Maryland Reporter

Every so often, the prospective developer of the long-stalled State Center re-do in Baltimore stirs the waters and agitates community groups to denounce Gov. Larry Hogan for not giving the A-OK to its $1.5 billion project. That economic scheme might have worked in 2004 under Ehrlich, when the economy was roaring and there were sufficient resources to support such a heavily subsidized undertaking. But the Great Recession rendered the original plan unworkable. The initial developer withdrew and a new team started lobbying O’Malley for a new deal, which turned out to be even better for the builder. 

It was only a matter of time before Barry Rascovar jumped to the defense of the radical left when it comes to our efforts to protect our state flag. For a guy who vilely attacked Governor Hogan when he had cancer, we’re only surprised it took him so long to attack a movement that is supported by over 50,000 Marylanders.

In Maryland, it has become an annual rite of August for critics to lambast state pension trustees when they fall short on their investments. The biggest lament is the state’s huge “unfunded liability,” which stands a bit below $20 billion. That’s a mighty hefty number. Is the pension program for 387,000 state workers, teachers and retirees going broke as doom-and-gloomers insist? 

In the next few weeks, Gov. Larry Hogan has a chance to secure a big win for our state’s economy and cleaner air. The pioneering Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which has already helped slash carbon pollution from Maryland power plants by more than 40%  and is a key pillar in our state’s plan to address climate change, is undergoing a review.