OBAMA

VS.

"THE WATCHMEN"

First Critical Film of the

Obama Age Due for Spring Release

The past 8 years have given us a record number of films that are anti-war, anti-America, and anti-President. Of course, the real life figure these movies were criticizing was President George W. Bush. Quite a change, naturally, from the amoral 90s when Bill Clinton was in office.

Hollywood gave us Clinton propaganda in that decade. The sinister presidents and government agents found onscreen during the Nixon, Reagan, and Bush 41 years vanished from the screen. In their place, we had screen gems like "Dave." "Dave" was a liberal fantasy in which a Democratic George H.W. Bush clone would ostensibly be swapped for the real deal, and no one would notice. Democratic Bush 41 then replaced the "evil" Bush's supposedly mean and heartless government with a kindler, gentler, feel-good, liberal one.

How about "Air Force One?" This was supposed to be our handsome, can-do, action hero president (Bill Clinton) taking on those usual stand-ins for Republicans, the fascist/Euro-terrorist heavies aboard the namesake jet.

And that was in addition to drivel like "The American President" with Michael Douglas.

Government, for lack of a better word, was good.

It was a happy time, said the Hollywood liberal elite, and you were supposed to be happy too.

Then George W. Bush got in there, and goodness gracious, all those Socks-the-Cat video games disappeared overnight.

In their place, were hard-hitting films where the U.S. President was once again either a criminal or a fool. And trash by the likes of Michael Moore.

Many "moore" such movies came out this year, and there are "moore" in the pipeline.

And there's the rub.

Now all of these anti-government movies, rap cds, etc. either have to stop or they will be criticizing the Obama administration whether they meant to or not. If you're not pleased by the Obama victory, there is at least going to be a little bit of amusement and entertainment ahead for you as a result of this Hollywood dilemma.

While the top rap artists are pulling on their Mister Rogers sweaters, and becoming Barry Manilow style easy listening artists for Obama, the first critical movie of the new era has arrived.

"The Watchmen" is a film for the Obama era. It is about a president who seizes a third term in office. Now, since Barack Obama is the only president who has both the ego and the "public support" to garner such a Constitutional change, it is entirely conceivable that he would do so.

Here then, you have a president with a third term, who symbolizes Obama. Take that in for starters.

Now consider the propaganda campaign currently underway. The relentlessly positive press, the lack of criticism of Obama's surprisingly predictable and weak cabinet appointments, and the "mass movement" of the "Obama network."

Notice the Obama lawn signs that are still up. What is the message? Is it to intimidate those who did not vote for Obama? Was a central order given by the Obama campaign to keep the lawn signs up?

My favorite interpretation is inspired by my time as a Latin American history major. Many countries in that region, such as Argentina and Paraguay, had strongmen or dictators who ruled in an autocratic style for a time. Those leaders had public symbols that were displayed. Who can forget that light-up Stroessner sign? Genius and ego fused into one.

But there was also the practice of having to display a small portrait of the dictator in your home, and it was mandatory. That's what all these Obama signs remind me of. And those guys used the word "Progress," too.

So we are going to examine this Watchmen phenomenon, and have a bit of fun interpreting how elements of the story symbolize some aspect of the Obama Age.

Think this is made up?

Check out the internet - liberal Hollywood is abuzz about "The Watchmen." They are saying this movie has no place in the "new time" of Obama. They are asking if it can be delayed indefinitely (no chance, given the legion of comic book fans who have been waiting for it). And the producers and studio are actually pausing, and admitting they are doing some soul-searching.

That is fascinating, and although I have never read the comic book and doubt I will put down money for the movie, I am interested to find out the plot details so that we can dissect it here.

Until next time, the balcony is closed, and save me the aisle seat.

WASHINGTON POST

TO BECOME A

STATE-RUN

NEWSPAPER ON

JANUARY 20, 2009

Two Post Directors are Official

Members of Obama Team

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!

The Washington Post has always been a far-left house organ for the Democratic party. But on January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama is sworn in as our next President, the Post will literally have become a state-run newspaper.

Not surprisingly, The Washington Post is a corporate partner with so many entities that helped Mr. Obama and other Democrats get into office this past November 4. These include NBC, MSNBC, Microsoft, General Electric, etc., etc. All of which are now controlled by the Obama administration, through two members of the Washington Post Co. Board of Directors.

Warren Buffett almost singlehandedly elected Obama himself, by being a major player in the phony financial "crisis" (not to be confused with our country's real financial crisis, the one CNBC doesn't tell you about). Buffett just happened to be a major Obama financier. And a member of the Post Board. The Post - as its own employees now admit - shamelessly backed Obama and provided outrageously biased coverage of the election. Gee whiz, what a surprise.

The same Warren Buffett is a member of the Obama economic team - and absurdly had been proposed as Treasury Secretary. Which would have been like the wolf guarding the... whatever.

But hold on. There is yet another Post Board member on the Obama economic team!! Anne Mulcahy.

What does this mean? First, it is unprecedented in American history. Second, you can expect a newspaper and TV network operated by Obama administration officials to only increase the lovefest coverage they have displayed this year. Most frightening, is the power of the Washington Post, NBC, General Electric, Microsoft, and others to now direct national policy to their financial benefit. Not that big corporations didn't already have influence.

Direct control of major media outlets by White House officials is a dangerous new reality of the Obama administration. And yet, no one has even talked about this Post connection.

As billions and billions and billions of Americans supposedly converge on Washington for the inauguration, expect many a Post company journalist to feel a "thrill" during the events. Will you fall for this foolishness? Prepare yourself for a media lovefest like you have never before witnessed this January 20. Brought to you by the Obama administration.

FICKER

AMENDMENT

HAS COUNTY

OFFICIALS "KICKING

THEMSELVES"

...AND YOU!

Voters and Disabled Police Officers

Blamed by Democrats and Washington Post

for Passage of New Taxpayer Protection

The Washington Post keeps telling us that our all-Democrat elected officials are "kicking themselves" for "allowing" Robin Ficker's tax amendment to pass on November 4. But it seems that those Rockville Democrats - and their close friends at the Post - are kicking others besides themselves.

Our elected officials have shown a contempt for the voter in Montgomery County once again. According to them, we are not intelligent enough to vote on our own. They believe that we voted to pass the Ficker Amendment only because they didn't tell us it was bad. The message is that the voters are mindless and must be prompted how to vote by our all-knowing Big Government.

Preposterous. The amendment was actually the only one on the ballot that stated exactly what it was. Bravo to Mr. Ficker for what is not only a major victory for the taxpayer, but solid evidence that county residents want the fiscal responsibility that Republicans can offer. Now they need to elect Republicans to the council once again in 2010.

Unfortunately, The Washington Post went even further in a bizarre explanation for why voters passed the Ficker Amendment: the Post says it was because voters were thinking about disabled cops. In the Post's twisted view of the world, it is outlandish for a disabled police officer to ask for disability benefits when he or she retires.

But let the Post speak for itself:

"No doubt many voters also may have had in mind [that] more than 60 percent
of Montgomery police officers" received disability benefits. The Post goes
on to say that the majority of retiring officers "are gaming the system and
taking taxpayers for a costly ride."

The Post never misses a chance to criticize any police department, or to praise a criminal. So these nasty attacks are not a surprise.

But what do the attempts of the County Council and the Post to blame Democrat mismanagement of our county's finances on disabled police officers have to do with the Ficker Amendment passing?

I'm as confused as you are.

It's time for the Post, Ike Leggett, and the County Council to admit the facts: they have mismanaged the government, blown the budget apart with tax and spend policies and political paybacks, and now the voters have had enough. This year's massive property tax, parking, and fee increases were quite simply the last straw. Montgomery residents aren't going to take this abuse from their Democrat government anymore.

This was a calling card.

But in November 2010, Republicans will be at the door of power in Rockville.

CHANGE

CAPITAL PROPERTIES

CAN BELIEVE IN

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

I know it's been two weeks since the election, but I can't resist sharing this exclusive information with you. When driving down Westbard Election Day morning, I passed the Westwood Shopping Center. As I went by the parking lot beyond the Rite Aid, I witnessed a familiar sight. A tent city.

Regular readers will remember how the film crew of National Treasure 2 used our shopping center's vast surface parking to operate a tent city.

This wasn't quite as big, and no big rigs or Metropolitan Police cruisers either.

No, it was Barack Obama's campaign.

It seems that Capital Properties allowed the Obama campaign to use our shopping center as a staging area. There was a white tent set up near the Kenwood Place driveway, a bunch of white Ford Club Wagons, and assorted people standing around amidst Obama signs.

What was happening there? I have no idea, unfortunately. I had to get to my polling place by 7 AM. But once again, Capital Properties has sold (or given away) the use of the lot for a tent city, without informing the surrounding civic associations and residents.

Does this give us any clues about the future operating style of Capital Properties? I don't know, but now we do know that Barack Obama has a big fan at Capital Properties.

COUNTY BUDGET CUTS

TARGET SENIORS,

UPCOUNTY RESIDENTS

"There you go again." After failing - for the moment - to ram through an ambulance fee that would cause seniors to avoid dialing 911 for financial reasons, our county Democrat officials are now going after retirees again.

Not only is the county cutting in-home help currently provided to some senior citizens, but it is also cutting off their transit priviledges.

Note the careful wording of the proposed reduction in Ride-On bus service. Many routes are losing midday service - the time when most senior citizens use public transportation. Younger, working people are primarily onboard during the rush hours. Midday service elimination affects routes such as those in the Grosvenor-Parkside-Montgomery Mall corridor, where large numbers of seniors live. Taken along with Montgomery's draconian property taxes, is there no end to the punishment our Democrat leaders can dish out toward our senior citizen population?

It's outrageous.

Also outrageous is the fact that the majority of bus routes being cut are in the upcounty area, affecting Clarksburg and Damascus. To quote Mike Knapp on another slap to Clarksburg...

"to the residents of Clarksburg, your government has basically turned its back on you."

Once again, the peculiar dynamic in government-upcounty relations is strengthened: upcounty residents pay taxes for Metro and Ride-On, but receive no Metrorail service and continual reductions in bus service. With the automobile as the only realistic commuting method for upcounty residents, the failure to serve that area with mass transit is one of the most stinging indictments of our elected officials' environmental hypocrisy.

A government passing expensive measures that hurt residents, builders, and businesses, for the sake of the global warming hoax, turns around and slashes mass transit. That's not green. It's just hypocrisy.

It's outrageous.

WASHINGTON POST

LAUNCHES O'MALLEY

2010 REELECTION

CAMPAIGN

Noticed a lot of coverage of Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley in the Post recently? It's not by coincidence. Last week, the Post began publishing a series of short articles that have no negative content, and show the reader O'Malley in action.

Given my last post, you might not be surprised that a pro-criminal newspaper would gear up to help a desperate governor whose motto is "More progress for more prisoners." Well, okay, he said people not prisoners. But when you examine his pro-felon, prisoner release, prison escapee, anti-death penalty, close the Annapolis state police barrack, and $800,000 state police cruiser budget cut record.... ....ladies and gentlemen, I submit that Governor O'Malley and the Post indeed stoutheartedly stand for "More progress for more prisoners" in the great (blue) state of Maryland.

There were puff pieces about mortgage help and other social programs, which had no opposing viewpoints and appeared to have been cut-and-pasted from O'Malley press releases.

Remember when the Washington Post endorsed Bob Ehrlich for purely self-enrichment purposes in 2006? Don't expect the Post to endorse Ehrlich this time around. Mark my words, the Post is backing Martin O'Malley, the only politician in America not under indictment who has an approval rating lower than George W. Bush.

The campaign began last week. Expect more of one of the least popular governors in America in Post pages. That ought to sell some newspapers.

WASHINGTON POST

REMEMBERS "ALLEGED

COP KILLER," BUT

FORGETS THE COP

A recent editorial by the Washington Post editorial board again revealed the newspaper's far-left, pro-criminal concept of America. While eulogizing, defending, and virtually honoring the alleged killer of a Prince Georges County police officer, the Post neglected to mention even once the name of the officer.

His name was Cpl. Richard Scott Findley. He was 39 years old, and left behind a widow and two children, age 6 and 9. His sister, Debora A. Findley, is a Montgomery County police officer.

The Post's omission of the fallen officer is disgraceful. It is shameful. It's bad enough to be soft on crime, but this type of "journalism" is a new low.

CAPITAL PROPERTIES'

INSIDE GAME HAS

BEGUN

Richard Cohen Searching for

Allies to Back Massive, Urban

Redevelopment in Westbard Sector

Friendship Heights Cannot Speak for

Westbard Sector Neighbors

Those who have followed some of the development debacles such as Fallsgrove and Twinbrook know how the game works. One of the first steps developers take, when they are pressing for an unpopular redevelopment, is to win over some token allies in the neighborhood. So be prepared for that as we inch slowly but surely toward zero hour on Westbard. It has been said that Capitol Properties' Richard Cohen has attempted to make contact with a member of the Friendship Heights Committee regarding his plan vs. an alternative plan put forward by that committee.

Now let me stop right here. It must be said that, first of all, the Friendship Heights Committee does not speak for those who live in the communities bordering the Westbard Sector. Although it has been working on this and other issues, it is not an official body which can represent individual civic associations. It is our Springfield neighborhood, as well as Westbard Mews, Kenwood Place Condominiums, Westwood Tower, Park Bethesda, Kenwood and Sumner residents who must have the final say on anything that happens in the Westbard Sector.

Second, so far the aforementioned actual neighbors of Westbard have yet to see the Cohen plan. He has shown it once to the Friendship Heights committee, and now is reaching out to that committee again. The problem with this is that he is talking to the wrong people, and making a terrible blunder diplomatically and economically. Things would go much easier if Capital Properties would come to us, the residents, and show us the plan. To play the devil's advocate, for the sake of argument, why not design a spectacular and unique Westbard Sector concept that will excite the imagination and build genuine support in the neighborhood?

Instead, we are only hearing about a plan. And the rumors sound like a concept that is not only too big, but the same tired, old, mixed-use brick buildings. Dead on arrival.

Third, we haven't been allowed to examine the Friendship Heights Committee's alternative plan yet. Furthermore, we have not signed off on that plan and it should in no way be a starting point for any negotiations. For example, I am hearing about the alternative plan having 4-story buildings. Depending where on Westbard that would be, I and many others would oppose that. We certainly don't want a four-story Westwood Shopping Center. What we do want is improved amenities, and at least one sit-down, upscale family restaurant. And Giant should offer in-store dining like Harris Teeter and Wegman's, and further expand its selection. For example, why can't they sell Zatarain's or Phillips Seafood frozen dinners, or Hungry Man Heroes frozen sandwiches? But other than that and the horrible new logo that destroyed the venerable Giant brand, why would we redevelop a grocery store that just remodeled?

Finally, Mr. Cohen is wasting his time and energy communicating only with a committee that, by name, represents a community several miles away which will be entirely unaffected by the Westbard Sector redevelopment. Our County Council and Dr. Yes and the Planning Board should stop being wined and dined by the Capital Properties Bethesda-based lobbying firm, and start engaging the Westbard Sector Plan and the surrounding neighborhoods. They'd like to win allies among us - and they doubtless will find a handful of nouveau-riche residents who find our venerable Westbard simply inadequate for their champagne wishes and caviar dreams. But they'd better worry about winning a majority of us over.

Can CP design a fabulous new Westbard Sector that is a neighborhood amenity, and not a regional destination and miniature city? Can they accept the reality that, unless a rail line is extended to the area, only 15% of the residents use public transportation? Or will they go ahead with 12-story buildings and thousands of new cars in the neighborhood?

We won't know until they come and talk to us, and let us in on the plans.

WASHINGTON POST

RED-FACED

AFTER BAILOUT FAILS

Newspaper Violating All Ethical Standards as

Bailout Plan Would Benefit Company and Directors

Reading yesterday's Washington Post, you would almost have thought the massive, socialist bailout of fat cat tycoons had passed in Congress. Wrong!! It seems that a few leaders are standing against it, and let's hope they continue to rage against the machine.

Page after page said the bailout was a done deal. The editorial board gave a strong endorsement of the final product. Steven Pearlstein and others said this was a plan that would be well-received by the public. The Metro section spoke for all area citizens, claiming we had all agreed that the bailout of the rich by the poor was a "necessary evil." The Post dared claim all of the above even as Americans nationwide are in revolt against the powers-that-be, and the nutty plan they've devised.

Once again, the Post failed to mention that its own Director, Warren Buffett, is a supporter of the plan, that he is a member of its Board of Directors, and would financially benefit immediately at the taxpayers' expense, should it pass. This is not ethical journalism.

The powers-that be will continue to push for the plan today, using the media outlets at their disposal such as CNBC, the major networks, and, yes, the Post. Let's hope the American people continue to resist this Orwellian doublespeak and soundly reject a socialist, un-American bailout of the rich by the taxpayer.

I didn't know we could print unlimited amounts of money. Now that we know we can, will we print another $700 billion to save the world from poverty and disease?

Governor Martin O'Malley indulges a local reporter's request to demonstrate the vise grip he has on the taxpayers of Maryland. O'Malley was making a back-t0-school visit to Walter Johnson High School here in Bethesda. Maryland has the 4th highest taxes in America.

Photo: The Gazette, September 10, 2008

HURRICANE IKE

AND

COUNTY COUNCIL

MAKE DISABLED COPS

SCAPEGOATS FOR

DEMOCRATS' FISCAL

MISMANAGEMENT

Competing, Politically-Motivated

Reports Agree on One Thing: It's

Their Fault, Not Ours

In the most stunning doublespeak since the WSSC catastrophe in June, Montgomery County officials are attempting to blame their budget woes on disabled police officers. They believe too many officers are collecting disability benefits. There are 2 problems with this: One is that the officers have been examined by doctors to qualify. Second, this is the system the county created! So they are blaming disabled officers for using the programs they themselves put into place.

The Washington Post joined in as well. Why? They don't want our taxes to go down. But, like other Democrats and the special interests, they'd like to have some of that money to use for other things. And apparently, they don't mind taking the money from disabled police retirees. It's outrageous.

What's really at issue is that the executive and council have woefully mismanaged the finances of our county for years. Now the chickens are coming home to roost, and they want to divert attention from their failure to a trumped up "scandal" in the police department.

The local media has fallen for it - will you? The county has tried to embarrass the police union and department, and they've tried to hurt our firefighters with a "take from the needy and give to the greedy" ambulance fee. For shame. Once again, in Montgomery County, it's Politics First and Safety Last.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

GOVERNMENT TO

SHUT DOWN

Financial Mismanagement to Close

Government Offices, Libraries for Days

Ike Leggett has made the startling announcement that he will attempt to shut down Montgomery County's government offices and services (including public libraries) for several days, as a result of his and the county council's budget-busting spending.

It has come to this. Decades of mismanagement by Democratic executives and councilmembers have finally brought our county to its knees. In a year in which basic public safety services such as 911 service and clean water were not available in Montgomery County, the county government is now just going to close down altogether - providing no services! And this is what you pay high taxes for?

I seem to recall Republicans being hammered for the 1990s Federal government shutdown. Will Mr. Leggett and his Democrat councilmembers be harshly criticized by the media, and held equally accountable at the ballot box in 2010?

DR. YES SAYS

"YES!"

TO MORE LUXURY

HOUSING FOR THE

RICH

Moderate-priced Apartments in

Silver Spring to be Torn Down, Replaced by

"Luxury Apartments"

Dr. Yes, a.k.a. Royce Hanson, has just signed off on another measure to provide more luxury living for the rich, and a swift boot to the poor. Perhaps Dr. Yes can provide them with an escort, to speed needy residents and their modest belongings to the county line. This is what they call "social justice" in Montgomery County, ladies and gentlemen.

THE AMBULANCE FEE

PROPAGANDA YOU

PAID FOR

Taxpayer-funded Brochure Touts

Fee Yet to Be Passed by County Council

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

You won't read about this in the Post, Gazette, or Examiner! I have obtained a brochure, published at taxpayer expense, entitled, "Emergency Medical Services Transport Fee: Maintains and Strengthens Services at No Cost to Residents." This brochure, printed by the Montgomery County Government Office of Public Information, was not announced in the local media, but is currently available at public libraries.

Obviously, this brochure raises a host of questions and concerns:

1. Is it an accepted practice for the County Executive to print biased propaganda - supporting legislation he or she would like to be passed by the council - at taxpayer expense?

2. Can taxpayer funds be used to promote a fee not yet passed into law by the County Council?

- In both cases, an answer of "yes" would mean that a county executive could spend taxpayer money to promote any idea or wish he or she had, without permission from the county council. That would certainly weaken the supposed checks and balances between the executive and legislative branch.

3. The brochure's cover, printed in a bold black-and-white design, suggests to the average citizen that the fee has already passed. This is not only misleading, but could already frighten senior citizens and other vulnerable residents. They might be dissuaded from dialing 911, before the controversial legislation has even been passed.

4. Government publications should be factual. The brochure contains several biased statements. For example, it claims the fee will have no effect on insurance rates. That is not only an unknown at this time, but an equal amount of evidence suggests the fee will indeed raise rates. To state a conclusion at this time reflects only one side of the debate.

Once again, our elected officials are trying to drain every last cent out of the most unusual sources. Senior citizens, legal and illegal immigrants, low-income residents, and other vulnerable citizens will be the most hurt by the ambulance fee. Community relations and charitable gifts to volunteer squads and departments will be affected as well. Anything that does that is simply bad policy. It's time to stop picking the working family's pocket and start the business of governing.

COUNTY FINDS NEW

REVENUE SOURCE:

DISABLED COPS

It's Outrageous

Now we hear that our elected officials' next target to get more of what they call "found money," is... disabled police officers, believe it or not. Using the unique case of Gaithersburg Police Chief King, Ike Leggett suggested that too many retired officers are receiving disability funds.

The reality is that police work is not a soft desk job like many of the $100,000+ members of Mr. Leggett's staff currently hold. The day to day tasks and physical strains of the job very naturally lead to various debilitating conditions. These can include everything from bad backs and wrecked knees to devastating injuries that occur during the apprehension of suspects, raids, or the rare exchange of gunfire.

In short, officers who retire on disability have good reason to do so except in rare cases. They have to be medically approved. In light of the job, police officers simply deserve better retirement benefits. They've put their lives on the line to protect the public each day of their career.

"Safety First." That is a lost idea in Montgomery County today. Whether it's the long neglected renovations of our 2nd District police station, an ambulance fee, or a sad attempt to take money from disabled police officers to fund the whims of our elected officials, public safety seems to be the last priority.

When it comes to government policies toward police and fire professionals who serve the community, I like to quote Dan Marino from his old glove commercial: you need to "take care of the hands that take care of you."

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

SAYS

"HOUSING FIRST"

FOR THE RICH

Upstairs at Bethesda Row a

Monument to Greed

Affordable Housing Continues to be

Joke of a Lifetime in Montgomery

Greed, thy name is Upstairs at Bethesda Row. This urban monstrosity has laboriously taken shape across the street from the Arlington Road Giant. Now here come the import luxury sedans and Priuses of the landed class and the nouveau riche. In a county where the developers' new apartments and condos often have 7 or 9 tenants, Upstairs is 60% full by comparison.

Of course, that means it is 40% vacant. But that is impressive for 2008 in Montgomery County. What is the secret? How can buildings renting in Rockville's Town Center for $1600 be less full than Upstairs with 1 bedrooms starting at $2100+ a month? Could it be that there is a special target audience out there, and, "if you build it, they will come?" Did somebody say Collection at Chevy Chase? It wasn't me! But, what if, in the midst of human suffering and a housing crisis, a government would tune out the average citizen and actively approve buildings designed for a wealthy audience only?

How many MPDUs are in this building? There is no green space on this site, either. Therefore, our County Executive and Council have been caught red-handed, violating everything they have promised to do on affordable housing and "green" buildings.

The sad story of affordable housing in Montgomery County is quite old by now. You know that back in 2006, I was offering actual solutions while our elected officials were touting "Apartment Buildings for Homeless People." That phrase became an instant classic, by the way. Is that the most ironic statement you've ever heard? It actually is a fairly honest statement by our Democratic elected officials, because - as I said at the time - they consider homelessness to be an incurable disease.

What is a "homeless person?" Why would you call someone homeless after they have a place to live (Apartments Buildings for Homeless People)? Well, you would say that if you believed that they are permanently going to have no income or future prospects. Hence, they will be a permanent political constituency for those elected officials, surviving on government handouts indefinitely.

Now they have a new phrase to cover this strategy, but to try to make it sound better: "Housing First." This is the idea that you want to get a homeless person into a home immediately, rather than a shelter. Of course, that is everyone's goal. But that shouldn't be a long-term plan. First you need to analyze the situation of each individual. Is this a person who requires mental health treatment or treatment for addiction to alcohol or drugs? Then let's get them connected to those resources. Is this a person who simply needs a living wage to get going again? That can be done as well. But let's get it done, because just as some have said a human being cannot be "illegal," so it can be said that no human being should have to be "homeless."

Beyond that, we have a huge majority of working people in Montgomery County who aren't getting handouts and services. And they certainly aren't getting to move into Upstairs at Bethesda Row. Why should college graduates have to move elsewhere? Why should a person have to work two jobs to afford a clean, livable apartment in Montgomery County? It's immoral, it's a disgrace, and something must be done about it. There is no reason on God's green Earth that a studio apartment should rent for more than $900 a month. No one is asking for free housing. But, come on, this is ridiculous. The more units that come on the market, the more the rent goes up. Clearly, we have a situation where market forces have failed. Bigtime. What happened to the American Dream? Study hard, go to college, work, and society will provide you with a minimum of a living wage, housing, food, clothing, etc., in exchange, right? Not anymore.

Our elected officials have done nothing, and have allowed their developer friends to break all promises to provide MPDUs. Dr. Yes (Royce Hanson) has approved numerous new "boutique" condo buildings for the rich in downtown Bethesda, with MPDUs in single digits or even zero. That is a disgrace. And the Arlington Road corridor is becoming a Hall of Shame for affordable housing failure, with condos and apartments designed exclusively for the wealthy, and with full support from our elected officials.

It's outrageous.

UPCOUNTY HOSPITAL:

IT'S ABOUT TIME

Holy Cross Proposes New

Germantown Hospital

Partnership with Montgomery College

May Still Leave Residents at Risk

Providing a patient with emergency medical attention really is all about time. The time it takes for emergency personnel to respond to a 911 call. And the time it takes for the ambulance to reach the nearest Emergency Department.

Residents in upper Montgomery County currently have two unsatisfactory options: hospitals in Rockville and Frederick. When every second counts, that is just too far away. Finally, but not without controversy, there is a proposal for a hospital in Germantown. And unlike the Suburban Hospital expansion scam here in Bethesda, it is actually giving us new hospital beds in the county.

This is not a perfect solution. It is a sensible start, as Germantown is the logical connecting point for Poolesville, Clarksburg, and Damascus. That is the same reason that I would only support a Corridor Cities [Rail]way through Germantown if it connects to those three outermost towns.

However, logistically, the Germantown hospital will still be far for those nearest the Frederick County border. It would really make sense to have another hospital in Clarksburg, Mount Airy, or somewhere else between Germantown and the City of Frederick. This is not just important for Montgomery County citizens near the border, but for Frederick County citizens north of our border. All would mutually benefit from an additional emergency facility that would be minutes away.

Remember, a person can only go 4 minutes without oxygen before suffering brain damage. Two new upcounty facilities are needed, as this literally is a matter of life and death.

OBAMA JOINS

WASHINGTON POST

IN BACKING

DRILLING NEAR

OCEAN CITY

Democrat Hypocrisy on Environment

Continues as Resort is Target of Energy Cabal

The latest attack on wildlife in the Ocean City area is coming from Europe's choice for American President, Barack Obama. Senator Obama says he is willing to roll the dice on the health of the already devastated Chesapeake Bay by allowing oil companies to operate just offshore of Ocean City. Would he be so cavalier if the drilling was near Chicago?

CRIME STATS

CONTINUE TO CLIMB

Our area continues to experience a violent crime wave. The Montgomery County Police have just released the following statistics:

MURDER UP 200%

RAPE UP 73.7%

ROBBERY UP 5.0%

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT UP 33.8%

AUTO THEFT UP 14.1%

ACTUAL HEADLINE:

"CHINA SAYS BEIJING SMOG IS

MOSTLY MIST"

It's hard to believe Martin O'Malley didn't think of that one when he was Mayor of Baltimore.

OCEAN CITY AD

CAMPAIGN:

BE CAREFUL WHAT

YOU WISH FOR

Greedy "Green" Corporations Poised to

Destroy Scenic Maryland Resort with

Dangerous, Ugly Ocean Windmills

Environmental Extremists, Bought-off Residents,

Capitulating Town Council Give Wind "Farm"

New Momentum

You have probably been exposed to the absurd Ocean City tourism ads this year - the ones that associate the town with negative, disaster themes and Al Gore pseudo-science. Put aside the fact that no one realized the psychological impact of associating your "product" (Ocean City) with scary words, themes and images in the mind of consumers (potential visitors). That was just plain dumb. And I'm not even talking today about the slot machines and offshore drilling (endorsed by the so-called "environmental" Washington Post for business reasons) the Powers That Be are bringing to our All-American resort very soon.

The real scary part is that environmental disaster is coming to Ocean City much sooner than even Al Gore has predicted. It is coming in the disguise of "green" technology: an offshore wind farm. Twelve miles offshore, to be precise. And, like all "green" technology offered by Corporate America in these pseudoscientific times, the farm is going to generate not only "clean" energy, but a lot of mean "green" for the corporation. A.k.a. $$$$$$.

But if you only knew how ugly those windmills are going to be when they replace the natural beauty of the ocean horizon. Or how there will be no more full moons over an ocean view unchanged since the creation of the Earth. Or what those turbines are going to do to birds flying above the ocean, and to the sea life living below its surface... Well, you'd probably turn "green" yourself. Because the truth is sickening.

The lack of opposition to the wind farm is simply bizarre. Environmental extremists have been allowed to raise their voices over all others, simply overwhelming the public debate at hearings and in the local newspapers. Many of those newspapers are strangely endorsing the wind farm as well. There appear to be quite a number of moles, plants, and double agents stepping forward as "residents" to back the plan. And only Mayor Rick Meehan and two councilmembers are even mildly opposed. It sounds like they would fall over tomorrow if the wind company poked them lightly with a finger.

What's going on here? ?Que es la significa de esto? Why so weak? Why so blase, when you would think that town leaders, media, businesspeople, and actual residents all have the most to lose when the windmills pop up? Why would anyone want to look out at the ocean and see anything besides... the ocean? I can't answer those questions, because there are no logical answers.

But we all know that money is the false god of humanity, and that there is nothing money can't buy in this world (good luck to those greedy souls in the next one, though).

Ladies and gentlemen, the fishy smell in Ocean City is not coming from the water.

COMCAST CUSTOMER

SATISFACTION RANKING:

IT'S DEADLASTIC!

Score another one for monopoly cable empire Comcast. With the worst, most unresponsive customer service in the business - and now ranked last in customer satisfaction - Comcast mysteriously is still raking in monstrous amounts of cash. It's easy to understand why: there is no competition.


Remember, the Montgomery County Council has stymied every competitor who has attempted to enter the market. And crippled those who have been able to provide weak alternatives. Thank your councilmember today!

WRC-TV JOINS

WASHINGTON POST

IN FINANCIALLY BACKING

CONNOLLY FOR

CONGRESS

Well, I hope James Dinegar was able to catch this program this morning. Today at 7:00 A.M., WRC Channel 4 (business associate of The Washington Post) broadcast what appeared to be an infomercial for congressional candidate Gerald Connolly. That's all the show was. Plenty of soft questions, and well-rehearsed answers which could have come from Martin O'Malley, Patrick Lacefield, or Mayor Bloomberg.

Mr. Connolly had much to say about how you are going to pay big bucks just to live your life in the near future. Tolls, taxes, "green" regulations based on fantasy pseudo-science... this corporate favorite has got quite a lineup of punishments for you. Your crime is simply going about your day to day business.

What Mr. Connolly did not say, is how much this in-kind contribution of television time was worth in dollars. In-kind contributions from The Washington Post, Channel 4 and its corporate partners that are going unreported on campaign financial reports as in-kind contributions. (This doesn't include that interesting, "advertising" shell game that moved money back and forth between the Post and the Fairfax County Government - of which Mr. Connolly is the leader).

Mr. Connolly's Republican opponent? Nowhere to be found at the roundtable. Vote early and often.

HELP VICTIMS OF

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

TODAY

As a member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, I have been encouraging Republicans to become more involved with the cause of domestic violence.

My current effort is to raise funds for Heartly House in Frederick, MD. Heartly House provides services and emergency shelter to victims of domestic violence, and operates a 24-hour Domestic Violence Crisis Hotline. If you are in a bad domestic situation, they can assist you in moving quickly to a safe location if you call the Hotline.

It is very easy for anyone to participate in this fundraising drive:

1. Visit www.HeartlyHouse.org and click on "Support Us."
2. Follow the instructions and make a contribution of any amount to Heartly House.
3. After you have made a donation, send me an email at www.robertdyer.net to tell me what you donated, so that we can recognize your generosity at the end of the campaign.

Donations to Heartly House are tax-deductible. This is a very worthy cause and even a small contribution will make a difference. They also could greatly use donations of gas cards at this time.

Many women and children in our community are privately suffering as victims of domestic violence. By getting involved, you can help rescue those victims and help them to begin new lives. Together with tougher laws, we can stop the nightmarish (and too often deadly) crime of domestic violence.

EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE:

YOUR TAX DOLLARS

IN ACTION!

Actual Footage From Montgomery

County Council Chambers During

June 2008 WSSC Water Disaster:

THEY'VE SPENT IT ALL

...AND THEN SOME!

Annapolis Democrats and

Montgomery County Government

Announce Massive Budget Shortfalls Ahead

After increasing every tax and inventing new ones, and busting their respective budgets to get big money to their political cronies and special interests, the Democratic leaders of Maryland and Montgomery County announced that they still don't have enough money.

Maryland is forecasting a $200,000,000 shortfall. And if you want to understand just how poorly managed our Montgomery County Government is, get this: the county's shortfall is even bigger than the state's!! ...$250,000,000!! Unbelievable! Failed leadership at its best (worst?). It is shameful. Shameful.

Rather than trim their spending, they will once again raise taxes on the poor to make sure the special interests and their political cronies get what they need.

WHEN IS SENIOR HOUSING

NOT SENIOR HOUSING?

Beware of the new trick used by developers in Montgomery County. Whether it is Dr. Yes's [Royce Hanson's] special building for seniors on River Road (off mass transit, no shopping or full service restaurants within senior citizen walking distance - one of the most nonsensical dumb-growth boondoggles in history) or Capital Properties' grand plans for the Westbard sector, these designations can change at any time.

It is quite interesting that Capital Properties is advertising a condo building it owns in Washington - "now as rental apartments!" Remember that when they tell you a building will be luxury or senior housing, it can become a college dorm or rental apartment building overnight.

PHIL ANDREWS

ADOPTS THE

ROBERT DYER

POSITION ON THE ICC

Councilman Says "No" to Toll Road

Welcome aboard, Phil Andrews. After denouncing the attempts to shake down residents again for roads they already paid for in 2006, I found myself quite alone in my position.

My position was supportive of the long-planned Intercounty Connector concept, but I stated that - unlike other ICC supporters - I would not approve of an ICC that charged a toll of any kind. Nor one that resulted in needless environmental destruction. Nor one that called for new, unplanned eminent domain seizures of private property.

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that the ICC project underway violates each of the three above caveats. Yet, Democrat elected officials in Annapolis and Rockville have embraced the Road to Konterra. Because, that's what it is. At some point, developers took ownership of the old ICC concept and made it work for them.

Now, as Leisure World residents, schoolchildren and their parents, and others are realizing what the ICC has in store for them, one councilmember has adopted my unique position on this impending highway of shame.

Never let anyone talk you into paying a toll for a road you have already paid for. Never. It is literally highway robbery.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

COUNCIL DENIES IT IS A

PART OF THE COUNTY

GOVERNMENT

Executive and Councilmembers Dodge All

Blame and Accountability for WSSC

Water Main Break Scandal

"It's a...county government that doesn't appear to have anyone in charge."

- Nancy Floreen, Councilmember (D-At Large)

They said it. The Montgomery County Council has defied all rational logic in declaring itself separate from the Montgomery County Government. All comments by councilmembers at yesterday's public hearing described the county government as a separate entity to be blamed for the WSSC Water Main Break Scandal. Each member spoke as if he or she had no responsibility, and was out of the country at the time the debacle occurred.

This is laughable of course. But take them seriously for a minute, and the statements are shocking. The county council is suggesting it is not a part of the county government. Second, the councilmembers are claiming they never had any knowledge of the water main break, nor of the government's mindboggling failure to inform the public that tap water might be contaminated. In essence, the current council is not "in the loop" with current events in the county, according to their own statements. Therefore, who is running Montgomery County? The career council staff? (That is closer to the truth than any councilmember will ever admit). If the councilmembers are so oblivious to the daily operations of government, they have abdicated their responsibility as leaders, and violated their oaths of office.

So, really, whether you believe their claims or not, it is a lose-lose proposition either way. And a public relations disaster. Just remember these quotes when you go to the polls in 2010:

"Elected officials in Montgomery County said yesterday that they have little confidence in the government's ability to quickly warn residents of potential public emergencies..."

-The Washington Post, Friday, June 27, 2008

In other words, they have little confidence in themselves, because they are the government!

"It's a...county government that doesn't appear to have anyone in charge."

- Nancy Floreen, Councilmember (D-At Large)

At large, but not in charge! That is a whopper of a quote.

"Don't presume because we didn't use all the tools in this emergency that we're not going to in future emergencies."

- Foghorn Leghorn (a.k.a. Gordon Aoyagi, Outgoing [seriously!] County Homeland Security Director)

Ooh, I'll bet the bad guys all over the world are running scared now...

Mike Knapp admitted that the county government should have done "a lot more than putting out a press release." But Ike Leggett thought a press release was good enough. And don't forget, Mr. Leggett got in a good run on his treadmill that Monday morning, while county residents were drinking possibly contaminated tap water. And while another one of those Democrat, highly paid political appointees was slowly ambling in to headquarters to post a warning on the county web site that would be read by about 1-5% of county residents.

New Director of Homeland Security Darlene Flynn decided to skip the meeting altogether! Just as Mike Knapp, ever in denial of the average citizen's economic burden, skipped a conference on home foreclosures of which he was to have been the moderator! Now that's leadership for you.

"Somebody has to be accountable next week when you're gone."

- George Leventhal, Councilmember (D-At-Large [but not In Charge either]) to Foghorn Leghorn

Gosh, Mr. Leventhal, maybe next week you can be accountable! And encourage your colleagues to be mature grownups, and do the same, as the elected leaders of a county government that failed spectacularly under pressure during a relatively minor emergency. But one that could have been major, thanks to the inept leadership of our elected officials.

"How do we instill confidence in our residents that we can do the big things well if I couldn't understand when I could or couldn't drink water?"

- Mike Knapp, Council President (D-District 2)

Ladies and Gentlemen, I can't make up quotes as good as these. Of course, if you live here in Montgomery County - and you're not a billionaire Democrat - you already know that our all-Democrat government can't "do the big things well." You know, transportation, affordable housing, cleaning up pollution. Well, I guess now they can get back to the "big things" like restaurant menus.

WASHINGTON POST HAVING

ALL KINDS OF ETHICAL PROBLEMS

Post Company Board Funding Obama

Oops. There they go again. When the Post hasn't been using its articles, editorials, and advertising space to promote Gerald Connolly for Congress (check out how the money moves from the Washington Post company to Fairfax County Government... and then from the Fairfax County Government back to the Post in the form of advertising - wow, somebody get Woodward and Bernstein on the phone)....

...it's been helping Dominion Power build new transmission lines and coal-firing plants in the state of Virginia. That's because Washington Post Company Board Member Warren Buffett - and hence, the Post - owns major financial interests in power companies worldwide. Dominion's success in violating environmental standards and running roughshod over affected communities will set a precedent allowing Post power companies to do the same in other states. Pretty slick, eh?

And now, what do we have here? The same Post Board member, Warren Buffett, is hosting a massive fundraiser by the rich for the benefit of ...Barack Obama! Wednesday, July 2, in Chicago. That means the Post is financially bankrolling Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign. Corporate America is fired up! He's Ready to Go! And the Post is Ready to Bankroll him!

MIKE KNAPP TO

THE WORKING PEOPLE

OF

MONTGOMERY COUNTY:

"HIT THE ROAD"

Montgomery County Councilmember Mike Knapp is on a crusade to drive the working man and working woman out of Montgomery County... forever. Income taxes, property taxes, cell phone taxes, takeout taxes, $5 a gallon gas, skyrocketing food costs, skyrocketing utilities, toll roads, toll lanes - it's still not enough, and apparently the developers' second favorite man on the council has found out that there are still a few pesky non-millionaires left in the county!

What to do? What to do? Mike Knapp knows: Residents will now have to park their work vehicles in special county lots, far away from their homes. Now, we already know what Montgomery Village's truck ban has done. When you drive through there, it's a complete mess with trucks parallel parked up and down the main roads. That's because working people can't park in their own driveways. How is having thousands of trucks clogging the road an improvement?

Are people going to walk miles from a county lot to their home after work? More likely, they will just move out of the county which is what our one-party Democrat government wants.

A county for the rich, and no one else! That's the Montgomery County way. Slap an Obama sticker on your bumper, and you are absolved of all sin, all racism, and all responsibility to those who are less well off than you. Until next time, Mike Knapp, Ike Leggett, the County Council, and Governor Martin O'Malley are toasting the champagne wishes and caviar dreams of the wealthy limousine liberals and developers of Montgomery County.

MIKE KNAPP AND

COUNTY COUNCIL

CLUELESS ON REVERSE

911

Knapp Says County Should Have Used

Reverse 911; Lacefield Says Only Public

School System Has Reverse 911

Well, does the county have a Reverse 911 system or is it Jerry Weast's MCPS that has it? Mike Knapp doesn't seem to know. Isn't that his job? Whoever has reverse 911, the bottom line is that the county government failed to use this modern tool to alert residents that the WSSC's tap water was potentially dangerous to drink last week.

Why are Knapp and his colleagues just complaining now? Are they out of the loop of the county government during emergencies? If Reverse 911 was not being used, why didn't Knapp order that it be activated? To absolve themselves of all responsibility now, is simply foolish. I've heard of a Monday morning quarterback. But Mike Knapp and Co. have managed to be the Sunday quarterbacks who lost the game, and then spoke from their armchairs as Monday morning quarterbacks. The real losers were the residents, who have good reason to fear what will happen should a truly catastrophic weather disaster, chemical spill, or terrorist attack occur, under the inept leadership currently in office.

SUPREME COURT:

YOU HAVE THE

RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

The Supreme Court today confirmed what most of us knew all along: we all have a Constitutional right to bear arms. The murder capital of the world, Washington, D.C., can no longer operate under a system where only the criminals have guns after today's historic decision.

WSSC BOOKS NOT

OPEN TO PUBLIC AS

SCANDAL HEATS UP

Monopoly Utility Had Money to Upgrade

Infrastructure, Prince George's Executive Says

My long standing argument for competition in utilities is building up steam as new critics, including the leader of Prince George's County and former Montgomery County Civic Federation President Wayne Goldstein, join the ranks of those asking... ...why hasn't the WSSC maintained its infrastructure? And why should area residents now pay the price for decades of mismanagement?

Instead, it's time to investigate, and find out who was responsible - and hold them accountable. But the WSSC is refusing to allow anyone to examine its books, and until it does so, we will never know where all those public funds went.

We only know that they didn't go to maintaining infrastructure, and now the WSSC's system is collapsing. The County Executive of Prince George's County argued yesterday that the WSSC, in fact, had the funds to maintain and upgrade its system, but chose to spend the money elsewhere.

Once again, Robert Dyer is vindicated. Until we have competition in utilities, customers will continue to pay the price, while the WSSC's favored elected officials, such as the Montgomery County Council, allow the outrages to continue. Outrages and outages would be more accurate, as residents and businessowners will not soon forget last week's historic collapse of the county's water system.

THE FENESTRA IS

WHERE THE PARTY IS

Rockville's Failed Luxury Apartment

Complex Gets a Frat House Makeover?

60% Vacant Former Condo Rumored

To Have A Major Surprise for

Rich Tenants: College Students

Well, I kept telling you that Rockville's Town Center has been a failure. A massive surrender to developers such as Federal Realty, the Town Center is sparsely populated, and little-visited outside of lunchtime and weekend nights at the Regal Theater.

It was reported that the Town Center's sole surviving condo building had 7 tenants at last count. And the Fenestra - once planned as a condo during the real estate fantasy bubble - was a 40% leased apartment building. Yet somehow it mysteriously stayed in business, much like the other overcharging apartment buildings in the county.

Then, its ultra-rich tenants were hit with rent increases, as the smallest studio went from $1300 to $1600 in just the last two months. Were there new amenities on the way?

No, just fraternity and sorority members. It has been reported on local apartment websites that the Fenestra has quietly pulled a Park Bethesda, and leased itself out to local colleges for use as a dorm. Again there is no official announcement, but this is the rumor being heard.

And you know how well college students take care of their dorms, right? Again, why take less from college students instead of just lowering the rent for the hard-working general public?

This is a supplemental chapter to the Park Bethesda - American University dorm lease mystery. All we know for sure is that the powers-that-be want average, middle-class college graduates to leave the county. And that's a concept that must be opposed if we are to restore the American Dream in Montgomery County.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL

HAS NEW REVENUE SOURCE

TO FUND ITS UNION AND

SPECIAL INTEREST MASTERS:

YOUR KIDS

Weast, School Board Keep Full Funds for

Political Interests; Order School Kids to Walk

Two Miles to School to Save Bucks on Gas

Well, Ike Leggett, the County Council, and the Montgomery County School Board have to make cuts somewhere to afford the massive pay packages they've approved for their union and political allies. You know, the organizations that paid the big bucks to get them elected.

Instead of cutting government waste, or cancelling Ike Leggett's luxury master bath suite, or reversing its forays into the development and real estate fields, they've decided to... cancel your kid's school bus route. Yes, it's true - and if you are a Democrat, you are still going to vote for them next time?

Now your kids will have to walk up to 2 miles to and from school, so that the gas money can be transferred to $100,000+ political allies in the school system administration and to other Democrat special interests, as well as to the massive pay plans (paybacks) gifted by the all-Democrat County Council and Executive.

Ok, let's get this straight. The massive taxes paid in Montgomery County go to "world-class services." And in the last week, we've had no electricity, no clean water, and now no school bus transportation for kids. Are there any more basic services than those? And again, the hypocrisy of the "green" county council - putting more cars on the road to take kids to school is not "green." But what's coming out of your wallet and going to Mike Knapp and Co. certainly is.

Just think, the energy generated by your child walking to school is fueling the foreign-built luxury sedan of a union or Democrat special interest representative on his way to the next county council meeting.

Wealthy Democrats Unite! You have nothing to lose but your kid's school bus route.

Isn't socialism fantastic?

WSSC SHUTS DOWN

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

FOR DAYS WHILE COUNTY

GOVERNMENT FAILS TO

ALERT PUBLIC TO DANGER

Decades of WSSC Neglect and

Mismanagement Lead to Historic

Shutdown of Public Water Supply

Montgomery County Executive, Council, and

Officials Proven Incompetent, Reckless

You were not alone last Sunday and Monday if you were drinking potentially contaminated tap water north of the Beltway in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County government and the WSSC failed to inform the public that a catastrophic water main break had occurred, and that water might be unsafe to drink.

The latest manifestation of WSSC mismanagement, and failure to maintain its infrastructure, was the largest breakdown of a public water supply in Maryland history. Montgomery County's failure to communicate with residents revealed that the county's preparedness for a major emergency is virtually nonexistent. Had there been a toxin placed in the water supply by terrorists, for example, and the county's response been as it was last week, there would have been mass casualties.

In the rush to fill county positions with politically-connected Democrats, someone forgot to maintain standards and verify qualifications for the job. I have experienced the same phenomenon in Martin O'Malley's state government: In an ongoing quest for answers about environmental incidents, I am not only constantly stonewalled by the Maryland Department of the Environment, but encounter junior political appointees who cannot even transfer me from one phone to another. That's part of the job description!

The fact is, no one on duty in Montgomery County knew how to operate the emergency email system. More frightening is the fact that county officials believed an email alert would be sufficient anyway. What were they thinking? Does this mean that during a terrorist attack, our many senior citizens who do not use the internet - or citizens who simply are not online 24/7 - will not be informed? It seems that Montgomery County is operating from the same emergency manual as Virginia Tech.

Every citizen should be concerned about the incompetence and failed leadership of our county government in this episode. But they should also be prepared to hear again that they will be forced to pay outrageous water bills to compensate for decades of such incompetence and mismanagement by the county and WSSC. The bottom line is that the WSSC failed to maintain its infrastructure, and local governments allowed that to continue. Where did all the money go? It obviously didn't go to infrastructure, or we wouldn't be in this mess.

Before you accept this incident as a good reason to raise water bills, remember that this pipe was only 28 years old. Do the math. How often can the pipes be replaced? They need to be maintained - and that is where the WSSC, Ike Leggett, and the County Council must be held accountable. Instead, county councilmember Mike Knapp is skeptical of a fully-qualified African-American candidate for the WSSC board, during his interview before the council. And subtly questioning his qualifications for the position. I hope that is remembered when Mr. Knapp is up for reelection in 2010. Is that leadership by Mr. Knapp and the County Council? Definitely not.

Once again, my criticisms of our monopoly utilities - WSSC, PEPCO, Comcast, etc. - have been proven valid. We are always told of the wonderful "services" we receive in Montgomery County. Yet, last week, most of our neighbors north of the Beltway did not have fresh water to drink, and county restaurants took a hit of $5-10 million dollars. And yes, council Democrats, that means you'll get less tax money into your Big Government coffers as a result of your own failed leadership. The future of public safety in Montgomery County is frightening indeed, and voters should remedy that as soon as they have the opportunity.

ROCKVILLE PIKE PLAN

ALREADY DECIDED IN

ADVANCE

Citizens Forced to Go Through the

Motions as Developers Move Swiftly to

Ram "Concrete Canyon" Through Planning Process

There are quiet announcements about public meetings and "charettes" where you can give your "input" on the future of Rockville Pike. Alas, the developers and their friends in Montgomery County and Rockville City Government won't be listening. That's because they've already completed the plan, and are cynically forcing residents to waste time pretending they can change the outcome.

It's done. Here it is. You'll only read about it here on www.RobertDyer.net - not in the Post or Gazette, papers in the tank for the developers; or on that "unofficial" Rockville blog:

A concrete canyon of Bethesda Row-style mixed development stretching from Bethesda to Clarksburg. Every strip mall and shopping center bulldozed for empty luxury apartments with first-floor shopping.

An urban planning disaster. The wide, cosmopolitan layout of Rockville Pike, with convenient free parking, shopping, and restaurants - which has functioned just fine for decades - will be replaced by concrete monstrosities which will block out the sky and loom over the Pike.

And the Pike is the main issue. Anyone with an IQ higher than their belt size can tell you that the Pike must be widened to deal with its current congestion. To do that, we must keep the buildings back from the road as they are now. There need to be bus lanes as well, or are we once again revealing the hypocrisy of our "green" officials? Monster development on the Pike doesn't sound very green to me. Neither does a new arena planned beyond the reach of Metro!

The Rockville Pike planning "process" is a puppet theatre of the absurd. Feel the strings behind you and applaud when the sign lights up.

POWER OFF?

CHILL OUT AT ICE

CAPADES, WIZARDS GAMES

COURTESY OF PEPCO

(Offer Only Good For Elected Officials).

All Others: Pay Your Bills and Keep Quiet

Now that you've paid to refill your refrigerator, cleaned up the mess from the one that melted during the power outage, and maybe have even paid a hotel bill, what are you going to get in return from PEPCO? Nothing.

Unless you are an elected official, that is. PEPCO gave one D.C. Councilmember $135 tickets to the Ice Capades, and another councilmember $100 tickets to a Washington Wizards game. Wait a minute, how do long-suffering customers get in on this deal?

It is interesting to consider that lawmakers keep allowing PEPCO to raise rates on the residents of Montgomery County, and in turn, PEPCO then has that much more money to give to those lawmakers. And then you wonder why those same elected officials don't criticize PEPCO for slow response after storms, failure to maintain infrastructure, and skyrocketing electric bills. What a surprise.

Maybe you can ask them about it next time you're at a Wizards game.

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD

Montgomery County Planning Board,

Developer Meridian Destroyed

Bethesda Metro Center's

Popular Ice Skating Rink in

Back Room Deal Years Ago

Oops! While mega-developers and high-powered business interests clashed before Dr. Yes (Royce Hanson) and his Planning Board Thursday, an unfortunate detail came to light.


Many here in Bethesda wanted to know: why was the very popular ice rink at the Bethesda Metro Center suddenly eliminated?


Well, it turns out that the Montgomery County Planning Board (prior to Dr. Yes' tenure as chairman) made an old-fashioned, smoke-filled back room deal with developer Meridian: we'll let you demolish the skating rink that is so heavily used by the unwashed masses, and you'll tidy up the Metro Center plaza with "improvements."


This was recounted by opponents of Meridian's disastrous proposal for an aesthetically-repulsive, dumb-growth disaster of an office building, that would destroy the Metro Center plaza forever. Many of us were hearing this for the first time. What's more: Meridian never delivered on its "improvements" promise!! So we lost the ice rink, and we gained... nothing!


Now maybe we can start investigating the rest of the story: the cancellation of holidays in Bethesda, the downsizing of those that remain, and their wholescale (developer-engineered) movement away from the Metro Center to Bethesda Row. Bethesda was the original suburban Athens of the modern world. Now it is falling behind Rockville, Clarendon, and Silver Spring, and the demographics are trending toward stagnation. It shows what developer-controlled planning, and failed political leadership, can do. It's outrageous.

DEVELOPER FEDERAL REALTY

USES BLACKBERRY TO

CONCEAL TESTIMONY FROM

ROCKVILLE CITIZENS

A representative of Federal Realty "accidentally" used his Blackberry phone to disrupt the audio feed of his presentation to the Rockville Planning Commission Wednesday evening. After squelching his own presentation so that citizens watching on The Rockville Channel could not hear the details, he suddenly just knew that his Blackberry phone was the cause. How convenient!


Now, when the session is replayed on Channel 11, that portion of the testimony is now edited out entirely. Leaving Rockville citizens in the dark as to what Federal Realty is doing on this particular project proposal. Double convenient! Clever. Clever. You'll only read about this here on http://www.robertdyer.net/ not in the Post or Gazette, or on that "unofficial" Rockville blog.

IKE LEGGETT

GRADES PEPCO ON A

STEEP CURVE

Beneficiaries of PEPCO Donations

Laud Monopoly Utility's Slow Repairs

After Routine Thunderstorms

B+

That's what Ike Leggett gave his friends at PEPCO in his after-storm report card. But the Foghorn Leghorn Award goes to Gordon Aoyagi, Montgomery County’s director of homeland security:

After comparing these routine thunderstorms with Hurricane Isabel(!!!), Mr. Aoyagi was just getting started:

"their ability to restore power within two to three days was very good,” Aoyagi said. ‘‘...‘‘Now we’re experiencing the heat advisory, so imagine if Pepco had not been as responsive as they were.”

Oh yes, two to three days when temperatures are at 100 degrees is "very good." Good if you are a rich Democrat in an air-conditioned mansion or McMansion, I guess. Worst yet, Mr. Aoyagi appears to have not been in the area at all, when he claims that the heat began after PEPCO had restored power. Wrong! It was already underway during the blackout.

Give a Democrat official enough money, and he'll tell you, two to three days in the year 2008 is a rapid repair by a monopoly utility. It's outrageous.

BREAKING NEWS:

CRIME WAVE STRIKES

TONIGHT IN BETHESDA

LIVE! A WWW.ROBERTDYER.NET EXCLUSIVE!

This is happening literally as I type this... Like everyone else in the neighborhood, I'm now awake. It's going on 2 A.M., and dozens of police cars have been tearing up the main roads nearby. Now the Maryland State Police helicopter is flying over the neighborhood, searching for a criminal on the loose. What is going on? The non-emergency dispatcher of the Montgomery County Police refuses to disclose any details. That is a change from the past. The citizens have a right to know what's going on.

All that's known is that something has happened in the vicinity, and there is at least one dangerous criminal at large around here.

You won't read about this in the Post or Gazette in the morning... only here on www.RobertDyer.net where I will post more information when it is available.

PAGING "DR. YES"

ROYCE HANSON IS ON CALL

FOR MONTGOMERY DEVELOPERS AND

THE POWERS THAT BE

Planning Board Chairman Leads Body on

Rubber Stamp Rampage

Approves Reckless New Projects;

Admits He is Abandoning Upcounty Transit,

Downcounty Road Improvements; and

Wants Tolls on Every Major County Road

If you are a developer, or part of that powerful group that decides the future of the Washington D.C. area (wealthy Democratic politicians, developers, trade groups, chambers of commerce, assorted industrial interests, large power companies, and various other shadowy entities, etc.) Royce Hanson is the man you have on speed dial in Montgomery County. Or as I like to call him, "Dr. Yes."



Dr. Yes, because Chairman Hanson apparently cannot say "no" to a developer. The man has never met an insane, mixed use development project he didn't like. But the county not only approves these projects - it also fails to create the infrastructure necessary to support them.



Recently, Dr. Yes said "Yes!" to the following catastrophes-in-the-making:

• Several low density, high-luxury condo buildings in downtown Bethesda, which will likely stand empty for years, have a handful of MPDUs, and fail to utilize this space near Metro for tall buildings which could have housed many affordable units and lowered rents and prices by increasing volume.


• An old-fashioned, smoke-filled back room deal that gave developers everything they wanted on Hampden Lane, while again abandoning affordable housing goals.


• A new office building that will destroy the Bethesda Metro Center, while increasing traffic gridlock in every direction from downtown Bethesda.


• Postponing the Westbard Sector plan revision, to the benefit of developer Richard Cohen of New York, aka Capital Properties (more on that later).
• New mixed use developments near White Flint and in downtown Silver Spring, which are uncalled for, including an outlandish new Planning Board headquarters that has turned the Planning Board into a developer itself, at taxpayer expense!!!
• A nutty hotel/apartment/mixed use development near the Bethesda Row Theater that will destroy green space, close an intersection of Woodmont at Bethesda Avenue for 2 years(!!!), and be one more nearly vacant building without affordable units


• Charging tolls on every major road in Montgomery County, forcing taxpayers to pay again for the roads they already paid for years ago.

It's outrageous.

But Dr. Yes also said, "No!" to some critical needs in Montgomery County:

Hanson stated bluntly that he is going to abandon road improvements or any other efforts to reduce gridlock in the downcounty area. While you are still processing that, get a load of this: Dr. Yes then went on to say that he has no intention of providing new public transit to the Upcounty area.

That's right: Those of you who live in Poolesville, Damascus, Clarksburg, Germantown, Burtonsville, etc. are going to continue to pay taxes, Hanson says, but get no new public transit service in return for your tax dollars.

It's outrageous.

This is a time when every other area in the country is expanding public transportation, especially rail transit. As I emphasized during the 2006 election, the Corridor Cities Transitway is an absurd design for a transit line that will never be built anyway.

What I proposed was a Corridor Cities Railway that would link the Shady Grove Metro station with all of the major towns in the upcounty area. Not just a fake talking point that leaves out over 50% ot the upcounty residents, but a viable project that not only would be built but must be built.

The bottom line is that residents of the upcounty who pay full taxes should get the full range of county services, including transportation.

Unfortunately, to that, Dr. Yes says, "no!"

It's outrageous.

WESTBARD SECTOR PLAN DELAYED...

AGAIN!!

Councilmembers Take Action in the

Best Interest of Richard Cohen and

Capital Properties of New York

Once again, the Montgomery County Council has delayed the revision of the Westbard Sector Plan. Don't listen to the baloney about this being a budget issue. That's complete hogwash.

What's really going on here, is that Richard Cohen's Capital Properties of New York, which now owns most of Westbard, has retained the services of paid attorneys in Bethesda who are paid to lobby the county council. If you don't believe me, just check the county ethics filings where I obtained this information.

These lobbyists wine and dine the members of the council. Now, understand that it is to the benefit of the developer that this plan revision be postponed. That will allow Mr. Cohen to submit each Westbard property individually for rezoning before Dr. Yes and his rubber stamp Planning Board. That rezoning will be easily approved, and not be restricted by new, overall provisions that might be added to a new Sector Plan.

I say "might," because, after all, do you really think the developer-beholden Planning Board and County Council are going to make things too tough in the new Plan? The main concern the developers have, I think, is that there will be a lot of angry citizens who will speak out in the revision process, if they are allowed to speak at all.

So don't believe the government and Post/Gazette doublespeak: the council's postponement of the Westbard Sector Plan is a victory for Richard Cohen and Capital Properties at the neighborhood's expense.