Winter Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
1006 PM EST THU FEB 25 2010
DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CAMBRIDGE...SALISBURY...CRISFIELD...PRINCESS ANNE...SNOW HILL...OCEAN CITY
1006 PM EST THU FEB 25 2010
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM ESTFRIDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST FRIDAY.
A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY OFF THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COAST. THIS LOW WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN NEW YORK OVERNIGHT NIGHT AND STALL THERE THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL PUSH MOISTURE SOUTHWARD THROUGH NEW JERSEY AND INTO THE DELMARVA OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING...PRODUCING A PERIOD OF SNOW.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE BY MIDDAY FRIDAY WITH LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES CONTINUING INTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...BEFORE THE SNOW COMES TO AN END LATE FRIDAY.
IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW...SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MPH WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES...AND MAY IMPACT TRAVEL AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY DURING THE FRIDAY MORNING COMMUTE.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Update On School For Friday
While many of you with children received a call from Dr. Fredericksen earlier this evening stating school will end 2 hours early on Monday, he went on to say we'll see you Monday.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN SCHOOL IS CLOSED ON FRIDAY.
I'm sure Dr. Fredericksen didn't mean to come off sounding like School would be closed on Friday, so don't use that excuse. He never stated there would be no School on Friday.
I have made several attempts to make contact with my people within the Board of Ed but I have not been successful as of yet.
That being said, Dr. Fredericksen, IF you feel the need to correct your statement earlier tonight with better details, PLEASE DO NOT WAIT until 5:30 AM tomorrow morning to do so.
We'll keep you posted on any updates towards any delays for Friday. We were also informed that Friday is the makeup day for "Grandparents Day" at Wicomico County Schools. I have not received any information stating this will not take place. My suggestion at this time is to follow the makeup information for Friday. If that changes we will let you know as well.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN SCHOOL IS CLOSED ON FRIDAY.
I'm sure Dr. Fredericksen didn't mean to come off sounding like School would be closed on Friday, so don't use that excuse. He never stated there would be no School on Friday.
I have made several attempts to make contact with my people within the Board of Ed but I have not been successful as of yet.
That being said, Dr. Fredericksen, IF you feel the need to correct your statement earlier tonight with better details, PLEASE DO NOT WAIT until 5:30 AM tomorrow morning to do so.
We'll keep you posted on any updates towards any delays for Friday. We were also informed that Friday is the makeup day for "Grandparents Day" at Wicomico County Schools. I have not received any information stating this will not take place. My suggestion at this time is to follow the makeup information for Friday. If that changes we will let you know as well.
State Police On Scene Of Double Fatal Crash
Location: Route 13 southbound in front of the Smyrna Rest Area, Smyrna, Delaware, New Castle County
Date of Occurrence: Thursday, February 25, 2010, at 4:31 p.m.
Resume: State Troopers and emergency personnel are currently on the scene of a double fatal crash on Route 13 southbound in front of the Smyrna Rest Area.
Preliminary reports from the scene indicate at least two vehicles are involved and two subjects have been pronounced dead at the scene.
Motorists are strongly encouraged to avoid the area for the next several hours as this scene is extensive and will take quite some time to investigate.
A more complete release will be provided later tonight once details are known and confirmed.
Date of Occurrence: Thursday, February 25, 2010, at 4:31 p.m.
Resume: State Troopers and emergency personnel are currently on the scene of a double fatal crash on Route 13 southbound in front of the Smyrna Rest Area.
Preliminary reports from the scene indicate at least two vehicles are involved and two subjects have been pronounced dead at the scene.
Motorists are strongly encouraged to avoid the area for the next several hours as this scene is extensive and will take quite some time to investigate.
A more complete release will be provided later tonight once details are known and confirmed.
STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ON THE PASSING OF REDS WOLMAN
ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 25, 2010) – Governor O’Malley today issued the following statement upon learning of the death of M. Gordon “Reds” Wolman, Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University:
“The State of Maryland has lost a great citizen, friend, and conservationist with the passing of distinguished scholar Reds Wolman.
“With unparalleled personal and professional commitment to our natural resources and our environment, Reds pioneered actions on geologic and water quality issues including sediment, shore erosion control, oyster restoration and groundwater. He was also a tireless advocate for the State programs and employees who manage these vital resources.
“His work and his spirit will continue to guide us as we work to create a sustainable future for Maryland.”
“The State of Maryland has lost a great citizen, friend, and conservationist with the passing of distinguished scholar Reds Wolman.
“With unparalleled personal and professional commitment to our natural resources and our environment, Reds pioneered actions on geologic and water quality issues including sediment, shore erosion control, oyster restoration and groundwater. He was also a tireless advocate for the State programs and employees who manage these vital resources.
“His work and his spirit will continue to guide us as we work to create a sustainable future for Maryland.”
WILL THEY CLOSE SCHOOLS AGAIN TOMORROW?
Winter Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
1233 PM EST THU FEB 25 2010
DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CAMBRIDGE...SALISBURY...CRISFIELD...PRINCESS ANNE...SNOW HILL...OCEAN CITY
1233 PM EST THU FEB 25 2010
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST FRIDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST FRIDAY.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF LESS THAN AN INCH CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF TODAY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER 1 TO 4 INCHES LATER TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY FRIDAY. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...BEFORE THE SNOW COMES TO AN END LATE FRIDAY.
IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW...SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 45 MPH WILL DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES...AND MAY CAUSE WHITE OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
1233 PM EST THU FEB 25 2010
DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CAMBRIDGE...SALISBURY...CRISFIELD...PRINCESS ANNE...SNOW HILL...OCEAN CITY
1233 PM EST THU FEB 25 2010
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST FRIDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST FRIDAY.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF LESS THAN AN INCH CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF TODAY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER 1 TO 4 INCHES LATER TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY FRIDAY. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...BEFORE THE SNOW COMES TO AN END LATE FRIDAY.
IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW...SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 45 MPH WILL DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES...AND MAY CAUSE WHITE OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES.
RESPONSE TO TODAY'S POST ABOUT THE PROPOSED PRISON
Whoever wrote that post -- Another Prison, Somerset? Please Think Again -- is either misinformed or has an agenda, or both.
It will be privately owned and operated under a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Thus, the land (and the new buildings) will be on the County's tax rolls. Although the precise amount of property tax revenue won't be known until the facility is built and assessed for taxes, it probably will exceed $500,000 each year, and there will be almost no County services needed except water & sewer that will be paid for at the going rates. No new utility lines or public roads are needed.
It will create about 350 permanent jobs (all private sector) at the facility and the payroll will be about 17.5 Million Dollars, including benefits, initially. The average starting salary is estimated to be about $42,000 per year, including benefits.
Obviously, it is impossible to say how many of the employees will live in Somerset County, but many will, including both current residents and new ones who will further add to the tax base there. No doubt some will live in Wicomico County and Worcester County and help the tax base there. And there will be income tax revenue generated for those jurisdictions as well.
The same is true regarding the construction -- because some of the materials and equipment are of a special nature, they won't be sold by local vendors, but that won't be the case for other things -- concrete, lumber, etc. The construction workers will be determined largely by who the successful bidders are, but some, possibly most, will be local. After the facility is operating, it will furnish additional business for local firms.
Much of the post is sheer speculation and innuendo about people moving to Somerset County and returning there after release, etc. The bashing of ECI is not the view of most residents of Somerset County. At the numerous hearings that have been held during recent months, the only objection has been by a handful of folks who don't like jails.
Certain persons have been spreading rumors, totally false, about the facility, such as the ridiculous one about housing prisoners from Guantanamo. It will be designed -- and thus must be used -- as a prison for low-security. There will be a double perimeter fence and full time perimeter patrol. Unfortunately, the post mentioned above is replete with more falsehood and fear-mongering.
Thanks for putting before the public the facts stated in this response, to refute the speculative or erroneous (and deliberate-?) fabrication in the earlier post.
It will be privately owned and operated under a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Thus, the land (and the new buildings) will be on the County's tax rolls. Although the precise amount of property tax revenue won't be known until the facility is built and assessed for taxes, it probably will exceed $500,000 each year, and there will be almost no County services needed except water & sewer that will be paid for at the going rates. No new utility lines or public roads are needed.
It will create about 350 permanent jobs (all private sector) at the facility and the payroll will be about 17.5 Million Dollars, including benefits, initially. The average starting salary is estimated to be about $42,000 per year, including benefits.
Obviously, it is impossible to say how many of the employees will live in Somerset County, but many will, including both current residents and new ones who will further add to the tax base there. No doubt some will live in Wicomico County and Worcester County and help the tax base there. And there will be income tax revenue generated for those jurisdictions as well.
The same is true regarding the construction -- because some of the materials and equipment are of a special nature, they won't be sold by local vendors, but that won't be the case for other things -- concrete, lumber, etc. The construction workers will be determined largely by who the successful bidders are, but some, possibly most, will be local. After the facility is operating, it will furnish additional business for local firms.
Much of the post is sheer speculation and innuendo about people moving to Somerset County and returning there after release, etc. The bashing of ECI is not the view of most residents of Somerset County. At the numerous hearings that have been held during recent months, the only objection has been by a handful of folks who don't like jails.
Certain persons have been spreading rumors, totally false, about the facility, such as the ridiculous one about housing prisoners from Guantanamo. It will be designed -- and thus must be used -- as a prison for low-security. There will be a double perimeter fence and full time perimeter patrol. Unfortunately, the post mentioned above is replete with more falsehood and fear-mongering.
Thanks for putting before the public the facts stated in this response, to refute the speculative or erroneous (and deliberate-?) fabrication in the earlier post.
There Will Be A Show Tonight At 6 PM
Salisbury News is now in a position to deliver a daily 6 PM News Broadcast 5 days a week. That being said, we will have a Show tonight and Friday night. Enjoy!
5 For $5.95 At Arby's
Training Wheels?The new Hazmat Tractor Trailer was cruising around Salisbury today. With all the snow and ice on the roads, I'm sure this was a precautionary measure, just in case something happened. In the mean time guys, Arby's has a 5 for $5.95 deal, since you were headed that way.
MY GOSH . . . SAY IT ISN'T SO. . .NOT AGAIN!
I have lost count on the number of times that this fence has been hit. Although I know that this section of roadway - Beaglin Park Drive - is a little winding - but for the life of me - I cannot figure out why so many cars and trucks run off the roadway and strike this section of fence. I estimate that this section of fence has been hit, and replaced, at least 10 times over the past 5-7 years.
Is there anyone out there that can help to explain this phenomenon?
I shot this photograph while driving so please forgive me if it is not all that great.
Former Madoff Executive Charged With Fraud
Bonventre would be sixth to face criminal charges over Ponzi scheme
NEW YORK - The former operations director for Bernard Madoff Investment Securities was arrested Thursday to face conspiracy, securities fraud and tax charges.
Daniel Bonventre, 63, was arrested at his Manhattan home, said FBI spokesman James Margolin. Bonventre was expected to appear in federal court later in the day.
Prosecutors said that, with Bonventre's knowledge, hundreds of millions of dollars were siphoned out of accounts belonging to Madoff's clients and used to support other aspects of his business. In some cases, Madoff's company used client money as collateral to obtain loans.
GO HERE to read more.
Worcester County FY10 Fire Hydrant Project
Dear Sir,
A friend of yours suggested that the following information be forwarded to you.
enclosed correspondence to Worcester County. This bonded project is to be awarded to a Churchville, Maryland contractor.MARCOR a local 25 year contractor was low bid and the commissioners position is not supported. They had not all the facts!
Marcor is as qualified as the other contractor,but the county would rather spend an additional $248,809.00 dollars for a " BONDED PROJECT".In addition 20 local workers would be on the payroll and spend there money locality.With your support, I feel that the tax payers should have knowledge of TAX DOLLARS at work.Someone is going to pay these additional costs.
Also I feel that the commissioners did not have all the facts.This project was approved on February 16,2010 at the last meeting?Marcor had no prior knowledge of this meeting to answer and support our bid.The information provided will support
that not all the facts have been considered as presented to the commissioners.
Thank for your service to the community,
Richard E. Moore
Editors Note: The author of this message did in fact provide the documents mentioned but there were far too many for me to post.
Another Prison, Somerset? Please Think Again
Before the people of Princess Anne and Somerset County gratefully accept the arrival of a new prison, even a minimum security prison, everyone should be aware of a few important things:
-Virtually all of the construction jobs will be bid out to out-of-state workers, not locals. They will pay their income taxes elsewhere and contribute almost nothing to the local economy except for the short time they're there, and that only to motels, fast-food outlets, gas stations/convenience stores, restaurants and grocery stores.
-All of the construction materials will come from out-of-state. Not a nail, concrete block or lightbulb will be sold by local or even regional vendors for this project.
-Much of the professional and other staff of the facility will live outside Somerset County, just as much of the ECI staff does. Very little tax base increase will be seen for the county and the town. Higher taxes will rapidly come to make up for the ever-increasing drain on local resources.
-The property on which the prison will be built will be taken off the property tax rolls. It will be a private concern, but federally sponsored. It will never re-enter the tax rolls.
-Prisoners' families and “others” will move to Somerset County and nearby to be closer to their men. A great many of them will be recipients of welfare dollars, and will be using other local social welfare programs, like health care, which will put a strain on Somerset's already overburdened system. Every single one of those people will live in rental housing, and much of that rental housing will be paid for by your ever-increasing tax dollars. More cheap, dense rental housing will be built. More people will sell ther houses to landlords, who will offer premium prices to have more rental units. More illegal conversions will take place. More communities will suffer. More public services will be necessary (fire, police, ambulance) to deal with the increase in what are consistently the highest users of those services. More taxes will be necessary to pay for them.
-Many of those who move to the area will be criminals in their own right, including having gang ties or outright membership and active gang recruiting skills. The crime rate will increase, more law enforcement will be necessary at town and county levels, more locals will become criminals themselves, and more local people of all ages and walks of life will be victims, exposed and put at risk. And, of course, taxes will go up to deal with it all.
-Released prisoners may be taken to "other places" for release, but what's cheaper, a bus ticket or a ride with family back to the Eastern Shore or a move of an entire family to the “other places”? Look forward to the addition of even more recipients on social services rolls as prisoners are released, more crime and higher taxes to account for it all. Look forward to more organized crime as more releasees join the area's huge numbers of permanently unemployed or underemployed. More crime means more law enforcement, more court time, more parole and probation staff, more equipment, more fuel, more taxes.
-Karen-Lee Brofee, Somerset's Superintendent of Schools “sees no harm” in another prison coming to Somerset. Ask her to examine the period since ECI arrived and to compare it with graduation rates and disciplinary records of the years before. What she'll find is that within a few years of ECI's arrival, the quality of education in Somerset County dropped, while disciplinary incidents steadily rose and are the worst they've ever been in Somerset history. What she may tell you, though, is something else entirely. She's a politician. Instead, privately ask a teacher you might know about what he or she thinks of another prison coming to town and you may get a straighter answer. Ask a social worker how many of the kids that come from prisoner families are so screwed up that they'll never be productive members of society. Ask yourself how many more of those kids you want to be living in your town and going to school with your kids.
Somerset, you're digging yourself another hole and pulling a lot of others in with you.
Your quality of life didn't noticeably rise when ECI came to your county, and to expect that it will when another prison is built is sheer folly.
What did rise are crime, taxes, welfare numbers and strain on your and neighboring counties' infrastructures. Expect more of the same this time.
Editors Note: This wss a Letter to the Editor.
-Virtually all of the construction jobs will be bid out to out-of-state workers, not locals. They will pay their income taxes elsewhere and contribute almost nothing to the local economy except for the short time they're there, and that only to motels, fast-food outlets, gas stations/convenience stores, restaurants and grocery stores.
-All of the construction materials will come from out-of-state. Not a nail, concrete block or lightbulb will be sold by local or even regional vendors for this project.
-Much of the professional and other staff of the facility will live outside Somerset County, just as much of the ECI staff does. Very little tax base increase will be seen for the county and the town. Higher taxes will rapidly come to make up for the ever-increasing drain on local resources.
-The property on which the prison will be built will be taken off the property tax rolls. It will be a private concern, but federally sponsored. It will never re-enter the tax rolls.
-Prisoners' families and “others” will move to Somerset County and nearby to be closer to their men. A great many of them will be recipients of welfare dollars, and will be using other local social welfare programs, like health care, which will put a strain on Somerset's already overburdened system. Every single one of those people will live in rental housing, and much of that rental housing will be paid for by your ever-increasing tax dollars. More cheap, dense rental housing will be built. More people will sell ther houses to landlords, who will offer premium prices to have more rental units. More illegal conversions will take place. More communities will suffer. More public services will be necessary (fire, police, ambulance) to deal with the increase in what are consistently the highest users of those services. More taxes will be necessary to pay for them.
-Many of those who move to the area will be criminals in their own right, including having gang ties or outright membership and active gang recruiting skills. The crime rate will increase, more law enforcement will be necessary at town and county levels, more locals will become criminals themselves, and more local people of all ages and walks of life will be victims, exposed and put at risk. And, of course, taxes will go up to deal with it all.
-Released prisoners may be taken to "other places" for release, but what's cheaper, a bus ticket or a ride with family back to the Eastern Shore or a move of an entire family to the “other places”? Look forward to the addition of even more recipients on social services rolls as prisoners are released, more crime and higher taxes to account for it all. Look forward to more organized crime as more releasees join the area's huge numbers of permanently unemployed or underemployed. More crime means more law enforcement, more court time, more parole and probation staff, more equipment, more fuel, more taxes.
-Karen-Lee Brofee, Somerset's Superintendent of Schools “sees no harm” in another prison coming to Somerset. Ask her to examine the period since ECI arrived and to compare it with graduation rates and disciplinary records of the years before. What she'll find is that within a few years of ECI's arrival, the quality of education in Somerset County dropped, while disciplinary incidents steadily rose and are the worst they've ever been in Somerset history. What she may tell you, though, is something else entirely. She's a politician. Instead, privately ask a teacher you might know about what he or she thinks of another prison coming to town and you may get a straighter answer. Ask a social worker how many of the kids that come from prisoner families are so screwed up that they'll never be productive members of society. Ask yourself how many more of those kids you want to be living in your town and going to school with your kids.
Somerset, you're digging yourself another hole and pulling a lot of others in with you.
Your quality of life didn't noticeably rise when ECI came to your county, and to expect that it will when another prison is built is sheer folly.
What did rise are crime, taxes, welfare numbers and strain on your and neighboring counties' infrastructures. Expect more of the same this time.
Editors Note: This wss a Letter to the Editor.
Boy Do I Feel Used!
While the Daily Times gets paid for every subscription, we sit here all alone today delivering news and information without collecting a penny from our readers.
You know the old saying, If I only had a nickel for every time someone did this or that I'd be a rich man today. Well, if I only had a nickel for every time someone clicked on Salisbury News I'd be a richer man today, that's for sure.
Our numbers already this morning went through the roof. Clearly whenever anyone on the Eastern Shore wants to know what's going on and they have access to a computer, believe me Folks, they come to Salisbury News.
This is what makes it all worth while. We never plan on charging our visitors to come see what we have available but to our advertisers, man are they getting a deal, or what! If you want to be seen and want so save a ton of money versus the MSM, contact me at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com and we'll get you set up right away.
Like us or not, everyone is coming here several times a day to see what's going on locally and nationally. Thanks for visiting Folks and if you missed last night's Nightly News, GO HERE to view it.
You know the old saying, If I only had a nickel for every time someone did this or that I'd be a rich man today. Well, if I only had a nickel for every time someone clicked on Salisbury News I'd be a richer man today, that's for sure.
Our numbers already this morning went through the roof. Clearly whenever anyone on the Eastern Shore wants to know what's going on and they have access to a computer, believe me Folks, they come to Salisbury News.
This is what makes it all worth while. We never plan on charging our visitors to come see what we have available but to our advertisers, man are they getting a deal, or what! If you want to be seen and want so save a ton of money versus the MSM, contact me at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com and we'll get you set up right away.
Like us or not, everyone is coming here several times a day to see what's going on locally and nationally. Thanks for visiting Folks and if you missed last night's Nightly News, GO HERE to view it.
Should We “Throw All The Bums Out”?
As usual, last night’s Lower Shore AFP meeting was interesting. Ed Urban of the Wicomico Tourism Board spoke about why the County Council did the right thing by spending $1.5 million of “free money” for a new parking lot at the civic center. While I don’t thing many folks agreed, the discussion was civil. Salisbury City Councilwoman Debbie Campbell came to explain how the current council majority AND the Ireton administration are illegally spending tax dollars WITHOUT appropriation.
For me, the most engaging moments came AFTER the meeting was over. I listened to several good people make the argument that just because someone is an incumbent, they are somehow “tainted”. This is a view that disturbs me greatly. Experience is not a crime. In fact, most societies have considered it a virtue.
When discussing a possible run for office by an incumbent in another office, the response by several people was that this gentlemen had already served in government and was now corrupted by “the good old boys”. I asked if there was any evidence to that statement. No, there wasn’t. “But what has this person accomplished?” I explained that this person was one of only two people in county government who had proposed tax relief during the last four years. That didn’t seem to matter because this individual had not been able to garner the requisite number of votes to gather a veto-proof majority.
While everyone has a right to their opinion, I like a little logic in my debates. Using this version of “logic”, we should throw Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen off of the Salisbury Council because they don’t vote with the majority. Forget the fact that their vocal opposition has embarrassed the current majority out of wasting more hundreds of thousands of tax dollars than they already have. Using this “logic” voters should fire such fiscal and constitutional stalwarts as Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ). While I whole heartedly agree that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) should be summarily thrown from the House leadership, there conservative voting records don’t merit their being thrown out of Congress by the voters of their respective districts.
As someone who has worked for several members of Congress and helped many members of state legislatures get elected I know more than most that incumbency can (and sadly often does) ruin many promising elected officials. That is why I have long advocated cleaning house in the Republican party before we again argue that the GOP deserves to be handed the reigns of power again. However, not all incumbents are tainted. I wish that all were as forthright as DeMint and Coburn; but they’re not. Many incumbents on the GOP side, such as Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), need to go. Just abut every Democrat does.
Just because someone is an incumbent is not reason to throw a person to the wolves. If we do, I guarantee that certain things will happen. One, the GOP will have a pretty good year this year. That will happen regardless. However, what will happen in 2012 and beyond? The same argument of “they haven’t accomplished ENOUGH” will be used against those same well meaning folk who rode an anti-incumbency wave into office.
While I’m a big supporter of reasonable term limits, I like a little experience in my elected officials. No, not every one should be an incumbent. Nobody should be able to make a career out of “public service”. Yet, struggling to do the right thing in the minority – and failing – certainly isn’t reason to rid any government of its best and brightest officials. Such a view is almost as dangerous as allowing a potentially great movement to be co-opted (and corrupted) by the GOP. If certain well intentioned folk in the tea party movement don’t learn this lesson, a grand idea will die a fairly quick and painful death.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
Warning Signs
Article by Alan Caruba on his blog “Warning Signs” 1/2/10
"I have this theory about Barack Obama. I think he's led a kind of make-believe life in which money was provided and doors were opened because at some point early on somebody or some group took a look at this tall, good looking, half-white, half-black, young man with an exotic African/Muslim name and concluded he could be guided toward a life in politics where his facile speaking skills could even put him in the White House.
In a very real way, he has been a young man in a very big hurry. Who else do you know has written two memoirs before the age of 45? "Dreams of My Father" was published in 1995 when he was only 34 years old. The "Audacity of Hope" followed in 2006. If, indeed, he did write them himself. There are some who think that his mentor and friend, Bill Ayers, a man who calls himself a "communist with a small 'c'" was the real author.
His political skills consisted of rarely voting on anything that might be deemed controversial. He went from a legislator in the Illinois legislature to the Senator from that state because he had the good fortune of having Mayor Daley's formidable political machine at his disposal.
He was in the U.S. Senate so briefly that his bid for the presidency was either an act of astonishing self-confidence or part of some greater game plan that had been determined before he first stepped foot in the Capital.
How, many must wonder, was he selected to be a 2004 keynote speaker at the Democratic convention that nominated John Kerry when virtually no one had ever even heard of him before?
He outmaneuvered Hillary Clinton in primaries. He took Iowa by storm. A charming young man, an anomaly in the state with a very small black population, he oozed "cool" in a place where agriculture was the antithesis of cool. He dazzled the locals. And he had an army of volunteers drawn to a charisma that hid any real substance.
And then he had the great good fortune of having the Republicans select one of
the most inept candidates for the presidency since Bob Dole. And then John McCain did something crazy. He picked Sarah Palin, an unknown female governor from the very distant state of Alaska . It was a ticket that was reminiscent of 1984's Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro and they went down to defeat.
The mainstream political media fell in love with him. It was a schoolgirl crush with febrile commentators like Chris Mathews swooning then and now over the man. The venom directed against McCain and, in particular, Palin, was extraordinary.
Now, nearly a full year into his first term, all of those gilded years leading up to the White House have left him unprepared to be President.
Left to his own instincts, he has a talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. It swiftly became a joke that he could not deliver even the briefest of statements without the ever-present Tele-Prompters.
Far worse, however, is his capacity to want to "wish away" some terrible realities, not the least of which is the Islamist intention to destroy America and enslave the West. Any student of history knows how swiftly Islam initially spread. It knocked on the doors of Europe, having gained a foothold in Spain.
The great crowds that greeted him at home or on his campaign "world tour" were no substitute for having even the slightest grasp of history and the reality of a world filled with really bad people with really bad intentions.
Oddly and perhaps even inevitably, his political experience, a cakewalk, has positioned him to destroy the Democrat Party's hold on power in Congress because in the end it was never about the Party. It was always about his communist ideology, learned at an early age from family, mentors, college professors, and extreme leftist friends and colleagues.
Obama is a man who could deliver a snap judgment about a Boston police officer who arrested an "obstreperous" Harvard professor-friend, but would warn Americans against "jumping to conclusions" about a mass murderer at Fort Hood who shouted "Allahu Akbar." The absurdity of that was lost on no one. He has since compounded this by calling the Christmas bomber "an isolated extremist" only to have to admit a day or two later that he was part of an al Qaeda plot.
He is a man who could strive to close down our detention facility at Guantanamo even though those released were known to have returned to the battlefield against America . He could even instruct his Attorney General to afford the perpetrator of 9/11 a civil trial when no one else would ever even consider such an obscenity. And he is a man who could wait three days before having anything to say about the perpetrator of yet another terrorist attack on Americans and then have to elaborate on his remarks the following day because his first statement was so lame.
The pattern repeats itself. He either blames any problem on the Bush administration or he naively seeks to wish away the truth.
Knock, knock. Anyone home? Anyone there? Barack Obama exists only as the sock puppet of his handlers, of the people who have maneuvered and manufactured this pathetic individual's life.
When anyone else would quickly and easily produce a birth certificate, this man has spent over a million dollars to deny access to his. Most other documents, the paper trail we all leave in our wake, have been sequestered from review. He has lived a make-believe life whose true facts remain hidden.
We laugh at the ventriloquist's dummy, but what do you do when the dummy is President of the United States of America ?
"I have this theory about Barack Obama. I think he's led a kind of make-believe life in which money was provided and doors were opened because at some point early on somebody or some group took a look at this tall, good looking, half-white, half-black, young man with an exotic African/Muslim name and concluded he could be guided toward a life in politics where his facile speaking skills could even put him in the White House.
In a very real way, he has been a young man in a very big hurry. Who else do you know has written two memoirs before the age of 45? "Dreams of My Father" was published in 1995 when he was only 34 years old. The "Audacity of Hope" followed in 2006. If, indeed, he did write them himself. There are some who think that his mentor and friend, Bill Ayers, a man who calls himself a "communist with a small 'c'" was the real author.
His political skills consisted of rarely voting on anything that might be deemed controversial. He went from a legislator in the Illinois legislature to the Senator from that state because he had the good fortune of having Mayor Daley's formidable political machine at his disposal.
He was in the U.S. Senate so briefly that his bid for the presidency was either an act of astonishing self-confidence or part of some greater game plan that had been determined before he first stepped foot in the Capital.
How, many must wonder, was he selected to be a 2004 keynote speaker at the Democratic convention that nominated John Kerry when virtually no one had ever even heard of him before?
He outmaneuvered Hillary Clinton in primaries. He took Iowa by storm. A charming young man, an anomaly in the state with a very small black population, he oozed "cool" in a place where agriculture was the antithesis of cool. He dazzled the locals. And he had an army of volunteers drawn to a charisma that hid any real substance.
And then he had the great good fortune of having the Republicans select one of
the most inept candidates for the presidency since Bob Dole. And then John McCain did something crazy. He picked Sarah Palin, an unknown female governor from the very distant state of Alaska . It was a ticket that was reminiscent of 1984's Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro and they went down to defeat.
The mainstream political media fell in love with him. It was a schoolgirl crush with febrile commentators like Chris Mathews swooning then and now over the man. The venom directed against McCain and, in particular, Palin, was extraordinary.
Now, nearly a full year into his first term, all of those gilded years leading up to the White House have left him unprepared to be President.
Left to his own instincts, he has a talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. It swiftly became a joke that he could not deliver even the briefest of statements without the ever-present Tele-Prompters.
Far worse, however, is his capacity to want to "wish away" some terrible realities, not the least of which is the Islamist intention to destroy America and enslave the West. Any student of history knows how swiftly Islam initially spread. It knocked on the doors of Europe, having gained a foothold in Spain.
The great crowds that greeted him at home or on his campaign "world tour" were no substitute for having even the slightest grasp of history and the reality of a world filled with really bad people with really bad intentions.
Oddly and perhaps even inevitably, his political experience, a cakewalk, has positioned him to destroy the Democrat Party's hold on power in Congress because in the end it was never about the Party. It was always about his communist ideology, learned at an early age from family, mentors, college professors, and extreme leftist friends and colleagues.
Obama is a man who could deliver a snap judgment about a Boston police officer who arrested an "obstreperous" Harvard professor-friend, but would warn Americans against "jumping to conclusions" about a mass murderer at Fort Hood who shouted "Allahu Akbar." The absurdity of that was lost on no one. He has since compounded this by calling the Christmas bomber "an isolated extremist" only to have to admit a day or two later that he was part of an al Qaeda plot.
He is a man who could strive to close down our detention facility at Guantanamo even though those released were known to have returned to the battlefield against America . He could even instruct his Attorney General to afford the perpetrator of 9/11 a civil trial when no one else would ever even consider such an obscenity. And he is a man who could wait three days before having anything to say about the perpetrator of yet another terrorist attack on Americans and then have to elaborate on his remarks the following day because his first statement was so lame.
The pattern repeats itself. He either blames any problem on the Bush administration or he naively seeks to wish away the truth.
Knock, knock. Anyone home? Anyone there? Barack Obama exists only as the sock puppet of his handlers, of the people who have maneuvered and manufactured this pathetic individual's life.
When anyone else would quickly and easily produce a birth certificate, this man has spent over a million dollars to deny access to his. Most other documents, the paper trail we all leave in our wake, have been sequestered from review. He has lived a make-believe life whose true facts remain hidden.
We laugh at the ventriloquist's dummy, but what do you do when the dummy is President of the United States of America ?
SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA
MARCH 1, 2010
CONFERENCE ROOM 306
GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING
SPECIAL MEETING – 4:30 p.m.
Ordinance No. 2099 – 2nd reading – amendment to the FY10 Sewer Fund Budget to appropriate surplus funds to pay a civil penalty for violations of the discharge permit for the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant
WORK SESSION – following conclusion of Special Meeting
Briefing – S. Division Street/Onley Road/Bateman Street intersection – Teresa Gardner
Amendments to Stormwater Management Ordinance – Teresa Gardner
Amending Section 8.24 of the Salisbury Municipal Code for enforcing nuisance violations – Tom Stevenson
Dead tree Ordinance – Tom Stevenson
Graffiti Ordinance – Tom Stevenson
General discussion/upcoming agendas
Not ALL Schools Are Closed
Talbot County Public Schools are open and operating on a normal schedule.
Las escuelas públicas del condado de Talbot estarán operando en los horarios normales.
It appears that schools in mid Shore Counties -- Dorchester, Talbot, Caroline, Queen Anne's -- are opened, so why are they closed here (Wicomico. Worcester & Somerset)???
Las escuelas públicas del condado de Talbot estarán operando en los horarios normales.
It appears that schools in mid Shore Counties -- Dorchester, Talbot, Caroline, Queen Anne's -- are opened, so why are they closed here (Wicomico. Worcester & Somerset)???
Excuse Me, Is This Seat Taken?
This photo, taken by an American Airlines flight attendant and posted on Flightglobal.com late last year, shows an obese passenger encroaching into the aisle.Airlines increasingly single out fliers they deem too fat to fly
Flying in coach is never comfortable, but it’s getting downright awkward for bigger passengers as airlines increasingly single out customers they deem too fat to fly.
The issue made headlines in early February when the director Kevin Smith, best known for “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy,” was thrown off a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to Burbank, Calif., because the crew determined he was too big. Mr. Smith turned to his Twitter account to vent: “I broke no regulation, offered no ‘safety risk’ (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I was wrongly ejected from the flight.”
Southwest, like most of the major United States carriers, has had a formal policy in place for years requiring that passengers who can’t physically fit into a single airline seat must buy two. Though such rules have long been denounced as discriminatory by advocates for the obese, they have gained the support of fliers who believe charging passengers who take up more room than the average person is only fair. Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, shrinking airline capacity has aggravated the issue with passengers of all sizes facing more tightly packed flights and cramped seating.
GO HERE to read more from the New York Times.
Breaking News
FBI says it has arrested former operations director for Madoff Investment Securities. More to come.....
Initial Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly
Analysts point out economy seems to be growing, but hiring not picking up
WASHINGTON - The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as heavy snows led to higher layoffs.
In addition, many state agencies in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions that process the claims were closed due to the storms and are now clearing out backlogs, a Labor Department analyst said.
Still, the increase is likely to amplify concerns that the job market is weakening, potentially slowing the economic recovery.
GO HERE to read more.
GOP Health Vs White House
Joe,
Mitch Stewart of the Obamanation site www.whitehouse.gov directed me Monday to that site to view Barack’s Health Plan that would be discussed today. I found two things there. First thing was that there was no real “text” to read, only the “explanation for dummies” B.S. which tells me that it’s the same crap in a different bag. The other thing I saw was in the upper right hand corner http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/02/22/will-republicans-post-their-health-plan-and-when The White House’s own blog Dated last Monday.
So I went to the GOP site and found the Republican plan posted there dated Nov 3, 2009 in both text and summary form. http://www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare
I wonder if this blindness will be part of today’s “Bipartisan Discussion”?
Orsonwells
Luck
Susie's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months. Things looked grim, but she was by his bedside every single day.
One day as he slipped back into consciousness, he motioned for her to come close to him. She pulled the chair close to the bed and leaned her ear close to be able to hear him.
You know," he whispered, his eyes filling with tears, "you have been with me through all the bad times. When I was fired, you stuck right beside me. When my business went under, there you were. When we lost the house, you were there. When I was shot, you stuck with me. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. "And you know what?"
What, dear? "she asked gently, smiling to herself.
"I think you're bad luck."
One day as he slipped back into consciousness, he motioned for her to come close to him. She pulled the chair close to the bed and leaned her ear close to be able to hear him.
You know," he whispered, his eyes filling with tears, "you have been with me through all the bad times. When I was fired, you stuck right beside me. When my business went under, there you were. When we lost the house, you were there. When I was shot, you stuck with me. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. "And you know what?"
What, dear? "she asked gently, smiling to herself.
"I think you're bad luck."
What A Difference A Year Makes
Truth and Consequences
by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner
What a Difference a Year Makes
A year ago the media resonated with the celebration of democracy, grassroots pushback against the existing order, the renewal of Congress, and the novel harmony between government and the people.
Now? Suddenly all this seems to be inoperative: Our institutions are supposedly broken and fossilized, rendered so by partisanship or inherent structural problems such as filibusters. The people themselves have almost magically gone from enlightened to dense, gullible, and undeserving of their one chance at progressive salvation.
So what changed? The Obama administration offered a statist agenda of massive deficits, and it blamed Bush for America's current problems. The people revolted, and even the combined power of large Democratic congressional majorities, a ministry-of-truth media, and an Ivy League technocracy could not push through hope and change — largely due to Democratic legislators' worries that they were walking out on a plank that would soon be sawed off by the next election.
The implosion of the Obama administration is newsworthy, but not as astonishing as this petulant liberal reappraisal of both popular political participation and the structure of American government.
Given that the people apparently don't want bigger deficits, more stimulus, statist healthcare, cap-and-trade, or "comprehensive" immigration reform, and given that the most influential members of the Obama administration think the people either do or should want those things, we are apparently left with blaming George Bush, or self-righteously blaming the people for their stupidity, selfishness, brainwashing, or racism. Yet all of those assumptions only exacerbate the problem, and if continually voiced will turn a mid-term correction into an abject disaster for Democrats.
The Truth Is a Precious Commodity
The problem with Obama’s new hedging on taxing those who make below $250,000, or his administration’s taking credit for victory in the Iraq War that they so once fervently tried to abort, or the flip-flop on renditions and tribunals, or the embarrassments over closing Guantanamo and trying KSM in New York or Mirandizing the Christmas Day bomber, or trashing/praising Wall Street grandees, is not that presidents cannot change their minds as circumstances warrant, or even that all politicians are at times hypocritical. No, the rub is that Obama is not merely flipping and triangulating on issues in a desperate attempt to shadow the polls, but he is doing so on matters that he once swore were absolutely central to his entire candidacy and his signature hope-and-change agenda, critical to the future of the U.S., and proof of his opponents’ either ignorance or disingenuousness.
Serially he once screamed about taxing only the wealthy and airing healthcare on C-SPAN. He advocated taking out all combat troops from Iraq by March 2008 and asserted the surge was failing — at a critical time when our soldiers were in a life-and-death struggle to make it work. Obama built an entire narrative about Bush the Constitution Shredder who presided over Guantanamo and renditions. There was no place in his promised new politics for lobbyists and Chicago tactics. After a single year of governance, there is now scarcely a single issue that Obama & Co. have not backtracked on, flip-flopped, redefined, or quietly dropped — mostly matters that were once demagogued to score political points. At some point — I think it was around mid-January — the public collectively shrugged and concluded of Obama, “I don’t trust anything that this guy says.” And when that happens in American politics, it is almost impossible to restore any modicum of credibility. All we are left with now is three more years of the president’s “Bush did it” mantra and a buffoonish Robert Gibbs, like some strutting carnival barker, showing off ink on his palm to a bored press corps.
by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner
What a Difference a Year Makes
A year ago the media resonated with the celebration of democracy, grassroots pushback against the existing order, the renewal of Congress, and the novel harmony between government and the people.
Now? Suddenly all this seems to be inoperative: Our institutions are supposedly broken and fossilized, rendered so by partisanship or inherent structural problems such as filibusters. The people themselves have almost magically gone from enlightened to dense, gullible, and undeserving of their one chance at progressive salvation.
So what changed? The Obama administration offered a statist agenda of massive deficits, and it blamed Bush for America's current problems. The people revolted, and even the combined power of large Democratic congressional majorities, a ministry-of-truth media, and an Ivy League technocracy could not push through hope and change — largely due to Democratic legislators' worries that they were walking out on a plank that would soon be sawed off by the next election.
The implosion of the Obama administration is newsworthy, but not as astonishing as this petulant liberal reappraisal of both popular political participation and the structure of American government.
Given that the people apparently don't want bigger deficits, more stimulus, statist healthcare, cap-and-trade, or "comprehensive" immigration reform, and given that the most influential members of the Obama administration think the people either do or should want those things, we are apparently left with blaming George Bush, or self-righteously blaming the people for their stupidity, selfishness, brainwashing, or racism. Yet all of those assumptions only exacerbate the problem, and if continually voiced will turn a mid-term correction into an abject disaster for Democrats.
The Truth Is a Precious Commodity
The problem with Obama’s new hedging on taxing those who make below $250,000, or his administration’s taking credit for victory in the Iraq War that they so once fervently tried to abort, or the flip-flop on renditions and tribunals, or the embarrassments over closing Guantanamo and trying KSM in New York or Mirandizing the Christmas Day bomber, or trashing/praising Wall Street grandees, is not that presidents cannot change their minds as circumstances warrant, or even that all politicians are at times hypocritical. No, the rub is that Obama is not merely flipping and triangulating on issues in a desperate attempt to shadow the polls, but he is doing so on matters that he once swore were absolutely central to his entire candidacy and his signature hope-and-change agenda, critical to the future of the U.S., and proof of his opponents’ either ignorance or disingenuousness.
Serially he once screamed about taxing only the wealthy and airing healthcare on C-SPAN. He advocated taking out all combat troops from Iraq by March 2008 and asserted the surge was failing — at a critical time when our soldiers were in a life-and-death struggle to make it work. Obama built an entire narrative about Bush the Constitution Shredder who presided over Guantanamo and renditions. There was no place in his promised new politics for lobbyists and Chicago tactics. After a single year of governance, there is now scarcely a single issue that Obama & Co. have not backtracked on, flip-flopped, redefined, or quietly dropped — mostly matters that were once demagogued to score political points. At some point — I think it was around mid-January — the public collectively shrugged and concluded of Obama, “I don’t trust anything that this guy says.” And when that happens in American politics, it is almost impossible to restore any modicum of credibility. All we are left with now is three more years of the president’s “Bush did it” mantra and a buffoonish Robert Gibbs, like some strutting carnival barker, showing off ink on his palm to a bored press corps.
Layla Grace
Hi, Joe....I dont know where I have been hiding for the past 10months or so, but yesterday I came across something on Facebook. Praying for Layla Grace. I found a story about a little girl I believe is under 2yrs old and if fighting Neuroblastoma. She is losing that battle. But her mother has been keeping a journal online, looks like since May or so and I just couldnt believe how strong this family is. Her words and thoughts are real and put down as they come. I was hoping that you would post the website so that everyone here can read it and start praying for a miracle for this little girl and her family. Thank you so much.
www.laylagrace.org
Carrie S.
www.laylagrace.org
Carrie S.
ObamaCare At Ramming Speed
A mere three days before President Obama's supposedly bipartisan health-care summit, the White House yesterday released a new blueprint that Democrats say they will ram through Congress with or without Republican support. So after election defeats in Virginia, New Jersey and even Massachusetts, and amid overwhelming public opposition, Democrats have decided to give the voters what they don't want anyway.
Ah, the glory of "progressive" governance and democratic consent.
"The President's Proposal," as the 11-page White House document is headlined, is in one sense a notable achievement: It manages to take the worst of both the House and Senate bills and combine them into something more destructive. It includes more taxes, more subsidies and even less cost control than the Senate bill. And it purports to fix the special-interest favors in the Senate bill not by eliminating them—but by expanding them to everyone.
The larger political message of this new proposal is that Mr. Obama and Democrats have no intention of compromising on an incremental reform, or of listening to Republican, or any other, ideas on health care. They want what they want, and they're going to play by Chicago Rules and try to dragoon it into law on a narrow partisan vote via Congressional rules that have never been used for such a major change in national policy. If you want to know why Democratic Washington is "ungovernable," this is it.
Details from the Wall Street Journal..
Ah, the glory of "progressive" governance and democratic consent.
"The President's Proposal," as the 11-page White House document is headlined, is in one sense a notable achievement: It manages to take the worst of both the House and Senate bills and combine them into something more destructive. It includes more taxes, more subsidies and even less cost control than the Senate bill. And it purports to fix the special-interest favors in the Senate bill not by eliminating them—but by expanding them to everyone.
The larger political message of this new proposal is that Mr. Obama and Democrats have no intention of compromising on an incremental reform, or of listening to Republican, or any other, ideas on health care. They want what they want, and they're going to play by Chicago Rules and try to dragoon it into law on a narrow partisan vote via Congressional rules that have never been used for such a major change in national policy. If you want to know why Democratic Washington is "ungovernable," this is it.
Details from the Wall Street Journal..
Wicomico County Detention Center Buys $1,000.00 ea. Plasma TV's For Inmates
Hi Joe,
Just wanted to pass on something I have found out about. Everyone is pretty familiar with the fact that all Wicomico County employees had to take furlough days. That's a nice way of saying a pay cut. What's being done with that saved money you ask? Well someone within Wicomico County Detention Center has decided to buy 42" plasma screen televisions at $1,000 a piece, the kicker is they are for the inmates. Two of these TV's are in WCDC already, with more on the way apparently. Now never mind that 42" plasma screen TV's sell from $500-$800 at Best Buy (read: we overpaid). Never mind which County fund this money came from. Oh and never mind that the County budget is still millions short and more pay cuts are coming. Whoever authorized this insanity needs to be fired immediately. There is not one reason on this God's green earth that inmates need to have 42" plasma screen TV's. And anyone who can even come up with a reason for this, I would love to hear it. As the jail churns indeed.
Just wanted to pass on something I have found out about. Everyone is pretty familiar with the fact that all Wicomico County employees had to take furlough days. That's a nice way of saying a pay cut. What's being done with that saved money you ask? Well someone within Wicomico County Detention Center has decided to buy 42" plasma screen televisions at $1,000 a piece, the kicker is they are for the inmates. Two of these TV's are in WCDC already, with more on the way apparently. Now never mind that 42" plasma screen TV's sell from $500-$800 at Best Buy (read: we overpaid). Never mind which County fund this money came from. Oh and never mind that the County budget is still millions short and more pay cuts are coming. Whoever authorized this insanity needs to be fired immediately. There is not one reason on this God's green earth that inmates need to have 42" plasma screen TV's. And anyone who can even come up with a reason for this, I would love to hear it. As the jail churns indeed.
Bring On The Snow!
Before you know it, this storm will be past and you'll be basking in the sun at Seacrets (it does make you feel warmer)!
Tea Parties Here To Stay!
A new poll reveals the tea party movement is four times as popular as Congress, which has an approval rating at a near-record low of 12 percent. The survey also includes a not-so-subtle warning to incumbents that they may be gone this fall.
"Nearly a year after they sprang to life in local groups across America, the so-called tea-party movement is winning acceptance from a wide swath of the electorate nationwide. Well over half of likely voters nationwide – a 56 percent – hold a positive impression of the movement, compared to just 30 percent who hold a negative opinion of it," said Fritz Wenzel of Wenzel Strategies.
"This spells the beginning of a movement that is likely to continue its growth and influence. The intensity of positive opinion for this movement is remarkably strong as nearly half, 44 percent, hold a "very positive" opinion of the movement," he said."
What is impressive is that the movement not only survived that early onslaught of attacks last summer – being called an 'astro-turf' movement manufactured by insurance companies to oppose health care reform – but is actually thriving today," he said. "
As much as the political left may want to pretend this movement is nothing more than an insignificant number of malcontents, this latest polling screams another story. Opponents of the movement who ignore it or discount it do so at their own significant peril," he said.
House Republicans Gave Obama Their Health Care Proposals Weeks Ahead Of Thursday ’s Summit
Weeks ahead of Thursday's “bipartisan” meeting on health care reform, House Republicans offered their ideas to President Barack Obama in a booklet presented to the president during his visit to the Republican Party retreat in Baltimore on Jan. 29.
The 27-page booklet includes proposals on health care as well as six other issues Republicans consider vital to America’s continued prosperity: jobs, fiscal responsibility, open government and transparency, energy, savings, national security and fiscal reform.
The booklet, entitled “Better Solutions, a Compilation of GOP Alternatives,” was prepared by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). It includes legislation proposed by the House over the last year and several letters written to the president on these issues over the same time period.
Like the health care proposal posted by the Obama administration on Monday, the GOP compilation was posted online and in a Web video on Boehner’s congressional Web site on Feb. 3, where the Republican House leader encouraged people to download the PDF to review the GOP’s ideas.
House Republicans sent letters to the White House detailing their plans for job creation and helping small businesses on Oct. 7, 2009 and Dec. 9, 2009. An alternative to the Democrats’ stimulus plan also is included in the Boehner report.
The compilation details the House GOP plan for health care it put forth in HR 4038, which was introduced in the House on Nov. 6, 2009.
Congressional Performance
Voter unhappiness with Congress has reached the highest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports as 71% now say the legislature is doing a poor job.
That’s up ten points from the previous high of 61% reached a month ago.
Other recent polling also reflects voter disappointment in Congress.
Earlier this month, 63% of voters said it would be better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were defeated this November.
10% of voters say Congress is doing a good or excellent job.
The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from these data is that approximately 10% of voters in the United States are complete idiots, with another 20% in serious doubt.
More on the survey
That’s up ten points from the previous high of 61% reached a month ago.
Other recent polling also reflects voter disappointment in Congress.
Earlier this month, 63% of voters said it would be better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were defeated this November.
10% of voters say Congress is doing a good or excellent job.
The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from these data is that approximately 10% of voters in the United States are complete idiots, with another 20% in serious doubt.
More on the survey
State Land Conservation Purchases
Joe,
I noticed 3 separate articles on the front page of the daily times today about state land purchases on the eastern shore for the purpose of conservation. Not in any of the articles was there any mention of how much the purchase of all this land is going to cost all of us tax payers.
I am all for land conservation, however, I am more for creating jobs. With what must be millions of dollars used for these land purchases, I would think that tax reductions and incentives to businesses that create NEW jobs would actually put food on the table of many and perhaps even help some stay in their home. While state republicans are scratching to find nearly a billion dollars to cut government and balance our budgets, the next day our Governor is spending millions for land to sit empty. I would think such purchases should wait until we are in a budget surplus (if that will ever be the case again).
By the way.... you blog is great and is a fantastic service to the community. If I ever want to see what's going on NOW, I go to SBYNews.
Sompa
I noticed 3 separate articles on the front page of the daily times today about state land purchases on the eastern shore for the purpose of conservation. Not in any of the articles was there any mention of how much the purchase of all this land is going to cost all of us tax payers.
I am all for land conservation, however, I am more for creating jobs. With what must be millions of dollars used for these land purchases, I would think that tax reductions and incentives to businesses that create NEW jobs would actually put food on the table of many and perhaps even help some stay in their home. While state republicans are scratching to find nearly a billion dollars to cut government and balance our budgets, the next day our Governor is spending millions for land to sit empty. I would think such purchases should wait until we are in a budget surplus (if that will ever be the case again).
By the way.... you blog is great and is a fantastic service to the community. If I ever want to see what's going on NOW, I go to SBYNews.
Sompa
Sign On Highway On Kenya's Border With Sudan
Dear Mister President:
Your lawyers missed this one.....
Sign on highway in Northern Kenya, near Sudan border.
4th Annual Eastern Shore Regional Poker Classic
Buy-In Early and Save for the 4th Annual Eastern Shore Regional Poker Classic
(Salisbury, MD) The stakes are high for the 4th Annual Eastern Shore Regional Poker Classic, slated for Saturday, March 6 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. Doors will open at 8:00am and play will start at 10:00am. The Deep Stacks event offers $40,000 in tournament chips with 30 minute blinds throughout.
Proceeds from the one day tournament will benefit the Friends of Wicomico Recreation, Parks & Tourism’s “Tomorrow Fund”. This fund provides scholarships to families in need for county run after-school child care, summer day camps and youth recreational programs.
Pre-registration for the 4th Annual Eastern Shore Regional Poker Classic has begun, and a special discounted price of $250 is available through this Friday, February 26. The buy-in will increase to $275 thereafter and registration at the door will be $300.
Interested participants must be at least 18 years old. More information and registration forms can be found at www.EasternShorePokerClassic.org. Forms can be mailed to the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center or delivered in person to the Box Office (open Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm). Payment in the form check or money order must accompany each registration; credit cards will not be accepted.
(Salisbury, MD) The stakes are high for the 4th Annual Eastern Shore Regional Poker Classic, slated for Saturday, March 6 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. Doors will open at 8:00am and play will start at 10:00am. The Deep Stacks event offers $40,000 in tournament chips with 30 minute blinds throughout.
Proceeds from the one day tournament will benefit the Friends of Wicomico Recreation, Parks & Tourism’s “Tomorrow Fund”. This fund provides scholarships to families in need for county run after-school child care, summer day camps and youth recreational programs.
Pre-registration for the 4th Annual Eastern Shore Regional Poker Classic has begun, and a special discounted price of $250 is available through this Friday, February 26. The buy-in will increase to $275 thereafter and registration at the door will be $300.
Interested participants must be at least 18 years old. More information and registration forms can be found at www.EasternShorePokerClassic.org. Forms can be mailed to the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center or delivered in person to the Box Office (open Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm). Payment in the form check or money order must accompany each registration; credit cards will not be accepted.
ERA's Lack Of Compassion
I am writing a quick email to you about something that has bothered me a great
deal as of late. As you know the recent snow storms have created horrible
conditions and many hardships all over the delmarva peninsula. The most recent
of which happened to fall around the dreaded due date for rent of many
residents. Most businesses have been extremely compassionate and understanding
considering the circumstances and have waived many late fees that were caused
because people were unable to use roads, not to mention the fact that many local
banks were forced to close. I personally had creditors located in states
completely unaffected by the storms waive fees as well. The only business I have
dealt with so far that has not shown the slightest bit of compassion during this
troubling time would be the real estate company I currently rent from, ERA. Not
only did they charge a late fee but also a $100 court fee. This even occurred
after calling and leaving a message at their office that rent would be delivered
as soon as we were able to drive safely on the roads. A message had to be left
because the storm forced ERA to close their offices the day we called. When I
attempted to call and discuss the issue I was treated very rudely and was told
there were no such storms and that the office was never closed (both obviously
untrue). I am extremely bothered by this situation and the lack of compassion
shown by a LOCAL business. I am not the type of person to make a fuss about many
things but this has really gotten under my skin, for obvious reasons. I believe
this sort of treatment by a local business should be known to any and all that
do, or plan to do business with ERA. I thank you for you time, if for no other
reason than just to vent.
Sincerely,
Hot Headed in Harbor Pointe
deal as of late. As you know the recent snow storms have created horrible
conditions and many hardships all over the delmarva peninsula. The most recent
of which happened to fall around the dreaded due date for rent of many
residents. Most businesses have been extremely compassionate and understanding
considering the circumstances and have waived many late fees that were caused
because people were unable to use roads, not to mention the fact that many local
banks were forced to close. I personally had creditors located in states
completely unaffected by the storms waive fees as well. The only business I have
dealt with so far that has not shown the slightest bit of compassion during this
troubling time would be the real estate company I currently rent from, ERA. Not
only did they charge a late fee but also a $100 court fee. This even occurred
after calling and leaving a message at their office that rent would be delivered
as soon as we were able to drive safely on the roads. A message had to be left
because the storm forced ERA to close their offices the day we called. When I
attempted to call and discuss the issue I was treated very rudely and was told
there were no such storms and that the office was never closed (both obviously
untrue). I am extremely bothered by this situation and the lack of compassion
shown by a LOCAL business. I am not the type of person to make a fuss about many
things but this has really gotten under my skin, for obvious reasons. I believe
this sort of treatment by a local business should be known to any and all that
do, or plan to do business with ERA. I thank you for you time, if for no other
reason than just to vent.
Sincerely,
Hot Headed in Harbor Pointe
Two Men Accused Of Raping 11-Year-Old Girl
Two men are in police custody, accused of the Tuesday night rape of an 11-year-old girl in Silver Spring, Md.
The suspects approached the girl hours before the attack in the area of Carroll Avenue and Piney Branch Road, police said.
"Two Hispanic gentleman approached her; started talking to her, started speaking to her in Spanish," said Dan Friz, of Montgomery County Police. "She does not speak Spanish; didn't understand what they were saying so she walked away from them and went home."
GO HERE to read more.
The suspects approached the girl hours before the attack in the area of Carroll Avenue and Piney Branch Road, police said.
"Two Hispanic gentleman approached her; started talking to her, started speaking to her in Spanish," said Dan Friz, of Montgomery County Police. "She does not speak Spanish; didn't understand what they were saying so she walked away from them and went home."
GO HERE to read more.
Cafe Milano
Hi Joe,
Just wanted to share a disappointing experience I had with Cafe Milano. I normally enjoy their food and service but I was not happy tonight. I order a large pizza almost every Wednesday night because its right next to my daughter's dance studio and they run a special on it so it's our weekly treat.
I called to place my usual carry out order and when I got there, the guy gave me an extra large and a total that was $4.00 more than usual. I told him that I ordered a large pizza and he then argued with me, telling me that he took my order and I ordered an extra large. Now, my husband has been in the restaurant business for years and I know exactly what a pain customers can be, but I was upset. I know exactly what I ordered and he stood there and kept arguing with me.
In my opinion, he should know who I am by now since I order the same thing every time. I've ordered at least 10 or 15 times from there. Yeah, maybe it's only $4 more, but I felt stupid that this guy was trying to tell me what i ordered when he obviously misheard me or something. I ended up paying the extra money and going home because we were all hungry and I didn't want to keep them waiting on a new pizza.
Has anyone else had this happen? I've always heard great things about Cafe Milano and never had a problem with them, but this bothered me. I don't think I will be giving them my business anymore. Just wondering if anyone else has had any negative experiences with them. Thanks for your time.
C.K.
Just wanted to share a disappointing experience I had with Cafe Milano. I normally enjoy their food and service but I was not happy tonight. I order a large pizza almost every Wednesday night because its right next to my daughter's dance studio and they run a special on it so it's our weekly treat.
I called to place my usual carry out order and when I got there, the guy gave me an extra large and a total that was $4.00 more than usual. I told him that I ordered a large pizza and he then argued with me, telling me that he took my order and I ordered an extra large. Now, my husband has been in the restaurant business for years and I know exactly what a pain customers can be, but I was upset. I know exactly what I ordered and he stood there and kept arguing with me.
In my opinion, he should know who I am by now since I order the same thing every time. I've ordered at least 10 or 15 times from there. Yeah, maybe it's only $4 more, but I felt stupid that this guy was trying to tell me what i ordered when he obviously misheard me or something. I ended up paying the extra money and going home because we were all hungry and I didn't want to keep them waiting on a new pizza.
Has anyone else had this happen? I've always heard great things about Cafe Milano and never had a problem with them, but this bothered me. I don't think I will be giving them my business anymore. Just wondering if anyone else has had any negative experiences with them. Thanks for your time.
C.K.
Storm-Hit Northeast Braces For ‘Snowicane’
ALBANY, N.Y. - A day after a storm dumped more than a foot of snow, causing tens of thousands of people to lose power and stalling air and rail traffic, weather-weary Northeast residents braced for a repeat — a second storm packing potentially damaging wind gusts up to 50 mph and possibly more than another foot of snow.
The second part of the two-day, 1-2 winter punch was expected Thursday, and the National Weather Service said the storm would be "significant and long-lasting."
As much as a foot of snow was expected in Philadelphia, which has had its snowiest winter with more than 70 inches and is still digging out from back-to-back storms around the beginning of this month. The Albany area, which was pounded by Wednesday's weather, can expect more of the same for a second day, and the western Catskills could get up to 20 inches of snow.
GO HERE to read more.
Snow Plow
It was snowing heavily and blowing to the point that visibility was almost zero when a young blond teenage girl got caught in a blizzard.
She made her way to her car and wondered how she was going to make it home. She sat in her car while it warmed up and thought about her situation.
She finally remembered her daddy's advice that if she got caught in a blizzard she should wait for a snow plow to come by and follow it. That way she would not get stuck in a snow drift.
This made her feel much better and sure enough in a little while a snow plow went by and she started to follow it.
As she followed the snow plow she was feeling very smug as they continued and she was not having any problem with the blizzardconditions.
After an hour had passed, she was somewhat surprised when the snowplow stopped and the driver got out and came back to her car and signaled for her to roll down her window...
The snow plow driver wanted to know if she was all right as she had been following him for a long time.
She said that she was fine and told him of her daddy's advice to follow a snow plow when caught in a blizzard.
The driver replied that it was ok with him and she could continue if she wanted, but he was done with the Wal-Mart parking lot and was going over to Sears.
She made her way to her car and wondered how she was going to make it home. She sat in her car while it warmed up and thought about her situation.
She finally remembered her daddy's advice that if she got caught in a blizzard she should wait for a snow plow to come by and follow it. That way she would not get stuck in a snow drift.
This made her feel much better and sure enough in a little while a snow plow went by and she started to follow it.
As she followed the snow plow she was feeling very smug as they continued and she was not having any problem with the blizzardconditions.
After an hour had passed, she was somewhat surprised when the snowplow stopped and the driver got out and came back to her car and signaled for her to roll down her window...
The snow plow driver wanted to know if she was all right as she had been following him for a long time.
She said that she was fine and told him of her daddy's advice to follow a snow plow when caught in a blizzard.
The driver replied that it was ok with him and she could continue if she wanted, but he was done with the Wal-Mart parking lot and was going over to Sears.
REMINDER: Monday, March 1 Is Now A Half-Day For Students
The school system will make up a school day missed due to weather (Feb. 3) on Monday, March 1, which was scheduled as a professional day. March 1 will now be a half-day for students, with students dismissed two hours early, and a half-day testing preparation in-service for teachers.
The Board affirmed at its meeting on Feb. 16 that earlier closings due to inclement weather and poor road conditions on Dec. 21 and 22, Jan. 8, and Feb. 1 and 2 will be made up on the five days from Monday, June 14 through Friday, June 18, in accordance with the approved school calendar for 2009-2010. (June 16, 17 and 18 will be half-days.)
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen and other local superintendents met last Friday with State Superintendent Dr. Nancy Grasmick to discuss recent weather closings, which have affected the entire state. A state announcement is anticipated today. Dr. Fredericksen will discuss with the Board how to address the remaining missed days following that announcement.
The calendar for this school year is still subject to change by weather closings and other factors.
The Board affirmed at its meeting on Feb. 16 that earlier closings due to inclement weather and poor road conditions on Dec. 21 and 22, Jan. 8, and Feb. 1 and 2 will be made up on the five days from Monday, June 14 through Friday, June 18, in accordance with the approved school calendar for 2009-2010. (June 16, 17 and 18 will be half-days.)
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen and other local superintendents met last Friday with State Superintendent Dr. Nancy Grasmick to discuss recent weather closings, which have affected the entire state. A state announcement is anticipated today. Dr. Fredericksen will discuss with the Board how to address the remaining missed days following that announcement.
The calendar for this school year is still subject to change by weather closings and other factors.
Cat Needs Good Home
Hey Joe, I was hoping you could post some pictures and maybe find a new home for this poor kitty. The kitty lived with an elderly man a few doors down from me, and for the past two snow storms this poor kitty has been living outside under my neighbors deck. Not sure what happened to the ederly man but he has not been around for over a month and I think new people have occupied his unit. Anyway, whenever the cat hears you she comes running for food and attention. She is a very friendly and playful kitty, just needs someone to love her. I would love to take her inbut unfortantly I cant, I already have two and have a two year old son! So if you could help me find this cat a new home where it can stay warm and get the attention it wants, it would be greatly appreciated. I hate to see the poor thing suffer outside.
Thank You
Ashley
roxyg43@hotmail.com
Campus Bomb Threat
As I’m sure you’ve heard, the college received a bomb threat this evening. Fortunately, it was not a credible threat. However, the college must take such situations seriously, and since the safety and welfare of students and employees is our primary concern, it was decided to evacuate the campus.
We are appreciative for the quick and professional response of local law enforcement and emergency personnel. I would also like to commend everyone on campus tonight for the smooth and timely evacuation of all of the buildings and the willingness of employees and fellow students to help one another deal with individual situations and concerns that arose. I would like to compliment everyone for the way they handled the situation.
We are aware that, once outside, students and faculty members were instructed not to re-enter the buildings. As a result, many of you left personal belongings behind. After emergency officials indicated that the buildings were safe, security personnel went into every classroom and collected the personal belongings that remained.
A specific location in each building has been designated for anyone who had to leave their personal belongings. Give the employee in each of the following offices the room number you were in and what items you are there to claim. Be prepared to show a photo ID. The offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are not able to pick up your items during the day, call the numbers provided for information on alternative arrangements that will be made.
AAB AAB 109F college information desk (410) 334-2800
MTC MTH 101 president’s office (410) 334-2911
HH HH 103 nursing department offices (410) 572-8701
GH GH 202 criminal justice department offices (410) 572-8751
WDC WDC 205 business and hotel-motel department offices (410) 334-2830
I hope this is the last of this type of information that I will be sending.
Dr. Ray Hoy
President
We are appreciative for the quick and professional response of local law enforcement and emergency personnel. I would also like to commend everyone on campus tonight for the smooth and timely evacuation of all of the buildings and the willingness of employees and fellow students to help one another deal with individual situations and concerns that arose. I would like to compliment everyone for the way they handled the situation.
We are aware that, once outside, students and faculty members were instructed not to re-enter the buildings. As a result, many of you left personal belongings behind. After emergency officials indicated that the buildings were safe, security personnel went into every classroom and collected the personal belongings that remained.
A specific location in each building has been designated for anyone who had to leave their personal belongings. Give the employee in each of the following offices the room number you were in and what items you are there to claim. Be prepared to show a photo ID. The offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are not able to pick up your items during the day, call the numbers provided for information on alternative arrangements that will be made.
AAB AAB 109F college information desk (410) 334-2800
MTC MTH 101 president’s office (410) 334-2911
HH HH 103 nursing department offices (410) 572-8701
GH GH 202 criminal justice department offices (410) 572-8751
WDC WDC 205 business and hotel-motel department offices (410) 334-2830
I hope this is the last of this type of information that I will be sending.
Dr. Ray Hoy
President
School Closings
SCHOOLS
State Name Condition
MD ASBURY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER CLOSED
MD CRISFIELD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY CLOSED
DE DELMAR SCHOOL DISTRICT CLOSED
MD EDEN HEAD START CLOSED
MD FAITH BAPTIST SCHOOL CLOSED
MD HOLLY GROVE CHRISTIAN CLOSED
MD MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT CLOSED
MD PRINCESS ANNE HEAD START CLOSED
MD SALISBURY HEAD START CLOSED
MD SNOW HILL HEAD START CLOSED
MD SOMERSET COUNTY SCHOOLS CLOSED
MD ST. FRANCIS DE SALES -SBY CLOSED
MD STOCKTON HEAD START CLOSED
MD WICOMICO CO. SCHOOLS CLOSED
MD WORCESTER CO. SCHOOLS CLOSED
MD WORCESTER PREP SCHOOL CLOSED
OTHER
State Name Condition
VA NASA WALLOPS OPENING AT 10 AM THRS
Source & Updates
State Name Condition
MD ASBURY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER CLOSED
MD CRISFIELD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY CLOSED
DE DELMAR SCHOOL DISTRICT CLOSED
MD EDEN HEAD START CLOSED
MD FAITH BAPTIST SCHOOL CLOSED
MD HOLLY GROVE CHRISTIAN CLOSED
MD MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT CLOSED
MD PRINCESS ANNE HEAD START CLOSED
MD SALISBURY HEAD START CLOSED
MD SNOW HILL HEAD START CLOSED
MD SOMERSET COUNTY SCHOOLS CLOSED
MD ST. FRANCIS DE SALES -SBY CLOSED
MD STOCKTON HEAD START CLOSED
MD WICOMICO CO. SCHOOLS CLOSED
MD WORCESTER CO. SCHOOLS CLOSED
MD WORCESTER PREP SCHOOL CLOSED
OTHER
State Name Condition
VA NASA WALLOPS OPENING AT 10 AM THRS
Source & Updates
Wicomico County Schools Closed Today
Due To Inclement Weather School Is Closed Today In Wicomico County.