TAXPAYER BREAKING NEWS, July 2006,
continued from MTA Home Page

August 3, 2006. GOP deserts principles by backing 2 bills, writes Robert Novak in the Chicago Sun-Times."I first heard on July 12 that House Republicans were planning to merge minimum wage and estate tax legislation. Thomas last week combined them with the extenders bill. Arrogant, acerbic and authoritarian, the chairman was going out with a bravura performance (refusing to walk across the Capitol to meet with senators)."

August 3, 2006. An Estate Tax Twist Reverses Party Roles On Minimum Wage, reports Jeffrey H. Birnbaum in the Washington Post. "In contrast, business lobbyists are seeking 'yes' votes. Dan Danner, executive vice president of the National Federation of Independent Business, the small-business lobby, sent lawmakers a letter of support this week. 'While we have strong concerns about the minimum wage hike, we're supportive of permanent relief of the estate tax,' he wrote. 'If Congress needs to address the federal minimum wage level this year, we believe it should be addressed in a package that also provides significant relief for small businesses. . . . The bill does just that.'"

August 3, 2006. Future of Orthodox Jewish Vote Has Implications for GOP; Small but Growing Group Receptive to Republican Ideas, reports Jim VandeHei in the Washington Post. "A number of Jewish donors, especially those in the Orthodox community, are assisting Santorum and others behind the scenes. In the short term, the biggest political benefit of the GOP's outreach to the Jewish community has been financial, Democratic and Republican officials said. Gary Erlbaum, owner of Greentree Properties in Ardmore, Pa., and other Jewish fundraisers have helped raise well over $1 million for Santorum and rally support for him in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 'If he could get a majority of Jewish voters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, he would win the election, but there is nothing assured about that,' said Erlbaum, who is raising money for some Democratic candidates, also. Erlbaum is major backer of the Orthodox community in his state."

August 2, 2006. Media Missiles: Working for the enemy--Tom Gross reports for the National Review. "Another journalist let the cat out of the bag last week. Writing on his blog while reporting from southern Lebanon, Time contributor Christopher Allbritton, casually mentioned in the middle of a posting: 'To the south, along the curve of the coast, Hezbollah is launching Katyushas, but I’m loathe to say too much about them. The Party of God has a copy of every journalist’s passport, and they’ve already hassled a number of us and threatened one.'"

August 1, 2006. Examiner editorial slams new law requiring artists who want to perform in public spaces in Baltimore to pass an audition before the Baltimore City Board of Street Entertainment and and pay $25 to the city. "The mayor should act to dismantle the board, remove the law and focus city resources on fixing quality of life issues that matter, like reducing the highest murder rate in the nation."

August 1, 2006. Court Decision Moves State Affiliates of NEA Closer to Compliance with Federal Anti-Corruption Laws; Labor Secretary Chao Champions More Disclosure, Accountability, reports Ron Nehring of Americans for Tax Reform/Alliance for Worker Freedom. "Through its careful reading of the law, the Department found that indeed state and local affiliates of national labor organizations, even if the members of those affiliates consists solely of public workers, can be subject to the federal law. The Department’s finding was a major victory for labor reformers and those combating union corruption."

July 28, 2006. Another raid on the Maryland treasury? Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission discusses funding strategies, reports Tricia Bishop in the Baltimore Sun. "Yesterday, the group - a collection of people from academic, religious, health, investment and advocacy organizations - also elected a chairwoman and discussed getting around their financial limits. Members tossed out ideas on how to attract large proposals that might get them more money from the legislature. 'We still have to earn a continuation of this program,' cautioned Linda Powers, managing director of Toucan Capital, a venture investment firm in Bethesda. Powers, who teaches life science technology commercialization for the National Institutes of Health, was the only member to volunteer for the chair. She was elected unanimously. Her firm, which is working with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development to fund early-stage businesses, has a dozen stem cell companies in its portfolio, three of them in Maryland. All but one of the companies work with the less controversial adult stem cells, but Powers said she supports both types of research."

July 27, 2006. When Eminent Domain Loses. Courts give relief in Norwood, Ohio, case, Duncan Currie reports in the Weekly Standard. "In plain English, that means Norwood grossly abused its authority. The mere possibility--or even probability--that an area may one day be blighted can hardly pass muster as legitimate grounds for property seizures. Indeed, by the yardsticks employed in Norwood--cracked sidewalks, light pollution, proximity to the highway, weeds, dead-end streets, and 'diversity of ownership'--large bits of middle-class, suburban America are 'deteriorating.'"

July 26, 2006. Voting challenge denied; Md. Court of Appeals rejects GOP-backed early-election referendum, reports
Melissa Harris in the Baltimore Sun. "Roskelly's attorney, Jay West, argued that state elections officials had his client's cell phone number, had called him before and all they needed to do was call him in this instance. If that had happened, the deadline would have been met, he said.

July 26, 2006. AEI's John R. Lott Jr. calls for A Fair Shot: New legislation aims to ease the unfair burden on gun-store operators, in the National Review. "Part of the problem may simply be a government agency that manipulates numbers to make the problem seem a lot worse than it is so that it can get more funding. But Coble and Scott’s legislation would reduce the discretion currently available to the BATFE and allow licensees who face revocation to be heard before a neutral administrative judge.This legislation may not entirely reverse the massive decline in licensed firearms dealers, but it would be a promising a start."

July 24, 2006. Steffen gives Harford candidate credit in "Rino hunt," reports Matthew Santoni in the Examiner. "'There’s a conservative movement going on in the county ... If you’re going to say you’re Republican and say you’re conservative, you had better really be Republican, you’d better be conservative,' Kazi said. 'We are on a RINO hunt, and there’s a very big one sitting at the head of the County Council.'”

June 23, 2004. A Massachusettes-style health plan merits our attention, writes Jay Hancock in the Baltimore Sun. "HANCOCK: "But I agree when [Pipkin] says this: 'Our discussion in the legislature has been, 'How can we do more mandates and have the government and big business be in control?' We should do something that puts the consumers more in charge of their fate.'"

July 20, 2006. Wal-Mart Bill Overturned in Federal Court; CHCC President Greg Scandlen "Not Surprised," reports Consumer for Health Care Choices. Like it or not, ERISA preempts state laws 'relating to' employee welfare benefit plans. While clever attorneys can argue endlessly what 'relating to' means, the Supreme Court has already issued dozens of decisions making it crystal clear that a state or local government may not tell an employer how to run a benefit plan, including how much of its payroll it should spend on those benefits. The Maryland legislature has wasted a lot of time and taxpayers money on a bill that had no chance of surviving. Judge Motz said as much in his opinion when he said of one of the state’s arguments, 'While the Secretary’s argument may be evidence of the active imagination of his lawyers, it is utterly out of line with reality.' The same could be said for the entire legislation and legal defense of this bill."

July 19, 2006. President Bush thanks Maryland's Rep. Roscoe Bartlett during veto of destructive stem cell bill - President announces directions to HHS to support ethical stem cell research: "'I was really amazed that President Bush singled me out during the moving event with Snowflake babies at which he vetoed HR 810,' said Congressman Roscoe Bartlett. 'It was an unexpected gesture. I remember when I first told him five years ago during the summer of 2001 that it was possible to get pluripotent stem cells without destroying embryos. When you see the Snowflake babies and toddlers, I think it's impossible for anyone to agree that their lives could be sacrificed for scientific research. Like the President, I, too, was disappointed and dismayed by the no votes by some of my House colleagues against the Bartlett/Santorum bill -- especially since all 100 Senators voted for it. I'm glad the President is taking action to implement some of it. I'm hopeful that the House members who voted against my bill before the President's veto will decide they want to take it up again and approve it so there will be a pluripotent stem cell law approved during the 109th Congress.'" (See full text of the President's veto remarks.)

July 17, 2006. H.R. 3496: The Biggest Pork Barrel Earmark in History? asks Ronald D. Utt, of the Heritage Foundation. "Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) is requesting the House of Representatives to consider an amendment (H.R. 3496, as revised) to the Deep Water Energy Resources Act (H.R. 4761) that would divert $1.5 billion of federal revenues earned through offshore drilling to subsidize the deeply troubled Metro transit system serving the nation’s capital and his congressional district. If enacted, this earmark would be one of the largest ever passed—seven times larger than Alaska’s 'Bridge to Nowhere' and twice as large as Mississippi’s 'Train to Nowhere.' This earmark would reward Metro’s poor performance with an astounding sum of money while enabling the system to put off essential reforms.

July 14, 2006. Charter school to go on probation, reports Stephanie Tracy in the Examiner. "Spear Lancaster, spokesman for Chesapeake Science Point’s board of directors, said the school’s board was not part of the renegotiation effort and members objected to some language in the new agreement that limited some of the board’s authority to hire and fire staff members."

July 11, 2006. It's a taxing time--declare the editors of the National Review. "Responsibility for this mess falls mainly on the chairman and vice chairman of the JCT — Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Bill Thomas, respectively. The unaccountable committee under their watch has habitually poisoned the legislative process with its pro-tax piddle. Taxpayers deserve better, and should demand it."

July 13, 2006. George, listen to Jeb on affirmative action, advises Edward Blum of the American Enterprise Institute. "It was a less than shining moment for the president. The Washington Post reported (on December 18, 2002) that then-Solicitor General Ted Olson was overruled by White House counsel Alberto Gonzales on how the Bush administration would handle the question of “diversity” as a constitutional issue. Olsen wanted to argue that the Constitution forbids racial preferences to achieve diversity on campus. Gonzales, however, insisted that the administration duck the constitutional question and say that the University of Michigan should have used race-neutral means to achieve diversity instead of preferences."

July 11, 2006. Frank Gaffney warns of a hidden agenda at the G-8 talks--imposition of global taxes. "Today, however, Sens. Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican and Ben Nelson, Nebraska Democrat, will introduce legislation [S. 3633] to penalize the U.N. by withholding American funding if it advocates, promotes or tries to impose global taxes on U.S. citizens. They are to be commended for taking this initiative and the full Senate should adopt it at the earliest possible moment."

July 11, 2006. Backward March: The House moves to do Voting Rights wrongs, warns Jim Boulet Jr. in National Review Online. "In short, the Voting Rights Act could now also be known as 'The Endless Election Litigation Act,' 'The Vote Fraud Enabling Act,' and 'The Mandatory Multilingual Elections Everywhere Act.' House Republicans were denied a chance to amend this dreadful bill before the July 4th recess. Now it is back on the House agenda. And Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R., Pa.) can be relied on to push it through the Senate before August recess if the House passes it. Without amendment, that would be doing rights wrong."

July 8, 2006. Public Service Commission firings on hold, comments Randolph J. May, in the Free State Blog. "The Washington Post reports that yesterday Maryland's highest court issued an injunction halting, at least for now, the Maryland General Assembly's sacking of all of the Maryland Public Service Commission members."

July 7, 2006. Selection of stem cell panel arouses pro-life concerns. See background article on panel selection by Stephanie Tracy in the Examiner.
Faith-based community responses:
--" At least we can have hope that the Commission will see the light, and not waste tax dollars on speculative embryonic stem cell research when more promising adult stem cell research cries out for funding."--Nancy Fortier Paltell, Maryland Catholic Conference (see full text of response).
-- "It is our hope that the appointed commission will see that the most beneficial allocation of State funds would be into areas where the best and quickest results in treatment and possible cures would take place. Everyone knows that this is in the Adult stem cell research." --Doug Stiegler, Association of Maryland Families.

July 5, 2006. Black Education--Who's to Blame? asks Walter Williamsn in the Examiner. "Racial discrimination has nothing to do with what’s no less than an education meltdown within the black community. Where black education is the very worst, often the city mayor is black, the city council dominated by blacks, and often the school superintendent is black, as well as most of the principals and teachers, and Democrats have run the cities for decades. I’m not saying there’s a causal connection, just that one would be hard put to chalk up the rotten education to racial discrimination."

July 5, 2006. French Caldwell emails TBN on Montgomery County's volunteer base: "I've observed in this campaign just how well organized the Democrats are. I was at my neighborhood July 4th Parade yesterday and even for this little tiny parade, the Democrats were out in force. Their volunteers carpeted the parade and drove decorated cars even for candidates who could not make it. What Republican candidate can turn out that kind of volunteer base to cover every neighborhood parade? Frankly, while Republicans are at a numerical disadvantage in our county, it's a disgrace that we only have two serving elected Republicans in our county. There are plenty of other counties where Republicans are out-numbered, but not out-gunned, and where Republicans win time after time. Our problem is one of motivating a volunteer base. Our central committee has worked hard the last four years to build up precinct organizations. What we have yet to do is to motivate our volunteer base so that we can support our candidates and their campaigns." (french.caldwell@verizon.net)

Maryland and Virginia center-right meet at the Leadership Institute's annual July 4 "Conservative Soiree."
Jay Bala, candidate for Maryland State Senate 2006 District 28 (Charles County) , a taxpayer-protection pledge signer, thanks Leadership Institute founder Morton Blackwell (above) for the institute's candidate training. Jay's physician wife and the children enjoy snow cones at the event (right).

July 3, 2006. Taxpayer advocate, MTA chief Dee Hodges files for U.S. House seat. Late entrants on ballots widen field; GOP challengers emerge in key county, state races , report Michael Dresser and Josh Mitchell in the Baltimore Sun. "Another candidate who previously had not drawn opposition was U.S. Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Democrat. On the final filing day, three Republicans -- Jimmy Mathis, J. D. Urbach and Dee Hodges -- jumped into the 2nd District race against him, as did one Democrat. Christopher Boardman beat the 9 p.m. filing deadline with 10 minutes to spare, arriving at state elections headquarters in nurse's scrubs to fill out paperwork. [Underscoring MTA's.]

July 3, 2006. Queen Anne's County taxpayer chief files in commissioner's race. Kurt A. Babe announces candidacy for Queen Anne's County Commissioner, District 2. "Why am I running…? I have watched Queen Anne’s County grow over the years, and have found that the lack of planning, community involvement, trust in government, cooperation between municipalities, and willingness to pass on costs through taxes to the citizens, continues. What is even more disconcerting is our government’s lack of leadership to make the tough decisions."

July 3, 2006. The Manhattan Institute's Heather MacDonald: Why East Coast elites should Shut Up. about immigration. "When the establishment elites in New York and Washington pronounce on the inevitable assimilation of Mexican immigrants and invoke Ellis Island to buttress their argument, they are speaking from a position of pure ignorance. Few have spent much time, if any, in California, which many regard with barely concealed contempt. Before they issue their next bromide, they might visit a few California cities and talk to residents, both Anglo and Hispanic, about how they see their communities. They might talk to jail wardens and hospital executives about their clients populations, and to school leaders about the cultural identity of their schools and curricula. Or they might speak to the editors on W. 1st St. in Los Angeles about what drives their editorial decisions."

July 2, 2006. Alan Reynolds explores death and taxes in the Washington Times. "Reducing the gift and estate taxes to the same bearable level as the capital gains tax would not make affluent people any less charitable, but it would alter the lifetime timing of giving away from delayed grants (gradually dribbled out through bureaucratic foundations after death) toward inter vivos gifts directly to charities. Because sooner is better than later, and direct donor supervision is wiser than letting politically correct professionals dole out the grants, this would be a colossal improvement over the presently overexploited foundation loophole for financial dynasties."

July 1, 2006. Ehrlich's new running mate discusses issues, reports Len Lazarick in the Examiner. “'Diversity is a healthy way to develop public policy,' Cox said."