Andy Harris' Friends

Is anyone else tired of hearing about Andy Harris' friends? I'm sure you've heard the ad. They only play it EVERY commerical for EVERY program. Sure, Andy Harris' friends probably aren't my friends, but I'll bet it's also safe to say that Frank Kratovil's rich lawyer friends aren't your friends, either.

Sure, attack ads are just part of the political process. You say that you're awesome and your opponent sucks and then you make exaggerated outrageous claims against him that are entirely out of context and everyone thinks the other person is a jerk. Then the opponent plays the same ad, but changes roles, and the game continues.

For example, Frank Kratovil said that Andy Harris likes Big Utilities. Harris voted in favor of Big Utilities and got campaign contributions. Then Big Utilities raised our rates. Hello! Pretty much everyone in the Maryland General Assembly voted in favor of Big Utilities. And nearly all politicians, Republican and Democrat, including our humble Governor, Martin O'Malley, received campaign contributions from Big Utilities (e.g. Constellation Energy, aka BGE).

So, Mr. Frank Kratovil the hard-left leaning Liberal lawyer: when you get elected, which I unfortunately predict you will, let's see how much money you don't accept from Big Everything and stay true to yourself. I'll bet it lasts 2.3 seconds. As soon as you're in office, you'll be accepting money and voting in favor of your biggest contributors, not the voters in your district. Be honest - you know you're a dishonest crook just like the rest of them. That's oxymoronic, isn't it???

And here's a message for the Republican Party of Maryland. Maryland is full of Democrats. You are not going to win seats by running ultra conservatives like Andy Harris. The only Republicans outside of Western Maryland that can get elected are moderates. If Andy Harris loses this seat for Maryland Republicans, we will be left with 1 Republican in Congress - Roscoe Bartlett. And guess what? The district map will be redrawn in 2010 and you better believe that the uber-liberal O'Malley will redraw that district to go down into Montgomery County with the ultimate plan of permanently eliminating Republican Congressmen from Maryland.

We're outnumbered. Stop playing the game arrogantly and start playing it intelligently.

Your Money is THEIR Money

Christmas is approaching and what a joyous time it is. It's when families gather to exchange gift cards, because as a society we've become too damn lazy to make those educated purchases. Though it makes a parent proud to hear their children talking, "which gift cards did you get? I got..."

However, don't forget about those old gift cards and gift certificates. Hurry up and spend them. Otherwise, State Comptroller Peter Franchot will come 'a knockin'. You see, in the Special Session, some sneaky Democrats slipped in House Bill 30. What is House Bill 30 you ask?

It reads as follows:

Establishing the Maryland Education Fund; providing that after a specified date, the balance remaining on a gift certificate shall be presumed abandoned; requiring a person that sells or issues a gift certificate in the State to remit to the Comptroller the remaining balance on gift certificates on or before a specified date each year; etc.

For those of you that attended Baltimore City public schools and don't understand this bill, it means that the if you do not spend you gift certificate after 4 years, the State of Maryland will confiscate the balance for their own use. It is no longer your property. It is no longer the property of the company that issued the gift certificate. It is the property of the State.

Have you ever read 1984 by George Orwell? You might want to do so. The State of Maryland is watching you.

Who submitted this bill? You can pretty much bet that if you live in Montgomery County, Prince George's County, or Baltimore City, you delegate voted to confiscate your personal property.

Here are the sponsors of the bill. Do you know your delegate?
Delegate Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk, District 21 - Prince George's County - Laurel
Delegate Ben Barnes, District 21 - Prince George's County - Laurel
Delegate Aisha N. Braveboy, District 25 - Prince George's County -
Delegate Rudolph C. Cane, District 37A - Dorchester / Wicomico County
Delegate Frank M. Conaway, Jr., District 40 - Central Baltimore City
Delegate Barbara Frush, District 21 - Prince George's County
Delegate Tawanna P. Gaines, District 22 - Prince George's County
Delegate Cheryl D. Glenn, District 45 - east Baltimore City
Delegate Peter A. Hammen, District 46 - South and southeast Baltimore City
Delegate Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., District 23B - Prince George's County
Delegate Tom Hucker, District 20 - Montgomerty County
Delegate Jolene Ivey, District 47 - Prince George's County
Delegate Anne R. Kaiser, District 14 - Montgomery County
Delegate Susan C. Lee, District 16 - Montgomery County
Delegate Gerron S. Levi, District 23A - Prince George's County
Delegate Maggie McIntosh, District 43 - north central Baltimore City
Delegate Dan K. Morhaim, District 11 - western Baltimore County - (Owings Mills, Pikesville, Reisterstown)
Delegate Peter Murphy, District 28 - Charles County
Delegate Nathaniel T. Oaks, District 41 - northwest Baltimore City
Delegate Craig L. Rice, District 15 - Montgomery County
Delegate Barbara Robinson, District 40 - central Baltimore City
Delegate Justin D. Ross, District 22 - Prince George's County
Delegate Melvin L. Stukes, District 44 - west Baltimore City
Delegate Veronica Turner, District 26 - Prince George's County
Delegate Michael L. Vaughn, District 24 - Prince George's County
Delegate Jay Walker, District 26 - Prince George's County

We Love Taxes in Maryland

I gathered some quotes from O'Malley and his Democratic cohorts.

"I have seen the future and I will tax it."

"I never met a tax I didn't like."

Yesterday O'Malley signed the bill approving $1.7 Billion in new taxes (yes, BILLIONS). After signing it, he said, "It was hard to ask people to do more, but it would have been irresponsible to not ask the people of our state to choose to make progress''. It's disappointing that he thinks that raising taxes on the hard working middle class is progress. I guess it just depends on your definition of progress. If progress means "the government needs more money to control your lives and wants to control more", then yes, Maryland definitely made progress on Monday.

As for the slots, our unable Governor said, "We finally settled that most contentious issue of all that had divided us for these last four years by finding the humility to let the people decide." What the hell does that mean? Of course, anyone who didn't go to Baltimore City public schools or wasn't blinded by liberal propaganda taught at Montgomery County Public schools knows that this means that the legislators knew the slots would generate more revenue, but also know that many people in Maryland don't want slots. So if the legislators don't vote on it, then the voters can't hold it against them in the next election. But come on, 'humility'? Our legislators showed humility? Is that why the Democrats were wide-eyed and salivating when they heard how much money the taxes would generate? Because they showed humility???? You'll have to agree that O'Malley is the most condescending politician in recent Maryland history.

Additionally, feeble O'Malley said "This is one of the toughest things I think that you ever have to do in any sort of representative democracy, and that is to tell the people that we work for to tell one another that: 'Yes, we have to sacrifice more and we have to invest more." So the government is telling me that they are investing my money for me? And in investing it in what?

One of his plans is to add hundreds of thousands of children to the state health plan - including children that are already on their parent's insurance plans. Is this responsible? I hope for the middle class' sake, he invests the money more responsibly than he did a few years ago when he "lost" $50-some million playing cards with the Baltimore City public school board.

Finally, O'Malley's pompous cohort Michael Busch was quoted saying, "It puts all the demons behind us that we struggled with for the last six years." All I can say, Mr. Busch, is that if you would quit drinking so much, many of those demons will go away.

I have to go to work now. Gotta pay my taxes. It's for the people.

Good News Everybody!

The doctor called and I don't have mono, though I may be in bed with one of her cousins, which outside of sicknesses is one of my favorite situations.

So I read another 50-75 pages of Living Biblically. This book is fantastic. I really enjoy this dude's sense of humor. I highly recommend it. Hopefully I can finish it by the end of the month. Now that I'm back at work, my reading will subside to about 15-20 pages per night.

I slept a lot again yesterday, which is what I hear you should do when your sick. I also continued to watch lots of movies. I watched Fargo. Someone needs to help me with that one. Why was Jerry Lundegaard trying to get the money in the first place? It that even significant? Overall just a goofy movie. I also watched the Princess Bride. My friends who grew up in the 80's say this is one of their all-time favorites. Perhaps I should get some new friends. It was okay, but mostly hokey. Vizzini was funny. And everyone loves Andre the Giant.

I also watched I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. It was very funny for the first hour. The second hour fell into that "we need to tie this together and finish the movie" drama.

I also filled my day on Wikipedia. I decided to go through all of the Democrats in the Maryland General Assembly and add legislative notes to their bios indicating which ones voted in favor of raising the sales tax by 20% and which ones voted in favor of allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition. Apparently Delegate Anne Kaiser didn't take to it too well. I assume it was her changing the bio because the changes made were inconsistent to wikipedian's changes. Anyway, my changes were undone, but because it's Wikipedia, I get notification of changes and I went back and re-added it. Ha!

Anyway, I'm back at work today. Boo...

Moving Forward By Going In Reverse

After the first day of the Special Session called by Prince O'Malley, it is becoming clear to our glorious leader that his "consensus" is not all in agreement. Now that he may not get his ways, he's threatening to not give the 85% of the hard working middle class that cut in property taxes that he was using as a sales-pitch. "How dare you not agree with me! I'll take away your property tax cuts!!!"

To make matters worse, he's also threatening to close our police stations and parks. Now our children will have to play with illegal guns on busy interstates.

Additionally, the property-tax cut is now going to be tied to the slots bill. First the Teflon Leprechaun didn't want slots in our state because Governor Ehrlich wanted them. Now O'Malley wants them in Ocean City at Ocean Downs, the ocean-side family-oriented destination for millions of people.

Now, I'm not against slots, but I do believe that they bring in a seedier side of society. Look at Las Vegas and Atlantic City. They make TV crime shows about those places, because that's where the crime is. They don't make crime shows about Charlotte and Denver for that very same reason.

If slots is potentially going to bring in more criminals, let's put them where there is already a concentration of criminals - Baltimore City!!! And there's plenty of facilities in Baltimore City that aren't being used that could be converted into casinos - Dunbar High School, Walbrook High School, Patterson High School, etc...

Fortunately for the educated class, we can see right through his foggy rhetoric. Unfortunately for those living in Baltimore, none of this makes any sense, but they're in favor of it anyway. Per O'Malley's regressive tax plan, Maryland will not start moving forward again until his tax plans start moving us in reverse.

Special Session

Today is the first day of the Maryland Special Session, called on by our handsome, yet deceiving and condescending Governor, Martin O'Malley. Is this true? Yes, Martin O'Malley is handsome.

O'Malley has a bad habit and he has chosen to deal with his habit. He wants to be honest with the public. Yes - he has a problem. He loves to spend our money. In fact, he wants to spend so much of our money, that he's run out of money to spend. Now, O'Malley has a plan to deal with this problem. O'Malley has proposed an estimated 4,183 new taxes do deal with his bad habit.

Fortunately, 80% of Marylanders will pay less taxes under his new plan. Unfortunately, the other 95% will pay more.

For example, under his new plan, which is the largest tax increase in the history of the state of Maryland, only people that spend money will suffer from the 20% increase in sales tax. Additionally, only people that buy cars will fork over the 14% increase in vehicle registration taxes. This is on top of the 70% increase in electricity that he planned on stopping. That was, of course, until he planned on not stopping that 70% increase.

Many voters are outraged at these increases. Analysts show that these taxes will proportionally hit the lower and middle class the hardest. In fact, these taxes are so unpopular that O'Malley's approval rating has actually plunged. Fortunately for him, his mirror told him that he's still the fairest one in the land.

However, his growing unpopularity has caused him to strike back. He is soaking us with condescending commercials of an average middle class couple who know that O'Malley's huge appetite for spending lots of money is our previous governor's fault. And since the new tax package will affect businesses and the wealthy the most, then it must be okie-dokie!

And these commercials come with threats. "If you don't approve my threats, I'm going to punch you below the belt!" he appears to be saying. O'Malley says that if we don't start nodding happily at his massive tax increases, he will remove the police from our streets, fire our teachers, and have to stop giving medical attention to our elderly. Though for Baltimore City residents, the first 2 threats seem okay.

And everyone hates businesses. They're all greedy. That's why they hired us and pay us money so that we can buy SUV's and go out drinking every night - those bastards! And most of us don't work for wealthy people - we work for the poor, the uneducated, and the homeless, right? Oh, wait - that's liberal propaganda spewed in reverse. (We'll just ignore their flawed logic here.)

I have been searching for the time when the public can weigh in on this financially hurtful package. The public should have a say on such consequential legislation, right? After all, this will help determine if we buy new shoes and medication and feed our children or live in the dark and walk to work. However, no. There will be no public input. If you fear for your well-being - contact your state legislatures immediately. Tell them to tell O'Malley - "No, thanks!".

To find out who your elected officials are (because I know most of you don't vote and don't have a clue as to who determines your fate), go to this site:

http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/

Your elected representatives will appear on the left. You can then go to this page and contact your state legislator:

http://mlis.state.md.us/cgi-win/mail32.exe/

Good luck!