20071017 News Clips

News Clips

Oct. 17, 2007

STATE NEWS

A vote on slots called odd bet
Voters have shown ballot question is no sure thing
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.slots17oct17001523,0,4727858.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
Around the country, ballot measures to allow slot machines or casinos usually fail, according to experts who study the issue.
Gov. Martin O'Malley said this week that he was "inclined" to put the issue of legalizing slot machine gambling on the next statewide ballot for voters to decide. But experts say such measures are difficult to sell to voters, typically generating intense grass-roots opposition and only lukewarm support.
I. Nelson Rose, a Whittier Law School professor and aut hority on gambling law, agreed that few voters strongly support legalizing slots or casino-style gambling - other than those who have an economic self-interest in the proposals. "If you have to put it to a vote of the people, there is a significant chance it will be defeated," Rose said. "If the legislature really wants it, it will do what Pennsylvania did and just pass legislation to put them in."
Casper R. Taylor Jr., a former speaker of the House of Delegates who is now a lobbyist, also predicted gambling interests from Delaware, West Virginia and Pennsylvania would "spend enormous amounts of money" to influence any election on slots in Maryland. Still, a referendum would give O'Malley and legislators "an escape route from what looks to be a very controversial issue," said Matthew A. Crenson, a political science professor at the Johns Hopkins University.If the issue does go before voters, Crenson sa id, "The gaming industry is going to descend on Maryland like locusts. But [for] the people who don't want slots, no amount of advertising is going to persuade them. Others are likely to say 'Yes, but not in my backyard.'"

No state funding for Meade transit projects
County needs $5 billion for worker influx
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.transportation17oct17,0,7884321.story
No state funding is available to build road, bus and parking projects around Fort Meade to support the influx of thousands of new workers, the state's transportation secretary told Anne Arundel County officials and lawmakers this week. "Our backs are against the wall," Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said after his formal remarks Monday afternoon on the draft Cons olidated Transportation Program. "The real concern is that many of these worthy projects can't be funded."
County Executive John R. Leopold, a Republican, said the state's transportation demands justify higher taxes.
But Leopold reiterated his call for a "constitutional firewall" to restore public trust that the Transportation Trust Fund will be used for what it has been intended. Previous governors have drawn hundreds of millions of dollars from that fund to help balance the state budget.
"Any hope of achieving any bipartisan support must start with strong support for a constitutional amendment for this firewall," Leopold said.

Look, Muffy, it's one of ours in Congress
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.vozzella17oct17,0,6536496.column
The race for Congress in Maryland's 1st District just got a whole lot preppier, with the addition of Lilly Pulitzer to the campaign. The queen of pink and green isn't running, but one of her devoted fashion victims jumped into the race this week.
Robert Banks, who was special assistant to Maryland's transportation secretary under Gov. Bob Ehrlich, filed this week to run against incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest and state Sen. Andy Harris in the Republican primary. Banks, 38, lives in Mount Washington - outside the district that stretches from Ocean City to Cecil County, including parts of Harford and Baltimore counties. The Constitution, surprisingly, does not require that U.S. representatives actually reside in their districts. Nor does it require them to dress in charcoal, navy and black - equally surprising since official Washington drapes itself in drab.

Vitale wants tax credit for reducing runoff
http://www.examiner.com/a-993730~Vitale_wants_tax_credit_for_reducing_runoff.html
Anne Arundel Councilwoman Cathy Vitale wants to give property owners a tax break if they reduce their stormwater runoff.
"Most people recognize older communities were not subject to stormwater management, and there is no incentive to do anything," said Vitale, R-District 5.
Vitale introduced a bill that would give a 10 percent rebate, up to $2,500, for five years on construction costs for property owners who minimize impervious surfaces, such as driveways and roofs, and use other methods to limit stormwater runoff.
County Executive John R. Leopold, who drafted the stormwater management bill before the council, said he had not seen Vitale's legislation but supports the bill in principle.

Republicans fire back at O'Malley
http://www.examiner.com/a-993731~Republicans_fire_back_at_O_Malley.html
Republican legislators came out swinging at Gov. Martin O'Malley's tax plan and the "liberal leadership" of the Maryland Senate and House on Tuesday, throwing digs at O'Malley's three-day trip to Ireland that begins tonight.
"I'd leave the country, too," said House GOP Leader Tony O'Donnell, if he had proposed such a massive tax increase.
O'Malley offered a bit of an olive branch to the Republicans Monday as he ordered a special Oct. 29 session of the legislature. a"I know that there are some things here that you won't be able to support," the governor said, but he hoped to have more conversations with them. At the same time, he rejected budget cuts House Republicans proposed in this year's budget. O'Malley's staff has said the House Republicans, who favor putting 15,000 slots at six locations, have refused to detail their budget cuts to make up the rest of the deficit. But O'Donnell said, "Our plan has at least as much detail as the governor's plan." "If they're willing to work with us in good faith, we're willing to sit down with them," O'Donnell said. But "we're not going to provide political fodder" by revealing budget cuts so "they can turn around and whack us over the head" with unpopular cuts.

State Republicans denounce Gas Tax Index, special session
http://www.gazette.net/stories/101707/polinew101858_32377.shtml
A day after Gov. Martin O'Malley called a special legislative session to deal with sweeping new tax proposals, Maryland Republicans said his plans would hurt working families and make the state less competitive with its neighbors.The Joint Republican Caucus, during a briefing Tuesday on state competitiveness, picked on what it called the ''regressive nature" of O'Malley's proposal to index the gas tax to construction costs. Economist Jonathan Williams said gasoline taxes can work ''if done correctly," but he went on to say that they almost never are. ''In theory, the gas tax is the best form of tax if done correctly," he said. ''By that I mean, if it's structured as a user fee, which makes the revenue exclusively for roads."
Increasing the cost of travel for business would also drive up ''bread, butter, food and medical costs," said Del. Susan K. McComas (R-Dist. 35B) of Bel Air. House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby seconded her worry about the ''double whammy" caused by rai sing the gasoline tax.
At the briefing, O'Donnell reiterated that Republicans are ''soundly unified against the wrong-headed notion" of a special session that will take up taxes without considering next year's budget.

Peanuts for roads projects?
Lower Shore officials voice opinions on highway issues
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071017/NEWS01/710170378
State Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus said Tuesday he was disappointed with the "paltry" amount of funding for Somerset County from the Maryland Department of Transportation. As state transportation officials went around the Lower Shore to talk about upcoming projects, local officials took the opportunity to sound off. In particular, Stoltzfus said Somerset has been waiting for several years for funds to be approved for two roundabouts on UMES Boulevard in Princess Anne. Delegate Page Elmore asked for a breakdown of how transportation funds are spent in all of Maryland's counties and Baltimore City. "That will answer whether we're getting a fair shake or whether we're getting peanuts," he said.


New version of Green Fund under attack as a hidden tax
http://www.examiner.com/a-993732~New_version_of_Green_Fund_under_attack_as_a_hidden_tax.html
It's not easy trying to improve the Green Fund to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, especially when the governor is already pushing for eight or nine different tax hikes to plug a deficit hole. That's what the Chesapeake Bay Foundation discoverd last week when it briefed lawmakers about a new vers ion of their Green Fund plan that raises $85 million a year by tacking a penny-per-square foot fee on houses and commercial buildings.Del. Barry Glassman, R-Harford, suggested that an additional charge be added to the $30 a year "flush tax" on sewer and septic systems backed by Gov. Robert Ehrlich.
"It drives the counties crazy to create a whole extra fee," Glassman said.

Mr. Gilchrest goes to Broadneck
Congressman talks Iraq with history class
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/10_16-14/TOP
Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Gilchrest revived his role as teacher. He visited Jennifer Woods' advanced placement U.S. history class at Broadneck High School to talk about a more modern topic - the Iraq war. Mr. Gilchrest has visited Iraq three times.
He has been a guest sp eaker in other high school classes; the trips are his way to help educate the public about the war. Soon, he said, he hopes to hold public briefings on Iraq in each of the counties he represents. The U.S. can't pull out completely, Mr. Gilchrest said, but it can quell the violence with a surge in diplomacy. Mr. Gilchrest believes the U.S. should target three charged political areas with aggressive diplomacy: Israel and Palestine, Syria and Iran and Iraq's neighboring countries, which do want Iraq to be stable.

O'Malley sojourn prompts criticism
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071017/METRO/110170067/1004
Gov. Martin O'Malley is traveling to Ireland today on a three-day trip that has lawmakers raising questions about whether he can build consensus for the budget plan he hopes to pass during a special General Assembly session. Mr. O'Malley's trip significantly cuts the time he has to lobby lawmakers before they return to Annapolis on Oct. 29 and begin debating his plan to legalize slot machines and raise taxes.
Republicans said yesterday they understood why the governor wanted to get out of town. "Had I announced the policy prescription that he's announced over the last couple of weeks, I suppose it would make sense to get out of the country as soon as possible," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, Southern Maryland Republican.

Md. Comes Courting in D.C. United's Stadium Search
State Comptroller Meets With Team Executives After Their Talks With Fenty Stall
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR20 07101601977.html
A leading Maryland official began a public push yesterday to lure D.C. United, calling on the state to find a site for a new soccer stadium. The announcement prompted District government leaders to say they will fight to keep the team in the city.
In a letter to Maryland Stadium Authority Chairman Frederick W. Puddester, Comptroller Peter Franchot said United's negotiations with D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) to build a 27,000-seat stadium in the city have stalled. "I would strongly urge the Maryland Stadium Authority to meet with representatives from the United to learn more about its proposal and explore potential opportunities to bring this great franchise to the State of Maryland," Franchot wrote. He said a stadium "would attract fans and tourists from throughout the region. . . . The enormous tax revenues generated on game nights alone would provide an enormous benefit."

Healt h Plan To Be Based On Monthly Fee System
Howard Targets 20,000 Uninsured
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101601975.html
For a monthly fee as low as $50, working-poor residents of Howard County would get access to health services ranging from immunizations and checkups to mental health and hospital care under a plan that county officials say could provide a template for jurisdictions across the nation. "We believe it is unacceptable that 20,000 residents do not have health care," said County Executive Ken Ulman (D). "We're filling the gaps left by the federal system," Ulman said. "In the absence of a national solution, it is time for local jurisdictions like Howard County to step up to the plate."

Just Call It Halloween, Nothing Else, Anne Arundel Council Pro claims
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101601873.html
Amid talk of budget constraints and environmental impact fees, Anne Arundel leaders took time this week to weigh in on another controversial issue: Halloween. "I just think this political correctness thing has gone too far," said council member C. Edward Middlebrooks (R-Severna Park). "We have some schools calling it 'Harvest Day.' What are we even harvesting these days? Let's call it what it is, and let the kids be kids."
For Middlebrooks, however, it's a matter of principle. "We have to start standing up for things like this," he said. "I don't want my kids missing out on Halloween, and I don't want them being told it's something else it's not."


EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Session not special without cuts
http://www.examiner.com/a-993753~Editorial__Session_not_special_without_cuts.html
Absolutely nothing is special about the legislative session Gov. Martin O'Malley called in time for Halloween. In fact, this is just the same old traditional reflex response of government to its own profligacy and incompetence: Avoid good management by shoving government's hand deeper into our pockets.
So instead of calling this farce a "special" session, why don't we all just be honest and call it a "more-of-the-same" session. More of the traditional policy: Surrender our money or lose our property and go to prison.
Why not break with tradition and call a truly special session for the sole purpose of lowering taxes? That would be historic.
Why not gather lawmakers to comb through state expen ses in detail, line by line, department by department, job by job, employee by employee, contract by contract, program by program, and eliminate weak, ineffective, low-performing and redundant expenses.

NATIONAL NEWS

Let SCHIPs Chart Their Own Course
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22888
As "a conservative who wants to help restore the limited federal government envisioned in the Constitution," Rep. Roscoe Bartlett said, he could not in good conscience vote to override President Bush's veto of a bill boosting federal spending on children's health insurance. But the Maryland Republican also said he was "proud" to have supported the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and promised he would "work to ensure a safety net of health insurance for the children of the working poor."
Instead of trying to resolve such issues at the national level, why not let each state go its own way, with results that vary depending on local values, the local cost of living and the local health-care situation? No federal money would mean that one state's legislators could no longer force another state's taxpayers to subsidize their generous impulses, but it would also mean no federal restrictions.
Permitting a wide range of policy experiments in areas where the federal government has no license to act is not just the law. It's a good idea.

MARYLAND: H-2B visa provision for immigrant workers extended
http://www.dailytimesonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071016/NEWS01/71016053/1002
An H-2B visa provision that would allow qualified non-skilled seasonal workers to retur n to U.S. employers in the 2008 fiscal year passed 75-19 as part of a spending bill voted on Tuesday in the U.S. Senate, according to the office of Maryland Democrat Sen. Barbara Mikulski.The provision, part of the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act, exempts immigrant employees with a recent work history from falling under a 66,000 national cap on the number of workers who can enter the country for a seasonal job with a U.S. employer. Tuesday's Senate vote extends the provision for one year, the senator's office said.
"Without these seasonal workers, many businesses would not survive," Mikulski said in a statement, and added that she would continue a push for a permanent provision for returning workers.

Lobbying group aims to put Purple Line on funding track
Supporters raise $30,000 to pressure Assembly for multimillion-dollar transit-line project
http://www.gazette.net/stories/101707/burtnew211732_32369.shtml
Purple Line supporters helped raise more than $30,000 on Oct. 10 to promote the Bethesda-to-New Carrollton transit line. The money will help fund a new lobbying group called Purple Line Now! U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Dist. 4) of Mitchellville and state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari were among the more than 300 people who came out to Montgomery College's Silver Spring-Takoma Park campus for a $50-a-person fund-raiser. ''I've never been to an event where I not only brought a $500 check from my own campaign, but so many other elected officials brought $500 for their campaign," said Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), one of several speakers. ''I think we need to roll up our sleeves and say the delay is over. ... We need to get this project done now."