Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, is the man Democrats blame for partisan gridlock in Washington stemming from the no-new-taxes pledge he has gotten most Republican lawmakers to sign.
He brought his conservative message to Queen Anne’s County Republicans at their annual Reagan Day Dinner Thursday night and praised the party for emphasizing electing officials at the local level as a way to counter Maryland’s Democratic leanings.
Republicans are having a tough time getting enough petition signatures on a petition to bring to referendum the congressional redistricting plan passed by the legislature. The map redrew lines to make it possible for Democrats to pick up the 6th Congressional District seat of Rep. Roscoe Bartlett in western Maryland.
County social service agencies don’t do a good job of tracking foster children, leave federal funding on the table, have missing files on welfare checks and grant food stamps to too many ineligible people, a new state audit found.
These problems and a host of others on documentation and control were found in some of the largest social service agencies in the state, and scores of the issues were repeat errors that had been found in previous audits.
Contracts over a statewide wireless radio network for first responders produced a heated debate before the Board of Public Works Wednesday, causing the award to be delayed for two weeks.
The number of Maryland families who need government help to make ends meet has reached record levels. More than 700,000 people receive food assistance, the most in state history. A record 70,000 people depend on emergency cash assistance. And the demand for the state’s child care subsidy program has caused officials to impose an indefinite freeze on new applicants.
The Maryland Court of Appeals has unanimously rejected an attempt by the Libertarian and Green parties to get their candidates back on the state ballot by petition, narrowly interpreting the high court’s own rulings on what constitutes valid petition signatures.
Last week’s special session and another that seems likely to be called in mid-summer gave us all a taste how a full-time legislature might feel. It feels lousy. The states that make lawmaking full-time don’t really seem more wise or productive, despite higher pay and bigger staffs.
If betting on the Preakness ponies and getting sloshed at Pimlico has little appeal, Republican Sen. J.B. Jennings is offering a bang-up alternative Saturday afternoon.
At the Freestate Gun Range in Middle River, for a contribution to Jennings’ campaign you can have your picture taken with National Rifle Association President David Keene and then pick up your weapon of choice for shooting practice.
As Republican delegates railed against the proposed state income tax hike Wednesday afternoon, a lone freshman Democrat from one of the most liberal and affluent districts inside the Capital Beltway got up to explain why she too could not vote for the taxes.
“I believe this discriminates against two-income families with children at home,” said Del. Ariana Kelly, a Bethesda mom with two young children at home.
The action on the budget and tax hikes was all over but the shouting by Republicans as the House of Delegates approved a final spending plan, shifting half of pension costs to the counties, and raising state income taxes on people making over $100,000 per year. Republicans opposed the move, joined by 10 Democrats against the budget change and pension move, and 18 opposed to the tax increases.
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