Developer Land Grab Alert!

County Executive Ike Leggett is about to sell a wooded area adjacent to Tilden MS to a developer who will build townhouses on the property. Is this what Mr. Leggett meant by "slow growth?" Is this "preserving green space" in action? Is this an example of "Project Open Space" in action? No, no, and no! This is one of the last green spaces in north Bethesda!

Violent Crime Spree Continues in Montgomery County

A man was carjacked on Battery Lane. This was not emphasized in the local papers. Why not? To protect our do-nothing elected officials, that's why. They've worked on trans-fats, dish detergent, and restaurant menus, but not on crime!

Arnold for President

Regular readers of this blog know that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is the most prominent example of leadership in all 50 states. Gov. Schwarzenegger has proven that government can work when citizens are the priority, instead of partisan politics. When his last term is up in Sacramento, U.S. Congress and the White House beckon. Can a legal loophole be found to allow him to run for President? Let's hope so. Clearly there is broad support for a Schwarzenegger candidacy. Here is the result for an online poll at one point last week on Yahoo!:

Would you vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger for president of the United States?

YES: 54%
NO: 44%

Enjoy the clips at this special Yahoo! site, featuring the most successful and popular governor in America - and he's a Republican!

Click here for more of America's top governor.

"Excellent."

Once again I am vindicated. You may remember I predicted that Marilyn Goldwater would be unable to serve if reelected, and that we would end up with only 2 votes in Annapolis for District 16. And that came to pass. Now another issue I warned about, violent crime - and its relation to the safety of law enforcement personnel - is in the headlines.

Yesterday's USA Today reported that - surprise - violent crime is increasing. And the number of police officers killed in the line of duty has increased as well. During my campaign last year, I made crime a major issue; my Democratic opponents were silent on crime. Not surprising, considering that Bronrott, Lee, Goldwater, and Frosh have done nothing to reduce crime, but have, in fact, made life easier for criminals. They have frozen the death penalty, given felons the right to vote, and then tried to release mass numbers of them from state prison so they could vote. I wonder who they'll vote for?

Last year, I warned of the increase of violent crime in our community. And advocated providing better weaponry and body armor to our county police, state troopers, and Park Police. You can read it under "More issues" on my website http://www.robertdyer.net/ I wish I had been wrong in my prediction, but here is what yesterday's report said:

"A surge in fatal shootings has contributed to a dramatic increase in deaths of law enforcement officers during the first six months of this year, the highest midyear body count in nearly three decades."

"The annual count by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found that 39 officers were killed in shootings, up from 27 during the first six months of last year."

"These are the most alarming increases in officer fatalities I've ever seen for a midyear period," said Craig Floyd, the memorial fund's chairman and chief executive officer. "It's somewhat shocking. Is there something at work that nobody has gotten their arms around?" he said.

"Floyd and other law enforcement analysts said that recent spikes in violent crime across the country may be a factor in the rising shooting deaths this year."

"This is very consistent with the increasing crime in many American cities," said Joseph Carter, president of the Inter-national Association of Chiefs of Police. "This should be a wake-up call for the whole country."

"There certainly could be a relationship to the increases in violent crime," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Darrel Stephens said.

"Clearly, if you have more violent crime, there is a greater threat against law enforcement. One naturally follows the other," said Floyd, who called on local police agencies to provide additional resources, including upgraded weaponry and body armor.

Police deaths at highest midyear level in decades USA Today

Clearly, it is time for new leadership in Annapolis.

In preparation for the devastating effects of the Bronrott-Lee-Frosh-O'Malley tax increases, Governor Martin O'Malley has welcomed Maryland residents to shop at a state-run store. Here, the poor and working families can purchase surplus and used goods left over from the state government. Can't pay your rent anymore, and you've lost your high-speed internet? Bang out a quick note to your landlord on that nifty 1950 typewriter. But true to the new Jimmy Carter spirit of sacrifice, pain, and taxpayer repentence in Annapolis, even the state store is going to close soon! So hurry in, and do some holiday shopping Peter Franchot-style. "Wait a minute, Peter, I'm the governor!" "No, I am." "Just because you have power equal to me, doesn't mean you're the governor." "Yes it does, Martin."

Maryland's surplus property warehouse is at 8037 Brock Bridge Rd. in Jessup. It is open to the public 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 301- 596-1080.

You can take action to stop developer excess in Ocean City, MD. As previously reported, the historic Trimper's amusement park is being targeted by developers who want to turn it into a mixed-use condo-retail development. Maryland's outrageous state and county property taxes are one of the forces being used to help Democrats' developer buddies in their land grabs. The same thing is happening here in Montgomery County, and apparently at the historic park at Coney Island, NY. Now you can take action as Trimper's supporters have set up a website to coordinate efforts to save the park:

http://www.savetrimpers.com/

Montgomery County, the state of Maryland, and the U.S. continue to fall behind the rest of the world in rail transportation. Consider these new advances in European rail service reported by the Associated Press recently:

"People can go anywhere on the network and get there more quickly than air. We do believe people will choose to make those journey because it's more environmentally friendly," said Eurostar Chief Executive Richard Brown.

"Lower-stress, lower carbon emission rail journeys are already attracting people away from airlines, the rail companies claim, after extra security checks lengthened lines at airports."

"[T]rains, on average, release 10 times less CO2 than flying. Eurostar is also aiming to make its trains carbon neutral, offsetting emissions that it can't reduce."

" In November this year, Eurostar trains in Britain will speed up to 208 miles per hour (335 kilometers per hour) as a faster line is laid."

Find out more about the future of rail transportation using the following link, and ask your elected officials why they continue to delay the future here on our side of the Atlantic.

http://www.railteam.eu/en/

Brian Frosh, modest as always. Holding a fundraiser ostensibly to show he can "raise money to help Democrats get elected to the Senate," he refers to the event as a "Reception honoring Senator Brian Frosh." In other words, "help me raise money by honoring me." What would Frosh be honored for? Spending $1.1 million of taxpayers' money on political investigations that found nothing? Is Brian Frosh to be honored for his dispicable distinction of being one of a handful in Maryland to oppose Jessica's Law? Or are we to honor his brave and valiant crusade to ban dish detergent in the state of Maryland?

But just as Brian Frosh couldn't tell you the truth about Marilyn Goldwater's inability to serve, he can't be honest at his fundraiser either. He touts an endorsement - and explicitly implies the appearance - of Governor Martin O'Malley. Yet O'Malley will be in another state during the reception!! So he won't be there to witness what Democratic house organ the Post calls Frosh's "fundraising prowess." Yes, raising money for the Democratic Party is a real tough job in Maryland, a real challenge that tries men's souls. Actually, it's more like the job of parking attendant. The cars keep rolling in, and you just collect the money. So that's what we need in our next State Senate president, eh? Oh, and modesty, too.

More Gilbert Gude, this time hidden on the back of the Outlook section in the Post, by Burton Kummerow, chairman of the Potomac River Basin Consortium:

"Gilbert Gude died June 7. There were no front-page headlines, just the completion of a long life, well lived. Gude was one of an older breed of elected officials, noted most for their civility and authenticity."

"Gude had a disarming affability. He made everyone he met feel important. His civility came naturally. Together with other Maryland Republican leaders of his era, such as Sen. Charles "Mac" Mathias and Gov. Theodore R. McKeldin, he understood the meaning of public discourse. Progress comes with dialogue, respect, compromise and friendship."

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Sun is acknowledging the Brian Frosh-Democratic double standard in Annapolis:

"After making so much noise about what happened during the Ehrlich years, Democrats failed to reduce the number of so-called at-will employees when they had a chance earlier this year. Could it be because they wanted to give the newly elected governor a free hand in personnel matters? It's hard to see it any other way. That was their moment of genuine hypocrisy."

-Editorial, The Baltimore Sun, June 19, 2007

Taxation without representation in Bethesda. It is undeniable. Here in District 16 we pay full taxes to the state of Maryland, and yet we have only 2/3 representation in the House of Delegates! Marilyn Goldwater did not cast a single vote in Annapolis this year. As noted in the previous blog entry, we knew this was going to happen. The grand irony is, as the next highest finisher on November 7, I could have been actively representing our community in Annapolis, and we would have had our full 3 votes in the House. Instead, Ms. Goldwater was reelected under false pretenses. The public statements and newspaper endorsements that hid Ms. Goldwater's true medical status were nothing less than a cover-up perpetrated by the press and Ms. Goldwater's Democratic colleagues on the voting public. How much longer will this scandal go on, and will there be accountability demanded from those who misled the public?

More remembrances of Gilbert Gude:

How interesting that the developers' favorite Planning chief, Royce Hanson, was once a very partisan Democrat who made the mistake of challenging Gilbert Gude for Congress in 1966!

‘‘Gilbert Gude was the gold standard for Republicans in terms of his character, in terms of his intelligence, in terms of constituent services and in term of issues.” - Howard A. Denis

‘‘He was very enthusiastic, very energetic ... He took a balanced approach. He was a moderate in his views and he was able to reach all parts of the community.” - Charles McCurdy ‘‘Mac” Mathias

"[He] stood up for people who were in need of help, who felt they were victims of injustice.” - Gordon Hawk

Finally, some respect for our former Republican Congressman, Gilbert Gude. There is a small piece in today's Montgomery Notebook in the Post Montgomery section.

They did not include my comment about the tradition of Republican leadership on the environment in Montgomery County. A real energy policy starts with energetic leadership, and that's what we don't have in Annapolis today. In fact, we only have 2/3 of our constitutional representation in the House of Delegates. Marilyn Goldwater did not cast a single vote in Annapolis this year. She was absent every day. I have been utterly vindicated as I told everyone during the campaign that this would happen. Of course, I wish Ms. Goldwater the best, given her serious medical condition. That is not the point of contention here. The point is that Robert Dyer told the voters the truth about the danger that we would have only 2 active delegates - and therefore only 2 votes - in the House. It came to pass. In contrast, Bob Asher and the Washington Post, the Gazette, and my Democratic opponents Bill Bronrott and Susan Lee (along with Brian Frosh) misled you, the public. They told you Ms. Goldwater was fully able to serve over and over again. Asher, Bronrott, Lee, and Frosh, and the Washington Post and Gazette are all on the public record stating that Goldwater's health would not be an issue. That was absolutely false, and now they must be held accountable. And yet the Post has never covered this story! It's happening right now! We in District 16 have only 2 votes. For all the talk about "representation" in the Congress for D.C., the hypocritical Post and Gazette are aiding your denial of representation in our Maryland House of Delegates. This will be a historic scandal.

The hypocrisy of Brian Frosh and the Democratic monopoly in Annapolis exposed - and punished - by the justice system! How many times did I talk about the financial cost of their political investigations during the election? Here is the breaking news and response from Maryland Republican Party Chairman, James Pelura:

Martin O’Malley Breaks Campaign Promises and Now The Law
ANNAPOLIS—Administrative Law Judge Susan Sinrod has ruled that Governor Martin O’Malley’s Administration acted “unconstitutionally” and “for political reasons” when Transportation Secretary John Porcari fired Greg Maddalone on January 23, 2007. Judge Sinrod has ordered the O’Malley Administration to reinstate Mr. Maddalone with full back pay.

Chairman James Pelura of the Maryland Republican Party made the following statement:

“Martin O’Malley has made a name for himself – breaking campaign promises and now the law. It is amazing that Democrats spent more than $1.1 million and thirteen months investigating Governor Ehrlich for perceived unlawful firings, and there was not one violation found. Martin O’Malley was in office for not even six days when his Administration unlawfully fired a state employee. Marylanders should be outraged that $1.1 million was wasted last year on investigations and not one penny has been spent on real, documented cases of abuse under Martin O’Malley. Marylanders deserve better than these double standards and political games.”

The lack of Gilbert Gude articles this week has been embarrassing to the Washington Post. What scares the press most, is the powerful reminder Congressman Gude's death presented: that Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac - as well as the larger 8th Congressional District - have a long and distinguished tradition of Republican leadership. And that leadership has been on issues that we don't often get credit for leading on, such as the environment, civil rights, and controlling developer excess. This is the truth that the press in Montgomery County doesn't want you to know. But it is the truth: consider that when Howard Denis was closing out his last term on the County Council, he was making a Herculean effort to protect champion trees in our community. In contrast, our current, all-Democrat County Council's single environmental achievement in 2007 was to classify a rooftop garden as "green space," as it approved yet another Royce Hanson colossus of development excess in downtown Bethesda.

Where were the great, sweeping retrospectives in the A Section? After all, there was far more to Gude's terms in office than his monumental environmental achievements. Where was the poor quality "Appreciation" that liberals get in the Style section?

For a variety of reasons, Republicans are briefly out of office here in District 8/16. But there is reason to believe it won't last for long, as voters quickly discovered this year that the narrow, extreme Democratic agenda excludes them. That majority of voters finds its civic role reduced to being a bank of ATM machines, to fund the radical agenda that covers such weighty societal crises as trans fats and dish detergent. And they are going to respond by voting for Republicans in 2008 and 2010, because we have been inclusive and represented the interests of Republicans, Independents, and moderate Democrats in the past.

Here is the full statement I released this week to acknowledge the passing of Congressman Gude:

"It is with sadness that we note the passing of Congressman Gilbert Gude, but with great pride that we recall his accomplishments. Gilbert Gude exemplified the tradition of Republican leadership on environmental issues in our community. To those of us in Bethesda, he was a neighbor - a neighbor who changed all of America for the better. The C&O Canal National Park is his immortal legacy. We should take that legacy forward by aspiring to equal his leadership and commitment to a cleaner environment, regardless of party affiliation."

According to Democrats in Annapolis, $11.30 is a "living wage." Ok, enough chuckling. I'm serious, and apparently so are Governor O'Malley, and his partners, Bronrott, Lee, Goldwater, and Frosh. They have rammed through a bill, now law, that mandates a wage of $11.30 for contract employees of the state in Montgomery County. If you've tried living on $11.30 in Montgomery County, you know that's not a living wage. $15.30 wouldn't be a living wage here. As with so many Orwellian doublespeak policies of these politicians, my response is "put your money where your mouth is." First of all, admit $11.30 is not a living wage. If I were in office, I'd say, give me a bill that calls $20.30 a living wage, and now you're talking. Don't mock poor people by calling $11.30 cents a living wage. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. As part two of "put your money where your mouth is" on the living wage, I challenge O'Malley, Bronrott, Lee, Goldwater, and Frosh - and O'Malley fan Hillary Clinton - to do just that. Let's make it law that the Governor, Delegates, State Senators, and U.S. Congress be paid only $11.30 per hour from now on. And they will have to cover all of their expenses, housing, and children's college education with that $11.30. I'll buy that for a dollar.

Developer Land Grab Alert:

This time in Ocean City, MD. Rumor has it that Trimper's Amusement Park at the inlet may go up for sale. Sources indicate that the powers-that-be want to replace amusements with, what else, a Bethesda Row-style "multi-use" commercial-residential development. Don't let it happen. Much like our Montgomery County government's demolition of the former B&O Railroad line, this is a greed-fueled, shameful assault on history, a historic site that should be preserved. Will the governor and Eastern Shore delegation step in to prevent catastrophic change in the character of Maryland's historic tourist destination? Or are they too heavily in debt to the developers to move? The Esskay clock is ticking. As in the case of the Westbard Sector, citizen action is needed to fill the vacuum of "leadership."

Yes, it has been awhile between entries. My apologies for the delay, but a family medical emergency and other assorted events have left no spare time over the last month.

New entries are on the way. Until then, enjoy the recent news that the Washington Post empire's earnings have plummeted again. Translation: Less and less people care what the Post has to say. People are tired of far-left, biased yellow journalism and a dark agenda that is simply contrary to the values of our community. In greater numbers, people of every race and income level are confirming the irrelevance of the dinosaur Washington Post.

The Post's nemesis, Hugo Chavez, the world leader who strikes the most fear into the hearts of the Post's corporate bigshots and editorial staff, is enjoying the news too (as evidenced in the above photo). If you're scaring the Post, you must be doing something right.

The long cold winter has passed and the stormy seas are behind. At any moment, someone might shout, "Land Ho!" Are we ready? What are the policies and agenda that will bring us to victory when we land? Stay tuned for discussion of that. And of the Democrats' nationwide strategy to drive the middle class into poverty through rush-hour tolls and transit fares (when they know you must go to work at that time - that's why they're doing it, as a guaranteed revenue scheme), Lexus lanes, energy taxes, carbon taxes, car taxes, property taxes, real estate taxes, sales taxes, service taxes, more taxes than can be listed here. And this is after Maryland Catholic leaders gave the legislature a failing grade on poverty issues in 2007. The middle class will have no spending money, and the poor will be devastated. Don't let it happen! Support a positive agenda, and get ready to vote in 2008 and 2010!

Lights! Camera! Action!! A Capital Properties Production. A Richard Cohen Film. Nicolas Cage. Diane Krueger. National Treasure 2. In this one, Benjamin Franklin Gates is searching for the treasure hidden somewhere in the Westwood Shopping Center. Not quite, but the crew working on the movie set up a tent city in the shopping center parking lot. This included a large circus tent that apparently was a mess hall, RVs, campers, semi trucks, fake DC police cruisers, and some security guards who acted like they owned the place. But who does own the place?

Richard Cohen, the New York-based developer who just bought it last year, that's who. This is the first time my blog has broken a news story, but nobody covered this and, most importantly, nobody told the neighborhood this was going to happen!

Since when can you use a shopping center as a campground in Montgomery County? Who issued the permits, if any were issued? Can I buy an RV, park it in the shopping center and live there? And pitch a tent beside it? Can I serve meals to a crowd of 100 people there? Doesn't this prove the rarity and value of the large surface parking lot we have there? Why are we getting the abuse, refuse, and damage to our roads and parking lot while the DC Government gets all the profits from the movie?

Is this a sign of what's to come in the future as the redevelopment of Westbard goes forward? Specifically, a profit-driven process at the expense of those who live here? It is very troubling and comes at a critical time in the Westbard Sector planning process.

It's a peculiar story that begins with the Park Bethesda high-end luxury apartment building suddenly being leased to American University as a dormitory(!). You know, why make millions on luxury apartments in Bethesda when you can make less and have tenants who'll trash the place - what a brilliant business strategy!

Then, what about the sweetheart deal Capital Properties got? In a zip code where houses go for $2 million, you can buy the entire Westbard Sector, properties included, for only $20 million? These two transactions just don't pass the smell test, in my opinion.

The average resident has, so far, been left out of the process. Despite all the hype about Park and Planning, it's still business as usual there. The developer-funded Democrats on the County Council got the man they wanted to head Park and Planning. You've got to ask yourself why those council members wanted him so badly. As a recent example, I only found out about a new industrial building being built on River Road by reading about it in the Montgomery section! This is on top of the self-storage building that literally just appeared overnight behind the Park Bethesda. The neighbors were never consulted about either building.

That our industrial zone is being expanded rather than phased out is very interesting. The County government, and its developer-beholden politicians, quickly closed the cement plant on Bethesda Avenue and tore up the Georgetown Branch railroad practically overnight. Why was it so quick to do that, but is leaving our industrial zone intact? And what is the significance of this winner-take-all, double standard development in light of the Westbard Sector redevelopment?

I hope to have answers sooner rather than later.

Brian Frosh wants you to have dishpan hands. This garbage coming out of Annapolis would be laughable if it wasn't so sad and frightening. Sad because it is absolute garbage and an absolute waste of our time when all the major issues are being completely ignored. Frightening because Maryland is going to be a very strange place by 2010 if the current legislative pattern continues. We are simply at the mercy of a radical, Democrat monopoly in our state capitol. If the Silent Majority is still out there, you have certainly earned your title. And you must, must come out to vote in 2008 and 2010. Just consider what's happening now because you didn't vote in 2006, and realize what happens when you are tricked by the liberal media into sitting out an election.

Brian Frosh, exercising absolute power with the O'Malley rubber stamp, has gone off his rocker again and is now going to outlaw all of the dish detergents you now buy at the grocery store. Our state legislature was already a national laughingstock, so you can imagine what people around the country must think of us when they hear this one. According to Mr. Frosh, and the environmental extremists, phosphorus in dish detergent is what is polluting the Chesapeake Bay. This, of course, is absolute hogwash, absolute fantasy. But he's going to unilaterally take this off your shopping list and your grocer's shelf, and replace it with a "green" detergent that won't properly clean dishes. Just because he feels like it. Brian Frosh gets up one day and says, "I think I'll ban car washes today." With no scientific credentials whatsoever, he simply draws up a bill to close car washes. His committee approves the bill. His Democrat legislators vote in lockstep. It passes. Governor O'Malley rubber stamps it. Car washes close all over the state of Maryland. This is no exaggeration, this is the manner in which Brian Frosh and other radical Democrats in Annapolis are now running our government. At risk is nothing less than the American way of life.

So, get this, you are the cause of Bay pollution according to Brian Frosh. Not the power companies that write the checks to our District 16 delegation, not the polluters who write their checks, and not the medical waste from Pennsylvania. They're doing nothing about any of that. No, it's you, the taxpayer. Your car. And now Brian Frosh decides what kind of car you can buy and how much it will cost. And your... dishes! Meanwhile, PEPCO's toxic waste dump remains by the Patuxent River. Outrageous. And of course, those checks they get from PEPCO have nothing to do with this. Oh, no, certainly not. Absolute hypocrites.

Brian Frosh is taking away your dish detergent. What will it be tomorrow? Again, Mr. Frosh demonstrates his belief that public servants are to be served by the public. And I ask you again, are you ready to serve him? Or is the Silent Majority going to finally speak out?

And the hits just keep on coming. What does our County government do when it's not busy violating the Americans with Disabilities Act during the winter? And what does PEPCO do when the company isn't busy writing checks to our Democratic delegates in Annapolis? Why, they join forces to cover up a "secret" toxic waste dump on PEPCO property near the Patuxent River in eastern Montgomery County!

I have to admit that the victors of November 7, 2006 are on a roll. This is such a scandal, you'd think it was a screenplay. It turns out that both the Duncan and Leggett administrations have been covering up a toxic waste dump for over a year. A toxic waste dump that is right next to a river from which some citizens receive their water. A toxic waste dump that more recently has actually been smoldering.

This is all reported in today's Washington Post, which buried it back in the Metro section when it should have been front page. Is that in exchange for all that advertising the County government buys in the Montgomery section? This is outrageous, and once again the extreme hypocrisy of our Democratic elected officials on the environment has been laid bare. They're going to control what cars you can buy, make them cost thousands more, and raise gas taxes, but meanwhile permit a toxic waste dump in the County? [insert sound of cuckoo clock here] Again, where is the outrage? If you get your water from the Patuxent River, are you happy about this? Isn't it time to start electing candidates who are serious about the environment, and who aren't beholden to PEPCO and other monopoly utilities?

Martin O'Malley has broken another campaign promise and Bill Bronrott has failed to challenge him. The Martin O'Malley administration announced today the postponement of any effort to build the Purple Line until 2008. Instead of condemning Governor O'Malley's abdication of leadership, our delegate William Bronrott said it's not so bad and maybe we'll even get more Federal funds.

Leadership. Leadership is a vital quality in solving our transportation crisis. Unfortunately, we don't have it in Annapolis right now. Considering that it will take several years to build the Purple Line after all of the preliminary studies, court battles, and legislative squabbles are complete, we don't have a year to wait. Where is the outrage? I know there is outrage among the voters who believed O'Malley, Bronrott, et al when they said they were committed to the Purple Line. But where is the outrage from the various organizations, activists, and politicians who back the light rail from Bethesda to New Carrollton?

During the campaign, I made very clear that transportation was my top priority. As you can hear for yourself on the video interview posted on my website, I stated that my first action in Annapolis would be to introduce my comprehensive transportation plan. And that the first step was to begin work on the Purple Line. The people who voted for my opponents have certainly learned too late that our Democratic delegates simply are not committed to the Purple Line. If they were, they would be scolding Governor O'Malley for dropping the ball on transportation. And then they actually start doing something. It's a foreign concept: taking action.

Unlike our current elected officials, I am still working to promote and build the Purple Line. In my transportation plan, we will have a world-class railway that exceeds any other version. A bigger and better Purple Line that will serve the needs of Montgomery County in the 21st century. Our current government is lost in the fog of the 1960s. Let's help them to the door in 2010 by voting for real leadership and candidates who keep their promises.

Martin O'Malley has taken a page out of his rival Doug Duncan's fundraising scheme handbook. Governor O'Malley has quietly put forward legislation that will require every employee of the State of Maryland to give money to the unions that fund his campaigns. Here's how the scam works:

O'Malley forces state employees to give money to unions.
Unions increase their income by that amount.
Those same unions then write checks to O'Malley and fund other efforts towards his reelection.

Ingenious, isn't it?

I'll acknowledge that at least this scheme doesn't use taxpayer funds!

Maryland citizens, will you allow this scheme to go forward in Annapolis?

How about some positive news about immigrants for a change? In contrast to the recent anti-Catholic bigotry of the Washington Post and John Edwards' bloggers, there was a Post article about legal immigrants in England Saturday. Because the European Union has adopted the rather free market idea of interstate movement of labor, it doesn't have the chaotic immigration crisis we have on this side of the Atlantic. So many Polish Catholics have come to England and Ireland in search of better jobs. Not only are they legal immigrants, but they also are very hardworking and religious. In the process, then, they have given quite a boost to the Catholic Church in both countries.

300,000 have arrived since 2004, and it is important to realize that A) No catastrophe has occurred as a result, and B) this is an orderly process that the government can control as necessary. And many parishes that were declining are now standing-room only at every Sunday Mass. One migrant in the article, Monika Swierczyusko, reports that she works a six-day week in a factory, and then spends her only day off Sunday volunteering at her church from 7 AM to 9 PM(!). She adds, "I don't understand people who don't like to go to church." Isn't this the definition of an upstanding citizen?

Most Latino immigrants who come to the United States have a similar devotion to faith and family. Of course there are a number of bad guys who cross the border. But that's why we would do best to secure our borders and switch from the chaos that some Democratic County, State, and national politicians cynically exploit for political purposes, to an orderly system that will weed out the criminals. And that would allow the Federal Government to control the number of immigrants entering in relation to the employment needs of not just business, but of American workers. We should first be sure that there really aren't Americans who "won't do" this or that job. And if there aren't, then we shouldn't be afraid to allow upstanding, law abiding people of any country to find employment here and pursue the American Dream.

There was also a serendipitous aspect to the article, given the Lenten season. Another immigrant, Dominika Marszalkowska, is not only a devout Catholic churchgoer, but has a newborn child as well. The article mentions nothing about the child's father. I don't know if that was intentional or symbolically coincidental. It's safe to say this was a positive Easter story that James Cameron and the Discovery Channel would not enjoy.