Eldersburg Royal Farms - Where Are You?

If you read local news here in Eldersburg, you'll recall several articles about the Royal Farms that was going to be built on the southwest corner of the Route 26 and Route 32 intersection.  Basically this Royal Farms would be opposite of Exxon, and on the same corner as the Princess Shopping Center

In August of last year the Carroll County Commissioners discussed the proposal to build the new 5,100 square foot convenience store with a 16-pump gas station.  If you've ever been to a Royal Farms, you know that the gas is usually cheaper than Exxon and the "fast" food is pretty good.  The chicken is comparable to the chicken at Martin's, which is one of my favorite fried chickens.  And the deli sandwiches are pretty darn good, too.

Speaking of Martin's, does FACC President Ellen Dix work there or have an active interest in the store?  I was reading this article when looking for an update to the proposal.  It seems like she REALLY likes Martin's and decries the need for a Royal Farms by saying that Martin's is good enough, why would anyone want to go to Royal Farms?  It's a hollow argument full of meaningless echoes.

I've lived in Eldersburg for 13 years and in that entire time no business has ever been open on that corner.  When we moved here the abandoned Korner Karry Out and Milt's Liquor store had the monopoly on local eye sore.  That award was quickly transferred to Carrolltown Center when the KKO and ML were demolished.  Since then the abandoned lot has been sufficiently protected by an equally unattractive big chain link fence.  Why does this land need a fence?  Are they afraid the dog will run out into the road?

So, blog world, do you have any information on the status of this corner?  I'm hoping that my grandchildren will get to see a tax-generating business that provides something to the local community.  Perhaps they're waiting for Martin O'Malley to leave office.

VoteNoMalley Fundraising - It Works!

I have a wonderful update to my previous post on what works and what does not work in the world of fundraising.  I actually got a donation to the team I am helping raise money for the Believe in Tomorrow Port to Fort 6K.  Therefore, using your blog as a vehicle to raise money CAN work.

Unfortunately, the donation did not come from Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.  Unless he used an alias.  But he likes to take credit for things he does.  And things he doesn't do, or hasn't done, so I can't imagine that he'd use an alias.

Earlier in the week the weather was looking bad.  High chance of rain.  Temperatures starting in the low 30's.  Brrrr.  Terrible running weather.  But now the weather is starting to look better.  Mostly sunny and in the low 50's.  PERFECT running weather.

We hope to see everyone at the race on Sunday!

The Baltimore Department of Transportation provided this travel information for this weekend about the race.  I wonder how much money they are charging the race for the road closures.  I hear that it is a lot of money.

The 16th annual Port to Fort 6K Family Run/Walk will be held on Sunday starting at 9:00 a.m.

The event will begin and end at the Baltimore Museum of Industry located on Key Highway. Runners will proceed west along Key Highway and turn right on Light Street, left onto Lee Street, and then left on S. Charles Street. Runners will then turn right on W. Hughes Street, left on S. Hanover Street, left on W. Wells Street, and left on Johnson Street. Runners will proceed parallel to Riverside Park, right on E. Randall Street, left on Battery Avenue, right on E. Cross Street and right back onto Key Highway to finish at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

During the event, one lane of travel will be blocked along the course from 6:30 am until 12:30 pm.

Drivers should be aware that traffic will be stopped occasionally along each of the event routes for safety reasons.

Fundraising - What Works. What Doesn't.

As you know I have been helping a team raise money for Believe in Tomorrow with their Port to Fort 6K fundraising event this Sunday. In talking to team members, I have gathered ideas and feedback about the whole fundraising experience and have learned a lot.  I have never been an active fundraiser, but once my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, that all changed.  I am much more receptive to donating to causes that my friends are sponsoring.  As I've learned, if A LOT of people gave a little, you would be getting a lot.

As one manager that works at American Amalgamated Corrugated Conglomerates of America told me, the hardest part about raising money is asking.  If you can get past that, you'll find that most people are willing donors.

What Works?
Emailing coworkers really works.  The majority of donations received by the team that I'm helping have come from coworkers.  "Hey, I'm raising money for Believe in Tomorrow.  Would you be willing to make a donation?"  Surprisingly, MOST people at your place of employment will say yes.  And with online donations, it is so EASY.  Does your company match donations?  Even better!  Free money!

What Doesn't Work?
Emailing local businesses to make a donation.  I emailed many local businesses in Eldersburg asking if they would make a donation.  Surprisingly, none of them responded.  I'm certainly not mad at them, but I was a bit surprised.  Who did I ask?  Jiffy Lube, Dick's Lawn and Garden Center, Cobblestone, the Harvest Farm Inn, Glazed to Perfection, and Glory Days just to name a few.  Perhaps they get lots of requests and have to be selective.  And how are they to tell if it's spam or not?  I added my phone number and my name, but that didn't work.  I didn't really have time to go to them in person to ask for money.  Perhaps that would be a method that works.

What Works?
Asking family.  They better damn well respond, right?  Just kidding.  Of course your family is supportive.  At least ours is.  Last year my niece was one of our top 5 fund raisers.  And she's a teenager.  Rock the vote, as they say on MTV.

What Doesn't Work?
Clicking on your fundraising page 9,000 times per day to see if anyone donated does not work.  Hitting the refresh button multiple times during the same visit has little success, as well.

What Doesn't Work Too Well?
Emailing the families of the your kids' sports teams. Perhaps because I coach the teams, I'm not as close to the parents as say, a parent who is not coaching.  Those parents are sitting in the bleachers and sidelines chatting away during practices and games while I'm on the field coaching.  Therefore, we don't have as much of a personal connection.

What Works Moderately?
Asking for donations on Facebook.  The problem with Facebook is that is that it is a snapshot in time.  If you post something at 6pm and your friends get on at 10pm, it's likely that they won't even see your post.  I've posted multiple requests at various times, but have only received moderate support.  It's a less personal request as it is a broadcast to the world, not to a specific person.  I would continue to use it as a tool for fundraising, but I would not expect to get the majority of your donations from your Facebook friends.

What Doesn't Work?
Speaking of broadcasts, a broadcast email to multiple people does not work either.  I heard that sending it to your entire group resulted in minimal success.  However, customized emails to individuals is much more successful.  And it doesn't hurt to follow up with slackers with the "gentle reminder".

What Doesn't Work?
Harassment.  "Hey, jackass, are you going to donate or what?"  "Do you hate kids with cancer or something?"  Yes, surprisingly these tactics are met with high levels of resistance.

What REALLY Doesn't Work?
Asking Martin O'Malley.  He wants to take your money, but he's never donated to any cause that I've worked on.  However, Governor, there is still time for you to improve your unflattering reputation as a supporter of local charities.

What Doesn't Work?
Posting requests on your blog. Sigh.  I've raised no money via my blog.  But I'm not giving up!

If you'd be interested in making a donation to Believe in Tomorrow to help them raise money, please select this link, click on the green Donate button, and be a pal!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/VoteNoMalley/port2fort2012

New To Eldersburg: Royal Bliss Boutique

I have no idea when this store was added, so it's new to me.  It could have been there for several months for all know.

For those of you familiar with the area, this is the Princess Shopping Center at the intersection of Route 26 (Liberty Road) and Route 32.
 

Royal Bliss Boutique now occupies the space of the former Quiznos Sub.  I used to like Quiznos and their over-priced subs, but then I lost my taste for over-toasted crumby bread.  Sure, the meat is good, but I have a powdery crumb mess all over me when I'm done.  Obviously, some people must have agreed with me on at least one of my opinions as this location went out of business.

Maryland Doomsday Budget - I'm Devastated

When asked about the Doomsday Budget that went into effect when the Maryland General Assembly failed to find ample funding to support their crack-addict spending, Governor Martin O'Malley said that we'd be devastated by the cuts.  Our children would be devastated by the cuts in education.  Is the world getting ready to end or something?

My kids came home from school devastated today.  When told that they might have a few more students in their class, they were so distraught.  They moped around the house all weekend, fought off fits of tears and shakes.  Will they make it through this tragedy?  Maybe my kids are more well-adapted than the kids that Martin O'Malley knows.  But I think they'll make it through this mess he created.  And unlike Martin O'Malley's kids, none of my children have ever been arrested for underage drinking.

I heard a voice spot on the radio when a reporter was interviewing an educator.  He said he wasn't sure what they'd be able to cut because they're already working on a bare bones budget.  Really?  What happened to the hundreds of millions of dollars in increased spending for the state education budget?  How did we get to be #1 in education with a bare bones budget?  Mr. Education spokesman - you're full of crap.

Martin O'Malley called this the low-point of his career in Annapolis.  Hopefully his drive for higher office will introduce a new low-point to his career.

Elected officials are saying that the Doomsday budget, which won accolades from Republicans, will require the counties to make massive cuts.  Let's look at the numbers.  The state budget for 2012 is a little over $34 BILLION.  However, there is a gap between expected revenues and expenses.  Fortunately, the state Constitution requires Maryland to pass a balanced budget (which reminds me of how hysterical it is every time O'Malley brags that he signed a balanced budget - of course you did, you HAVE TO!).  The gap this year is $512 million.  A little math here, 512 million divided by 34 billion, carry the 1, subtract from 5, ah...1.2%.  Wow, that is devastating.  I thought they were going to say something like 1.1%.  Honey, let's hoard the paper towels and make a run on the bank.

Who's sensationalizing here?

Another point that I thought about is that Thomas V. "Mike" Miller is all hell-bent on having a special session where they can raise taxes to get the larger budget back in play.  O'Malley initially seemed against it, though I suspect that was to make Miller look bad and squirm for a while, but we all know O'Malley has never been against additional taxes and more spending.  But what does it costs the tax-payers to call a special session?

I used to work in a glass factory and I equate it to shutting down the glass furnace.  You just don't flip a switch, fire up the furnace, and start making melted glass and blowing it into an IS machine and making bottles again, do you?  Of course not.  It takes DAYS to get the furnace back up to the proper temperature, then you have to re-calibrate all of the IS machines, reheat the leer, etc.  Is there someone in Annapolis that is just going to flip on a switch and start increasing the taxes?  No.  There is a huge support staff that needs to be there and it's going to cost us.

I say leave the budget where it is.  Is the state really going to rot and go to hell if we fall to #2 in education?  Heck, we're still ahead of Mississippi.  (As people in Arkansas always say, 'thank God for Mississippi.').

Where do you stand on this doomsday budget stuff?

NHL Suspension Flow Chart

If you're a hockey fan, you'll know that the Flyers \ Penguins game was more about fighting than hockey. All the sports shows are demanding that the Flyers be punished, because they could have hurt the world greatest hockey player of all time - Cindy Crosby. This despite the fact that the Pens had more penalty minutes and started most of the fights.

So what is the NHL to do? Fortunately, they have this flow chart to help them determine an appropriate suspension, if any.

Are You Against Gerrymandering In Maryland?

If you do not like the gerrymandering that is happening in Maryland, here is your chance to have your voice heard and do something about it!

As you can see by the map, Maryland Congressional District 2 (held by the anti-property rights Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger) and Maryland Congressional District 3 (held by you elected me because of my daddy's last name Democrat John Sarbanes) both look like ink splatters oozing their way up streets and down avenues before sprawling out again.I got a phone call from my buddy Alex Mooney this evening asking me to fill out this petition online, printing it out, and mailing it in. We need your help. You can do it, too. Complete the form and mail this petition in. Tell O'Malley, Michael Busch, and Thomas V. "Mike" Miller that you do not approve of their circus redistricting show and to do it properly and fairly.

O'Malley keeps talking about doing our fair share. O'Malley - it's time for you to do YOUR fair share!

Go Back in Time - What Musicians Would You See?

When I'm not sitting around thinking about how Martin O'Malley is ruining the state of Maryland with his anti-business / anti-middle class political agenda, I often listen to music. I got into a conversation with my manager this afternoon that was very interesting. If you could go back in time to listen to a singer that has died or a band that is no longer in existance or has since changed (think AC\DC going from Bon Scot to Brian Johnson), who would you want to see?

Here is my list:

1) Led Zeppelin
2) Boston
3) The Doors
4) John Denver
5) Nirvana
6) Johnny Cash
7) Frank Sinatra
8) Louis Prima
9) AC/DC (with Bon Scot)
10) Lynyrd Skynyrd (with Randy Van Zant)

If you're Duckman, you'll read this and say that this list is different than the one we talked about this afternoon. You are correct. I've had more time to think about this.

Bands and singers that fell off of my list:
1) Paul McCartney and the Wings
2) Moody Blues
3) Jefferson Airplane

Other honorable mentions are:
1) Elvis
2) Queen
3) Waylon Jennings

I know you'll quickly reply, "Where are the Beatles?" I was never much of a Beatles fan. They were the boy band of the 60's. Pretty much the Back Street Boys of the era. (does that ruffle your feathers?)

What 10 bands or singers would be on your list? And no, Keith Richards is not technically dead.

Moms With Muffin Tops!

Carrolltowne Elementary School's annual event to get working mothers to pretend to pay attention to their children for one morning is coming up. Moms with Muffin Tops will be held on Friday, April 20th. Dad get their day, too, in May - Dads & Donuts, though less insulting. Don't miss it!

Here's the memo from the school:

This is just a friendly reminder for parents planning to attend the Moms and Muffins event on Friday, April 20th to park in the mall parking lot adjacent to the school and walk to the school to enjoy the event. This will allow ample parking for staff members who arrive after the event begins.

Also, please do not park along Gemini Road or the school entrance road in order to allow safe passage of buses into the school entrance and along Gemini Road.

Support the Believe in Tomorrow Foundation!

As a regular reader of this blog you know my daughter had leukemia. There are many wonderful organizations out there. Many help raise money to support research. However, most families need direct support. They need financial help, moral support, and emotional support.

The Believe in Tomrrow Foundation provides a little of everything. Their primary objective it to provide hospital and respite housing for families with critically ill children. They also provide local excursions, such as tickets to the movies, or events at the Baltimore Arena.

All of these things require money. Every year the Believe in Tomorrow raises money via the Port to Fort 6K in Baltimore so that they can continue to support these efforts.

Would you consider making a potentially tax-deductible donation to the Believe in Tomorrow Foundation?

Click on this link:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/VoteNoMalley/port2fort2012

Dell Must Hate Children With Cancer

You'll recall in March I wrote about how my Dell laptop died. I was unable to get through to Dell to get any help. They have a clever phone system that prevents people from asking for help.

I sent a letter to Dell asking for their assistance. It's been three weeks and I haven't even received a courtesy F-you response. My letter was not returned, so I must assume they received it.

One of my friends has a contact at Dell through his employer. Through my friend's inquisition, this person at Dell offered to repair the laptop for $350. I paid $499 for it. Is this a joke? For $350 I would expect a fully refurbished and upgraded laptop containing a folder with 8,000 digital images of scantily clad hot women.

Therefore, the only conclusion that I can logically determine is that Dell hates children with cancer and my recommendation is that no one should ever buy a laptop from Dell. I challenge Dell to convince me otherwise.

Here is the letter that I sent to Dell, which I think is a reasonable request. Even a response informing me that that would not help me would have been appropriate. Nope. The silent treatment.

February 29, 2012

Dell Inc.
One Dell Way
Round Rock, TX 78682

Dear Dell,

I am writing in regard to the Dell Inspiron M5030 (Service Tag 9865XM1) laptop that I purchased about 14 months ago.

In October of 2010 my 3 year old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. She is being treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center under the care of Dr. Teresa York. Since she was in and out of the hospital I decided at Christmas that it would be best if we purchased a laptop for the family so that either my wife or I could stay in touch with the world while we were there. I didn't know much about laptops so I asked several friends for their recommendation. ALL of them recommended DELL. I then purchased the afore-mentioned DELL laptop at the Best Buy in Owings Mills, MD.

Unfortunately, last week the laptop seemed to stop operating. A series of seven beeps resulted when I attempted to turn on the computer. I "Googled" this and read that this means that the processor has failed. I attempted to contact DELL via your website, but learned that my warranty had expired about 2 months earlier. I then asked several tech-savvy friends how to go about replacing a processor in a laptop. All of them said it was not worth it and I'd be better off buying a new laptop.

When my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, my wife made the decision to stop working so that she could care for her. And as you can imagine our medical bills are substantial, thus the double-whammy of a financial hit. When she was diagnosed with leukemia, we put our trust in our daughter's doctors. When we purchased a DELL we put our trust in your company. I am asking if there is anything DELL is willing to do to help us remedy the situation. I realize that I may have no rights whatsoever. However, I am hoping that you have some compassion to help us.

I appreciate your consideration and would appreciate a response.

Respectfully yours,

Moved in Randallstown: The Aquarium Depot

If you've never been to The Aquarium Depot, you should check it out. Though, you should have checked it out about a year ago.

Located in the Randallstown Plaza, the old Aquarium Depot was like a real aquarium. Screw that place in Baltimore that costs $20 per person. Go to Randallstown and see more fish - for free! There must have been 200 fish tanks in the store. Fresh water fish, salt water fish, snakes, frogs, lizards, turtles, spiders. They even had a small shark at one point. They had two fish tanks that were hundreds of gallons in size. I loved it. My kids loved it. You would have loved it.

I'm not sure if the reason, but probably because of decreased spending of fish and fish supplies, the store has down-graded to a smaller location, which is actually right next door to its previous location in the Plaza. I went there the other day to get more food for my cichlids. The store is nice, but much much smaller. I was very disappointed.

Anyway, don't buy your fish at Wal-Mart or PetSmart. Buy them at The Aquarium Depot in Randallstown. Even if it is a smaller place. Support small and local.

The new location:


The old location:

Franchot: Mike Miller Needs To Go, I Agree!!!

When Peter Franchot was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, I freely called him a snake in the grass. My grandfather used that expression all the time when describing people you cannot trust. Just like a snake in the grass, you cannot trust a politician.

My opinion of Mr. Franchot has changed considerably since he succeeded the late William Donald Schaefer as Maryland State Comptroller. He's now the guy in charge of the money. Franchot has stood up to O'Malley and his irresponsible spending addiction. He speaks out against waste and hypocracy, which violates the Democratic Party doctrine. And I like a guy like that regardless of which team he's on.

As you know, the Maryland General Assembly ended its session this week. I think it can accurately be considered an absolute failure. This year O'Malley has succeeded in reducing the budget by negative $1.6 Billion. And how is he paying for this negative reduction spending? He's not!!!

Now the blame game is happening. Republicans are pointing their fingers at O'Malley for spending too much money, money that the shrinking Maryland middle class just does not have.

The Democrats are pointing their fingers at Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, Jr. He held up the tax increases by focusing the Assembly on passing a law for table games, which never happened. Now the state is left with a budget that is not fully funded. And it's Mike's fault, right? Sure, why not. Should he step down? Absolutely. He's been out of touch with the people of Maryland for years now. He's the same clown that said, "Democrats will bury Republicans so deep that they will not raise their heads for another 20 years." Imagine if the tables were turned on that comment. The liberal press would force that person to resignation. He should have been forced to resign on that comment alone.

So where does that leave us, the tax payers of Maryland? Up a creek. Where does that leave O'Malley? He's now in the embarassing position of being required to call a special in order to pay for his spending. This will bring unwanted attention to his predicament. Two special sessions in his tenure as Governor to raise taxes? That's not going to look good in his bid for President. And if you saw the press conference where they signed the last of the bills for the session, you could tell O'Malley was pissed. He said it was a 'damn shame' that the General Assembly couldn't raise more taxes. I think it's a damn shame they didn't cut spending.

So now Peter Franchot has grabbed the spotlight and condemned Mike Miller for holding up a process and pushing through an unfunded budget. He says Mike Miller should 'step aside' for new leadership. I think it's about time. No politician should be in the driver's seat for as long as Mike Miller has. He's too comfortable and arrogant with his power and he's making stupid decisions. Mike Miller, time to step aside.

Baltimore Makes National News!!!

Baltimore gets its fair share of national news coverage. Unfortunately, it's usually for the wrong reasons - fraudulent Mega Millions Lottery claims, arrested mayor, visits by the incompetent Governor, murders, assaults, drug abuse, shootings, sexually transmitted diseases. The hospitals in Baltimore are rated as great hospitals because they get so much damn practice. Shock Trauma doctors can can save shooting victims in their sleep. You get the point.

Recently Baltimore made the news again. This time when a Virginia man was filmed, robbed, beaten, stripped, and robbed again. Oh, and beaten some more.

I have two favorite parts of this video. First are the claims by the Baltimore City Police spokesperson that this kind of crime isn't going to be tolerated. Yes it will. It's tolerated every day. It has been tolerated for decades. Nothing has changed. The only reason they are claiming it will not be tolerated is because it is on the national news.

Second is the outrage. Please. Again, this happens all the time. The only difference is that it was recorded this time. This is why you avoid going into Baltimore City at all costs. It is not safe. This is why they film crime shows here. There's a lot of crime. The city is dangerous. Do not be fooled by the rhetoric of the politicians and community leaders. If the city was not dangerous, then thousands of people would not be leaving Baltimore City every decade.

And the perpetrators will be prosecuted with hate crimes, right? Yeah, don't hold your breath on that one.

2012 Orioles Opening Day

This was my second Opening Day at Camden Yards, thanks to the Mayor of Eldersburg. We were joined by the father of the Mayor of Eldersburg and another friend, Mr. Baseball. (This guy listens to taped baseball games while he mows his lawn. He admits it's a strange addiction, but claims he can stop if he wants to). It was a little chilly today, long sleeves and jeans. Not the opening day you'd get in Los Angeles. At least it wasn't snowing, I guess.

We started the day with lunch at Hooter's. We like going there because the food is good. And we like to read the articles. They were definitely crowded, but we managed to get a booth. Since I'm still on my quest to lose weight, I got a club sandwich, no fries. I focused on drinking iced tea (no calories) with 2 lite beers in the middle. And that's it! The sandwich was good, though it did take at least an episode of iCarly for it to arrive.

At one point a waitress was trying to get the sprawling crowd in order and yelled out to line up single file next to the bar. She said it was a fire hazzard to not have a clear lane for foot traffic to flow in and out. Mr. Drunk yells out, "What? There's a fire?" Not cool, but at the moment it was funny.

We made our way to Camden Yards and found our seats. We played the mighty Twins from Minnesota. Their team is lowly and looking lowlier. Let's start a rumor. They need a new stadium and if they don't get it they are looking to possibly move to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Orioles were introduced and lined up on the field. The team is filled with names I've never heard. Looks like the team is a lot different than last year. Not that last year's team was full of stars. Hopefully this year's team is more like Billy Bean's teams.

Ten minutes after the Star Spangled Banner ended, this formation of Army helicopters flew over the stadium. The timing was slightly off. Not quite the same impact of an A-10 formation flying over.

It was a windy day at Camden Yards. Do you see anything interesting in this picture??? My son found it right away.

How many groundskeepers does it take to roll up a carpet? Apparently 18.

This is the 20th anniversay of the opening of Camden Yards, so it's a big celebration. Do you remember who threw out the first pitch that momentus day? It was Rick Sutcliffe. 20 years later, it's Rick Sutcliffe throwing to Chris Hoiles again. I may be off a year or two, but I think 1992 was the last time the Orioles won a game.

Scoreboard malfunction? Seattle is at Philadelphia with a 10:05 first pitch? I don't think so.

The game was fairly uneventful. The Orioles won. Jake Arrieta pitched a nice game. Nick Markakis hit a home run and a double with a bobbled ball which was recorded as a triple. He's now on pace to hit 162 home runs (which is almost as many as Barry Steroid Bonds hit in 2001) and 162 triples.

As we strolled out of the park we see the TV crews lined up doing the talking-head recap of the game. Channel 13 had Mark Viviano and Jessica Kartalia. Channel 11 had Pete Gilbert. Channel 2 was filming Mark Viviano and Pete Gilbert. I guess the budgets cuts were worse at Channel 2.

Yet begins another season for the Orioles in Baltimore. Will they end their streak of sub-500 seasons? Or will they flounder in the basement of the American League East? My money is on the basement. What do you think?

2012 Maryland Primary Election Recap

I was really hoping to write a blog post critiquing the candidates prior to the election. But then life happened. Baseball practice on Saturdays and Mondays. My niece's birthday on Saturday. A 10 mile run on Sunday. Work. Work. Work. Oh, and a new washing machine. So instead of a critique, you'll have to settle for a recap.

I think it's no secret the Mitt Romney is going to win the Republican nomination. God help us if Rick Santorum wins. I think there are enough level-headed moderate Republicans that understand that the candidate closer to the center will win the Presidential election. Usually. Nobody seems to like Newt Gingrich. I hear he left his wife when she had cancer. I remember a Democrat who did that - John Edwards. And I honestly think it's looking more and more like Obama will win again. Romney just lacks pizazz.

If you read this blog you know my guy is Ron Paul. Unfortunately, he came in a distant fourth. I guess most Marylanders don't want lower taxes and less government. I guess because we live "next" to the government, there are too many people that rely on MORE taxes and MORE government. If only I lived in South Carolina.

For U.S. Senate, I chose Daniel John Bongino to beat left-wing tax and spend socialist Chris Van Hollen, who won. He seemed to have positions that most closely reflected my own positions. I visited the websites of all the candidates. In the year 2012, if you cannot have a decent website with decent pictures, then you do not deserve to be elected. There was one candidate who looks like he used a cellphone from 1992 to take his profile picture. That may have been Rick Hoover, but his website was taken down already. Another candidate, John B. Kimble, had a website showing a Bible with a gun on it. And seriously, the Welcome Back Kotter hairstyle has got to go. Most of the other candidates didn't interest me.

For Congressional District 8, I couldn't remember who I wanted to vote because I forgot the printout I made with the selections I wanted. Since Gus Alzona was Tlso running to be a delegate to the Republican National Convention representing Ron Paul, I voted for him. However, when I got to work and found my printout, I had selected Ken Timmerman. Timmerman won. So I chose the winner, but didn't vote for him. My bad.

For delegates to the Republican National Convention Congressional District 8, I voted for Guz Alzona (Ron Paul), Michael T. Hargadon (Ron Paul), and my friend Harold Owen (Ron Paul). Harold went with us when we saw Van Halen in 2008. The guy likes Van Halen and Ron Paul! What could possibly be wrong with this guy?!!!

For Board of Education, I voted for Cynthia L. Foley and Matthew Kaliszak. However, my printout showed that I should have voted for Krista M. Kniesler rather than Kaliszak. You can understand how I got those two mixed up, right? Sadly, both of my candidates lost. The winners were Jennifer Seidel and Jim Doolan, two educators who probably have more interest in the status quo and are partial to protecting their jobs as educators rather than having the best interests of the students in mind. They would obviously argue otherwise, but I think it's smart to have a Board of Education of outsiders. If there are 8 members, there should be a small business owner, a member of the planning commission, a stay-at-home mom, a person with no children, a crack whore, a member of a local religious organization, a member of the press, and a student. No teachers. No professional educators. This board must also be diverse in age, sex, religion, political affiliation, and race. Now there's a challenge for you!

Sadly, the I Don't Give A Shit generation was out in force going to McDonald's instead of voting on Tuesday. When I voted after work there were maybe 3 people there voting. I think I've missed voting in any election once since I got married in 1996. Obviously most people don't care if they're governed by qualified people or liberals. Or hard-working people versus communists.

In other state election news, Roscoe Bartlett, the Congressman who formerly represented Carroll County, narrowly defeated challenger David Brinkley. He will go up against John Delaney, who defeated Rob Garagiola. Maryland States Senator Nancy Jacobs will go up against the rotund private-business-seizing, gas-guzzling SUV driver Dutch Ruppersberger. I would love to "Dutch" lose this one. Wouldn't you?

Did you vote? What do you think of the election results?