The subject was low-income housing at a County Executive candidates' forum on Wednesday. As affordable homeownership is one of my top priorities, I attended this forum. Our current Delegates did not attend, and that is expected given their inaction on housing issues. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity for audience members to participate or ask questions. My concern was that the discussion tended to be rather superficial, and that poverty and homelessness were described as if they were terminal illnesses as opposed to temporary states from which one can recover or escape.

Everyone promises to build low-income housing. But they don't say what they're going to do to help these people with the other problems that keep them in that housing. First of all, there are many public and private programs that help with housing, employment, health care, education. Our elected officials have done a miserable job of outreach to the poor and non-English speaking communities to make them aware of this assistance.

But we need to do more. I've proposed a variety of initiatives which you can read about on my website. These include short-term, emergency aid for the most needy. I would add $5 million to the State's rental assistance program, far more then my Democratic opponents have offered. That is just one example.

For the long term, we need to better utilize current services that help people find employment and education assistance. Furthermore, my mass transit rail projects will create many well-paying skilled and unskilled jobs across the State. I also want to bring more large employers to Maryland and have some ideas for how to do that. Our current Delegates have tried to chase large employers out of the State -such as Wal-Mart- and they lost our GM plant in Baltimore. They are silent on job creation.

What my opponents have said, is that they will raise taxes on the poor for a health plan that doesn't cover everyone. Furthermore, as our Delegates have done in the past, one has said she will form another commission on health care. Meanwhile, I have a health care plan.

My health plan provides healthcare for every person in the State of Maryland without raising taxes.

Finally, my housing plan treats Marylanders of every age, race, and income level as equal human beings. The goal of my plan is to offer each person the American dream of owning their own home. Whether people are from Maryland, Minnesota, or El Salvador, I would argue that the majority of them want to raise their family in a house. Not a cramped apartment over a Metro stop.

I hope we can start having a real discussion on poverty, make real progress, and lift people up instead of treating them as if they somehow are unqualified to participate in the opportunities America has to offer.