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TAXPAYER BREAKING NEWS, August 2004, continued from Home Page August 30, 2004. Ehrlich to remain offstage at Republican National Convention, reports Matthew Mosk in the Washington Post. ""Even his work for President Bush has been tempered to some degree. Last week, he went on local radio and declared that if there's any question about where Bush should devote campaign resources, he should not bother directing them to Maryland. A personal visit, he said, would be a waste of time.Democratic rivals seized on the statement, saying it signaled the governor's reluctance to be drawn too close to Bush in a state where the president is far down in the polls.Ehrlich aides reject this notion but do say that the governor knows enough to steer well clear of any rhetoric that goes too hard on Democrats. 'We know where we're from,' said one aide, referring to the fact that Maryland's registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1." August 27, 2004. Ocean City tax petitioners confident in signatures on property tax cap petititon, reports Laura Halleman in the Atlantic Coast Dispatch. "I am pleased that we can let people on council know that these people don't approve of what they're doing." Gisriel said that the number of signatures on the petition shows that "the people have had enough. For two years in a row it fell on deaf ears to reduce the tax rate," said Gisriel. "I am excited about the fact that citizens will now have a voice in the matter." (See special to TBN, immediately below.)
August 27, 2004. Special to TBN. Ocean City property owners have successfully petitioned to put a tax cap amendment to the city charter before the voters on the October 19, 2004 ballot, Joe Coleman of the Ocean City Common Cause Coalition reports to MTA. "Currently we estimate that 90 percent of the registered voters who vote will approve this amendment." August 27, 2004. Maryland budget surplus surpasses forecast, reports John Wagner in the Washington Post. "For the long term, DiPaula said, the governor remains committed to continuing a 'strategic budgeting' process under which state agencies are being asked to propose how they would operate with 88 percent of their current funds. To spend more, agencies will have to justify the need." August 27, 2004. Md. investigator to gather information on Lamone; Democrats denounce probe; Ehrlich wants to replace Glendening's appointee, reports Greg Garland in the Baltimore Sun. "Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said he doesn't know whether Ehrlich was behind the move, but that ousting Lamone would appeal to the governor's base of conservative supporters. 'This is a witch hunt conducted by the right wing of the Republican Party to take control of the election machinery in Maryland,'said Miller, a Prince George's County Democrat and supporter of Lamone's." August 25, 2004. Baltimore schools placed on watch list; 16 campuses face deadline to curb threat of violence, reports Nancy Trejos in the Washington Post. "Baltimore City, already beset by financial problems, was the only school system in Maryland to have campuses placed on the 'watch list.' Under the No Child Left Behind Act, long-term suspensions and expulsions are considered a gauge of violence in schools. Any school that exceeds a federal threshold in two consecutive years is placed on the list; a third year results in a label of 'persistently dangerous,' officials said."
August 25, 2004. Judge to hear activists' demand for paper trail on electronic ballots, reports John Wagner in the Washington Post. "Maryland's system also garnered unwanted publicity last summer, when Johns Hopkins computer scientists released a report that concluded that hackers could easily crack the computer code. Consultants hired by the state Department of Legislative Services announced in January that they were able to gain control of the system, corrupt vote counts and delete election results. Lamone assured lawmakers that fixes would be made to correct shortcomings." August 24, 2004. Group urges city parents to take power in children's education; D.C. nonprofit encourages seeking transfers, tutoring, reports Liz Bowie in the Baltimore Sun. "StandardsWork has developed partnerships with grass-roots education groups, which they believe will be better at delivering the information to parents over the long run." August
24, 2004. Court backs
Ehrlich in dispute over labor pact, writes the Washington Times.
"He noted that Mr. Ehrlich included about $120 million in
the current budget for pay increases, the first in three years for state
employees. 'State employees are a high priority for the governor,' Mr.
DiPaula said." August 23, 2004. Purging illegal aliens from voter rolls not easy, reports Robert Redding Jr. in the Washington Times. "Efforts to require confirmation of citizenship for voting in Maryland would be difficult, especially since six municipalities — Chevy Chase, Takoma Park, Garret Park, Barnesville, Martin's Additions and Somerset — allow noncitizens to vote in local elections." August 22, 2004. Ehrlich derides Busch on slots, reports John Wagner in the Washington Post. "'Our goal is to return that cultural attitude that existed for so long back to Annapolis, Maryland,' Ehrlich said, describing Capitol Hill as 'a sick culture' where partisan rivals 'denigrated you as a person.'" August 21, 2004. "Historically Maryland is the front line in defense against oppressive gun control, where whacky ideas are test driven before they go on the road nationally," reports Marylanders for the Defense of Firearms in an August update. "In the last few months you've seen what we can do here: we outright killed a proposed ban on virtually all semi-auto firearms here (ostensibly to pick up where the sunsetting federal assault weapon ban will leave off in September), against all odds. At first a majority of legislators in each house co-sponsored the bill, but when the dust settled we'd won." August 20, 2004. Miller Calls For Session On Cost of Malpractice; Senator Says Md. Should Create Fund, writes John Wagner in the Washington Post. "Donald J. Hogan Jr., a policy aide coordinating the work of Ehrlich's malpractice task force, said it would be a mistake to set up a fund without also enacting broader reforms. Republicans have blamed trial lawyers for pushing malpractice payouts to unreasonable amounts." August 20, 2004. Governor cashes in with more Democrats on the Eastern Shore, reports Thomas Dennison in the Gazette. It has also become apparent that many of Schaefer's Baltimore allies are with Ehrlich now, most prominently Baltimore Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos. 'The governor has Peter Angelos in Baltimore and Brice and Shirley Phillips on the Eastern Shore,' said lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano, a longtime Schaefer ally who escorted the comptroller to the Ehrlich fund-raiser. Ehrlich said he 'inherited Schaefer's mantle'by focusing on 'caring, compassion and honesty' in government." August 20, 2004. Constant yield cap considered a new approach, writes editor Benjamin L. Mook in the Maryland Coast Dispatch. "If a proposed charter amendment to implement a tax rate cap gets in front of voters this October, taxpayers and elected officials in Ocean City will be breaking new ground. A group of concerned citizens is seeking to make a major change in how much leeway resort officials have when setting the property tax rate. Currently, the town is required to have a balanced budget but there are no limitations or restrictions on what the tax rate can be set at. The petitioners though want to implement a 'property tax rate cap.'This charter amendment would put a limit on how much the town could charge property owners each year."
August
20, 2004. Blunt talk on union web site spotlights
frustration over labor relations changes, reports Stephen Barr in the
Washington Post.
"'All these neoconservative fascists gotta go!'" August 19, 2004. Alternative education gaining ground in area, reports Hamil R. Harris in the Washington Post. "In fact, Prince George's County is among the leaders in opening new private schools, a spokesman for the State Department of Education said. The county also has one of the largest home-school populations in the state. In the 2002-03 school year, there were 20,676 home-schoolers in Maryland, 3,018 in Prince George's and 2,252 in Montgomery County, according to the State Department of Education." August 19, 2004. The Manhatten Institute's Jay Greene clarifies the mission and population of charter schools in the New York Sun. "Denouncing charter schools for having lower-than-average test scores is like denouncing drug rehab clinics for having more drug users than regular hospitals." August 18, 2004. Teachers union analysis of charter schools data is "dishonest," say researchers William G. Howell, Paul E. Peterson, and Martin R. West in the Wall Street Journal. "It is not unusual for interest groups to issue misleading reports that further their political agenda. And for this reason, newspapers generally ignore them, treat them with great skepticism, or make sure they vet the study with independent observers. Not so in the case of the recently released study of charter schools issued by the American Federation of Teachers, which, after receiving top billing in the right-hand corner of the front page of yesterday's New York Times, was picked up by news media across the country." August 18, 2004. House Speaker Michael E. Busch said yesterday he would block a special session on legalizing slot machines, reports Robert Redding in the Washington Times. "'This doesn't rise to the level of an emergency to have a special session on its own,'said Mr. Busch, an Anne Arundel Democrat. 'The only reason to come in for a special session is to put a bill on a referendum for the [residents] in November. If you are not going to go to a referendum, [then] there is no immediate fiscal crisis that will rise to the level of calling the legislature back for a special session.'" August
17, 2004. The Ehrlich administration is looking
anew at the prospect of Maryland's joining more than a dozen states that
limit lawyers' fees in medical malpractice cases, reports John Wagner
in the Washington Post. "The
Maryland State Medical Society, which lobbies on behalf of doctors, pushed
for such a measure during the past legislative session. But Ehrlich, while
seeking other malpractice changes, remained neutral on the bill out of
deference to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) and
other key Democrats in the General Assembly who make their living as trial
lawyers." August 16, 2004. Bay's 'bad water' churns unease; summer's low-oxygen zones leave sea life, locals at a loss, writes David A. Fahrenbold in the Washington Post. TBN asks junkscience.com publisher Stephen Milloy if this article might become the "basis" for yet another "environmental initiative?" Stephen Milloy answers: "It's the same problem -- no doube with the same solutions offered. Perhaps the most important point to make is that the algae problem will not be conquered by a quick-and-dirty crack-down on run-off. As we discussed recently, the wastewater treatment plan would reduce nitrogen run-off by only a few percent at best -- that is not likely to make any difference. If I was going to spend money on the bay, I might look into dredging areas that have high levels of algae. I'd bet that a build-up of sediment has created shallow areas that grealy enable algae growth. Run-off measures are likely to be futile. The Bay may need continuous dredging -- probably chaper than the wastewater treatment plant non-solution and definitely more effective." August 16, 2004. Gov. Robert Ehrlich rejected the House leadership proposal for a referendum on slot machines Monday and asked instead for a special session of the General Assembly next month to consider a slot machine bill, reports Tom Stuckey in the Washington Post. TBN asks why the governor of Maryland is not, instead, calling a special session focussed exclusively on the doctor crisis resulting from devastating hikes in malpractice insurance premiums in Maryland. Surely the governor does not place the economics of the horse-breeding industry ahead of the availability and training of physicians in Maryland. As the head of the Maryland chapter of the American College of Surgeons said just this month, "Today, the most visible and immediate threat to health care is the skyrocketing increase in malpractice liability premiums being charged to doctors and hospitals. The average jury award or settlement undertaken to avoid a capricious jury has increased in Maryland to more than $425,000 a case this year." August 14, 2004. Montgomery has the highest per person tax burden in the state--spending more than 40% higher than the FY2003 average, reports the Montgomery County Taxpayers League. The League's 8-jurisdiction analysis shows that Montgomery County outspends Howard, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Frederick, and Prince Georges Counties as well as Baltimore City. TBN Notes: Montgomery County taxpayer advocates are working hard to ensure that a tax cap will appear on the November ballot. August 14, 2004. No deal on slots in Maryland likely now, reports Matthew Mosk in the Washington Post. "Duncan, who has emerged as a leading critic of slots, agreed, saying he now sees no urgency to the issue. 'I think the governor missed his opportunity,' Duncan said. "He had a chance to bring people together this summer and really make something happen. But now, with the improving economy and better revenue coming in, it's hard to believe the interest will still be there'when the legislature convenes in January." August 13, 2004. Rosecroft deal crumbles, slots tumble, writes Thomas Dennison in the Gazette. "Key members of the Ehrlich administration -- publicly and privately -- are sending signals that a slots deal is quickly evolving into a second-term issue. Slots lobbyists who have met with members of the administration and other pro-gambling lawmakers are extremely skeptical that a deal will happen this term." August 13, 2004. Group seeking its VOICE could be force to reckon with, writes the Daily Times. "In Wicomico County, a group of residents concerned about a steep increase in property taxes organized a petition drive and got a referendum on the 2000 ballot to cap the amount of revenue the county can derive from property taxes. The organization, VOICE Inc. (which stands for Voters Opposed to Increased City and County Expenditures), rose from out of nowhere and quickly became the center of a political firestorm. When VOICE's referendum passed with more than 60 percent of the county's voters approving the 2 percent revenue cap, the group, believing itself to be a true political force, turned to other issues." August 12, 2004. Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer said yesterday that illegal aliens drain health care resources -- his second recent criticism about immigration, reports Robert Redding in the Washington Times. "During a Board of Public Works meeting in Annapolis, Mr. Schaefer asked state health Secretary Nelson J. Sabatini how much the state spends on health care for illegal immigrants. When told that the figure is about $40 million, Mr. Schaefer said: 'Our own people, that is legitimate Americans, cannot get health care.'" August 11, 2004. P.G. Hospital doctors ask to practice without malpractice insurance, reports Ovetta Wiggins in the Washington Post. "Members of the hospital's General Medical Staff, facing a 40 percent increase in malpractice insurance premiums next year, said that the rate increases are making it too costly for them to continue to practice -- a sentiment expressed by doctors across Maryland as well as in other states, including Florida. The 100 doctors who voted Monday night said they see no choice except to consider canceling their medical malpractice insurance altogether. 'This is a move of desperation,' said Mark Seigel, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville and president of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society. 'It's really a cry for help. . . . This has never happened before.'" August 10, 2004. Charter schools appeal is won; Prince George's ordered to speed review process; 'We were uplifted by this vote'; State tells county to cut application time in half--reports Mike Bowler in the Baltimore Sun. "Baltimore City has refused to review an application from City Neighbors Charter School in Northeast Baltimore, while two applications were rejected recently in Harford County and one in Howard County, she said." August
7, 2004. Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch yesterday proposed
allowing voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution
to allow slot machines, reports Christina Bellantoni in the Washington
Times.
"Mr.
Busch said his sites are along major highways or interstates to limit
the impact gambling has on neighborhoods. All but one of the locations
-- the Laurel racetrack -- would be on state-owned land, and licenses
for operating slots facilities would be awarded by competitive bids." August 6, 2004. Heritage Foundation reports on different pictures from different employment surveys. According to the official statement from the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which publishes the monthly figures, “As measured by the household survey, employment rose by 629,000 over the month, compared with a change of 32,000, as measured by the establishment survey.” August 6, 2004. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has appointed Tanya A. Thornton Shewell to replace Carmen Amedori in House District 5A in the General Assembly, reports Tomas Dennison in the Gazette. "Shewell, a Republican from Westminster, replaced Amedori, a Westminster Republican who left the House earlier this summer to accept an appointment to the Maryland Parole Commission. Shewell will fill out the remainder of Amedori's term, which expires in 2006." TBN notes that Amedori was a Taxpayer Protection Pledge signer. August 6, 2004. Carroll County commissioners create post for liaison with state, federal lawmakers, while Senator argues lobbyist at legislature unnecessary, reports Mary Gail Hare in the Baltimore Sun. "Haines argued that the counties that have a legislative liaison are governed by charter and are 'big government,' he said. 'All the commissioners need to do is ask,' Haines said. 'It has always worked well in the past.'" August 6, 2004. Grasmick tries to shift debate over city schools, reports Liz Bowie in the Baltimore Sun. "State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick's suggestion that a trustee take charge of the Baltimore school system garnered little support yesterday, and it appears that her idea will get little consideration unless she formally petitions the court to act. The state's top education official said she raised the issue because she remains deeply troubled about the future of the Baltimore system and wants to ensure that the public does not think its financial and academic problems are being solved." August 6, 2004. Mike Miller warns his party that they will carry the burden of a state budget crisis if slots are not adopted, reports Matthew Mosk in the Washington Post. "As if to punctuate the division within the party, Miller reiterated his opposition yesterday, saying: 'I don't like the idea of a referendum. To be honest, I'm vigorously opposed to it.'" August 6, 2004. Rev. Jerry Falwell plans seminar to train conservative pastors on extent of their free speech rights, reports Bob Lewis in an Associated Press article published in the Washington Times. "'Their purpose is to intimidate conservative churches with scare tactics,' Mr. Falwell said. 'Once every four years, Americans United writes a letter to evangelical pastors telling them if they speak out in any way or distribute voter guides, their tax-exempt status will be in danger.'" August 5, 2004. Charles County seeks state funds for Hughesville baseball stadium, reports Joshua Partlow in the Washington Post. "The commissioners signed a letter to the state Department of Budget and Management on Tuesday requesting up to $6 million over the next two fiscal years -- one-third of the total estimated cost of the stadium."
August 3, 2004. The Council for Affordable Health Insurance names state mandates as a major reason for the high cost of health insurance. "A health insurance mandate is a requirement that an insurance company or health plan must cover specific health care providers, benefits or patient population. While some mandates are more expensive than others, and many times the cost is determined by the specific language of the state’s legislation, generally speaking, mandates drive up the cost of health insurance – in some markets up to 45%!" TBN NOTES: Maryland leads the US in burdening its consumers with mandates: 58. Pennsylvania has 37, and Delaware has 23. Even California limits itself to 48. MTA has an established record working to lighten the mandate load. August 1, 2004. "The 'PC' Trojan horse," Washington Times Forum: "One of the many leaders of the anti-racist curriculum movement is Enid Lee, hired in many school districts to lead workshops seeking to eliminate 'the national cultures and literatures of white Western peoples' and erase 'their very identity and historical existence.' She has had much success revising history so it doesn't portray America as 'a historically white-majority country whose population and institutions emerged from [historically white] Britain and [historically white] Europe. 'To achieve this, Enid Lee uses methods that bully educators into believing they, their families and society are inherently prejudiced. After receiving 'enlightenment,' they are more inclined to denigrate our common civilization in the name of multiculturalism." TBN readers wonder how many Maryland school districts have employed Enid Lee or similar anti-civic-value propagandists using taxpayer money. August 1, 2004. As city of Frederick expands, police push for red-light cameras, reports Frederick Kunkle in the Washington Post. "'They're horrible. They should be banished from the face of the Earth,'said Sen. Alex X. Mooney (R-Frederick), who has introduced legislation to eliminate them." |