20070427 News Clips

News Clips

April 27^th, 2007

State News

Activists ready to wade in on 'marriage' issue

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070426-114025-8798r.htm

Activists on both side of the homosexual "marriage" issue are ready with legislation and additional lawsuits no matter which way the Maryland Court of Appeals rules on a pivotal case.

"Everybody is just waiting with bated breath," said Sen. Janet Greenip, Anne Arundel County Republican. "The thing that bothers me is this is a very small minority trying to dictate how we do business for everybody."

The appeals court's seven judges heard arguments in December on whether they should allow homosexual "marriage" but have yet to rule on the case.

Delegate Don Dwyer Jr., Anne Arundel County Republican and routine sponsor of the bill that would define marriage as between one man and one woman, could not be reached for comment because he is out of the country.

Carter Wants BGE Special Session

http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=56967

Last year, state lawmakers met in a special session to address rising BGE electric rates, and electric deregulation. Now a Baltimore City delegate who is running for mayor is calling for another special session this year.

Democratic Delegate Jill Carter today sent a letter to Governor Martin O'Malley asking for the special session, even as a 50% BGE rate hike is due to take effect June 1.

The long and short of the governor’s first 100 days

For some, O’Malley has moved too fast; for others, he has gone too slowly; and hes been praised for changing the tone in Annapolis

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polinew215227_32323.shtml

At a photo op this week for a bill to protect the diamondback terrapin, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. drew a comparison to the Maryland state reptile and the O’Malley administration.

It doesn’t proceed as fast as one would like it to, but at least it doesn’t move backward, he quipped.

Time is money and we can’t afford it, said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market. And considering so many of his appointments served in the Glendening administration, Brinkley said, he was surprised O’Malley needed the time.

Brinkley’s counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell, was more pointed.

He’s lip-synced his way through the first 100 days, said O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby. He makes Ashlee Simpson and Milli Vanilli look like the Vienna Boys Choir.

Red letter day for the environment

Governor makes environmental rules law with the stroke of a pen

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polinew215315_32330.shtml

Gov. Martin O’Malley on Tuesday signed into law several key pieces of legislation aimed at protecting the environment, as well as a much-disputed measure to restore voting rights to ex-felons.

Maryland officially became the 11th state to adopt California-style emission standards on new vehicles with the signing of the so-called clean car bill. The law takes effect with cars sold in 2011 and requires vehicles to be more fuel-efficient and produce fewer carbon dioxide emissions.

Another bill among the 174 that became law Tuesday will allow any convicted felons who have completed their sentence to regain their voting rights. Proponents say the law will help rehabilitated criminals become productive members of society, while opponents say the loss of voting rights should be a life penalty.

We think that voting is a right that you’re granted automatically, said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market. Being convicted of a felony is one of those things that removes those rights.

Environmentalists say Intercounty Connector taints O’Malley’s green moves

Governor also agrees to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polinew215330_32334.shtml

Gov. Martin O’Malley has signed an executive order creating a commission to develop a plan to handle climate change and added Maryland to the list of Northeast states attacking carbon dioxide pollution.

Protecting our communities from climate change is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue it is a Maryland issue, O’Malley (D) said in a statement.

In search of fiscal sanity by Barry Rascovar

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/poliras204125_32324.shtml

It could have been a moment for Marylands new administration to send a strong message about fiscal responsibility and the coming bad news on taxes.

Instead, Gov. Martin O’Malley and Comptroller Peter Franchot have ducked the chance to deliver an early wake-up call regarding the states deteriorating financial picture.

Politics triumphed over policy. O’Malley and Franchot have decided to keep the state property tax steady at 11.2 cents (per $100 of assessed value), though that wont raise enough money to pay all the interest and principle on bonds floated by Maryland.

Murray D. Levy: Facing up to our structural deficit

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/policol204124_32323.shtml

Many people have concerns about Maryland’s budget, asking, What is a structural deficit, and why all of sudden is it a problem?

The structural deficit occurs in the operating budgets, not the capital budget. It is helpful to think of it as an unsustainable budget, in that the programs Maryland has committed to funding will cost more than the taxes we collect. We are spending $1.10 for every $1 we receive in taxes, and without change, this continues into the foreseeable future. It’s a problem, and a big one.

Losing race makes for a winning documentary

St. Mary’s College student who worked on McKay’s Senate race captures a slice of Maryland politics on film

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polinew215218_32322.shtml

Last year’s state Senate race pitting Roy P. Dyson against former St. Mary’s County Commissioner President Thomas F.McKay figured to be one of the most competitive in the state as Republicans put the incumbent in their crosshairs.

The challenger possessed the key ingredients to unseat Dyson: strong name recognition, more than twice as much money, endorsements from top party figures and a structured campaign strategy.

Yet, Dyson (D-Dist. 29) of Great Mills walloped McKay, the son of a former state senator, 64 percent to 36 percent.

So was born “The Close Race That Wasn’t Close: The Story of the Tommy McKay for Maryland 2006 State Senate Campaign,” a documentary produced by St. Mary’s College of Maryland senior Elizabeth Lewis, who worked on McKay’s campaign and who recently completed a one-year term as president of the Maryland Federation of College Republicans.

Reporters Notebook

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polinew215251_32325.shtml

Veteran state police officer seeks answer on abrupt Garrett transfer

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/carroll/bal-md.ca.richardson27apr27,0,1183404.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Lt. Dean Richardson has been with the Maryland State Police for 35 years, 28 of them at the Westminster barracks. He has been the station's commander since 2004.

He said yesterday that he can't understand why the state police abruptly informed him last week he would be transferred to the McHenry barracks in Garrett County - a two-hour-and-45-minute drive from his New Windsor area home.

Tour gives O'Malley bird's-eye view of APG

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-md.ha.apg27apr27,0,7381627.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

To better understand the sweeping impact of the nationwide military base expansion on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Gov. Martin O'Malley boarded an Army helicopter yesterday and toured the 72,000-acre facility in Harford County from the air.

From the jump seat of the Huey, O'Malley, clad in a brown bomber jacket with an Air National Guard insignia, viewed the sites for the estimated $750 million in new construction at the proving ground, as well as buildings set for demolition.

Harford County Executive David R. Craig, who went along for the helicopter ride, said the tour would "show the governor what is going to happen on base. It will be the engine that will keep Maryland's economy going for years."

What's in it for Ehrlich's new boss? By Laura Vozzella

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.vozzella27apr27,0,5553455.column?coll=bal-local-columnists

I can see why Bob Ehrlich, a competitive guy, would want to reclaim the governor's mansion four years from now. And why, given the ridiculous cost of campaigns, he'd start raising money now.

One of them, Henry Fawell, said the leading-Marylanders line refers to Ehrlich's weekend job on WBAL radio. (That gig is mentioned in the letter, but later.)

"I think if you listen to the callers who call his radio show in droves," Fawell said, "it's quite clear that thousands of Marylanders still believe in him."

Sorry for slavery by Blair Lee

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polilee204127_32325.shtml

When it comes to apologizing for slavery there are two schools of thought. The pro-apology folks argue that no other group in American history was so badly mistreated: Africans arrived in chains, were systematically dehumanized and were reduced to chattel, like horses and mules, for field work and breeding.

Japanese Americans who were wrongfully interned during World War II got apologies and reparations. Blacks got nothing. There’s a Holocaust Memorial on the Mall protesting Europeans killing Europeans in Europe. Blacks were enslaved by Americans in America. Where’s their Holocaust Memorial?

The anti-apology crowd asks, Why now? All the slaves and slave owners are dead. Are we engaging in generational guilt and victimhood? And why single out slavery? Shouldn’t we also give back the land we stole from the Indians (native Americans) and Mexicans? How about a national apology to women and homosexuals who were historically mistreated by law and custom, as well?

Moulden's party switch has its critics

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/04_26-27/GOV

When William Moulden changed his party three months after being reappointed to office, little did he know it would stir controversy.

Mr. Moulden, now a Democrat, had spent the past eight years on the county's Board of Appeals plus a lifetime before that as a Republican. He sat on the board that granted Daryl Wagner permission to keep the palatial home he built without permits on Little Dobbins Island, and was one of three members reappointed in January.

Gansler, Mitchell building bridges

Partnership carries benefits for Baltimore mayoral candidate and the attorney general, who is setting his sights set higher

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polinew215154_32320.shtml

Less than three weeks after being sworn in as attorney general, Douglas F. Gansler stood on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Laurens Street in downtown Baltimore alongside Baltimore City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. as Mitchell announced his bid for mayor.

The two lawyers struck up a friendship during Gansler’s statewide campaign last year when Mitchell was the only city-elected official to embrace the then-Montgomery County chief prosecutor.

Mayor Sheila Dixon looks back on her first 100 days

http://www.examiner.com/a-697975~Mayor_Sheila_Dixon_looks_back_on_her_first_100_days.html

Taking stock of her first 100 days in office, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon admits she is walking a fine line. Her ambition to transform the city is tempered by the realities of precious little time before the next election.

While she touts increased tree planting and extra trash recycling, reductions in police overtime and a decrease in homicides as evidence she is getting things done, there are some things she says will have to wait.

Dixon turning heads early in term

http://www.gazette.net/stories/042707/polinew215334_32336.shtml

Three months or so into her term as Baltimores unelected mayor, Sheila Dixon has weathered crisis after crisis at what is often called the toughest job in Maryland. A 53-year-old single mother of two, shell soon be running for election in her own right in a city known for its bare-knuckle politics.

Yet, says Dixon of her time so far: Nothing has been really hard. ... I live a dull life.

Dixon settles in for solid start

Critics say she's ducking tough issues, but mayor is praised for response to crisis, council concerns

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.hundred27apr27,0,4743086.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Dixon praised for steady start as mayor marks first 100 days

Two months ago, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon - then 36 days into her term - walked into a silent conference room on the second floor of City Hall, filled with a dozen cameras and a palpable feeling of uncertainty over how the new mayor would handle her first crisis.

National News

House approves Iraq spending bill, defies Bush veto threat

http://www.wmdt.com/wires/displaystory.asp?id=60947562

Maryland Congressman Wayne Gilchrest was one of only two Republicans joining Democrats in a defiant vote setting a date for the start of troop withdrawals from Iraq.

The House voted 218 to 208 for a 124 (b) billion-dollar Iraq spending bill that would order President Bush to start pulling troops out by October First.

Senators set up veto showdown

House is joined in tying war spending to pullout

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.warvote27apr27,0,4263619.story?coll=bal-iraq-headlines

The Senate voted yesterday to tie new war spending in Iraq to a timetable for troop withdrawal, setting up the first veto showdown between the Democratic-controlled Congress and the White House.

Within minutes of the 51-46 vote, the White House declared the measure dead on arrival.

Earlier yesterday, Sens. Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski attended a ceremony to send off the 58th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Maryland National Guard, based in Pikesville. The Maryland Democrats both voted in favor of the bill.

"We need a change in our mission in Iraq so our soldiers can achieve a mission that's in the best interests of this country," Cardin said. "We need to get our soldiers out of the middle of a civil war, to focus on the war against terror."

Congressmen, Senators Sponsor Bill To Block LNG Terminal

http://wbal.com/shows/douglas/audio/story.asp?articleid=56963

Maryland Second District Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger is the U.S. House co-sponsor sponsor of legislation that would give state and local officials the final say over approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, similar to the one proposed for the Dundalk area.

"We are asking the citizens of my district to take the burden of this facility with very little input," Ruppersberger said.

Third District Congressman John Sarbanes and Seventh District Congressman Elijah Cummings are co-sponsoring the bill.

Maryland's two U.S. Senators are sponsoring a Senate version of the bill.

Vice President Cheney Says The President Will Veto Democrats' Bill To Mandate Troop Withdrawal From Iraq. "There are a couple of problems with the bill. It places restrictions on the president's ability as the commander in chief to deploy the force, basically. It sets deadlines for our operations in Iraq. It, in effect, mandates a withdrawal, retreat; defeat is another way to look at it. Obviously, we won't accept that. The president's made it clear from the beginning he will veto it, and he will. So, when it lands on his desk next week, he'll veto it, send it back to the Congress. They can try to override, but they don't have the vot es. there'll have to be another bill passed. The troops are still in the field, still in combat, still need the funds. I think there is a majority in Congress in both houses to pass a clean bill that's acceptable to the president." (Tad Walch, "Congress Won't Prevail, Cheney Says," [Salt Lake City, UT] Deseret Morning News, 4/27/07)

White House Counselor To The President Dan Bartlett Says The President Hopes "Democrats And Republicans Can Come Together And Negotiate A Way Forward And Get The Funding To The Troops." BARTLETT: "The President's made clear for several weeks, and I think this is kind of the disappointing aspect of where we are in this debate is that despite the fact that Democrats knew that they didn't have the votes to actually override a Presidential veto, they decided to send it anyway. And this is despite the fact that the top commander for Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, came to the United States Congress and told them that he needed more time to allow the reinforcements to get there, that he was seeing some progress, but tha t it was premature to make these type of assessments. And I do think that most Americans would not want their politicians in Washington to replace the judgment of their military commanders on the ground. So yes, he will veto this bill. He hopes they get it to him as quickly as possible so then Democrats and Republicans can come together and negotiate a way forward and get the funding to the troops." (CBS' "The Early Show," 4/27/07)

Vice President Cheney Says The President Will Veto Democrats' Bill To Mandate Troop Withdrawal From Iraq. "There are a couple of problems with the bill. It places restrictions on the president's ability as the commander in chief to deploy the force, basically. It sets deadlines for our operations in Iraq. It, in effect, mandates a withdrawal, retreat; defeat is another way to look at it. Obviously, we won't accept that. The president's made it clear from the beginning he will veto it, and he will. So, when it lands on his desk next week, he'll veto it, send it back to the Congress. They can try to override, but they don't have the vot es. there'll have to be another bill passed. The troops are still in the field, still in combat, still need the funds. I think there is a majority in Congress in both houses to pass a clean bill that's acceptable to the president." (Tad Walch, "Congress Won't Prevail, Cheney Says," [Salt Lake City, UT] Deseret Morning News, 4/27/07)

White House Counselor To The President Dan Bartlett Says The President Hopes "Democrats And Republicans Can Come Together And Negotiate A Way Forward And Get The Funding To The Troops." BARTLETT: "The President's made clear for several weeks, and I think this is kind of the disappointing aspect of where we are in this debate is that despite the fact that Democrats knew that they didn't have the votes to actually override a Presidential veto, they decided to send it anyway. And this is despite the fact that the top commander for Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, came to the United States Congress and told them that he needed more time to allow the reinforcements to get there, that he was seeing some progress, but tha t it was premature to make these type of assessments. And I do think that most Americans would not want their politicians in Washington to replace the judgment of their military commanders on the ground. So yes, he will veto this bill. He hopes they get it to him as quickly as possible so then Democrats and Republicans can come together and negotiate a way forward and get the funding to the troops." (CBS' "The Early Show," 4/27/07)