Kudo’s to Salisbury News and the Salvation Army

With the economy in decline, turmoil around the world, and other non-profits decrying drops in funding, the Salvation Army in the three lower shore counties saw a 62% increase at their kettles this Christmas season.  In addition, all kettles were manned only by volunteers this past season - the first time in recent memory.

Our thanks goes out to the 442 individuals and 255 groups who volunteered their time to help provide a better life to our neighbors in need.  From local luminaries such as Wicomico Sheriff Mike Lewis and Salisbury Councilwoman Debbie Campbell to folks who don’t even want their names mentioned in public, your neighbors saw a need and rushed in to fill the breach.  For that, much credit should be given to Salisbury News publisher Joe Albero.
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Media Monday 090105 - Inaccuracy and a Strong Move Left

If we’re supposed to believe our local paper they need to work a little harder.  A little fact checking never hurt anyone.

Case in point - Sunday’s Daily Time’s piece about Del. Page Elmore showing “support of state workers” by taking part in the O’Malley administration’s furlough of non-essential state employees.  Reporter Liz Holland makes it sound as if Elmore is a leader in the movement of legislators taking part in the furlough.  He’s not.  I’ve got nothing against Elmore.  I’m not accusing him of anything.  It’s just a plain, easily verifiable fact that members of the legislature have been announcing that they will take part in the furlough for almost a month.

The first I remember reading about it was a piece by the Baltimore Sun’s Andy Green on December 8, 2008.  Green let us know that Del. Nic Kipke (R-31) had announced he was taking part AND that he was preceded by fellow Anne Arundel Del. Steve Schuh (R-31).  Since then, there has been a steady trickle of legislators announcing that they wouldn’t take their salary for five days as other state employees are having to do.

However, the Daily Times’ Holland makes it sound as if Elmore is the first: Read more

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Tweet #MDcons

If you’re not familiar with Twitter, you should get to know it.  It’s a great social media tool to carry on conversations with people all over the world, or in your own backyard.

One way of tracking conversations on Twitter is through the use of hashtags (#).  If you’re following the race for RNC Chair, there’s #rncchair.  If you’re part of the group Top Conservatives on Twitter, there’s #tcot.  Now, thanks to Brian Boettcher (@BrianBoettcher) we have #MDcons for Free State conservatives.

If you’re engaging in a conversation about that particular subject or as part of that particular group, you just add the hashtags to the message.  This leads to more like minded people to follow, and who may follow you.  You can also search for those particular conversations so that you can keep up with what you missed.

Check #MDcons out.

I’ve been building a list of fellow Marylanders (mostly conservative, but not all) that I’ve been following as a group on Twitter.  If any of you are interested in a copy of the list, let me know.

Update from Delmarva Dealings (@DMVDealings):

You can start by following -
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Daily Times Shows Same Lack of Leadership As County Executive

Today’s Daily Times publishes an editorial exhibiting the same lack of leadership, vision, and understanding of the issues as we discussed Wednesday in our post on the Wicomico “State of the County” address.  Politics is obviously more important than facts; government spending more important than taxpayers.

Whining over the revenue cap is not going to solve anything.  While an opponent of the revenue cap, I realize that the voters of Wicomico County do not (and should not) trust County Executive Rick Pollitt with a repeal.  Now Pollitt, and the paper, are asking for a revision.  This is not politically viable either because bold action requires leaders.  To date we have none, either in the County Executive’s office nor at Gannett’s new digs in Northwood.

The Daily Times‘ argument about county revenue proves that they have no understanding of the real problem and seem to believe that government should just keep raising revenue to meet expenses, rather than solve the problems of spending AND the source of that spending:

The housing boom was in full swing, the economy was sailing along and property tax revenue from new construction was not affected by the cap for the first year. So any shortfalls were made up by the taxes collected on new construction, which was not included in the pot that is limited to 2 percent –or less, depending on the rate of inflation –more than the previous year’s revenue.

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Get Your Questions In for the RNC Chairman Debate

On January 5, 2009 Americans for Tax Reform will host a debate among the candidates for RNC Chairman.  The debate will be at 1PM from the National Press Club.  I would expect that C-SPAN will cover the debate (either live or delayed).  I also would expect that it can be watched on the web.

WE have the opportunity to ask questions.  Go to the Debate web site and submit your questions.  Republicans should not underestimate the importance of this race.  Ask questions.  Get answers.  Lobby your state chairman and national committee members.

Help put a strong, conservative leader at the helm of the RNC.

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Rick Pollitt Wants Your Money … and Your Vote!

Despite the Louise Smith-esque references to “government in the sunshine”, Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt delivered a fine “State of the County” speech on Tuesday.  As was to be expected with such speeches, most of the word count was spent giving thanks to myriad groups and individuals as well as “polishing the apple” - telling all what a great job Pollitt and his folks are doing.  C’mon, it’s an elected office.  What else would you expect?

As predicted, Pollitt devoted a portion of his speech to some shirt tearing over the county’s revenue cap.  You can’t blame a guy for trying.

As an opponent, on principle only, of the cap this would normally not bother me.  Unfortnately, Pollitt’s semi-impassioned plea against the cap is falling on deaf ears in my neck of the woods.  Why?  Pollitt has displayed a complete lack of leadership on the key issues facing the county while showing a willingness to treat the taxpayers as a “revenue source” rather than what they are - hard working men and women who willingly part with their hard earned money and expect good stewardship from their county leaders.
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Franklin Raines Moving Into the Bunker

Ex-Fannie Mae CEO (and Clinton OMB chief) Franklin Raines is heading for the bunker.  In DC that means hiring lawyers and lobbyists.  Oddly, the lobbyist Raines has hired used to work for him.

Raines has retained former Fannie Mae lobbyist Bob Maloney for “hearing preparation” as Raines gets ready for hearings on Capitol Hill.

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A Near Guarantee of Republican Victory

While liberals, the media, and whiny psuedo-Republicans decry the end of the Republican party and the demise of the conservative movement (two different things), I look forward to a resurgent party and a re-invigorated conservatism.  Why?  You need look no further than Delaware Dem’s post at DelawareLiberal.net.

Delaware Dem is far too typical of his (her?) leftist brethren.  They just don’t get it.  While their “Messiah” ran more as a Republican than a Democrat, they still think that the country has shifted left.  We’re not the ones in a snit because the President-Elect asked an evangelical Christian to deliver the invocation at Obama’s inaugural.  While I fully expect Obama to attempt to govern as a liberal, I know that his rhetoric will be centrist.  Talk about hypocrisy.

While DD accuses us of “hatemongering” and “exclusion”, it is really the Republican party which is the party of inclusion.  Name one prominent pro-life Democrat.  Yet, there are prominent pro-choice Republicans.  We don’t despise and ridicule the majority of Americans who are orthodox Christians (Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox, etc.).  While the majority of Republicans may be view “values” as a core component of our politics, those values are, by and large, reflective of the nation’s values.  We just need to learn to say so with a smile.
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Daily Times Editorial - Let’s Whine But Don’t Allow for Any Solutions

This morning I read the lead Daily Times editorial with some amusement - Flaw Found in Homestead.  There is a flaw.  Unfortunately, it is not the flaw imagined by the editors of our local paper.  The flaw lies in a so-called “homestead tax credit” that allows primary residences to rise in value by as much as 10% per year.  In affect, Wicomico County has no homestead tax credit.

Assessments ALWAYS lag.  As much as I hate to admit it, Maryland’s system of re-assessment is pretty fair and efficient.  In many other states re-assessment is done at the whim of the local governing body.  You may go 10 years without a countywide reassessment and then you’re hit with a re-assessment where your home’s assessed value has risen 120%!  People are even less thrilled than they are in the not-so-Free State.

If you are a regular reader, you know that I am not a fan of the current Salisbury city government.  As much as it pains me to admit, they actually do a few things right.  One of those things is a ZERO based homestead tax credit.  As it has been explained to me, the assessed value of your home does not rise from the time you purchase it.  However, Wicomico County raises your assessment pretty much every year, unless we happen to be in a deep real estate downturn lasting more than three years.

There is a solution.  Earlier this year, Wicomico Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman proposed that the county look into reducing the amount a primary residence’s assessment is allowed to rise from 10% to 5%.  Given that our council includes the likes of Bill McCain - who believes that ANY discussion of tax relief is “ABSURD” - the proposal didn’t go very far.

I wonder how far it would have gone had the Daily Times provided some decent coverage of the issue when it came up, rather than merely whining about it now?

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Pollitt to Deliver “State of the County”

If you can’t get down to the GOB this morning, tune in to PAC-14 and watch Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt deliver his third “State of the County” address.  Despite Pollitt’s use of the Louise Smith-esque term “Speech in the Sunshine” and the expected shirt tearing over the county’s revenue cap, it should be interesting and informative.

The speech begins at 10AM.  Get your seat early, or pour another cup of coffee and tune in.

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Media Monday - 081229 A Quasi-Fictitious Year in Review

It seems that Daily Times reporter Greg Latshaw harbors a repressed desire to be a novelist.  Gore Vidal, with his gift for mixing a little historical fact with a lot of fiction, seems to be a key role model.  How else could explain Sunday’s little “Year in Review” piece about the Wicomico County Council?

Not content with his usual mix of biased, selective reporting and “he said, she said” journalism, Latshaw weaves a tale that bears no semblance to the reality that was Wicomico County in 2008.  The tall tales begin with his lead:

In a year that began with a flap over pricey pens, Wicomico County Council members agreed to a landmark development agreement, struck down a police labor code law and thoroughly investigated the area’s liquor wholesaler. (emphasis mine)

The flap wasn’t over pricey pens, but about the proper use of the taxpayers’ money; along with the arrogance of some who actually claimed that the money wasn’t the taxpayers’.  The County Council did not strike down a police labor code law.  They ENACTED a labor code for the Sheriff’s office.  County Executive Rick Pollitt vetoed the bill and his veto was overridden.  As for the dispensary, there wasn’t much of an investigation given that the board members refused to come and answer questions.  Documents were only supplied after they were threatened with court action.
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Saltsman Should Be Disqualified as RNC Chair

Former Tennessee GOP chair, and Huckabee for President campaign manager, Chip Saltsman wants to be RNC Chairman.  Any member of the RNC who votes for him should be ashamed and immediately replaced at the first opportunity by the body which elected them to their post.

Saltsman decided to send the members of the RNC a little gift - a parody CD titled We Hate the USA.  The CD, by conservative comedian and parody artist Paul Shanklin, includes the song Barack the Magic Negro.

While I’ve been a fan of Shanklin’s for quite a while, this was not his best moment.  Rather than enter into a lengthy explanation as to why this track is rude at best, racist at worst, I’ll leave that to better minds such as my Red Maryland colleague Prof. Richard Vatz.

I’m not calling Saltsman a racist.  I don’t know the man and can’t speak to such character flaws.  I just believe that he showed extremely poor judgment in sending this little “gift” to the voting members of the RNC.  A nice card wouldn’t have worked?
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Laura Bush - Presidency Not A Failure

Get real!  What would you expect the First Lady to say?  Anyone who professes that the George W. Bush presidency has not been a failure is either a fool or is sticking their head in the sand.

While we can argue that President Bush has been responsible for keeping terrorism off of American shores since 9/11, what other successes can be legitimately claimed?  Bigger government (Medicare Part D, No Child Left Behind, DHS)?  Our diminished personal liberty (Patriot Act)?  A war that seems to have no end?  Quasi-nationalization of our nation’s banks and auto manufacturers?

We, as conservatives, are to blame.  Bush was accepted as a conservative in 2000.  He never would have won in 2004 except for SoCon support in states like Ohio.  While it would be wrong to blame the destruction of the GOP solely on the President, there is no question that he shares a hefty portion of the blame.

We will rebuilt the party!  The conservative movement will re-emerge as a healthier, more vibrant movement.  Hopefully we will learn from OUR collective mistakes and no longer allow ourselves to be a mere adjunct to the GOP.  Hopefully, we will not support a future candidate like George W. Bush (read Mitt Romney).

If not, prepare to walk the same path.

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The Obama Love Fest - How Long Will It Last?

Over at the AmSpec blog, Robert Stacy McCain asks how long Barack Obama’s free ride with the media will last.  Who knows?

Remember back to ‘92?  We thought Clinton was getting unprecedented adulation.  Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift did everything short of the Monica live on the six o’clock news.

Given that the One has been on the cover of Time 14 times in 2008 and on Newsweek’s 11 times we can only surmise that even these bastions of the left will burn out eventually.  Of course, with prose like that coming from the Washington Post’s Eli Saslow:

Between workouts during his Hawaii vacation this week, he was
photographed looking like the paradigm of a new kind of
presidential fitness, one geared less toward preventing heart
attacks than winning swimsuit competitions. The sun glinted off
chiseled pectorals sculpted during four weightlifting sessions
each week, and a body toned by regular treadmill runs and
basketball games.

we can only wonder.  How can the MSM claim objectivity with any semblance of a straight face?  How long will the honeymoon last?

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The Obama Stimulus - Let’s Spend, Spend, Spend

Resurrecting the discredited corpse of John Maynard Keynes, President-elect Barack Obama and his less than youthful sidekick Joe Biden are preparing to spend our economy back to health.  Stimulus is the new euphemism for growing the size of government.  I thought Obama was sticking with the Clintonian term investment, but it appears that Obama is attempting to double down.

Promising to follow in the footsetps of his predecessor George W. Bush by throwing another $1 trillion at a troubled economy, Obama pledges to tax and spend responsibly.  Using Biden as his mouthpiece, Obama claims that there will be no earmarks in his stimulus legislation. 

If Obama could actually pull that off, he may well be the secular Messiah.  Almost every governor, every big city mayor are already calling for their “share” of your tax dollars.  That’s before the appropriating class in DC starts pushing for every pet project under the sun.  When departments like Homeland Security are already being used as massive pork delivery devices, do you honestly believe that hundreds of Congressmen and Senators won’t be demanding a cut in return for their respective votes?

Expect the incoming Obama administration to devise a new euphemism for earmark.

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