I Met the Candidates

Here's what I got from the Hampden Community Council's Meet the Candidate evening. It's fair enough that 99% of the people there were Republicans (or Constitutionalists, whatever the hell that means). If most elected officials in Maryland are Democrats, it makes sense that there would be more Republican challengers than Democratic ones.

But it made me think about last years' health care debate and those embarrassing town-hall scream-fests. I remember reading Republicans blogging about getting together to disrupt these events. Not to hear what people had to say, God forbid, but to shout them into stopping reform, because as everyone knows, health care reform is a gateway drug to Communism.

Well, the event last week didn't have anyone screaming, and no one was accused of trying to destroy the country. The right-wing arguments, however, remained the same. During the Q&A part of the evening, a Republican/Constitution Party woman was asked about health care. And here she was, armed with year-old talking points that didn't make any sense a year ago, and were simply laughable now.

The health care bill was too long, she said. No one could read 2000 pages!

A year ago, when the health care debate was still the hottest issue in the country, Republicans tried to stall the passage of the bill by claiming they needed time to read it. It was too long to read in the short amount of time they had to make up their minds. As if any of them would have voted Yes if they had more time.

But here she was, this ignorant right wing savior of the Constitution, saying she couldn't give an answer about health care reform because she didn't know what was in the bill. It was too long, see?

2000 pages. A year. That means about 5 pages a day. If you want to be elected, you should be able to read 5 pages a day.

And what did the crowd do when confronted with this laughable argument? Did they laugh her off the stage for saying something dumb and pathetic? Or did they all clap and cheer as if being expected to read 5 pages a day was un-American?

Republicans will cheer for any dumb speech, as long as it has code words. That's why they like Palin and Beck. They're all code words, without that pesky substance that only gets in the way.

Summer in the City

That's it. I'm ready for winter. Give me some snow to shovel.

Apparently they have two new chimps at the zoo. I haven't been there in a couple of months, but it's still one of my favorite Baltimore places. It's just so... surprisingly good. You really don't expect that place, built at the center of a park surrounded by what should be the best real estate in Maryland, to be anything but another missed opportunity. But it's not. So go there. And get a membership.

Got a new Prius. Was about to put an O'Malley/Brown sticker on the back, but then I thought, Isn't owning a Prius the same as saying you're an O'Malley/Brown supporter? It's like driving a pick-up with truck-nutz dangling off the back. Do you really need an Ehrlich/What's-Her-Name sticker next to the nutz?

And of course, Thanks, T-Rowe Price and Anonymous, for keeping city pools open.

I Wonder

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a place where I get to enjoy a day without complaining about the weather.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a place where I get home and find the toys my boy left on the front porch are still there an hour later, and not think, "See? It's not THAT bad here."

Sometimes I wonder if my norm has been adjusted according to my surrounding.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like not to live next to heroin dealers.

I love Baltimore. I love its mix of small-town comradery and... you know... stuff to do.

But sometimes I wonder.

How Not to Be a Journalist

Eye on Annapolis » How to lose $100M in three months

Imagine you're a journalist/newspaper blogger who thinks he's on to something. For a long time, your soul has been dying here, dreaming of that Pulitzer you know you deserve, and then--can it be? Did you stumble on an actual scoop?

Nick Sohr, a baby-faced cutie pie from the Daily Record, has followed the money to discover that "From May to August, it appears Maryland lost about $100 million, give or take, in stimulus funds."

It gets worse. See, the money is not simply lost! It's all about "federal matching dollars and extended funding for entitlement programs." The conclusion Sohr reaches is clear:

So the $100 million drop from Q1 to Q2 means Marylanders needed less government assistance from the stimulus programs intended to help the needy and sick.

Not a bad way to lose $100 million, eh?

It's not clear whether he's being genuinely happy, funny, or cynical, but it is clear he's wrong. See, there's a punch line hidden at the bottom of the article:

Update 4:13 p.m.:

The good people at StateStat have filled me in on the final numbers for the second quarter (which still includes a bit of guesswork on the future funding of entitlement programs) and the state’s allocation now sits at $4.36 billion.

So much for losing $100 million. In fact, by my count, we’re up.

So... Realizing the entire premise of your article is wrong, are you going to remove the article? Are you going to change the title of the article? Hand in your resignation? Or are you going to keep the entire article, including the misleading title up, and only add a funny little Update at the bottom, making sure not to allow anyone to comment on your journalistic credentials?

Eye on Annapolis » How to lose $100M in three months

We're Under Attack

Being a semi-functioning human being, it took everything I had to stop myself from shouting NERDZ at the Otakon ninjas today. In honor of their takeover of Baltimore, here's a video that sums up my childhood: avoiding the bullies.

Another Post Against the Remington Wal-Mart

Here's a short video from Bmore Local.

The video shoots in many directions, blaming city officials and The Baltimore Sun, among others, for cynically supporting the Remington Wal-Mart. It's an interesting video, which hopefully will convince more people to show their opposition to the plan.

The Remington Wal-Mart has many fans in the area, but the reasons for their support may not be entirely clear. Sure, some hold a Libertarian view that says anything should be allowed if it's paid for. And you know it's not beyond Wal-Mart to pay people for their support, whether by buying newspaper ad space or by handing out cash.

The question is whether we need the giant box to set our retail prices and retail wages, and to hold in its cynical corporate hands the future of that entire area. One decision, made thousands of miles away, can turn this Utopian "Everyone will have a job!" dream into a nightmare of a giant, abandoned box, surrounded by an abandoned parking lot, surrounded by abandoned neighborhoods.

About Maryland Politics

A friend told me his neighbor, who works for the GOP, has just put out a yard sign saying, "Another Democrat for Ehrlich."

But wait, there's more.

The same neighbor, on the day O'Malley became Governor, put a car sticker that read, "Don't blame me, I voted for Ehrlich."

On the DAY O'Malley became Governor.

It all fits perfectly with the crook's 2006 Philadelphia busing (thanks for the link, Steve).

I can't understand anyone voting for any Republican after eight years of Bush.

I can't understand any moderate or independent voting for Ehrlich after his embrace of the Tea Party.

I can't understand anyone voting for Ehrlich after he was caught spying on MD residents.

I can't understand any Republican thinking highly of Ehrlich after he introduced Michael Steele to the world.

But hey, I understand recent polls are now within the margin of error. A sucker born every minute, I suppose.

(Or are they really that close?)