws without fear of arrest. Elkton has gained the reputation as a good place for homeless persons to come because they are free to do as they wish without fear of being arrested for doing so.  I suggest that the Town treat all persons, homeless or not, similarly with regard to public drunkenness and or other anti-social behavior.The Town needs to pass ordinances which will restrict camping over night to specific areas. There should be some effort to curtail people from dropping off furniture and mattresses behind the Goodwill at Marina Plaza. Unfortunately, those living under the bridge are able to drag the items from the Goodwill, fifty yards away, to under the bridge. The placement of signs prohibiting after hour drop offs or a fence, might prevent future use of the bridge as a camping area.

While we are discussing things that can be done, perhaps the town can send out some personnel to clean up the large mess left on the site. Apparently, whatever did not float down the river was left in a large pile under the bridge. If the Town does not have the personnel or money to clean up the soaked chairs, mattresses and other materials left behind, perhaps the Town could ask the Sheriff to seek volunteers from amongst the prisoners who go out on road side clean up crews and the Town or County could supply the truck to take the materials to the dump.  The failure to properly address the homeless problem last year led to their living under the bridge. The unwillingness of the Police Chief to address the problem of the homeless living under the bridge led to a near tragedy and resulted in the current mess left behind. If the town does not address the mess left behind, we risk another problem from the environmental damage caused by allowing all the trash to be carried down river by the next high water incident.

The Town of Elkton needs to meet with the Delegation, the County and other stake holders to address a game plan for compassionately, but firmly addressing the growing homeless problem in Elkton.

 

A Banquet of Consequences

In just a few short months the bastion of capitalism, the American economy, has collapsed into full-fledged socialism.  here is the outrage? Where are our leaders who should be extolling the benefits of capitalism and free markets? Those we would expect to be the leading voices in opposition to the current shortsighted monetary policies are the very same people standing in the front of the line to receive the largest percentage of the approximately two trillion dollar bailout.

The political leaders of both parties are complicit in voting for the bills that led to the current crises. Liberals argued that sound economic policies which required a loan applicant to have a job and a history of paying their bills should give way to a social policy of trying to make home ownership a reality for anyone, no matter what their socio-economic status.   Instead of staying true to accepted economic principles regarding mortgage loans, conservatives acquiesced in the doomed social experiment. When the few conscientious legislators warned of the dangers of the subprime mortgage explosion they were ignored or chastised as being against the advancement of minorities.

Shortly after the collapse began, we were told we had to invest nearly a trillion dollars of tax payer money to save the U.S. and possibly the world from a certain economic collapse.  Without ever taking the time to consider that part of the Capitalist theory is that there will be winners and losers in supply and demand economics, we blindly accepted the doomsday predictions and acquiesced to the blackmail position of pay up or face a worldwide collapse of the economic system.

We were told the money would be used for purchasing the toxic paper associated with the subprime mortgage markets so we could save millions of Americans from having their homes foreclosed upon. We were told the trillion dollars was needed to save Main Street, not Wall Street.   What have we received as a result of this bailout? The same greedy mismanaging CEOs who created the financial crises have used the taxpayer money from the bailout to hold several retreats at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Top management people were given obscene bonuses, presumably for the “great job” they have done.

Though we were told the bailout money was to be used to purchase uncapitalized mortgages we are now told that the money has instead been used to recapitalize the banks. So basically, the public treasury was raided to bail out Wall Street and Main Street has been ignored.   So the politicians who voted to approve the bailout avoided being voted out of office on Nov. 4, by telling the voters that the hard vote on the bailout had been taken to save their homes and jobs. Now that the election is over, those very same politicians are showing their true allegiance is not to the voters, but rather to the powerful lobbyist who represent the interest of those responsible for this financial crises.

Where is the public out cry for the heads of those responsible for creating this mess? Both parties share the blame and both parties are working together to protect the guilty. There will be no accounting because so many of the elected officials who were responsible for protecting us, at best, are guilty of negligence and at worst guilty of greed and self interest.  It is hard to get a pig to butcher itself.

Now that we have nationalized the banking and credit industry, others are demanding the same. The auto industry wants the taxpayers to give them billions of dollars so they can survive. While I am against bailing out the auto industry with billions of dollars, I understand the argument that the financial industry collapse has effected credit to such an extent that people can not or do not want to obtain loans to purchase cars. Dealerships likewise, can not obtain the operating capital usually available to fund inventory and operating costs. Yet, at the same time other auto manufacturers are likewise affected. Toyota and Honda are surviving under the same circumstances and not standing in the government welfare line asking for a handout. Their corporate models are different than that of the big three and apparently superior business models.

While thus far Congress has said no to the bail out of the American Auto Industry, it is inevitable that they will give the big three what they ask. Not because they deserve it, but because of the belief they are owed it as a political payoff for supporting the Democrats in the recent election.  While I understand the concern raised that if we do not save the big three, then millions of people will lose their jobs and the ripple effects will be devastating. How does the government choose one industry and deny helping another?

Do we really want the government to begin choosing which industries or companies survive and which do not? Does not a free economic system also mean one has the freedom to fail?  In an effort to appear to have performed their due diligence, Congress is requiring the big three auto makers to provide a business plan on how they plan to spend the 25 billion dollars they are requesting. (I would have preferred that a business plan have been provided by someone before Congress handed over nearly a trillion dollars to bail out Wall Street!) Over 290 Billion has been spent already with little or no accountability for where it has gone. Secretary Paulson will have sole discretion on how the remaining hundreds of billions of dollars are spent when Congress recesses.