DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, March 01, 2010
DELMAR MAN ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION OF FIREARM AFTER THREATENING A CITIZEN
On February 26, 2010, at approximately 11 p.m., Ocean City Police responded to the 1701 Atlantic Avenue, in reference to a man with a gun threatening people.
Officers met with the victim who related that prior to police arrival he had gotten into a verbal argument with another male who threatened to shoot him. The suspect allegedly displayed a rifle which was concealed beneath the suspects clothing.
After receiving a description of the suspect, Police located an individual matching the descriptions previously provided by the victim on the street in near the scene of the complaint.
The suspect was later identified as Jamel Anthony Jones, 18- years-old, of Delmar, Delaware.
The victim positively identified Jones as the persons who had made the threat with the gun.
Investigation by OCPD revealed Jones to be in possession of .22 caliber ammunition.
Police located an unloaded .22 caliber rifle at 18th Street and the Boardwalk. The victim
positively identified the gun that was used by Jones. Jones was arrested and charged with possession of a concealed deadly weapon and Reckless Endangerment.
Jones was seen by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner and was held on $25,000.
Jones was transferred to the Worcester County jail.
OCPD Press Release
FOR DUI AND POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA WITH THE INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE
On February 28, 2010, at approximately 00:42 a.m., Ocean City
Police Officers in the area of Dorchester Street and Baltimore
Avenue, heard a loud crash. Several officers responded to the
area and located a blue colored Kia Sorento driving on
Baltimore Avenue with a piece of a broken light post lodged
under the vehicle.
Officers stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as
Michael Howard Schissler, (31) years old, of Berlin, Maryland.
During the on scene investigation officers believed Schissler to
be intoxicated. Schissler was eventually arrested for Drunk
Driving. While at the scene, police located a large amount of
suspected Marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Schissler’s car.
Because of the way the Marijuana was packaged when it was
recovered, officer’s suspect it is consistent with the illegal
distribution of the Marijuana.
Schissler was charged with the following:
• Possess Controlled Dangerous Substance-Intent to Distribute (CR 5-602)
• Possess Controlled Dangerous Substance-Marijuana THC (CR 5-601a1)
• Possess Controlled Dangerous Substance-Paraphernalia (CR 5-619c1)
• Driving Under Influence of Alcohol (TA 21-902a1)
• Driving Under Influence of Alcohol Per Se (TA 21-902a2)
• Driving While Impaired by Alcohol (TA 21-902b1)
• Failure of Vehicle Driver to Stop After Unattended Property Damage Accident (TA 20-105a)
• Negligent Driving (TA 21-901.1b)
Schissler was seen by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner and was released on his own recognizance.
Here's The Shore Bank Robber UPDATE: POLICE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!
Anyone with information about this individual needs to make contact with the Salisbury Police Department or Crime Solvers.
On February 27, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. the Salisbury Police Department responded to 1503 S. Salisbury Blvd, Salisbury, Maryland 21804, the business of Shore Bank concerning a robbery. An investigation was then commenced and the following information was developed: an unknown white male entered the bank at approximately 10:00 a.m. wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and his head appeared to be balding. This particular male did not make a transaction in the bank and left the bank shortly after entering.
At approximately 11:30 a.m. bank representatives indicated that the same white male re-entered the bank wearing different clothing. This particular male was described as a white male, wearing a camouflage hat, blue jeans, and blue denim style jacket, with a grey hooded sweatshirt underneath, black wire rimmed glasses. On both occasions the male was described as being approximately 5-08, 180 pounds, 30 to 40 years of age, with light facial hair.
On the second occasion the male suspect came into the bank and produced a note and demanded U.S. currency. The male suspect fled the bank on foot with an un-disclosed amount of U.S. currency.
Salisbury Police Department detectives are looking for assistance in identifying and locating the male pictured in the attached video. Please contact the Salisbury Police Department at (410)548-3165 or Crime Solvers at (410)548-1776 if you have information as to the identity of the male in the video, you may remain anonymous.
Flip-Flop Frank Can't Be Trusted; Says He's Open To Obamacare
Rep. Frank Kratovil voted against Obama’s reckless “stimulus:”
“Maryland Rep. Frank Kratovil was one of only 11 Democrats to vote against President Barack Obama's stimulus package. The first-term congressman issued a statement following the vote saying the country is already facing the largest budget deficit and tough choices need to be made about spending taxpayer's money. Kratovil said he was not convinced the package focused enough on the programs most likely to have a short-term economic impact.” (“Md. Democrat joins GOP in vote against stimulus,” Associated Press, 2/2/09)
Then he flip-flopped and voted for it:
“Rep. Frank Kratovil joined Maryland's six other Democratic congressman in voting in favor of the $787 billion stimulus package, which has just been approved by the House of Representatives. The freshman from the Eastern Shore was one of five Democrats who switched sides and voted for the measure after having opposed it last month, when the House first approved it.” (Paul West, “Kratovil Changes Sides, Supports Stimulus Package; Bartlett Only ‘No’ Vote,” Baltimore Sun “Maryland Politics,” 2/13/09)
Kratovil told Pelosi ‘no’ when she asked him to vote for her job-killing energy tax:
“To Democratic opponents and skeptics, Pelosi seemed to be everywhere this week, lobbying for her ‘flagship’ bill - an effort expected to culminate Friday in a vote too close for anyone to guarantee one way or the other…On the floor Thursday, she buttonholed one of the most vulnerable of those marginal members, Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.), who replaced a Republican last year and is a top target of Republican campaign efforts. She spoke forcefully, waving her hands. Kratovil just kept shaking his head no.” (Mike Soraghan, “Tap on the shoulder from Pelosi,” The Hill, 6/26/09)
The next day, he gave in and voted for it:
“Some Eastern Shore farmers are unhappy with Congressman Frank Kratovil for voting for a bill that would regulate greenhouse gas emissions through a cap-and-trade system.” (“Kratovil catches flak for cap-and-trade vote,” Associated Press, 8/4/09)
Kratovil voted against the tax-raising, Medicare-cutting Obama-Pelosi healthcare takeover last November (even though he supports the public option):
“[Kratovil]…is on record supporting the public option for health care—though he voted against the House version of the health care bill in the end…” (Emily Esfahani Smith, “Democrat in Danger,” Weekly Standard, 2/22/10)
Now, he’s considering voting for a revised version:
“Leading liberal lawmakers echoed the call for action. And several of the 39 Democrats who voted against the healthcare legislation in November -- including Reps. Frank Kratovil Jr. of Maryland, Allen Boyd of Florida, Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania and Brian Baird of Washington -- left open the possibility that they might back the Senate healthcare bill coupled with changes along the lines of what Obama proposed this week.” (Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook, “Democrats push forward on healthcare,” Los Angeles Times, 2/27/10)
Notice a pattern? Frank Kratovil can’t be trusted.
GOVERNOR O’MALLEY, LT. GOVERNOR BROWN TO LAUNCH MAJOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
WHERE: Prince Georges Community College
Center for Advanced Technology
301 Largo Road
Largo, MD
Salisbury Police Department Press Releases
On February 25, 2010 at approximately 11:34 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant received by Salisbury Police charging the suspect with a sex offense that occurred on February 7, 2010. On that date, the investigation revealed, the suspect sexually assaulted a minor female that was known to the suspect while staying in a local hotel.
ARRESTED: Darrell Marquis Mapes, 18 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Second degree assault
Fourth degree sex offense
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201000005480
On February 27, 2010 at approximately 5:24 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police were on routine patrol in the area of Delaware Avenue and conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by the below listed suspect for traffic violations. During the traffic stop the suspect gave the officers false identification information. The officers were able to retrieve accurate information and found that the suspect was wanted on two (2) outstanding arrest warrants. The suspect was taken into custody and a search incident to arrest revealed that the suspect was in possession of a smoking device containing suspected "crack"/cocaine.
ARRESTED: Rudolph Valentino Jackson, 52 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Possession of cocaine
Possession of CDS/paraphernalia
Resisting arrest
Obstructing and hindering an investigation
False statement
Arrest warrant – Possession of a deadly weapon
Second degree assault (2 cts)
District Ct. Bench Warrant – Failure to appear
In court – Theft charges
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 20100008100/8106/8119
On February 27, 2010 at approximately 9:22 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to a residence on the six hundred (600) block of Homer Street for the report of a domestic assault. Upon arrival the officers met with an adult female victim that had been assaulted by a family member. The interview with the victim revealed that the below listed suspect had assaulted the victim during a domestic type argument. The victim did not require medical attention.
ARRESTED: Benjamin Lee Stanley, 52 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Second degree assault
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201000008132
On February 28, 2010 at approximately 10:22 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect as a fugitive from Sussex County, Delaware. The officers found that the suspect was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant issued in Delaware on February 16 of this year.
ARRESTED: Blaise (nmn) Delma, 49 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Forgery – second degree
Conspiracy to commit second degree forgery
Theft by false pretense
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201000008258
Am I About To Disagree With GA Harrison Again?
However, let's get real on some of the topics GA brought up. Number one, do I feel Council Members should be gifted with Health Insurance from the Taxpayers? After months of thought on this matter, no, I do not believe they should be gifted with it.
They are not City Employees and are more along the lines of Contractors/Consultants. That being said, even though you and I both know they do represent the citizens on a full time basis, I also believe that GA and some others are defending Debbie and Terry simply because other Council Members enjoyed the luxury of Health Insurance. It started out with former Mayor Barrie Tilghman gifting Michael Day with Health Insurance and then changed her mind once he was voted out of Office.
Now, how they've gone about handling all of this has been wrong. Then again, if I were to look at the way this Council and the former Council handled most items on their agenda I'd have to say they handled 80+% of it wrong too, seriously.
As for the change in time for Work Sessions, well, we ALL know this was out of spite. Let me just say this. IF the citizens vote for Smith, Comegys and Shields again this upcoming election you can find another source for your daily news and information because I for one will shut this damn Blog down so fast it isn't funny. Their spite, disrespect and lack of professionalism is beyond disgraceful, so I agree with you there GA.
As for their trying to only get wealthy and retired people to run for Office, I'm not so sure I can firmly agree with you and allow me to explain why. It's almost impossible to get anyone to run for Office in Salisbury, let alone someone who fits either agenda.
Besides Bob Caldwell, who else ran for Mayor that was worth a damn? Look at who was running for City Council this last election as well. NONE of them, and I do mean NONE of them were qualified, other than residency. Jim Ireton never ran a business, let alone a milti million dollar business.
Anyhow, I don't want to get too long winded on this one, as I easily could. In these hard economic times I believe the Health Insurance Policy is a valid discussion. We shouldn't have to use perks to get and or keep Council Members. That being said, the Council should also remove ANYONE ELSE receiving such perks from the City as well and not just pick on the City Council Members.
The Politics Of The Deficit
Just one example: Former Rep. Tom Campbell, a GOP candidate vying to unseat Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in California, has made the deficit one of his key areas of attack against Democratic rule in Washington.
“I think the size of our budget problem is intimately related to our unemployment problem,” Campbell told reporters earlier this month as he rolled out his own plan to cut the budget deficit in half. “The risk of inflation is quite real, and I think that is keeping people from hiring and investing.”
But for all the attention and momentum the deficit issue is getting today, the fact is the politics of the federal deficit are legendarily disappointing.
Consider the historical record: In 1990, George H.W. Bush famously broke his campaign promise — “Read my lips, no new taxes” — in a budget agreement designed to reduce the deficit.
Two years later, he was bounced out of office.
In the 1992 campaign, Texas billionaire Ross Perot’s insurgent third-party campaign made deficits a signature issue on the campaign trail.
He lost.
GO HERE to read more.
Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Release
Incident: Assault on a Deputy
Date of Incident: 27 February 2010
Location: 200 block of Newton Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Frederick S. Harris, 23, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 27 February 2010 at 8:42 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, assigned to work a joint warrant operation with the Salisbury Police Department targeting violent wanted subjects went to a residence in the 200 block of Newton Street looking for Frederick Harris. The deputy had a Violation of Probation warrant for Harris in a Handgun case. Upon arriving at the residence, the deputy and the city police officer could not located Harris, but while they were talking with the subjects there, Harris returned. The deputy on scene recognized Harris and immediately attempted to place him under arrest by placing him in handcuffs. Harris began yelling that the officer had to read Harris his rights and attempted to pull away from them. Harris then began elbowing the deputy in an attempt to get the deputy to let go of him so he could get away. Harris continued to struggle against the officers, yelling out that he was going to fight for his freedom. During the ensuing physical altercation with Harris, the deputy suffered an injury to his right knee.
The deputy and city officer managed to get Harris into custody at which time the officers discovered that Harris possessed what they recognized a marijuana. Harris was subsequently transported to Central Booking where he was processed on the warrant and also the additional criminal charges stemming from this incident. Upon being seen by the District Court Commissioner, Harris was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $15,000.00 bond.
The deputy received treatment at PRMC and was released.
Charges: Resisting Arrest
Assault 2nd degree on Law Enforcement
Assault 2nd degree
Possession of Marijuana
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Tagging You Own Home Part II
The vehicle in question in our earlier Post is the one above. Now, that being said, I see no porn on this vehicle. Someone please point out where I'm wrong.If You Work and Live In Salisbury – Don’t Run for Office
In reality, the message is that working people that won’t be lapdogs to the Barrie Comegys regime shouldn’t apply. Yet, somehow Campbell and Cohen remain the best prepared members of council. Yet, despite their having to deal with repeated attempts by Louise Smith, Gary Comegys, and Shanie Shields to sidetrack them with issues such as those mentioned above, Campbell and Cohen are still the only two members of council who actually worry about the taxpayers.
IS JIM IRETON DERELICT IN DUTY?
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I was glad that he was elected last year, but never took seriously his promise of competent governance and change in the administration of the City. That slogan “help is on the way” seems a sophomoric sing-song to me, and I am not disappointed in those regards. But I did believe that his oath of office was genuine and would be honored without fail. In that regard I’m disappointed, despite his dealings with the police chief from hell, because of his failure to address an apparent violation of the Charter, which expressly prohibits City personnel from making a contract if sufficient funds for the particular purpose have not been duly appropriated by the Council.
On October 27, 2009 – the day after the Council approved a bid for a new dump truck -- Councilwoman Cohen realized that a budget amendment was needed and sent an e-mail message to that effect to the City Administrator, John Pick, with copies to the City’s purchasing officer (Pamela Oland) and also to the Mayor. Without first obtaining an amendment, Ms Oland proceeded with the purchase documentation, and on November 6 that contract was submitted to the vendor, after first being signed by Louise Smith, the Council’s president, and also by Ms. Oland and by the City Attorney, Paul Wilber, who signified that the contract was proper both as to its form and its “legality”. Ten days later, on November 16, Pick sent a message to Ms. Cohen stating that a budget amendment was required in order to purchase the truck.
Almost two more months passed until a budget amendment was presented to the Council at its meeting on January 11, 2010. On that date, when asked if the truck had been ordered, Ms. Oland said that she didn’t know, and neither Wilber nor Pick said anything in response to that question. Ms. Cohen and Ms. Campbell felt that information should be presented before voting on the budget amendment, which requires a 4-vote approval, and it failed. Another month passed before the truck was delivered to and accepted by the City in mid-February, but the budget has not been amended at this late date.
Ireton and others are clearly incompetent in this episode, but their behavior may go well beyond that. Both he and Oland should have realized at the outset that a budget amendment was needed and submitted an ordinance in a timely manner. Upon receiving Ms. Cohen’s warning, they should have promptly proceeded with an ordinance but failed to do so.
But the more serious aspect of this saga is the execution of the contract and submission thereof to the vendor despite the warning and failure to first obtain a budget amendment. The Charter provision mentioned above makes such action a “misdemeanor” and states that upon conviction a person “shall cease to hold his office or employment.” The mayor, unless he actively pressed for the contract to be signed and delivered, probably could not be prosecuted or discharged, but that may not be so in the case of other City officials.
Ms Oland, one of the officials that Ms. Cohen warned, was thereafter involved in the contractual process and signed the contract – despite being warned by the e-mail message. Mr. Wilber was not an addressee of the e-mail, but had an obligation to perform due diligence before approving its “legality”, but exactly what action he took is unknown. And John Pick’s role as the “chief of staff” is of interest. Louise Smith, unless she believed that the contract was not “legal” when she signed it, appears not to be culpable – she simply signified that it had been “approved” by the Council.
Having become cognizant of the facts, if he were not previously, Mr. Ireton has a duty of office to address any violation of the Charter or state law that has occurred. It can’t be dismissed as an innocent misunderstanding or inadvertent error. There are public policy reasons to require proper budgetary appropriation of public funds, and this episode follows a similar one, involving these same City officials and “the Bricks” property, that occurred very shortly after Ireton took office.
So far – taking Mr. Ireton’s pledge of transparency at face value – it seems that he has done nothing. If he decides, or has already decided, not to refer this situation to the State’s Attorney, the residents of Salisbury deserve an explanation.
Delmar Girls Basketball Makes State Playoffs
More Signs Of Damage From The Last Storm
This barn in Laurel took a beating as the roof, (left) collapsed from the weight of the snow.Do You See What I See?
I found it a little unusual for the deer above to be out so early in the day, this close to residential property. When I stopped, he looked over at me and just went about his business as if I wasn't there at all.The Accident That Closed Rt. 13 Last Night
Two vehicles collided yesterday on Rt. 13 closing the north bound traffic. Vehicles were being turned around and quite frankly it was a mess. I don't want to come off as knocking the Police on this one but there seems to have been enough room at one point to at least allow one lane of traffic to pass through. Vehicles were backed up for quite a few miles.
Orca Attack Prompts Debate
‘You cannot learn ... through a pair of binoculars’
ORLANDO, Fla. - Rocky, a 700-pound grizzly considered one of the most gentle animals of all Hollywood's performing beasts, bites down on the neck of a veteran trainer. Illusionist Roy Horn is severely mauled by a show tiger during a Las Vegas performance. An elephant at an Indonesian tourist resort tramples its longtime handler to death.
And now the latest — a 40-year-old trainer at SeaWorld Orlando is drowned by a massive 12,000-pound killer whale named Tilikum, an incident that raises anew the question of whether some beasts, especially the biggest ones, have any business being tamed to entertain.
Descriptions of Tilikum, the 22-foot orca which has now killed two trainers, inevitably come around to his intimidating size.
GO HERE to read more.
Spending Rises, But Income Growth Slows
Americans had to dip into savings, which could threaten recovery
WASHINGTON - Personal spending jumped by a larger amount than expected in January but Americans' incomes barely budged as millions of Social Security recipients did not get their usual cost of living boost. The weak income growth could depress spending in the months ahead, acting as a further drag on the fragile economic recovery.
The Commerce Department said Monday that personal spending rose by 0.5 percent in January, slightly better than expected. But incomes edged up only 0.1 percent, significantly lower than the 0.4 percent gain that economists had expected.
The income gain was the weakest showing in four months and raised more concerns about whether consumers will be able to keep spending at a sufficiently strong pace to support an economic rebound. Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts for 70 percent of total economic activity.
GO HERE to read more.
White House To Push ACORN Pet Project
WND has learned the "living wage" campaign has long been pushed by the radical Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, and was largely initiated on a local level in the 1990s with the help of a socialist party of which evidence suggests Barack Obama was a member.
Critics warn a living wage advantage for more than $500 billion in government contracts could harm small companies, with case studies showing cities that enacted similar policies in the 1990s faced major financial losses. Business groups who oppose the plan say also it would increase government procurement costs.
More from WND
Breaking News
Big News Coming From The Guerrero Camp Soon?
Things have been somewhat quiet lately when it comes to the boxing career on Fernando Guerrero. However, that's about to change very soon.
Fernando continues to train extremely hard and now with a Championship Belt in his possession, prospects, (really good ones) are knocking at the door and Salisbury may just get gifted again.
We should have an update some time this week.
USPS Ponders No Saturday Mail
But it looks like the U.S. Postal Service wants to add "except on Saturdays" to that old saying.
On Monday the USPS will share its survival plan. Word is officials plan to ask Congress for permission to shorten its work week and to change its retiree health benefits.
GO HERE to read more.
Arrest Made In Case Of Missing California Girl
SAN DIEGO — A registered sex offender was arrested Sunday in the disappearance of a suburban San Diego teenager as some 1,400 volunteers spent the weekend searching a park and surrounding area where she disappeared three days ago, authorities said.
The arrest came after about 120 law enforcement officers and the volunteers had searched Rancho Bernardo Community Park in San Diego for 17-year-old Chelsea King.
Investigators found evidence that led to the arrest of 30-year-old John Albert Gardner of Riverside County, San Diego County Sheriff William Gore told the Associated Press in an interview.
Gore said investigators, who combed the area around Lake Hodges in the park where King's car was found, discovered physical evidence linking Gardner to the case. Gore would not elaborate on the nature of the evidence.
GO HERE to read more.
America's Hidden Debt Bombs
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- America's total debt load is on pace to top $13 trillion this year, and $22 trillion by 2020 -- and that's just the debt we're counting.
What's not being counted: potential debt bombs that don't get factored into most budget analysis.
When anyone talks about U.S. debt, they typically refer to two numbers.
The first is the debt held by the public. That's money owed to those who have bought U.S. Treasurys, most notably big bond mutual funds and foreign governments. Debt held by the public today is roughly $8 trillion and rising.
The second number is the money the federal government owes to government trust funds, such as those for Medicare and Social Security. The government has used revenue collected for those programs to cover other outlays. Currently, the debt to the trust funds is approaching $5 trillion.
The two combined is the total gross debt that's accounted for. But deficit hawks also worry about what's not on the books.
GO HERE to read more.
Homebuyer Credit Not Jolting Housing Market
Unemployment likely part of reason people not taking advantage of savings
It sounded like a great idea three months ago: Hand homeowners a $6,500 tax credit to find a new place to live, giving a thrust of energy to the housing market's recovery.
So far, people are staying put.
In November, the federal government extended a tax credit of up to $8,000 for people who hadn't owned a home for three years. This credit had helped boost home sales last summer and fall. Seeking to build on that momentum, the government added a new credit of up to $6,500 for current homeowners, hoping it would transform them into house-hunters this winter and spring.
GO HERE to read more.
Setting The Stage For Stagflation
Prices rose 2.7 percent during 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' recent update of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This is a worrisome fact because last year's unemployment rate averaged more than 9 percent. This trend may signal a return of "stagflation," a merger of stagnation and inflation.
In the 1970s, stagflation shocked traditional Keynesian economists, whose models said the economy could not suffer from both high unemployment and rapid inflation at the same time. Unfortunately, the Keynesians were wrong, because an economy obviously can experience both evils simultaneously.
Ever since the worldwide financial panic started in September 2008, the financial press has drummed into Americans' heads the notion that we are poised on the edge of a deflationary cliff, just as in the early 1930s. It was fear of a falling price spiral that spurred the Federal Reserve into making extraordinary interventions, such as a near tripling of the Fed's balance sheet and the cutting of short-term interest rates to virtually zero. Under normal circumstances, such "easy" Fed policies would be very dangerous, but the experts continually assure the public that high unemployment denotes "slack" in the economy and thus no danger of price inflation.
Throughout most of 2009, the financial press would report that the "year over year" change in the CPI was negative. Although technically true, such statistics were misleading. What really happened was that prices fell very sharply in the final months of 2008, giving the backward 12-month comparison the appearance of deflation. Now that this one-year window has moved past the sharp drop of late 2008, the standard measures show inflation is back.
To underscore that the U.S. economy has not been in deflation for some time, consider this: In the past decade, there were five years in which prices rose less than they did just last year. Does that sound as if the U.S. is still balanced on the edge of a deflationary cliff?
The typical view is that an economy in a deep recession is in no danger of price inflation. This belief is wrong both in theory and in practice. The classic explanation of price inflation is too much money chasing too few goods. During recessions in the postwar period, the Fed typically opens the monetary spigots at the same time that the output of goods and services is falling. Therefore, other things being equal, we would expect inflation to go up during recessions.
The historical data are generally consistent with this conclusion. The worst bout of inflation during the postwar period occurred during the economic slump of the late 1970s and early 1980s. More recently, consider that in 2006, the inflation rate was slightly lower than last year's figure even though the unemployment rate in 2006 was only half of the average for 2009.
These considerations underscore the fundamental weakness in the Keynesian theory that grips our financial press. Economic growth doesn't necessarily cause inflation, and high unemployment doesn't necessarily prevent it.
Some readers may remember the "misery index," the sum of the unemployment and inflation rates. The official unemployment rate in 2009 averaged 9.3 percent, for a total misery-index rating of 12.0. This is the highest misery rating in 26 years, going all the way back to 1983 when it was 13.4.
The tricky thing about price inflation is that it's largely tied to people's expectations. If everyone thinks inflation will be high, they will rush to dump their dollar holdings by buying stocks, real estate, gold and other items that will maintain their value better than cash. Yet this very behavior will itself cause prices to rise, turning the expectation of inflation into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It seems every week the Obama administration announces some new tax or mandate that will further handicap businesses. Regardless of the official definitions of recession, the economy will remain sluggish for years to come. But if the Federal Reserve continues with its reckless policies, Americans will experience high inflation on top of high unemployment. As in the late 1970s, Americans will see that the pundits are wrong, because stagflation is very real.
Robert P. Murphy is a senior fellow in business and economic studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute.
On American Exceptionalism
NRO’s The Corner
1) American exceptionalism — Perhaps it derives in part from our putting a higher premium on freedom and liberty than, as in the French and other European cases, egalitarianism and fraternity; also, we were truly the first multi-ethnic state that sought to embrace a common culture rather than carve out cultural or racial fiefdoms. By 1820, there were already all sorts of sizable blocs of European ethnics, and so America no longer thought of itself as of merely English descent. I might quote, as a dissent from this theory, Obama’s moral equivalence on exceptionalism — remember he said that we are exceptional only in the sense that everyone else, from the Greeks to the Brits, thinks they are exceptional, too.
2) Proletariat — Perhaps it would be better, when speaking of an early rural society, to talk of an absence of peasantry: We had no concept of a large underclass of only quasi-free people attached to barons as serfs; instead, yeomen agrarians were the Jeffersonian ideal, a nation of independent farmers rather than peasants (as John de St. Crevecoeur wrote).
3) A gun-owning society, unlike Europe — On the theory that an armed citizenry would fight any federal effort to overturn individual liberties: That tradition later made our citizenry more comfortable with firearms, with obvious advantages for our military
4) “We in Europe are the Obama” — Obama also fails to see the irony that only an exceptionally free and proud America could have provided the military umbrella necessary to Europe’s development into an essentially disarmed socialist society — one dependent militarily and economically on the U.S. largely because we are so unlike it. Or, as a French intellectual whispered to me at a party not long ago, “There is only room in the West for one Obama — and we in Europe are the Obama.”
Obama also fails to see that American exceptionalism resulted in a degree of freedom and affluence for millions impossible elsewhere, which in turned fueled his own romantic idea of utopianism, e.g., because America was so rich and leisured, an Obama could indulge in criticizing it for not being consistently perfect.
On Obama’s distancing himself from American traditions, he is a paradox since his own success would be impossible in Europe or in Africa or Asia, and yet even in his privilege he sees himself as often antithetical to the very conditions that made him.
A question remains: Much of Obama’s comfortable leftism is a product of careerism; for a prep-school kid who went to Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard and ended up in Chicago, his chic redistributive and radical ideas were sort of like medieval churchmen wearing crosses — it was part of entré into the club.
So it is hard for Obama to question an orthodoxy that for him was amazingly lucrative and opportune in careerist terms. Without a race-class-gender grievance mindset, and without a fault-America-first worldview, Obama would never have risen so far so fast in the circles he navigated. His only challenge now is to disguise and manipulate before an edgy public the thoughts, associations, and assumptions that have been second nature to him for 30 years but which are proving to be an anathema to the American people. He is our first president to be entirely unfamiliar with the productive classes of the private sector, without experience in anything much outside of universities and grievance politics. Consequently, he is increasingly bewildered that he can’t sway foreign heads of state and now the American public with the same old “hope and change” vacuity that so wowed Ivy League totems.
Tagging Your Own Home
I feel sorry for the residents on Waller Road, right next to the Transfer Station. One neighbor who seems to be a bit unstable has turned his home, yard and vehicles into a sort of billboard of anger. While most of the more graphic images have been removed, there must be something the County can do to eliminate this mess?
Finally, Brotherhood In Salisbury
After the Bank Robbery at the Shore Bank this past weekend I was able to capture this photo in front of the SPD.
I want to take this opportunity to thank our readers for their comments as the SPD believes this individual may just be a local panhandler. Of course it is still under investigation but your tips have been very helpful and of course if you happen to see this person, please contact the SPD immediately.
On a closing note, it's good to see ALL Agencies working together.
Even The Moderate Left Is Now Awake
A majority of Americans now believe the federal government poses a threat to rights of Americans, according to a new national poll.
Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. Forty-four percent of those polled disagree.
The survey indicates a partisan divide on the question, but even so a full 37 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Independents and nearly 7 in 10 Republicans say the federal government poses a threat to the rights of Americans.
More
They've Had Their Say..
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that Republicans have left their mark on the healthcare bill and should accept that the bill will go forward.
"They've had plenty of opportunity to make their voices heard," she said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning. "Bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes. Republicans have left their imprint."
On ABC's "This Week," just a few days after the bipartisan healthcare summit, Pelosi said, "What's the point of talking about it any longer?"
First Grade Girl Handed In The Drawing
The teacher graded it and the child brought it home.
She returned to school the next day with the following note:
Dear Ms. Davis,
I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration.
It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money.
I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me selling a shovel.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Harrington
Why Obama Defies The Public On Health Care
"There have been a lot of comments from every Republican about the polls," President Obama said near the end of the mind-numbing White House summit on health care reform. "What's interesting is when you poll people about the individual elements in each of these bills, they're all for them."
What Obama was addressing was a dilemma that drives Democrats crazy. Polls show the public supports some parts of the Democratic national health care reform plan, but adamantly opposes the comprehensive bill now dying a slow death on Capitol Hill.
Asked what Congress should do on health care -- pass the current bill, start work on an entirely new bill, or stop working on the issue altogether -- a huge majority opposes the Democratic proposal now on the table. Just 25 percent of those surveyed want to see the bill passed. Forty-eight percent want Congress to start over, and 25 percent want lawmakers to stop working on health care altogether. Put those last two together, and an overwhelming majority of 73 percent do not want Congress to pass the current bill.
The White House is cherry-picking the news it likes; that's what Obama was doing when he said the public is "all for" elements of the bill. But bring up the polls showing people just don't want the current bill, and the administration gets a little dodgy.
"Who knows what is in those polls, how they were taken, when they were taken?" White House health care spokeswoman Linda Douglass told Fox News during a break in the summit.
President Obama Ignores Health Care Reform's Most Essential Question
In his Second Inaugural Address, Grover Cleveland reflected on the role that the President plays in protecting the United States Constitution:
The oath I now take to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States not only impressively defines the great responsibility I assume, but suggests obedience to constitutional commands as the rule by which my official conduct must be guided. I shall to the best of my ability and within my sphere of duty preserve the Constitution by loyally protecting every grant of Federal power it contains, by defending all its restraints when attacked by impatience and restlessness, and by enforcing its limitations and reservations in favor of the States and the people.
Cleveland realized that, when considering a piece of legislation, the first question that every president should ask himself is whether or not it is constitutional. The oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution is the most essential aspect of the office of the presidency. It must be regarded as such.
But in the recent "Health Care Summit," President Obama revealed that he may not be as dedicated to the oath that he took as his predecessors were.
During the exchange between Republicans and Democrats, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) stated:
Mr. President... you've got the individual mandate in here, which I think is unwise, and I, too, believe is unconstitutional.
Boehner isn't the first to assert that the President's reforms may be unconstitutional. FreedomWorks recently urged members of the House of Representatives to cosponsor Rep. John Sullivan’s (R-Okla.) resolution, H.R. 1063, to remove the individual mandate from all health care reform legislation. And, in an op-ed written for the Washington Post, constitutional scholars David Rivkin and Lee Casey write:
[A]dvocates of universal health coverage must accept that Congress's power, like that of the other branches, has limits. These limits apply regardless of how important the issue may be, and neither Congress nor the president can take constitutional short cuts. The genius of our system is that, no matter how convinced our elected officials may be that certain measures are in the public interest, their goals can be accomplished only in accord with the powers and processes the Constitution mandates, processes that inevitably make them accountable to the American people.
Yet, when Minority Leader Boehner mentioned these very real concerns to President Obama, he seemed to dismiss them as mere partisan politics:
John, you know, the challenge I have here -- and this has happened periodically -- is we're having -- every so often, we have a pretty good conversation trying to get on some specifics, and then we go back to, you know, the standard talking points that Democrats and Republicans have had for the last year. And that doesn't drive us to an agreement on issues.
The constitutionality of legislation, Mr. President, is not a Republican issue. It is not a Democratic issue. It is, at its core, an American issue. It is an issue that should be at the focus of every decision made by the president. To deny that is fundamentally flawed.
There are many objections to the current health care reform legislation, the most important being the fear that it is unconstitutional. Does the United States Constitution grant the federal government the power to force its citizens to purchase health insurance?
Instead of dismissing this vital question as a "Republican talking point," the President would be well served to consider the implications of his reform efforts. As Rivkin and Casey point out in the Wall Street Journal, granting Congress the power to mandate the purchase of health insurance eliminates all constraints placed upon it by the Constitution. If Congress possesses the authority to mandate the purchase of insurance, then it also possesses the authority to mandate that individuals:
...join a health club, or exercise regularly, or even eat… vegetables.
Pelosi To Dems: Damn The Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead!
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged her colleagues to back a major overhaul of U.S. health care even if it threatens their political careers, a call to arms that underscores the issue's massive role in this election year-- the last chance to enact a radical left agenda before being swept out of office.
Lawmakers sometimes must enact policies that, even if unpopular at the moment, will help the public, Ms. Pelosi, California Democrat, said in an interview broadcast Sunday the ABC News program "This Week."
"We're not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress," she said. "We're here to do the job for the American people."
It took courage for Congress to pass Social Security and Medicare, which eventually became highly popular, she said, "and many of the same forces that were at work decades ago are at work again against this bill."
"Time is up," she said. "We really have to go forth."
An Interesting Perspective
Democrats seem to be fond of passing out money-- particularly other people's money.
But it's interesting how they handle their own money.
An interesting example is Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs (a very wealthy fellow.)
In a recent Apple shareholder meeting (at which the continued presence of Enviro-fraudster Al Gore on the Apple Board of Directors was debated), Steve Jobs had this to say about Apple's abundant cash reserve ($40 billion):
"Cash gives us tremendous security and flexibility. When you take risks, it's like jumping up in the air, and it's nice to know the ground will be there when you land," he told the group. "We run our company conservatively from a financial point of view because you never know what opportunity is around the corner...We're very fortunate that if we needed to acquire something we could write a check for it and not have to borrow money."
Jobs also rejected the idea of giving stockowners more of that cash through dividends because, he said, he believed the stock price, currently at $201.60 a share, would be unaffected either way. He asked one shareholder, "Would you rather be a company with our same stock price and $40 billion in cash, or a company with the same stock price and no cash?"
So, one must wonder what he is thinking when he gives 99.9% of his campaign contributions to support the Democrat party apparatus.
I guess it means he thinks it's not so bad to take huge financial risks and run massive deficits if you're using somebody else's money (or risking national security by borrowing tons of it from countries run by communists.)
If the US were a company, its stock would be worthless, and it would have gone bankrupt long ago. But since it can just have more money printed by the Fed, that hasn't (officially) happened (yet.)
Certainly something to think about.
Chef Fred's
I wanted to write to share with your readers the absolutely atrocious dining experience my family and I had last night at Chef Fred’s. Let me say first that my parents, myself and my husband eat at Chef Fred’s on a regular basis. We have always enjoyed the fact that we could get a quality meal in a relaxing atmosphere with good service. It’s somewhere we could go to “dine” as opposed to just “eat”. I’ve kept up with all of the recent drama being reported at Chef Fred’s [stabbing, fights, etc] but looked at them as isolated instances, until now. It’s now that I see Chef Fred’s caters to that crowd.
So, last night, after church, my parents, aunt, husband, infant son and I went to Chef Fred’s for dinner. We were looking forward to being able to sit down and relax with a good meal and good conversation. That did not happen. We arrived at Chef Fred’s at 7:30 and were seated in the dining area of the restaurant. There was a large party of approximately 25 people, 2 tables of 4 people and 2 tables of 2 also in the dining area. 15 minutes after being seated, our server still had not made an appearance. My father finally asked the hostess to please send our server to our table so that we could order drinks. [I don’t think that our server even knew or realized up until then that she had another table to wait on. From what I could tell, our waitress had one other table in the entire restaurant]. We got our drinks 20 minutes after we ordered them. An hour after we first entered Chef Fred’s, we finally got our salads and appetizer. 30 minutes later, our plates had been cleared for some time, but we still had no entrees.
At this point, all of us were feeling extremely frustrated with the service we had received. My father asked to speak to the manager [Brenda], who had stayed pretty well unseen most of the night. My father spoke to her about the poor service and stated that it appeared that the restaurant was understaffed. The manager proceeded to argue with my father, that “no, the restaurant is not understaffed”. She said she would find out what was going on and would be back. Back into the kitchen she went and our entrees came out soon after that. My father told our server that he had spoken to the manager about the length of wait for drinks, appetizers and our meal. Our server replied that our meals had taken so long because my father wanted his burger well done. How a well done burger can cause a meal to take an hour to prepare is beyond me. When we finally got our food, it had been 2 hours since we had first entered Chef Fred’s. My aunt and father’s burgers both tasted like they had been previously cooked then re-warmed. My husband was given the wrong fish entree. Disappointingly, the manager never appeared in the dining area again to follow up on our previous concerns. [She helped deliver our entrees to us, brought us some ketchup and was gone].
Then, as we’re finally eating our dinner, I saw the entire atmosphere of the restaurant begin to change. Even though we were in the dining area, people began milling and mingling about the area. People were walking and standing right beside our table, talking loudly and sipping their drinks as the bar crowd took over the entire place. Bouncers started patrolling, dressed like swat team members; two of which posted at the door with metal detectors. Nobody at our table was even able to have a conversation because it was so loud and congested all around us. It felt like diners were being stampeded out of the once peaceful dining area. We scarfed down our meals and got out of there after paying the full bill of $120.
So, thinking about the horrible experience we had, it occurred to me that no one really even apologized for any of the many problems we experienced. No one cared about the poor service, food and atmosphere. And why? Sadly, I feel that Chef Fred’s doesn’t care about the old, boring customer who just wants a nice meal. They want the flashy party crowd that’s going to throw dollar after dollar away on liquor. So it’s no major loss to them if we leave thinking “I’m never going back there again”. They would rather cater to the very people that are, at least in this case, driving their loyal customers away. It looks like Chef Fred’s is content to become another bar in Salisbury where the police are called to once or twice every Saturday night for fights, stabbings, etc. and the restaurant will continue to place blame everywhere but where it is deserved. We will now being taking our business to other restaurants where quality and customer service is top priority."
Jesse Jackson's Newest Staff Member
Mel ReynoldsJesse Jackson has added former Chicago Democrat
Congressman Mel to Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's payroll.
Reynolds was among the 176 criminals excused
in President Clinton's
last-minute forgiveness spree.
Reynolds received a commutation of his six-and-a-half-year
federal sentence for 15 convictions of wire fraud, bank fraud,
and lies to the Federal Election Commission.
He is more notorious, however, for concurrently serving
five years for sleeping with an underage campaign volunteer.
This is a first in American politics: An ex-congressman who had
sex with a subordinate....won clemency from a president who had
sex with a subordinate...then was hired by a clergyman who had
sex with a subordinate!
His new job?
Ready for this??
***** YOUTH COUNSELOR *****
IS THIS A GREAT COUNTRY OR WHAT?
CONFIRMED BY:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/sexuality/reynolds.asp
My Favorites
In the past year you have taken away my favorite actor (Patrick Swayze), my favorite actress (Farah Fawcett), my favorite musician (Michael Jackson) and my favorite salesperson (Billy Mays). Just wanted to let you know my favorite president is Barrack Obama.
Swiss Face 'Holy War' With Gadhafi's Libya
GENEVA -- After two centuries of neutrality, Switzerland found itself in a bizarre and unprecedented situation Friday, facing a would-be "holy war" announced by Libya's Moammar Gadhafi.
The Swiss government declined to comment on Gadhafi's latest salvo in a simmering diplomatic saga stemming from the Geneva police's 2008 arrest and brief detainment of his son, Hannibal, and his wife for allegedly beating up their servants.
Although Gadhafi's jihad declaration late Thursday was widely viewed as a stunt by a leader given to outlandish behavior, the danger was difficult to dismiss in an era of Islamic-Western foment over issues ranging from headdress bans in Europe to faraway Middle East disputes, Iran's nuclear program and Nordic newspapers' caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
My Dog
This morning I went to sign my Dog up for welfare. At first the lady said, "Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare". So I explained to her that my Dog is a mix in color, unemployed, lazy, can't speak English and has no frigging clue who his Daddy is. He expects me to feed him, provide him with housing and medical care, and feel guilty because he is a dog.
So she looked in her policy book to see what it takes to qualify. My Dog gets his first check Friday.
Damn this is a great country.
Dog Food
Thank you for taking my call. I am not accusing any manufacturer or store. I am only asking if anyone else has had a similar situation.
My otherwise healthy dog became very ill on Friday morning. He was rushed to Salisbury Animal Hospital. There they found him to be suffering from a problems with his kidneys. He seems to act like he was poisoned or ingested something. Vomiting, no appetite and completely lethargic-very ill.
My question to the public is has anyone else had a similar situation with their dog lately? He just started on a new bag of dry dog food. My internet research indicates that he has the same symptoms as pet food contanimation. I am omitting the brand and purchase location so that I do not point fingers. We do not have all of the lab results as of yet and we will take the food for testing on Monday.
Thank you for your help.
Liberalism, Atheism, Male Sexual Exclusivity Linked To IQ
(CNN) -- Political, religious and sexual behaviors may be reflections of intelligence, a new study finds.
Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. This applied also to sexual exclusivity in men, but not in women. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly.
The IQ differences, while statistically significant, are not stunning -- on the order of 6 to 11 points -- and the data should not be used to stereotype or make assumptions about people, experts say. But they show how certain patterns of identifying with particular ideologies develop, and how some people's behaviors come to be.
The reasoning is that sexual exclusivity in men, liberalism and atheism all go against what would be expected given humans' evolutionary past. In other words, none of these traits would have benefited our early human ancestors, but higher intelligence may be associated with them.
"The adoption of some evolutionarily novel ideas makes some sense in terms of moving the species forward," said George Washington University leadership professor James Bailey, who was not involved in the study. "It also makes perfect sense that more intelligent people -- people with, sort of, more intellectual firepower -- are likely to be the ones to do that."
Bailey also said that these preferences may stem from a desire to show superiority or elitism, which also has to do with IQ. In fact, aligning oneself with "unconventional" philosophies such as liberalism or atheism may be "ways to communicate to everyone that you're pretty smart," he said.
GO HERE to read more.
MSP Press Release
LOCATION: RT50 E/B @ Main St Ext Pittsville Wicomico Co., MD. 21850
CASE NUMBER: 10-54-001962
CRIME: Accused 1. 1. Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance Marijuana
Possession of Controlled Dangerous Paraphernalia
Accused 2 1. Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance Marijuana
Possession of Controlled Dangerous Paraphernalia
VICTIM: State of Maryland
Accused: 1. Jeffery Michael Strehlen w/m age 18 of Joppa MD
2. Charles Zachary Alexander w/m age 18 of Abingdon MD
BRIEF RESUME: On 02/27/10 at approximately 0742 hours Troopers from the Salisbury Barrack stopped a 1995 Geo sedan for a traffic violation in the area of Rt 50 @ Main St Ext., Pittsville, Wicomico County, MD. After a positive K-9 alert on the vehicle a probable cause search was conducted. Troopers located inside the vehicle a smoking device which contained suspected marijuana which belonged to Jeffery Michael Strehlen. Charles Alexander was also searched by Troopers and found to be in possession of suspected marijuana. The suspects were transported to the Wicomico County Central Booking Unit and released.
Parallels Of Abraham Lincoln And B. H. Obama:
You might be surprised.
1. Lincoln placed his hand on the Bible for his inauguration.
Obama used the same Bible.
2. Lincoln came from Illinois.
Obama comes from Illinois.
3. Lincoln served in the Illinois Legislature.
Obama served in the Illinois Legislature.
4. Lincoln had very little experience before becoming President.
Obama had very little experience before becoming President.
5. Lincoln rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration.
Obama rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration.
6. Lincoln was a skinny lawyer.
Obama is a skinny lawyer.
7. Lincoln was a Republican.
Obama is a skinny lawyer.
8. Lincoln was highly respected.
Obama is a skinny lawyer.
9. Lincoln was born in the United States.
Obama is a skinny lawyer.
10. Lincoln was honest, so honest he was called Honest Abe.
Obama is a skinny lawyer
11. Lincoln saved the United States.
Obama is a skinny lawyer.
SBYNews Mentioned On AOL News
I didn’t know if anyone told you yet, but I was reading an article on AOL about Christine Sheddy and your blog was quoted.
Very cool !!!
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/remains-of-christine-sheddy-woman-missing-two-years-found-in-maryland/19375757?icid=mainhtmlws-main-ndl1link6http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fremains-of-christine-sheddy-woman-missing-two-years-found-in-maryland%2F19375757
Here is the line that mentions your blog.
"They flew to Tennessee to speak with [Jackson]," an unnamed source told SbyNews.
PG County Schools Slash 800 Jobs
School board members approved plans to cut $45 million from the budget by a vote of 7 to 1. The cuts means 800 people in the school district will lose their jobs --more than 350 teachers and teacher aides positions will be eliminated.
Fewer teachers translate into bigger class sizes. Class sizes currently average 27 students. The new plan would call for up to two more students per class on every level except pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Some parents are concerned that crowding in more students will mean less attention on individualized education.
GO HERE to read more.
Kennedy Grandson Decides Against Run For Congress
BOSTON -- Joseph P. Kennedy III, the son of a former congressman and the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, said Sunday he had decided against running for the U.S. House from Massachusetts this year.
Kennedy told The Associated Press that he wants to remain in his new job as a prosecutor in Cape Cod's Barnstable County. The 29-year-old Stanford University and Harvard Law graduate has held the post only for eight months.
"I've got a job I love being an assistant district attorney on the Cape, and I want to get better at it at this point," Kennedy said. "I know serving in Congress would be a great job, but I've got a great job."
A top state Democrat said Saturday that Kennedy was weighing a race if Rep. William Delahunt were to decide against seeking re-election in the 10th Congressional District, which encompasses the Massachusetts South Shore and Cape Cod.
Delahunt and the rest of the Massachusetts Democratic establishment were rocked in January when Republican Scott Brown staged an upset to win the U.S. Senate seat held for more than four decades by Kennedy's uncle, Edward M. Kennedy. While Kennedy's widow, Vicki, and Joseph P. Kennedy III's father, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, both eschewed races, they lobbied hard for the Democratic nominee, Attorney General Martha Coakley.
GO HERE to read more.