I'm a Salisbury University student, and I wanted to let you and your congregation know, that only by God's miraculous provision, were we able to set up a 24/7 prayer tent outside on Salisbury University's campus. It started this past monday and will continue till Monday, April 12th at noon.
We are welcoming Christians from the community to come join us in prayer for a couple minutes or a couple hours sometime this next week. The tent is open all day and all night!
We would love to gather with other believers from all different denominations to pray for revival in Salisbury. We are praying for the hearts of the believers to turn back to God in repentance and for the unbelievers to turn to God in large multitudes! If you look at history, you will see that the revivals in America never started in churches, but at prayer meetings or on college campuses. Please come support us in prayer! Who knows what opportunities God will open up!?
The tent is located outside of the Gurrieri building. Parallel park on Dogwood, or on the street next to Asbury Church. Walk around the right side of Gurrieri towards the middle of the campus. You will see the white tent!
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Special Edition Show Tonight
Folks, we're working on a Special Edition Show tonight and we're doing our very best to get it up by 6 PM tonight. However, this is about a 1/2 hour Show so it may air a little past 6 PM.
What to look forward to tonight.....
I went out and interviewed some business owners of the Downtown Plaza and I'm confident you'll be VERY interested in what they had to say. See you later tonight.
Rt. 50 East Bound From Royal Farms To Naylor Mill Road Closed Down
While I expect to get a Press Release later today, the Sheriff's Department was in a brief chase with another vehicle where the suspect started throwing what is suspected to be many bags of cocaine out the window and onto the highway.
K-9 Dogs were brought in to help collect as many bags as possible but we're told vehicles riding over them may have destroyed much of the evidence. More to come.
Mail Delivery Issues
Joe,
I would believe you and the readers may like to know this. About 2 weeks ago I did not receive the pay stub, that has been mailed for 3 years, And the next one 2 weeks later! So I had a track able order going through the USPS. The first one about 2 weeks ago came fine. BUT yesterday I tracked it and it said undeliverable.
BOTH addresses WERE Confirmed correctly. My jobs checks were always there.
Well I spoke with someone at the USPS over on Route #50 in Salisbury. She stated that the mail carrier has been fired and that we need to place notes in our mailboxes for them. The USPS person was very nice. BUT how many readers here in the Area have not received mail they were waiting on?
I was told this carrier was fired, fine, But what did they get away with? Something sure is fishy about this I sure hope that the person who I spoke with is correct, and that something like this does not happen again. Just wondering how many people were removed from addresses?
I would believe you and the readers may like to know this. About 2 weeks ago I did not receive the pay stub, that has been mailed for 3 years, And the next one 2 weeks later! So I had a track able order going through the USPS. The first one about 2 weeks ago came fine. BUT yesterday I tracked it and it said undeliverable.
BOTH addresses WERE Confirmed correctly. My jobs checks were always there.
Well I spoke with someone at the USPS over on Route #50 in Salisbury. She stated that the mail carrier has been fired and that we need to place notes in our mailboxes for them. The USPS person was very nice. BUT how many readers here in the Area have not received mail they were waiting on?
I was told this carrier was fired, fine, But what did they get away with? Something sure is fishy about this I sure hope that the person who I spoke with is correct, and that something like this does not happen again. Just wondering how many people were removed from addresses?
BREAKING NEWS: Another Thief Found In Wicomico County?
It seems every time you turn around here in Wicomico County, another thief surfaces.
This time it has been reported that an employee of the Wicomico County Library, specifically, the Eastern Shore Library in the basement has been placed on Administrative Leave for allegedly stealing from the Library/County.
Now we're not talking books or cd's here Folks. We're talking MONEY. We're talking personal services charged to the Library Account.
The growing concern is, is this person on administrative leave WITH PAY? We're also informed the Library has brought in an auditor to see just how bad it is. And these people want $30,000,000.00 for a new building!
In the mean time, the MSM sits idle and waits for news and information like this to be brought to them. I'm sure they'll use the old, its an ongoing investigation bit. Once again, Salisbury News Delivers.
More to come, I'm sure.
A Comment Worthy Of A Post
I was just thinking about everything I buy that has increased in price because of taxation. Everything from eggs and milk to clothes and vehicles. What kills me is the government says there is no cost of living increase. Really? That's odd because I know 7 years ago I rented a place for $900 a month now that very same rental property goes for $1300 a month.
I could go to the grocery store just 2 years ago once a week, spend $100 and my family of 4 could eat 3 healthy meals a day for a full week. Now I go grocery shopping once every two weeks and spend $200-$250 to get us thru lunches on the weekends, dinner every night, and maybe a weeks worth of snacks for the two kids.
I paid around $25 every 3 months for my W&S now I am paying $210, for poor quality water that I don't even trust to drink! Which adds to the expenses at the grocery store since I have to buy bottled water.
I could afford to fill up the gas tank in both my vehicle and my husbands for about $65 a week. Now it costs over $50 just to fill his, I have cut way back on my traveling so now my ability to put gas in my tank dictates where I can go in between pay checks.
I also find myself having to pick and chose which bills to pay since the electric bill is now over half of what my mortgage payment is. I recall getting car insurance based on my driving record, not on my credit score. I have been driving for 13 years, never had an accident never had a ticket and my husband is a truck driver with a spotless record yet every renewal our insurance creeps a little higher.
I remember a time I could afford to take my children out to eat, bowling, or to a movie. The last time they attended a movie it was a free summer flick at Center of Salisbury theater. The last paid movie was "Cars".
Just 4 or maybe 5 years ago I could walk into a store and see a variety of jeans I could buy for less than $15 now I have to wait until those jeans are on final clearance and hope like hell they have a pair..any pair.. left in my size to get a pair at that price.
I used to be able to buy shoes for my children for $15-$30, now I cannot touch a pair of shoes constructed well enough to withstand the wear and tear of little ones for less than $40 unless they are on clearance.
I am not saying the whole world is out to get us, I think the government needs to conduct an experiment. I want to see if they can live for 3 months on what us every day blue collar workers are making. We may not be high class or drive a Mercedes but damn it we work. We work hard to provide for our children. We educate our kids and teach them the importance of caring about others. We don't sit in the welfare office every month with applications on our laps, even though we would qualify if we applied. We don't do that because we are trying to make it on our own. I don't want to live off any one or anything other than our own hard work and dedication. The sad part is people just like us go to work every day, raise our children up right, and do everything in our power to make life enjoyable and affordable but we always get over looked. How is that right? So I wasn't born with a talent to make millions. So I have enough pride to not beg someone else to bare my burdens. Why can't all of us in this class be appreciated because we are what makes this country operate. The government needs to see if they keep making us, and those like us, feel like we will never be able to climb out of the hole and continue to step on our foreheads as we try, we will at some point give up. Then what happens? What happens when we have had enough and stop trying so hard to just live?
I could go to the grocery store just 2 years ago once a week, spend $100 and my family of 4 could eat 3 healthy meals a day for a full week. Now I go grocery shopping once every two weeks and spend $200-$250 to get us thru lunches on the weekends, dinner every night, and maybe a weeks worth of snacks for the two kids.
I paid around $25 every 3 months for my W&S now I am paying $210, for poor quality water that I don't even trust to drink! Which adds to the expenses at the grocery store since I have to buy bottled water.
I could afford to fill up the gas tank in both my vehicle and my husbands for about $65 a week. Now it costs over $50 just to fill his, I have cut way back on my traveling so now my ability to put gas in my tank dictates where I can go in between pay checks.
I also find myself having to pick and chose which bills to pay since the electric bill is now over half of what my mortgage payment is. I recall getting car insurance based on my driving record, not on my credit score. I have been driving for 13 years, never had an accident never had a ticket and my husband is a truck driver with a spotless record yet every renewal our insurance creeps a little higher.
I remember a time I could afford to take my children out to eat, bowling, or to a movie. The last time they attended a movie it was a free summer flick at Center of Salisbury theater. The last paid movie was "Cars".
Just 4 or maybe 5 years ago I could walk into a store and see a variety of jeans I could buy for less than $15 now I have to wait until those jeans are on final clearance and hope like hell they have a pair..any pair.. left in my size to get a pair at that price.
I used to be able to buy shoes for my children for $15-$30, now I cannot touch a pair of shoes constructed well enough to withstand the wear and tear of little ones for less than $40 unless they are on clearance.
I am not saying the whole world is out to get us, I think the government needs to conduct an experiment. I want to see if they can live for 3 months on what us every day blue collar workers are making. We may not be high class or drive a Mercedes but damn it we work. We work hard to provide for our children. We educate our kids and teach them the importance of caring about others. We don't sit in the welfare office every month with applications on our laps, even though we would qualify if we applied. We don't do that because we are trying to make it on our own. I don't want to live off any one or anything other than our own hard work and dedication. The sad part is people just like us go to work every day, raise our children up right, and do everything in our power to make life enjoyable and affordable but we always get over looked. How is that right? So I wasn't born with a talent to make millions. So I have enough pride to not beg someone else to bare my burdens. Why can't all of us in this class be appreciated because we are what makes this country operate. The government needs to see if they keep making us, and those like us, feel like we will never be able to climb out of the hole and continue to step on our foreheads as we try, we will at some point give up. Then what happens? What happens when we have had enough and stop trying so hard to just live?
ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLLLE
What: PreFight Press Conference
WHO: Fernando Guerrero & Mike Walker
Shawn Porter & Raul Pinzon
Where: Main St Gym located off Northwood Dr. behind United Electric
When: Wed April 14th 2:00pm
!!!!! ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLLLE? !!!!!!
Well, we are coming down to opening bell and in just 8 days Salisbury will be in the worldwide spotlight, as we send our own Fernando Guerrero into the ring to represent us. It will be the biggest night in Salisbury and we want all of you to up on every aspect of this huge Showtimes event
As always Prizefight Promotions and Team Guerrero work hard to keep our media associate up on any and all important developments and news items.
Prizefight Promotions and Team Guerrero will host a prefight Press Conference, Wed April 14th at the Main St Gym at 2:00pm
This will be an opportunity to talk to and interview, not only Fernando Guerrero, but his opponent Mike 'The Midnight Stalker" Walker of Chicago.
You will also have the opportunity to talk to our Co-Main Event Fighters
Shawn" Showtime" Porter and his opponent Raul Pinzon 17(16)-4 of Columbia South America.
Prizefight will provide food and beverage for the media, and the event is open to the public, so please broadcast this event within in all the respective media avenues you work in.
Team Guerrero, Prizefight Promotions and these fighters are working hard to put Salisbury on the map in a big way. Now you have the rare and unique opportunity to be a huge part of that.
Thank You All.
Hal Chernoff/ Team Guerrero
Late Bond Bill Additions Questioned
By Erich Wagner
Erich@MarylandReporter.com
The House passed the state’s capital budget Wednesday, despite Republican allegations that the House Appropriations Committee improperly added projects at the last minute.
Del. Susan Krebs, R-Carroll, accused Capital Budget Subcommittee Chair Adrienne Jones of adding projects to the budget that did not go through the proper process for local bond bills, the state’s version of earmarks.
“The process was violated by the very person who wrote the rules [for filing bond bills],” Krebs said.
Krebs unsuccessfully introduced an amendment that would take $1 million from the funding for those projects, many of which are for schools in Jones’ native Baltimore County. The measure would have put the money toward projects to fix aging schools. She said the money should be available for all schools in the state, instead of just the chair’s constituency.
“There was no bond bill, no hearing, and no paperwork [for these projects],” Krebs said. “This amendment just takes the money for those projects and puts it back in the Aging Schools Fund.”
GO HERE to read more from the Marylandreporter.
Erich@MarylandReporter.com
The House passed the state’s capital budget Wednesday, despite Republican allegations that the House Appropriations Committee improperly added projects at the last minute.
Del. Susan Krebs, R-Carroll, accused Capital Budget Subcommittee Chair Adrienne Jones of adding projects to the budget that did not go through the proper process for local bond bills, the state’s version of earmarks.
“The process was violated by the very person who wrote the rules [for filing bond bills],” Krebs said.
Krebs unsuccessfully introduced an amendment that would take $1 million from the funding for those projects, many of which are for schools in Jones’ native Baltimore County. The measure would have put the money toward projects to fix aging schools. She said the money should be available for all schools in the state, instead of just the chair’s constituency.
“There was no bond bill, no hearing, and no paperwork [for these projects],” Krebs said. “This amendment just takes the money for those projects and puts it back in the Aging Schools Fund.”
GO HERE to read more from the Marylandreporter.
Incurable Gonorrhea May Be Next Superbug
Some strains of STD showing signs of becoming resistant to all treatments
An alarming new superbug may be on its way — an incurable form of gonorrhea. The disease, once easily killed with a shot of penicillin, is increasingly becoming drug-resistant. Soon, the world may face a version that can’t be killed by any known antibiotic, warned Catherine Ison, the director of the sexually transmitted bacteria reference library with the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency.
In recent years, as the disease has evolved, medications once proven to kill the bacteria have become less effective except one, a class of antibiotics called cephalosporins. Now some strains of gonorrhea are showing signs of being resistant to even that, Ison told those at a scientific meeting last week in Edinburgh, Scotland.
"If this problem isn't addressed, there's a very real possibility that gonorrhea will become a very difficult infection to treat," she said.
GO HERE to read more.
An alarming new superbug may be on its way — an incurable form of gonorrhea. The disease, once easily killed with a shot of penicillin, is increasingly becoming drug-resistant. Soon, the world may face a version that can’t be killed by any known antibiotic, warned Catherine Ison, the director of the sexually transmitted bacteria reference library with the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency.
In recent years, as the disease has evolved, medications once proven to kill the bacteria have become less effective except one, a class of antibiotics called cephalosporins. Now some strains of gonorrhea are showing signs of being resistant to even that, Ison told those at a scientific meeting last week in Edinburgh, Scotland.
"If this problem isn't addressed, there's a very real possibility that gonorrhea will become a very difficult infection to treat," she said.
GO HERE to read more.
New Jobless Claims Rose Unexpectedly Last Week
Labor Department finds claims jump by 18,000 — a sign hiring remains flat
The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign that jobs remain scarce even as the economy recovers.
The Labor Department said first-time claims increased by 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 460,000. That's worse than economists' estimates of a drop to 435,000, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.
The report covers the week that includes the Easter holiday, and a Labor Department analyst said seasonal adjustment for that week can be difficult since the Easter holiday occurs in different weeks each year.
GO HERE to read more.
The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign that jobs remain scarce even as the economy recovers.
The Labor Department said first-time claims increased by 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 460,000. That's worse than economists' estimates of a drop to 435,000, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.
The report covers the week that includes the Easter holiday, and a Labor Department analyst said seasonal adjustment for that week can be difficult since the Easter holiday occurs in different weeks each year.
GO HERE to read more.
Both Obamas Surrendered Law Licenses, Very Interesting, WHY?
Just one more thing to add to the “Great List of Deceit.....
Big Surprise
Consider this:
1. President Barack Obama, former editor of the Harvard Law Review, is no longer a “lawyer”. He surrendered his license back in 2008 in order to escape charges he lied on his bar application. NOTE: Click on "lawyer" to see the actual documents.
2. Michelle Obama “voluntarily surrendered” her law license in 1993.
3. So, we have the first black President and First Lady — who don’t actually have licenses to practice law. Facts. Source: http://jdlong.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/pres-barack-obama-editor-of-the-Harvard-law-review-has-no-law-license/
4. A senior lecturer is one thing... A fully ranked law professor is another. Barack Obama was NOT a Constitutional Law professor at the University of Chicago .
5. The University of Chicago released a statement in March, 2008 saying Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) “served as a professor” in the law school—but that is a title Obama, who taught courses there part-time, never held, a spokesman for the school confirmed in 2008.
6. “He did not hold the title of professor of law,” said Marsha Ferziger Nagorsky, an Assistant Dean for Communications and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago School of Law . Source: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/03/sweet_obama_did_hold_the_title.html
7. The former Constitutional senior lecturer cited the US Constitution the other night during his State of the Union Address. Unfortunately, the quote he cited was from the Declaration of Independence … not the Constitution.
8. The B-Cast posted the video: http://www.breitbart.tv/did-obama-confuse-the-constitution-with-the-declaration-of-independence/
9. Free Republic: In the State of the Union Address, President Obama said: “We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal….
10. Um, wrong citing, wrong founding document there Champ, I mean Mr. President. By the way, the promises are not a notion, our founders named them unalienable rights. The document is our Declaration of Independence and it reads:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
11. And this is the same guy who lectured the Supreme Court moments later in the same speech???
When you are a phoney it's hard to keep facts straight.
Pres. Barack Obama – Editor of the Harvard Law Review– Has No Law License???May 15, 2009 by Johnny Alamo
I saw a note slide across the #TCOT feed on Twitter last night that mentioned Michelle Obama had no law license. This struck me as odd, since (a) she went to school to be a lawyer, and (b) she just recently held a position with the University of Chicago Hospitals as legal counsel — and that’s a pretty hard job to qualify for without a law license.
But being a licensed professional myself, I knew that every state not only requires licensure, they make it possible to check online the status of any licensed professional. So I did, and here’s the results from the ARDC Website:
She “voluntarily surrendered” her license in 1993. Let me explain what that means. A “Voluntary Surrender” is not something where you decide “Gee, a license is not really something I need anymore, is it?” and forget to renew your license. No, a “Voluntary Surrender” is something you do when you’ve been accused of something, and you ‘voluntarily surrender” you license five seconds before the state suspends you.
Here’s an illustration: I’m a nurse. At various times in my 28 years of nursing I’ve done other things when I got burned out; most notably a few years as a limousine driver; even an Amway salesman at one point. I always, always renewed my nursing license — simply becuase it’s easier to send the state $49.00 a month than to pay the $200, take a test, wait six weeks, etc., etc. . . I’ve worked (recently) in a Nursing Home where there was an 88 year old lawyer and a 95 year old physician. Both of them still had current licensures as well. They would never DREAM of letting their licenses lapse.
I happen to know there is currently in the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City Indiana an inmate who is a licensed physician, convicted of murder when he chased the two burlars who entered his home and terrorized his family into the street and killed them. (And I can’t say I blame him for that, either.) This physican still has an active medical license and still sees patients, writes prescriptions, etc all from inside the prison. And he renews his medical license every two years, too. I tried looking up why she would “Voluntarily surrender” her licese, but Illinois does not have it’s 1993 records online.
But when I searched for “Obama”, I found this:
“Voluntarily retired” — what does that mean? Bill Clinton hung onto his law license until he was convicted of making a false statement in the Lewinsky case and had to “Voluntarily Surrender” his license too.
This is the former editor of the Harvard Law Review who doesn’t seem to give a crap about his law license.
Something else odd; while the Search feature brings up the names, any searches for the Disciplinary actions ends quickly.As in, Too Quickly. Less than a half-second quickly on a Search Engine that can take five seconds to Search for anything.As in, “there’s a block on that information” kind of thing.
So we have the first Lawyer President and First Lady —who don’t actually have licenses to practice law. There’s more to this story, I’m sure. I’ll let you know when I find it.
Big Surprise
Consider this:
1. President Barack Obama, former editor of the Harvard Law Review, is no longer a “lawyer”. He surrendered his license back in 2008 in order to escape charges he lied on his bar application. NOTE: Click on "lawyer" to see the actual documents.
2. Michelle Obama “voluntarily surrendered” her law license in 1993.
3. So, we have the first black President and First Lady — who don’t actually have licenses to practice law. Facts. Source: http://jdlong.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/pres-barack-obama-editor-of-the-Harvard-law-review-has-no-law-license/
4. A senior lecturer is one thing... A fully ranked law professor is another. Barack Obama was NOT a Constitutional Law professor at the University of Chicago .
5. The University of Chicago released a statement in March, 2008 saying Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) “served as a professor” in the law school—but that is a title Obama, who taught courses there part-time, never held, a spokesman for the school confirmed in 2008.
6. “He did not hold the title of professor of law,” said Marsha Ferziger Nagorsky, an Assistant Dean for Communications and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago School of Law . Source: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/03/sweet_obama_did_hold_the_title.html
7. The former Constitutional senior lecturer cited the US Constitution the other night during his State of the Union Address. Unfortunately, the quote he cited was from the Declaration of Independence … not the Constitution.
8. The B-Cast posted the video: http://www.breitbart.tv/did-obama-confuse-the-constitution-with-the-declaration-of-independence/
9. Free Republic: In the State of the Union Address, President Obama said: “We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal….
10. Um, wrong citing, wrong founding document there Champ, I mean Mr. President. By the way, the promises are not a notion, our founders named them unalienable rights. The document is our Declaration of Independence and it reads:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
11. And this is the same guy who lectured the Supreme Court moments later in the same speech???
When you are a phoney it's hard to keep facts straight.
Pres. Barack Obama – Editor of the Harvard Law Review– Has No Law License???May 15, 2009 by Johnny Alamo
I saw a note slide across the #TCOT feed on Twitter last night that mentioned Michelle Obama had no law license. This struck me as odd, since (a) she went to school to be a lawyer, and (b) she just recently held a position with the University of Chicago Hospitals as legal counsel — and that’s a pretty hard job to qualify for without a law license.
But being a licensed professional myself, I knew that every state not only requires licensure, they make it possible to check online the status of any licensed professional. So I did, and here’s the results from the ARDC Website:
She “voluntarily surrendered” her license in 1993. Let me explain what that means. A “Voluntary Surrender” is not something where you decide “Gee, a license is not really something I need anymore, is it?” and forget to renew your license. No, a “Voluntary Surrender” is something you do when you’ve been accused of something, and you ‘voluntarily surrender” you license five seconds before the state suspends you.
Here’s an illustration: I’m a nurse. At various times in my 28 years of nursing I’ve done other things when I got burned out; most notably a few years as a limousine driver; even an Amway salesman at one point. I always, always renewed my nursing license — simply becuase it’s easier to send the state $49.00 a month than to pay the $200, take a test, wait six weeks, etc., etc. . . I’ve worked (recently) in a Nursing Home where there was an 88 year old lawyer and a 95 year old physician. Both of them still had current licensures as well. They would never DREAM of letting their licenses lapse.
I happen to know there is currently in the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City Indiana an inmate who is a licensed physician, convicted of murder when he chased the two burlars who entered his home and terrorized his family into the street and killed them. (And I can’t say I blame him for that, either.) This physican still has an active medical license and still sees patients, writes prescriptions, etc all from inside the prison. And he renews his medical license every two years, too. I tried looking up why she would “Voluntarily surrender” her licese, but Illinois does not have it’s 1993 records online.
But when I searched for “Obama”, I found this:
“Voluntarily retired” — what does that mean? Bill Clinton hung onto his law license until he was convicted of making a false statement in the Lewinsky case and had to “Voluntarily Surrender” his license too.
This is the former editor of the Harvard Law Review who doesn’t seem to give a crap about his law license.
Something else odd; while the Search feature brings up the names, any searches for the Disciplinary actions ends quickly.As in, Too Quickly. Less than a half-second quickly on a Search Engine that can take five seconds to Search for anything.As in, “there’s a block on that information” kind of thing.
So we have the first Lawyer President and First Lady —who don’t actually have licenses to practice law. There’s more to this story, I’m sure. I’ll let you know when I find it.
Possible Census Meltdown
As the U.S. census nears its final stages, the government is preparing for possible debacles that could derail its $15 billion head count, from mass identity theft and lawsuits to homeowners who refuse to answer their doors.
Census Bureau documents, obtained by The Associated Press, underscore the highly fragile nature of the high-stakes population count before the government dispatches some 700,000 temporary workers to visit homes, beginning in May.
The preparedness efforts are not entirely new. Previous censuses had contingency plans in place, at least conceptually, and the Census Bureau has never failed to meet its constitutional mandate of delivering population counts by Dec. 31 each decennial year.
But this is the first time the Census has detailed - in 300 pages of internal documents released under the Freedom of Information Act - specific risks to the once-a-decade government count. It's part of the bureau's approach to handling threats that could undermine accuracy, omit large segments of the public or add to already ballooning costs.
Many of the documents proved telling, even with portions redacted or withheld for security reasons.
"Considering the volume of data that the Bureau of Census gathers during the census, some loss of confidential data is bound to occur," one document bluntly states. Citing past missteps, such as the loss of work laptops by census employees in 2006, it details a rapid-response effort that includes notification of authorities, if appropriate, as well as free credit monitoring for potential identity theft victims.
One document says the "No. 1 concern" could be a refusal by immigrants to participate.
Placing a cap on costs if immigrants try to evade the count, the response plan notes that a census worker will attempt to visit a home six times at most - or fewer, if a resident makes clear he won't cooperate - before the worker questions neighbors to get the information. If that fails, the Census Bureau will statistically impute data based on characteristics of neighboring households.
In 2000, imputation, a statistical method that was not part of previous court battles over statistical sampling, increased the U.S. population by 1.1 million, particularly among urban racial minorities who would have been missed by a head count. Census Bureau director Robert Groves has ruled out sampling but not other statistical methods.
Another risk being monitored by the Census Bureau is the possibility of a conservative boycott following recent rhetoric, including one blogger's threat to pull out a shotgun to scare away census workers. The White House condemned the remarks Tuesday, and the bureau said it remains on the lookout for signs of a boycott or other trouble. Conservatives who refuse to participate may also be counted by way of neighbor questioning or statistical imputation.
"With these things, anything can turn on a dime, implode and impact our ability to recruit staff and gain cooperation," Arnold Jackson, the bureau's associate director for the decennial census, said in an interview. "We also remain terribly concerned about safety."
He said the bureau has tightened security procedures and boosted targeted advertising to specific groups, including a public service announcement released this week featuring President George W. Bush's former political adviser, Karl Rove. Still, while there have been anecdotal reports that conservatives may fill out only the number of people in their households, Jackson says there has been little sign of incomplete census forms received so far.
More
Census Bureau documents, obtained by The Associated Press, underscore the highly fragile nature of the high-stakes population count before the government dispatches some 700,000 temporary workers to visit homes, beginning in May.
The preparedness efforts are not entirely new. Previous censuses had contingency plans in place, at least conceptually, and the Census Bureau has never failed to meet its constitutional mandate of delivering population counts by Dec. 31 each decennial year.
But this is the first time the Census has detailed - in 300 pages of internal documents released under the Freedom of Information Act - specific risks to the once-a-decade government count. It's part of the bureau's approach to handling threats that could undermine accuracy, omit large segments of the public or add to already ballooning costs.
Many of the documents proved telling, even with portions redacted or withheld for security reasons.
"Considering the volume of data that the Bureau of Census gathers during the census, some loss of confidential data is bound to occur," one document bluntly states. Citing past missteps, such as the loss of work laptops by census employees in 2006, it details a rapid-response effort that includes notification of authorities, if appropriate, as well as free credit monitoring for potential identity theft victims.
One document says the "No. 1 concern" could be a refusal by immigrants to participate.
Placing a cap on costs if immigrants try to evade the count, the response plan notes that a census worker will attempt to visit a home six times at most - or fewer, if a resident makes clear he won't cooperate - before the worker questions neighbors to get the information. If that fails, the Census Bureau will statistically impute data based on characteristics of neighboring households.
In 2000, imputation, a statistical method that was not part of previous court battles over statistical sampling, increased the U.S. population by 1.1 million, particularly among urban racial minorities who would have been missed by a head count. Census Bureau director Robert Groves has ruled out sampling but not other statistical methods.
Another risk being monitored by the Census Bureau is the possibility of a conservative boycott following recent rhetoric, including one blogger's threat to pull out a shotgun to scare away census workers. The White House condemned the remarks Tuesday, and the bureau said it remains on the lookout for signs of a boycott or other trouble. Conservatives who refuse to participate may also be counted by way of neighbor questioning or statistical imputation.
"With these things, anything can turn on a dime, implode and impact our ability to recruit staff and gain cooperation," Arnold Jackson, the bureau's associate director for the decennial census, said in an interview. "We also remain terribly concerned about safety."
He said the bureau has tightened security procedures and boosted targeted advertising to specific groups, including a public service announcement released this week featuring President George W. Bush's former political adviser, Karl Rove. Still, while there have been anecdotal reports that conservatives may fill out only the number of people in their households, Jackson says there has been little sign of incomplete census forms received so far.
More
KAREN MIHALIK Recognized As 2010 Outstanding Public Health Leader
(Salisbury, MD.) Mrs. Karen Mihalik, R.N., CIC, Infection Preventionist at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, was recognized as the 2010 Outstanding Public Health Leader for Wicomico County at a ceremony held April 6, 2010 at the William C. Fritz Health Center in Salisbury. The award ceremony was held in recognition of National Public Health Week, April 5-11, 2010.
Mrs. Mihalik is described as a dynamic individual who always displays a positive attitude and demonstrates thoughtful attention, energy and innovation in her position which ultimately protects the citizens of Wicomico County from infectious diseases.
Mrs. Mihalik is to be commended for her tireless efforts to improve the health of Wicomico County residents and for her accomplishment on being recognized as Wicomico County's 2010 Outstanding Public Health Leader.
(L-R) Brandy Wink (Wicomico Co. Deputy Health Officer)
Karen Mihalik (2010 Outstanding Public Health Leader)
Lori Brewster (Wicomico Co. Health Officer)
What Happened To Local News?
There was a day when WBOC, WMDT and the Daily Times would report on mainly local news, meaning Salisbury and Ocean City.
Today, things are quite different. They are now pulling more state wide and national news and doing far less local coverage. Some complain about WBOC doing so much coverage in Delaware and now they're covering the "MID SHORE" with green reporters, almost forgetting which TV Station they work for. After watching the local news stations recently even I am amazed at how little coverage they give to OC and Salisbury.
Yesterday we watched WBOC do a story about Salisbury becoming a candidate for an All American City. Now the funny part is, they went to the Downtown Plaza and actually shot their footage right in front of WMDT's building.
They continued to show different angles, trying to make things look busier than they were but only ONE person walked past them at the time and she seemed to be very reluctant to talk to them. The interview sucked, (as it usually does) voices cracking, red faces, you know the drill. Reporters never seem to make people feel comfortable, more than likely because they too are scared to death.
For me personally, I want you to feel a part of the interview/conversation. However, WBOC can't be too particular, since it's a pretty rare sighting seeing someone actually walk down the Downtown Plaza any more these days. I can see it now. Oh please do this interview with us. We haven't seen anyone else for an hour. Oh please, please, please, please, please!!!!! Alright, here's twenty bucks. Now just smile and agree with us, OK!
Back to you Charlie.
Today, things are quite different. They are now pulling more state wide and national news and doing far less local coverage. Some complain about WBOC doing so much coverage in Delaware and now they're covering the "MID SHORE" with green reporters, almost forgetting which TV Station they work for. After watching the local news stations recently even I am amazed at how little coverage they give to OC and Salisbury.
Yesterday we watched WBOC do a story about Salisbury becoming a candidate for an All American City. Now the funny part is, they went to the Downtown Plaza and actually shot their footage right in front of WMDT's building.
They continued to show different angles, trying to make things look busier than they were but only ONE person walked past them at the time and she seemed to be very reluctant to talk to them. The interview sucked, (as it usually does) voices cracking, red faces, you know the drill. Reporters never seem to make people feel comfortable, more than likely because they too are scared to death.
For me personally, I want you to feel a part of the interview/conversation. However, WBOC can't be too particular, since it's a pretty rare sighting seeing someone actually walk down the Downtown Plaza any more these days. I can see it now. Oh please do this interview with us. We haven't seen anyone else for an hour. Oh please, please, please, please, please!!!!! Alright, here's twenty bucks. Now just smile and agree with us, OK!
Back to you Charlie.
Maryland's 2010 Legislative Summary
Marylanders For Fair Property Taxation
516 Walters Mill Road Forest Hill, Maryland 21050-1428 (410) 879-7993
April 7, 2010
The 2010 Maryland legislative session is just about over. Again this year, we taxpayers sent about 200 elected officials to the General Assembly to represent us and conduct the State’s business in the best interests of the majority of taxpaying residents of this state.
Approximately 2500 bills were introduced, of which, at the time of this writing, 46 had actually been passed. We know we do not need 2500 new laws on our books but we also know that just as was the law in the Roman days that if our elected representatives really did the job we elect them to do we could get a few needed, necessary, appropriate bills passed. Perhaps we need to re-institute Roman law and when a bill is introduced, does not have the ability to become law, the legislator who introduced the failed bill is hung by his thumbs. Might promote some more thought‼! Maybe even get some much needed legislation passed.
We spend millions of dollars sending these people to Annapolis to REPRESENT US BUT IN ESSENCE GET VERY LITTLE FROM THEM. IT IS TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE. The voice of the taxpaying public has again been completely ignored as none of the bills regarding property tax reform ever came out of committee. Committees should be limited to reviewing bills for merit, constitutionality, completeness, public value and interest and passed on to the respective house with a recommendation for or against the bill with appropriate comments. All of the respective assembly members we elect should then act upon the measures. THAT IS THE TRUE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS‼‼
In the infinite wisdom of Senator Currie, Chairman Budget and Taxation Committee and Delegate Hixson, Chairman Ways and Means Committee those bills of specific interest to all property taxpayers for the sixth year were again shoved in the drawer never to see the light of day. We suggest you write and e-mail these committee members as well as your individual Senators and Delegates to ask why they did not do more to bring these bills to the floor where ALL of the representatives we elect could act upon them. Perhaps you will get a better response than we received last year when we asked for an explanation of the inaction and Senator Currie mistakenly sent us an e-mail intended for others but which read “Should we answer this?” We responded with a resounding “yes” but still received no answer.
We think the folks in Baltimore City, Prince George’s, and Montgomery County where most of the committee members reside should take a hard look at these elected representatives, see what if anything they did for us this year and then VOTE accordingly in November. It is hard for us to understand how the taxpayers in Baltimore City, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties who have the largest number of property assessment appeals have failed to support these measures as the taxpayers of Harford County and the Eastern Shore have done. What are you thinking? What are you waiting for?
FAILED BILLS
SB 190 = HB 658 Seniors Tax Relief Act - allowed deduction for additional exemptions under MD. income tax for individuals..
SB 409 = HB 538 Property Tax- Annual Assessment - changes the three year assessment period to an annual assessment.
SB 458 = HB 204 - Task Force Property Assessment and Appeals reform bill. - review the current assessment system, evaluate its effectiveness, study alternative methods of creating assessments which would result in fair, uniform, and equitable assessments commensurate with current market values.
SB 712 Maryland Taxpayer Protection Act - a new section to the Maryland Constitution requiring three-fifths of the members of each House of the General assembly to pass legislation to increase the rate of an existing tax or to impose a new tax on an individual or entity..
SB 724 Property Owners Bill of Rights – codifies rights for property taxpayers to receive educational assessment meetings, to record hearings, minimum of 90 minutes for hearing, extends time to appeal to 180 days, requires physical inspection of appealed property, requires more data to be furnished by SDAT to document value, and allows a change of hearing venue.
For full text and how your representative voted on any of these bills -- See www.mlis.state.md.us.
Contact the members of the Ways and Means Committee --- e-mail addresses are all in this format followed by @house.state.md.us
sheila.hixson annmarie.doory joseph.bartlett kumar.barve joseph.boteler jon.cardin page.elmore bill.frick ron.george jim.gilchrist carolyn.howard jolene.ivey anne.kaiser peter.murphy leroy.meyers john.olszewski craig.rice justin.ross christopher.shank melvin.stukes frank.turner jay.walker
Contact the members of the Budget and Taxation Committee ---- e-mail addresses are all in this format followed by @senate.state.md.us
ulysses.currie edward.kasemeyer david.brinkley james.degrange george.edwards verna.jones nancy.king rona.kramer richard.madaleno nathaniel.mcfadden donald.munson douglas.peters james.robey lowell.stoltzfus bobby.zirkin
Let them know how you feel. Let them know we will be letting them know how we feel in November.
516 Walters Mill Road Forest Hill, Maryland 21050-1428 (410) 879-7993
April 7, 2010
The 2010 Maryland legislative session is just about over. Again this year, we taxpayers sent about 200 elected officials to the General Assembly to represent us and conduct the State’s business in the best interests of the majority of taxpaying residents of this state.
Approximately 2500 bills were introduced, of which, at the time of this writing, 46 had actually been passed. We know we do not need 2500 new laws on our books but we also know that just as was the law in the Roman days that if our elected representatives really did the job we elect them to do we could get a few needed, necessary, appropriate bills passed. Perhaps we need to re-institute Roman law and when a bill is introduced, does not have the ability to become law, the legislator who introduced the failed bill is hung by his thumbs. Might promote some more thought‼! Maybe even get some much needed legislation passed.
We spend millions of dollars sending these people to Annapolis to REPRESENT US BUT IN ESSENCE GET VERY LITTLE FROM THEM. IT IS TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE. The voice of the taxpaying public has again been completely ignored as none of the bills regarding property tax reform ever came out of committee. Committees should be limited to reviewing bills for merit, constitutionality, completeness, public value and interest and passed on to the respective house with a recommendation for or against the bill with appropriate comments. All of the respective assembly members we elect should then act upon the measures. THAT IS THE TRUE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS‼‼
In the infinite wisdom of Senator Currie, Chairman Budget and Taxation Committee and Delegate Hixson, Chairman Ways and Means Committee those bills of specific interest to all property taxpayers for the sixth year were again shoved in the drawer never to see the light of day. We suggest you write and e-mail these committee members as well as your individual Senators and Delegates to ask why they did not do more to bring these bills to the floor where ALL of the representatives we elect could act upon them. Perhaps you will get a better response than we received last year when we asked for an explanation of the inaction and Senator Currie mistakenly sent us an e-mail intended for others but which read “Should we answer this?” We responded with a resounding “yes” but still received no answer.
We think the folks in Baltimore City, Prince George’s, and Montgomery County where most of the committee members reside should take a hard look at these elected representatives, see what if anything they did for us this year and then VOTE accordingly in November. It is hard for us to understand how the taxpayers in Baltimore City, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties who have the largest number of property assessment appeals have failed to support these measures as the taxpayers of Harford County and the Eastern Shore have done. What are you thinking? What are you waiting for?
FAILED BILLS
SB 190 = HB 658 Seniors Tax Relief Act - allowed deduction for additional exemptions under MD. income tax for individuals..
SB 409 = HB 538 Property Tax- Annual Assessment - changes the three year assessment period to an annual assessment.
SB 458 = HB 204 - Task Force Property Assessment and Appeals reform bill. - review the current assessment system, evaluate its effectiveness, study alternative methods of creating assessments which would result in fair, uniform, and equitable assessments commensurate with current market values.
SB 712 Maryland Taxpayer Protection Act - a new section to the Maryland Constitution requiring three-fifths of the members of each House of the General assembly to pass legislation to increase the rate of an existing tax or to impose a new tax on an individual or entity..
SB 724 Property Owners Bill of Rights – codifies rights for property taxpayers to receive educational assessment meetings, to record hearings, minimum of 90 minutes for hearing, extends time to appeal to 180 days, requires physical inspection of appealed property, requires more data to be furnished by SDAT to document value, and allows a change of hearing venue.
For full text and how your representative voted on any of these bills -- See www.mlis.state.md.us.
Contact the members of the Ways and Means Committee --- e-mail addresses are all in this format followed by @house.state.md.us
sheila.hixson annmarie.doory joseph.bartlett kumar.barve joseph.boteler jon.cardin page.elmore bill.frick ron.george jim.gilchrist carolyn.howard jolene.ivey anne.kaiser peter.murphy leroy.meyers john.olszewski craig.rice justin.ross christopher.shank melvin.stukes frank.turner jay.walker
Contact the members of the Budget and Taxation Committee ---- e-mail addresses are all in this format followed by @senate.state.md.us
ulysses.currie edward.kasemeyer david.brinkley james.degrange george.edwards verna.jones nancy.king rona.kramer richard.madaleno nathaniel.mcfadden donald.munson douglas.peters james.robey lowell.stoltzfus bobby.zirkin
Let them know how you feel. Let them know we will be letting them know how we feel in November.
Farmers & The Bay
I have been a farmer all my life. I also used to be a state legislator and Secretary of Agriculture. So I was very interested in the fight in Annapolis about whether the taxpayer-supported University of Maryland law school should be suing a farm family. I would like to offer some thoughts on the matter.
Farmers are being accused of polluting the Chesapeake Bay. Because of this, some environmental groups are going after farmers very aggressively. One such group is the Waterkeepers, which has a history of using lawsuits to get their way. It was their lawsuit against a farm family that lives about a dozen miles from me that started this whole chain of events.
The Waterkeepers said they found a pile of chicken litter on the ground and claimed it was polluting the water in a nearby ditch. I found it interesting that they said they found this pile in October, but waited until December to make any announcement. If it was such a source of pollution, they should have spoken up right away. Then they said they were going to sue within 60 days. At no time along the way did they get in touch with the farm family or offer to help stop the pollution they claimed they found.
Then it was proven that the pile was not chicken litter. Instead it was Class A biosolids (treated municipal sewage sludge from Ocean City). Farmers use these biosolids as fertilizer, and it is an approved use. But the Waterkeepers still did not give up their lawsuit. And it seems they got the law school students involved by telling them they were going after some big polluters.
It is bad enough to use taxpayer money to help put farmers out of business. It is even worse to file a lawsuit when they did not even have their facts right. The Maryland Department of the Environment said the sewage sludge may not have even caused the pollution, since there are many other sources (such as wildlife) that could have caused the same readings in the ditch.
I know families who once farmed but have now gone into other businesses. Some did so because they were losing so much money they could not afford to farm any longer. Others quit because their kids had to move to other areas to find work and they did not have anyone in the family to take up farming. Many farmers have no choice but to sell their land, which turns into housing developments.
I learned many years ago that a well-managed acre of farmland produces a lot less pollution than an acre of housing. Farmers are doing this by using cover crops, nutrient management plans and other best practices. They are doing it very well. If we help farmers stay in business, the result will be far less harm to the Chesapeake Bay.
No one I know, myself included, wants to see our waters and land polluted. Farmers were the first environmentalists. We need our land to make a living. We love the Eastern Shore and want to be good stewards of God's creation. But this lawsuit, and more like it, will drive farmers out of business.
I hope everyone who has a farm, who benefits from having agriculture in our region and who appreciates our quality of life will call on the Waterkeepers to stop using threats and lawsuits. If they really want to clean the bay, let them start working with our farmers to protect our environment.
Lewis R. Riley
Parsonsburg
Farmers are being accused of polluting the Chesapeake Bay. Because of this, some environmental groups are going after farmers very aggressively. One such group is the Waterkeepers, which has a history of using lawsuits to get their way. It was their lawsuit against a farm family that lives about a dozen miles from me that started this whole chain of events.
The Waterkeepers said they found a pile of chicken litter on the ground and claimed it was polluting the water in a nearby ditch. I found it interesting that they said they found this pile in October, but waited until December to make any announcement. If it was such a source of pollution, they should have spoken up right away. Then they said they were going to sue within 60 days. At no time along the way did they get in touch with the farm family or offer to help stop the pollution they claimed they found.
Then it was proven that the pile was not chicken litter. Instead it was Class A biosolids (treated municipal sewage sludge from Ocean City). Farmers use these biosolids as fertilizer, and it is an approved use. But the Waterkeepers still did not give up their lawsuit. And it seems they got the law school students involved by telling them they were going after some big polluters.
It is bad enough to use taxpayer money to help put farmers out of business. It is even worse to file a lawsuit when they did not even have their facts right. The Maryland Department of the Environment said the sewage sludge may not have even caused the pollution, since there are many other sources (such as wildlife) that could have caused the same readings in the ditch.
I know families who once farmed but have now gone into other businesses. Some did so because they were losing so much money they could not afford to farm any longer. Others quit because their kids had to move to other areas to find work and they did not have anyone in the family to take up farming. Many farmers have no choice but to sell their land, which turns into housing developments.
I learned many years ago that a well-managed acre of farmland produces a lot less pollution than an acre of housing. Farmers are doing this by using cover crops, nutrient management plans and other best practices. They are doing it very well. If we help farmers stay in business, the result will be far less harm to the Chesapeake Bay.
No one I know, myself included, wants to see our waters and land polluted. Farmers were the first environmentalists. We need our land to make a living. We love the Eastern Shore and want to be good stewards of God's creation. But this lawsuit, and more like it, will drive farmers out of business.
I hope everyone who has a farm, who benefits from having agriculture in our region and who appreciates our quality of life will call on the Waterkeepers to stop using threats and lawsuits. If they really want to clean the bay, let them start working with our farmers to protect our environment.
Lewis R. Riley
Parsonsburg
SALISBURY UNIV. MENS' LACROSSE KEEPS ROLLING ON
SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University men's lacrosse team got its first chance of 2010 to defend its newly-earned No. 1 national ranking Wednesday night and did so in fine fashion, taking down Capital Athletic Conference opponent St. Mary's (Md.) College, 18-5.
The Sea Gulls (13-0, 4-0 CAC) grabbed a 3-0 lead just eight minutes into the game, with two of the goals coming off the stick of senior Jake DeLillo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and never looked back. The Seahawks (6-4, 3-1 CAC) were able to get one goal back, trailing just 3-1 through the first 15 minutes of play, but it was all Salisbury the rest of the way.
Another three-goal burst to start the second quarter stretched the edge to 6-1 and Salisbury could rely on its defense and goalkeeper Johnny Rodriguez (Gambrills, Md.) the rest of the way. Rodriguez saw action into the second half, playing just under 49 minutes in the game, turning away eight Seahawk shots.
While the Salisbury defense held St. Mary's to just five goals, the Sea Gull offense kept coming, led by DeLillo who finished with four goals and senior Mike Von Kamecke (Winter Park, Fla.), who put up a hat trick. Junior Shawn Zordani (Littleton, Colo.) and sophomore Sam Bradman (Canton, N.Y.) each scored a pair of goals. Bradman's scores in today's victory give him a total of 40 goals for the 2010 season.
The Sea Gulls will host Hood College on Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m. It will mark the second of three-straight home games for Salisbury. The maroon and gold will also host York (Pa.) College on Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Source: http://www.laxpower.com/laxnews/news.php?story=18885
The Sea Gulls (13-0, 4-0 CAC) grabbed a 3-0 lead just eight minutes into the game, with two of the goals coming off the stick of senior Jake DeLillo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and never looked back. The Seahawks (6-4, 3-1 CAC) were able to get one goal back, trailing just 3-1 through the first 15 minutes of play, but it was all Salisbury the rest of the way.
Another three-goal burst to start the second quarter stretched the edge to 6-1 and Salisbury could rely on its defense and goalkeeper Johnny Rodriguez (Gambrills, Md.) the rest of the way. Rodriguez saw action into the second half, playing just under 49 minutes in the game, turning away eight Seahawk shots.
While the Salisbury defense held St. Mary's to just five goals, the Sea Gull offense kept coming, led by DeLillo who finished with four goals and senior Mike Von Kamecke (Winter Park, Fla.), who put up a hat trick. Junior Shawn Zordani (Littleton, Colo.) and sophomore Sam Bradman (Canton, N.Y.) each scored a pair of goals. Bradman's scores in today's victory give him a total of 40 goals for the 2010 season.
The Sea Gulls will host Hood College on Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m. It will mark the second of three-straight home games for Salisbury. The maroon and gold will also host York (Pa.) College on Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Source: http://www.laxpower.com/laxnews/news.php?story=18885
NEWSFLASH –
RAISING TAXES DOES NOT BALANCE THE BUDGET. IT JUST GIVES THE LEFTISTS MORE OF OUR DOLLARS TO SPEND ENLARGING GOVERNMENT AND SLOWS DOWN THE ECONOMY SO THERE ARE LESS TAXES PAID.
THE VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) IS THE MOST INSIDIOUS OF ALL TAXES (EXCEPT INFLATION) BECAUSE IT IS HIDDEN IN THE COST OF WHAT YOU BUY. IT IS A EUROPEAN STYLE TAX THAT IS ADDED AT EACH STAGE OF PRODUCTION ON THE “VALUE ADDED”. IT CAN BE INCREASED INCREMENTALLY AND THE CONSUMER BLAMES THE BUSINESSES THAT PRODUCE AND SELL THE GOODS RATHER THAN GOVERNMENT POLICY.
Ellen
Volcker on the VAT
The middle class is where the money is.
Kudos for candor to Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve Chairman and current White House economic adviser, for admitting what other Democrats also know but don't want to admit until after the November election: The political class is preparing to pass a European-style value-added tax.
Answering a question at the New York Historical Society on Tuesday, Mr. Volcker said that a VAT—a consumption tax levied along stages of production—"was not as toxic an idea" as it has been, and that both a VAT and some kind of tax on energy need to be on the table. "If at the end of the day we need to raise taxes, we should raise taxes," he said.
We've long predicted that this would be the White House fiscal strategy, and its new deficit commission is bound to propose something along these lines. In Europe, a VAT rate that reaches 20% in some countries applies to countless products and services, so the middle class would be hit especially hard.
Though Mr. Volcker didn't say this, he is acknowledging that taxes on the rich can't begin to finance the levels of new spending that the current government has unleashed. Even the expiration of the Bush tax rates next January and the new taxes in the health-care bill won't be enough.
In recent decades, the current tax code has yielded revenue on average of 18.5% or so of GDP, whether tax rates go up or down. The wealthy adjust their behavior or shield more income via loopholes, so income-tax increases never gain as much revenue as politicians claim. With spending as a share of GDP now at 25%, Democrats have to soak the middle class because that's where the real money is.
Look for media Democrats to begin explaining why a VAT is essential to U.S. well-being, even as they fail to recall Mr. Obama's 2008 pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class. We told you that the U.S. can't have a European welfare state without European tax rates, and so France, here we come.
RAISING TAXES DOES NOT BALANCE THE BUDGET. IT JUST GIVES THE LEFTISTS MORE OF OUR DOLLARS TO SPEND ENLARGING GOVERNMENT AND SLOWS DOWN THE ECONOMY SO THERE ARE LESS TAXES PAID.
THE VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) IS THE MOST INSIDIOUS OF ALL TAXES (EXCEPT INFLATION) BECAUSE IT IS HIDDEN IN THE COST OF WHAT YOU BUY. IT IS A EUROPEAN STYLE TAX THAT IS ADDED AT EACH STAGE OF PRODUCTION ON THE “VALUE ADDED”. IT CAN BE INCREASED INCREMENTALLY AND THE CONSUMER BLAMES THE BUSINESSES THAT PRODUCE AND SELL THE GOODS RATHER THAN GOVERNMENT POLICY.
Ellen
Volcker on the VAT
The middle class is where the money is.
Kudos for candor to Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve Chairman and current White House economic adviser, for admitting what other Democrats also know but don't want to admit until after the November election: The political class is preparing to pass a European-style value-added tax.
Answering a question at the New York Historical Society on Tuesday, Mr. Volcker said that a VAT—a consumption tax levied along stages of production—"was not as toxic an idea" as it has been, and that both a VAT and some kind of tax on energy need to be on the table. "If at the end of the day we need to raise taxes, we should raise taxes," he said.
We've long predicted that this would be the White House fiscal strategy, and its new deficit commission is bound to propose something along these lines. In Europe, a VAT rate that reaches 20% in some countries applies to countless products and services, so the middle class would be hit especially hard.
Though Mr. Volcker didn't say this, he is acknowledging that taxes on the rich can't begin to finance the levels of new spending that the current government has unleashed. Even the expiration of the Bush tax rates next January and the new taxes in the health-care bill won't be enough.
In recent decades, the current tax code has yielded revenue on average of 18.5% or so of GDP, whether tax rates go up or down. The wealthy adjust their behavior or shield more income via loopholes, so income-tax increases never gain as much revenue as politicians claim. With spending as a share of GDP now at 25%, Democrats have to soak the middle class because that's where the real money is.
Look for media Democrats to begin explaining why a VAT is essential to U.S. well-being, even as they fail to recall Mr. Obama's 2008 pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class. We told you that the U.S. can't have a European welfare state without European tax rates, and so France, here we come.
Meanwhile, In Somerset County
Over- or under-representation is not necessarily evidence of discrimination.
No dogma has caused more mischief — and, in some countries, tragedies — than the notion that there is something strange and wrong when some groups are “over-represented” or “under-represented” in some occupations or institutions.
This dogma is so widely accepted, and so deeply entrenched, that no one asks for evidence and no speck of evidence is offered.
Moreover, tons of evidence to the contrary is ignored.
Over the centuries, and in countries around the world, all sorts of groups have been disproportionately concentrated in particular occupations and at different income levels, and have had radical differences in their behavior, from rates of alcoholism to rates of crime and infant mortality.
Often some minority, with no political power, has outperformed the dominant majority in lucrative or prestigious professions — the Tamils in colonial Ceylon, the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, the Chinese minority throughout southeast Asia, the Huguenots in France, the Ibos in Nigeria, the Japanese in Brazil, the Lebanese in West Africa, the Jews in medieval Spain. The list could be extended almost indefinitely.
Yet, through sheer assumption and repetition, the opposite view — that any “under-representation” of any group in desirable situations or their “over-representation” in undesirable situations must be due to the way they are treated by others — has become the prevailing dogma of a secular religion.
Not only the media and politicians, but intellectuals and even the highest courts in the land presume discrimination when some groups are “under-represented” in an employer’s work force or are “over-represented” among children disciplined in school. Tests that show some groups more proficient than others are declared to be “culturally biased.” Higher infant mortality among some groups is assumed to be society’s fault for not providing “access” to prenatal care for all.
A major factor in the housing boom and bust that created the present economic predicament was massive government intervention in the housing market, supposedly to correct discrimination in mortgage lending. How did they know that there was discrimination? Because blacks were turned down for mortgage loans at a higher rate than whites.
It so happens that whites were turned down for mortgage loans at a higher rate than Asian Americans, but that fact seldom made it into the newspaper headlines or the political rhetoric. Nor did either the mainstream media or political leaders mention the fact that black-owned banks turned down black mortgage-loan applicants at least as often as white-owned banks did.
More from Dr. Thomas Sowell
Top House Dem: Latinos View Obama With 'Suspicion'
A member of the House Democratic leadership said Wednesday that Latinos view President Barack Obama with "suspicion" for failing to meet expectations.
Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), the House Democratic Caucus vice chairman, offered stern words for Obama, saying that the Latino population wants to see more from the White House on issues that are important to them.
"I think there’s a lot of suspicion, a lot of doubt, a lot of concern," he said on KPCC Radio of Obama's image among Latinos. "The president made a promise. He hasn’t fulfilled that promise. Rightfully, I think a lot of folks are questioning where the president’s priorities are."
Latino groups have been pressuring Congress and the White House to act on comprehensive immigration reform amid doubts that legislation will be passed this year.
Becerra's comments are one of the most significant broadsides from a lawmaker against Obama's sway with Latinos.
During the 2008 presidential race, Obama was able to galvanize Latinos into a solid Democratic voting bloc after President George W. Bush attracted a record level of Latino support for a GOP presidential nominee in the 2004 election.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has been negotiating immigration reform with the White House and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), said last month that the issue is "dead" in the Senate this year because the contentious healthcare debate left Republicans with a sour taste in their mouths.
More
Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), the House Democratic Caucus vice chairman, offered stern words for Obama, saying that the Latino population wants to see more from the White House on issues that are important to them.
"I think there’s a lot of suspicion, a lot of doubt, a lot of concern," he said on KPCC Radio of Obama's image among Latinos. "The president made a promise. He hasn’t fulfilled that promise. Rightfully, I think a lot of folks are questioning where the president’s priorities are."
Latino groups have been pressuring Congress and the White House to act on comprehensive immigration reform amid doubts that legislation will be passed this year.
Becerra's comments are one of the most significant broadsides from a lawmaker against Obama's sway with Latinos.
During the 2008 presidential race, Obama was able to galvanize Latinos into a solid Democratic voting bloc after President George W. Bush attracted a record level of Latino support for a GOP presidential nominee in the 2004 election.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has been negotiating immigration reform with the White House and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), said last month that the issue is "dead" in the Senate this year because the contentious healthcare debate left Republicans with a sour taste in their mouths.
More
Obama Hands Control Of US Nuclear Policy To The UN?
The Obama administration is placing a key element of its nuclear deterrence strategy in the hands of the United Nations, an organization with one of the poorest records for controlling the spread of nuclear weapons.
Keith B. Payne, a former Pentagon official in charge of nuclear weapons policy, said an alarming feature of the Nuclear Posture Review, made public Tuesday, is that the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the foreign powers that are represented in it will be able to indirectly set U.S. nuclear weapons policy.
"The new NPR appears to place the UN's IAEA and its Board of Governors at the heart of determining U.S. nuclear deterrence strategy options," e-mailed Mr. Payne, who has published several books on nuclear deterrence.
According to the new strategy, the U.S. will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear members that sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, known as the NPT, and comply with its terms. For strategic deterrence purposes, in the case of extreme provocation, the U.S. keeps the right to use or threaten to use nuclear arms against nuclear states and NPT signatories for failing to abide by its terms.
The paramount question is: Who will determine whether a state is complying with the treaty?
"This question becomes central to U.S. nuclear deterrence policy," Mr. Payne said in an e-mail to Inside the Ring.
"A quick check will reveal that NPT compliance is determined by the IAEA's Board of Governors a board made up of 35 states, including Russia, China, Venezuela, Mongolia and Cuba."
In addition, the standards used to determine compliance or noncompliance are designed intentionally to be flexible in order to give the board latitude in its findings. Thus, there is no standard definition of noncompliance.
The result is that the Obama administration's new strategic nuclear deterrence policy gives a U.N.-based international organization broad authority in the United States' use of nuclear arms.
(When you are again able to catch your breath, read more here)
Keith B. Payne, a former Pentagon official in charge of nuclear weapons policy, said an alarming feature of the Nuclear Posture Review, made public Tuesday, is that the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the foreign powers that are represented in it will be able to indirectly set U.S. nuclear weapons policy.
"The new NPR appears to place the UN's IAEA and its Board of Governors at the heart of determining U.S. nuclear deterrence strategy options," e-mailed Mr. Payne, who has published several books on nuclear deterrence.
According to the new strategy, the U.S. will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear members that sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, known as the NPT, and comply with its terms. For strategic deterrence purposes, in the case of extreme provocation, the U.S. keeps the right to use or threaten to use nuclear arms against nuclear states and NPT signatories for failing to abide by its terms.
The paramount question is: Who will determine whether a state is complying with the treaty?
"This question becomes central to U.S. nuclear deterrence policy," Mr. Payne said in an e-mail to Inside the Ring.
"A quick check will reveal that NPT compliance is determined by the IAEA's Board of Governors a board made up of 35 states, including Russia, China, Venezuela, Mongolia and Cuba."
In addition, the standards used to determine compliance or noncompliance are designed intentionally to be flexible in order to give the board latitude in its findings. Thus, there is no standard definition of noncompliance.
The result is that the Obama administration's new strategic nuclear deterrence policy gives a U.N.-based international organization broad authority in the United States' use of nuclear arms.
(When you are again able to catch your breath, read more here)
Quote Of The Day
"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
--Thomas Jefferson
Obama To TAX RAINWATER? RAINWATER?
Would President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency really force Americans to pay a tax on "rainwater runoff" from homes and small businesses?
You bet they would. In fact, the EPA, under radical environmentalist Lisa Jackson, is proposing regulations to do just that.
Take a look at the EPA's own Federal Register filing, where the EPA generally describes the initiative it's proposing:
...requirements, including design or performance standards, for stormwater discharges from, at minimum, newly developed and redeveloped sites. EPA intends to propose regulatory options that would revise the NPDES regulations and establish a comprehensive program to address stormwater discharges from newly developed and redeveloped sites and to take final action no later than November 2012.
This is bureaucratic-speak for having the EPA force cities and counties to limit stormwater runoff to levels the EPA deems acceptable. Limiting "rainwater runoff" will mean forcing homeowners and businesses to pay new taxes in order to rein in rainwater, and that's no pun intended.
Think about just how big-government this is. A Washington, D.C. bureaucracy plans on forcing your local county or city to slap new taxes on you and me because this big-government bureaucracy wants to micro-manage rainwater across the entire country. Already, several counties and cities across the United States are moving to pass new taxes and fees in anticipation of the new EPA rules, including cities in states as disparate as Florida, Ohio and Kansas.
But really, this new EPA outrage is part of the pattern of the Obama Administration. Cap-and-trade is bogged down for now in the Senate (though they'll try to bring it back this year), so the liberals try to use an un-elected bureaucracy to pass their radical agenda. First, they declared that greenhouse gases are a "threat" to the environment and to health, so they're pushing new regulations that will in effect pass cap-and-trade without Congress having to act. Now, they're pushing this new "rainwater runoff" tax.
Our freedoms and our economy are being threatened from the EPA's arrogant, nutty agenda. The EPA's head, Lisa Jackson, attended the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen where she stated her intention to "transform" the way the American economy works using her bureaucracy.
Obama's EPA is such a runaway bureaucracy at this point that only Congress can stop them. Thankfully, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has a proposal to do just that. Murkowski has a resolution of disapproval—which would stop EPA in its tracks—that has been gathering steam, but we need your help to put her over the top. Tell your senators to support S.J.Res. 26. Make sure they know you will hold them accountable if they don't help pass Murkowski's resolution. Any lawmakers who won't stand up to stop the EPA are complicit in the onerous regulations they are trying to pass.
Tell Your Senators to support S.J. Res.26
Senator Mikulski in D.C. (202) 224-4654
Sal (410) 546-7711
Senator Cardin in D.C. (202) 224-4524
Sal (410)546-4250
Tell Representative Kratovil to support H.J. Res.76 and sign a discharge petition for House action.
Support H.R. 391 that pre-empts EPA's alleged authority to regulate greenhouse gases.
Rep. Kratovil in D.C. (202) 225-5311
Sal (410) 334-3072
Centerville ( 443) 262-9136
You bet they would. In fact, the EPA, under radical environmentalist Lisa Jackson, is proposing regulations to do just that.
Take a look at the EPA's own Federal Register filing, where the EPA generally describes the initiative it's proposing:
...requirements, including design or performance standards, for stormwater discharges from, at minimum, newly developed and redeveloped sites. EPA intends to propose regulatory options that would revise the NPDES regulations and establish a comprehensive program to address stormwater discharges from newly developed and redeveloped sites and to take final action no later than November 2012.
This is bureaucratic-speak for having the EPA force cities and counties to limit stormwater runoff to levels the EPA deems acceptable. Limiting "rainwater runoff" will mean forcing homeowners and businesses to pay new taxes in order to rein in rainwater, and that's no pun intended.
Think about just how big-government this is. A Washington, D.C. bureaucracy plans on forcing your local county or city to slap new taxes on you and me because this big-government bureaucracy wants to micro-manage rainwater across the entire country. Already, several counties and cities across the United States are moving to pass new taxes and fees in anticipation of the new EPA rules, including cities in states as disparate as Florida, Ohio and Kansas.
But really, this new EPA outrage is part of the pattern of the Obama Administration. Cap-and-trade is bogged down for now in the Senate (though they'll try to bring it back this year), so the liberals try to use an un-elected bureaucracy to pass their radical agenda. First, they declared that greenhouse gases are a "threat" to the environment and to health, so they're pushing new regulations that will in effect pass cap-and-trade without Congress having to act. Now, they're pushing this new "rainwater runoff" tax.
Our freedoms and our economy are being threatened from the EPA's arrogant, nutty agenda. The EPA's head, Lisa Jackson, attended the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen where she stated her intention to "transform" the way the American economy works using her bureaucracy.
Obama's EPA is such a runaway bureaucracy at this point that only Congress can stop them. Thankfully, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has a proposal to do just that. Murkowski has a resolution of disapproval—which would stop EPA in its tracks—that has been gathering steam, but we need your help to put her over the top. Tell your senators to support S.J.Res. 26. Make sure they know you will hold them accountable if they don't help pass Murkowski's resolution. Any lawmakers who won't stand up to stop the EPA are complicit in the onerous regulations they are trying to pass.
Tell Your Senators to support S.J. Res.26
Senator Mikulski in D.C. (202) 224-4654
Sal (410) 546-7711
Senator Cardin in D.C. (202) 224-4524
Sal (410)546-4250
Tell Representative Kratovil to support H.J. Res.76 and sign a discharge petition for House action.
Support H.R. 391 that pre-empts EPA's alleged authority to regulate greenhouse gases.
Rep. Kratovil in D.C. (202) 225-5311
Sal (410) 334-3072
Centerville ( 443) 262-9136
Five Things We Learned About Obamacare After It Passed
"[W]e have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., famously said that about President Obama's health care reform package. She was right. We are just finding out what was contained within that Obamacare law that Obama signed weeks ago.
Here are five things we've learned so far:
One: No sooner had Obamacare passed than the White House discovered that someone goofed. Despite all of Obama's promises and talking points, Obamacare as passed by Congress does not require insurers to cover children with expensive pre-existing medical conditions.
Immediately, the White House got an assurance from the insurers. After demonizing them for months as callous profiteers on others' misery (in fact, the entire industry is barely profitable), Obama now tells Americans that they can trust health insurance companies to do the right thing out of the goodness of their hearts.
Two: State governments discovered that they are no longer just required to guarantee payment for indigent patients' care under Medicaid. Obamacare changes Medicaid law so that now states must also guarantee treatment to the poor.
This is a thorny issue: Many doctors refuse to see Medicaid patients because the program doesn't pay enough for them to break even. (In some states, payments to doctors have been delayed for months or years.)
Some cash-strapped states expect this new definition to spawn court challenges, which will ultimately force them to pay exorbitantly high prices to doctors and hospitals for their existing patients.
GO HERE to read more.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., famously said that about President Obama's health care reform package. She was right. We are just finding out what was contained within that Obamacare law that Obama signed weeks ago.
Here are five things we've learned so far:
One: No sooner had Obamacare passed than the White House discovered that someone goofed. Despite all of Obama's promises and talking points, Obamacare as passed by Congress does not require insurers to cover children with expensive pre-existing medical conditions.
Immediately, the White House got an assurance from the insurers. After demonizing them for months as callous profiteers on others' misery (in fact, the entire industry is barely profitable), Obama now tells Americans that they can trust health insurance companies to do the right thing out of the goodness of their hearts.
Two: State governments discovered that they are no longer just required to guarantee payment for indigent patients' care under Medicaid. Obamacare changes Medicaid law so that now states must also guarantee treatment to the poor.
This is a thorny issue: Many doctors refuse to see Medicaid patients because the program doesn't pay enough for them to break even. (In some states, payments to doctors have been delayed for months or years.)
Some cash-strapped states expect this new definition to spawn court challenges, which will ultimately force them to pay exorbitantly high prices to doctors and hospitals for their existing patients.
GO HERE to read more.
Half Of U.S. Pays No Federal Income Tax
Credits for low- and middle-income families exempt many
WASHINGTON - Tax Day is a dreaded deadline for millions, but for nearly half of U.S. households it's simply somebody else's problem.
About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. That's according to projections by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization.
Most people still are required to file returns by the April 15 deadline. The penalty for skipping it is limited to the amount of taxes owed, but it's still almost always better to file: That's the only way to get a refund of all the income taxes withheld by employers.
GO HERE to read more.
WASHINGTON - Tax Day is a dreaded deadline for millions, but for nearly half of U.S. households it's simply somebody else's problem.
About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. That's according to projections by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization.
Most people still are required to file returns by the April 15 deadline. The penalty for skipping it is limited to the amount of taxes owed, but it's still almost always better to file: That's the only way to get a refund of all the income taxes withheld by employers.
GO HERE to read more.
The Trouble With Celibacy
In Africa, Catholicism's best growth market, many priests have little use for Rome's chastity mandate.
In 1998 a Roman Catholic nun named Marie McDonald wrote a brief and painful summary of her concerns to her colleagues and superiors. It was labeled "strictly confidential." She was worried, she said, about the sexual abuse of nuns by Roman Catholic priests in Africa.
The memo—titled "The Problem of the Sexual Abuse of African Religious in Africa and in Rome" was concise. "Sexual harassment and even rape of sisters by priests and bishops is allegedly common," it said. Sisters, financially dependent on priests, occasionally have to perform sexual favors in exchange for money. McDonald analyzed the causes of this widespread violation of chastity vows and then made this plea: "The time has come for some concerted action." According to the National Catholic Reporter, which made McDonald's memo public in 2001, Vatican officials did take steps to rectify the problem, but publicly, their stance was chillingly familiar. "The problem is known and is restricted to a limited geographical area," said Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman at the time. This is an isolated incident, in other words; we've got it under control.
Even as new cases of child sexual abuse by clergy emerge each day in Europe and the United States, abuse in the regions where Catholicism is growing fastest—Latin America, Asia, and, especially, Africa—are still largely ignored. In the West, the focus has been on the violation of minors, and on the role of celibacy in engendering this problem. In Africa, the problem is somewhat more complex. Though many good priests do adhere to their chastity vows, says the Rev. Peter Schineller, a Jesuit priest who has spent 20 years in Africa, sex between consenting or semi-consenting adults is commonplace. Transgression against chastity vows by priests run the gamut from harassment all the way to fathering children; it's not criminal necessarily, but it's certainly against doctrine. "The violations are huge," says Schineller. As the Roman Catholic hierarchy continues to crow over its success and vitality in the global south—the growth rate in Africa and Asia has been about 3 percent a year, twice the rate worldwide—the African church may put mandatory clerical celibacy to its harshest test yet.
GO HERE to read more.
In 1998 a Roman Catholic nun named Marie McDonald wrote a brief and painful summary of her concerns to her colleagues and superiors. It was labeled "strictly confidential." She was worried, she said, about the sexual abuse of nuns by Roman Catholic priests in Africa.
The memo—titled "The Problem of the Sexual Abuse of African Religious in Africa and in Rome" was concise. "Sexual harassment and even rape of sisters by priests and bishops is allegedly common," it said. Sisters, financially dependent on priests, occasionally have to perform sexual favors in exchange for money. McDonald analyzed the causes of this widespread violation of chastity vows and then made this plea: "The time has come for some concerted action." According to the National Catholic Reporter, which made McDonald's memo public in 2001, Vatican officials did take steps to rectify the problem, but publicly, their stance was chillingly familiar. "The problem is known and is restricted to a limited geographical area," said Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman at the time. This is an isolated incident, in other words; we've got it under control.
Even as new cases of child sexual abuse by clergy emerge each day in Europe and the United States, abuse in the regions where Catholicism is growing fastest—Latin America, Asia, and, especially, Africa—are still largely ignored. In the West, the focus has been on the violation of minors, and on the role of celibacy in engendering this problem. In Africa, the problem is somewhat more complex. Though many good priests do adhere to their chastity vows, says the Rev. Peter Schineller, a Jesuit priest who has spent 20 years in Africa, sex between consenting or semi-consenting adults is commonplace. Transgression against chastity vows by priests run the gamut from harassment all the way to fathering children; it's not criminal necessarily, but it's certainly against doctrine. "The violations are huge," says Schineller. As the Roman Catholic hierarchy continues to crow over its success and vitality in the global south—the growth rate in Africa and Asia has been about 3 percent a year, twice the rate worldwide—the African church may put mandatory clerical celibacy to its harshest test yet.
GO HERE to read more.
D.C. Leader Calls On Illegal Immigrants To Fill Out Census For Taxpayer-Funded Resources
The executive director of a D.C. Latino community organization at a rally Thursday called on Hispanics, regardless of their immigration status, to participate in the 2010 Census, adding that doing so will expand their access to $400 billion in government-funded “resources.”
“To the Hispanic community, the reality is that, the Census, participating in the Census is very important,” said Rodrigo Leiva in Spanish while speaking at a rally focused on urging the American public to participate in the decennial tabulation by the Census Bureau.
Leiva is the executive director of the Latino Federation of Greater Washington, a non-profit membership organization that self-designates as a group that “works to empower the Latino community through advocacy, research and capacity-building resources.”
“It’s about resources. It’s about a tremendous importance of billions of dollars. We have to participate. Please participate,” continued Leiva. “There is no fear about immigration being an issue. This is a totally separate organization. The answers you provide are totally confidential. It’s very critical for our future.”
Leiva indicated that given that the undocumented Hispanic immigrants pay taxes, they should be able to benefit from government-funded “resources” as other taxpayers do.
“They do pay taxes,” Leiva told CNSNews.com after the event. “Anytime they’re buying something at the store they’re paying taxes.”
He later added, “Even though they don’t have an immigration status, they are filing for taxes.”
“To the Hispanic community, the reality is that, the Census, participating in the Census is very important,” said Rodrigo Leiva in Spanish while speaking at a rally focused on urging the American public to participate in the decennial tabulation by the Census Bureau.
Leiva is the executive director of the Latino Federation of Greater Washington, a non-profit membership organization that self-designates as a group that “works to empower the Latino community through advocacy, research and capacity-building resources.”
“It’s about resources. It’s about a tremendous importance of billions of dollars. We have to participate. Please participate,” continued Leiva. “There is no fear about immigration being an issue. This is a totally separate organization. The answers you provide are totally confidential. It’s very critical for our future.”
Leiva indicated that given that the undocumented Hispanic immigrants pay taxes, they should be able to benefit from government-funded “resources” as other taxpayers do.
“They do pay taxes,” Leiva told CNSNews.com after the event. “Anytime they’re buying something at the store they’re paying taxes.”
He later added, “Even though they don’t have an immigration status, they are filing for taxes.”
A Question For Law Officers
I was taking a break outside where I work the other day and saw where all traffic was stopped due to their red light. An ambulance came up upon them with siren's and light's. This is a heavy cross section with a lot of traffic, dual lanes on both sides.No one would move because of the red light....it's against the law. My question is...What can you do or allowed to do at this point? Run the red light to let the ambulance through or sit and wait? There was no room for the ambulance to pass any vehicle. If the cross is clear, are you allowed to go ahead and not get a ticket if you get caught for running a red light? The ambulance was clearly trying to get to their destination.
Thanks for any answers to this and I hope I am never caught in this situation.
Thanks for any answers to this and I hope I am never caught in this situation.
To Be 6 Again...
A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday.
'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror .
On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park.. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall
Of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was.
Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside
Down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake.
Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!
Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.
He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again?'
Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.
'I meant my dress size, you retard!!!!'
The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.
'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror .
On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park.. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall
Of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was.
Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside
Down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake.
Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!
Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.
He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again?'
Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.
'I meant my dress size, you retard!!!!'
The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.
GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY TO ADDRESS COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley will address the Communications Workers of America Annual Conference today in Baltimore, where more than 130 CWA members are expected to gather. CWA is one of the largest telecommunications unions in the world, representing men and women in both private and public sectors including telecommunications, broadcasting, journalism, publishing, manufacturing, health care, education, and other fields.
The Governor’s remarks will focus on standing with working families in tough times, and efforts to create jobs.
The Governor’s remarks will focus on standing with working families in tough times, and efforts to create jobs.
CDS Arrest
DATE & TIME: April 7, 2010 @ 1143 hrs
LOCATION: Cypress Street at Rt. 50, Salisbury, Wicomico Co., MD.
CASE NUMBER: 10-54-003440
CHARGES: 1. Possession of CDS Marijuana
Suspect: Eric Joseph Johnson, age 30, of Seaford DE
BRIEF RESUME: On 4/7/10 at approximately 1140 hours Troopers with the Maryland State Police stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation. Upon approaching the vehicle, Troopers detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the passenger area of the vehicle. During a probable cause search of the vehicle Troopes located a partially-smoked blunt which contained suspected marijuana. The driver of the vehicle was placed under arrest for possession of marijuana and taken to Wicomico County Detention Center where he will await a hearing before a District Court Commissioner.
LOCATION: Cypress Street at Rt. 50, Salisbury, Wicomico Co., MD.
CASE NUMBER: 10-54-003440
CHARGES: 1. Possession of CDS Marijuana
Suspect: Eric Joseph Johnson, age 30, of Seaford DE
BRIEF RESUME: On 4/7/10 at approximately 1140 hours Troopers with the Maryland State Police stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation. Upon approaching the vehicle, Troopers detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the passenger area of the vehicle. During a probable cause search of the vehicle Troopes located a partially-smoked blunt which contained suspected marijuana. The driver of the vehicle was placed under arrest for possession of marijuana and taken to Wicomico County Detention Center where he will await a hearing before a District Court Commissioner.
HOA Workshop
Sponsored by the Wicomico Neighborhood Congress
on
Tuesday Evening, April 20
From 6:30 PM to 8:00PM
At the
Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore,
1324 Belmont Avenue in Salisbury
(Just north of Route 50, east off Civic Avenue)
*****
Wicomico County’s many Homeowners Associations
are beset with issues:
o New Laws Passed by Maryland General Assembly
o Required Government Filings
o HOA By Law Accounting Requirements
o Maryland Insurance Requirements - HOA
All member HOAs and neighborhood association members of the
Neighborhood Congress (and prospective members) are invited to
attend, and to bring your issues for round-table discussion
***
Presentation will be led by John Stern CPA, of Pigg, Krahl & Stern Certified Public Accountants, an accountant experienced in addressing issues pertaining to HOA tax laws, accounting requirements, etc. Tim Wisniewski, of Avery W. Hall Insurance will also attend to discuss and answer questions pertaining to HOA insurance requirements.
For information, contact Mike Pretl at 443-323-3060
or Cindy Pilchard at 410-742-5224
Please R.S.V.P. to cindypilchardco@comcast.net
Poor Bessie
An old farmer named Clyde had a car accident. In court, the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning Clyde. "Didn't you say at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine,'?" asked the lawyer.
Clyde responded, "Well, I'll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule, Bessie, into the......"
"I didn't ask for any details," the lawyer interrupted. "Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, "I'm fine!'?"
Clyde said, "Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and was driving down the road...."
The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question."
By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Clyde's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule, Bessie."
Clyde thanked the Judge and proceeded, "Well... as I was sayin', I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was drivin' her down the highway when this huge semi ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurtin' real bad and didn't want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moanin' and groanin'. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans.
Real soon a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moanin' and groanin', too. So, he went over to her. After he looked at her, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. Then the Patrolman came across the road, gun in hand, looked at me, and said, 'How are YOU feeling?'
Now what the heck would you say?"
Clyde responded, "Well, I'll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule, Bessie, into the......"
"I didn't ask for any details," the lawyer interrupted. "Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, "I'm fine!'?"
Clyde said, "Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and was driving down the road...."
The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question."
By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Clyde's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule, Bessie."
Clyde thanked the Judge and proceeded, "Well... as I was sayin', I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was drivin' her down the highway when this huge semi ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurtin' real bad and didn't want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moanin' and groanin'. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans.
Real soon a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moanin' and groanin', too. So, he went over to her. After he looked at her, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. Then the Patrolman came across the road, gun in hand, looked at me, and said, 'How are YOU feeling?'
Now what the heck would you say?"
STATE POLICE NAME 2009 TROOPER AND NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER OF THE YEAR
(Timonium, MD) – Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan today announced the 2009 Maryland State Police Trooper of the Year and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year and presented those awards to a veteran state trooper in the Criminal Investigation Division and a nationally recognized Sergeant who commands one of the largest State Police canine and bloodhound units in the United States.
The 2009 Trooper of the Year is Trooper First Class Gary L. Bachtell, of the Criminal Investigation Division. The 2009 Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year is Sergeant Eric E. Fogle. Each was chosen from 55 candidates who were nominated as the trooper or non-commissioned officer of the year at their barracks or divisions throughout the state police.
“As we continue to make great strides in public safety throughout Maryland, the dedication and commitment these troopers exhibit on a daily basis distinguishes them as Maryland’s Finest,” Governor Martin O’Malley said. “On behalf of all the citizens of this great state, I congratulate and thank them for their hard work and service.”
“The men and women we honor today have done their very best during the past year to provide outstanding law enforcement services to the people of Maryland,” State Police Superintendent Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan said. “Lives were saved, families were reunited, criminals were identified and brought to justice and highways were safer to travel on because dedicated troopers of the Maryland State Police were on the job, working in coordination with our allied public safety partners to serve and protect our citizens.”
After being appointed to the Maryland State Police Academy in 1985, TFC Gary Bachtell graduated number one in his class. He served in Washington and Baltimore Counties and then transferred to the Frederick Barrack where he was assigned to the criminal section as an investigator. He graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute of Criminal Justice Polygraph School and was reassigned to the Maryland State Police Polygraph Unit in March of 1998.
Specializing as both the Maryland State Police Polygraph Coordinator and as an active polygrapher in 2009, TFC Bachtell created a post conviction sex offender testing program to implement a new Maryland law requiring sex offenders on parole and probation to take periodic polygraph tests. The Division of Parole and Probation adopted TFC Bachtell’s proposal and together with the Maryland State Police, a memo of understanding was signed and a successful testing program has been implemented.
TFC Bachtell’s ability as an investigator led to confessions in nearly 100 percent of the criminal polygraph exams he conducted in 2009, including an arson-murder case in which two children perished. Due to the results of his success, police officers in both the Maryland State Police as well as other agencies frequently seek out his expertise.
His supervisor, Sgt. Philip Criddle, said, “…it is inspiring and reassuring to be witness to an individual who realizes the importance of that which is required of him and unselfishly devotes the energy and time above that which is expected in order to maintain the integrity and reputation of this Department.”
Sergeant Eric Fogle began his career with the State Police as a cadet in 1987. After spending two years in the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, he entered the State Police 100th Academy Class and graduated in March, 1990. In 1993, Sgt. Fogle entered the Canine Unit with a narcotics detection dog and in 1994, he acquired his second canine, a bloodhound named “Angel”. Sgt. Fogle and Angel were credited with approximately 40 missing person finds, many of which were lifesaving. Before retiring Angel, Sgt. Fogle obtained his second bloodhound, “Christopher”.
Serving as the Search and Rescue Coordinator for Maryland, Sgt. Fogle has operated some of the largest searches in this region. While working a two year cold case of a missing adult, he coordinated a large scale operation that included numerous investigators, volunteer rescue groups and allied agencies. Following the planning efforts, the operation began early one morning and by noon, the missing person’s remains had been located in a wooded area.
As a well known bloodhound trailing expert, Sgt. Fogle is sought after by police agencies nationwide for his proficiency in bloodhound trailing. He has trained and certified more than 60 bloodhounds on the East Coast. In 1996, Sgt. Fogle developed the search and rescue protocol for the Maryland State Police Patrol Manual and has shared the protocol with countless allied law enforcement agencies.
Today, Sgt. Fogle fulfills multiple roles as the Department’s Canine Unit Commander, as well as a K-9 handler and an accomplished search manager. As a certified instructor for the National Police Bloodhound Association, Sgt. Fogle has led his team to resolve operations involving missing persons, abducted children, downed aircraft and fleeing fugitives. Recently, he managed the search operations for an abducted 11-year old child that resulted in the recovery of critical evidence for the successful prosecution of her murder. In 2009, he was presented with the Hal Foss Award, the most prestigious award presented by the National Search and Rescue Association for his successful work in law enforcement.
In a comment regarding his 2009 nomination, Captain Ronald B. Lewis, Commander of the Special Operations Division said, “Sgt. Fogle consistently demonstrated his unique ability to ‘raise the standard’ for all other law enforcement officers in the field of police canine operations, search and rescue and search management.”
The 2009 Trooper of the Year is Trooper First Class Gary L. Bachtell, of the Criminal Investigation Division. The 2009 Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year is Sergeant Eric E. Fogle. Each was chosen from 55 candidates who were nominated as the trooper or non-commissioned officer of the year at their barracks or divisions throughout the state police.
“As we continue to make great strides in public safety throughout Maryland, the dedication and commitment these troopers exhibit on a daily basis distinguishes them as Maryland’s Finest,” Governor Martin O’Malley said. “On behalf of all the citizens of this great state, I congratulate and thank them for their hard work and service.”
“The men and women we honor today have done their very best during the past year to provide outstanding law enforcement services to the people of Maryland,” State Police Superintendent Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan said. “Lives were saved, families were reunited, criminals were identified and brought to justice and highways were safer to travel on because dedicated troopers of the Maryland State Police were on the job, working in coordination with our allied public safety partners to serve and protect our citizens.”
After being appointed to the Maryland State Police Academy in 1985, TFC Gary Bachtell graduated number one in his class. He served in Washington and Baltimore Counties and then transferred to the Frederick Barrack where he was assigned to the criminal section as an investigator. He graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute of Criminal Justice Polygraph School and was reassigned to the Maryland State Police Polygraph Unit in March of 1998.
Specializing as both the Maryland State Police Polygraph Coordinator and as an active polygrapher in 2009, TFC Bachtell created a post conviction sex offender testing program to implement a new Maryland law requiring sex offenders on parole and probation to take periodic polygraph tests. The Division of Parole and Probation adopted TFC Bachtell’s proposal and together with the Maryland State Police, a memo of understanding was signed and a successful testing program has been implemented.
TFC Bachtell’s ability as an investigator led to confessions in nearly 100 percent of the criminal polygraph exams he conducted in 2009, including an arson-murder case in which two children perished. Due to the results of his success, police officers in both the Maryland State Police as well as other agencies frequently seek out his expertise.
His supervisor, Sgt. Philip Criddle, said, “…it is inspiring and reassuring to be witness to an individual who realizes the importance of that which is required of him and unselfishly devotes the energy and time above that which is expected in order to maintain the integrity and reputation of this Department.”
Sergeant Eric Fogle began his career with the State Police as a cadet in 1987. After spending two years in the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, he entered the State Police 100th Academy Class and graduated in March, 1990. In 1993, Sgt. Fogle entered the Canine Unit with a narcotics detection dog and in 1994, he acquired his second canine, a bloodhound named “Angel”. Sgt. Fogle and Angel were credited with approximately 40 missing person finds, many of which were lifesaving. Before retiring Angel, Sgt. Fogle obtained his second bloodhound, “Christopher”.
Serving as the Search and Rescue Coordinator for Maryland, Sgt. Fogle has operated some of the largest searches in this region. While working a two year cold case of a missing adult, he coordinated a large scale operation that included numerous investigators, volunteer rescue groups and allied agencies. Following the planning efforts, the operation began early one morning and by noon, the missing person’s remains had been located in a wooded area.
As a well known bloodhound trailing expert, Sgt. Fogle is sought after by police agencies nationwide for his proficiency in bloodhound trailing. He has trained and certified more than 60 bloodhounds on the East Coast. In 1996, Sgt. Fogle developed the search and rescue protocol for the Maryland State Police Patrol Manual and has shared the protocol with countless allied law enforcement agencies.
Today, Sgt. Fogle fulfills multiple roles as the Department’s Canine Unit Commander, as well as a K-9 handler and an accomplished search manager. As a certified instructor for the National Police Bloodhound Association, Sgt. Fogle has led his team to resolve operations involving missing persons, abducted children, downed aircraft and fleeing fugitives. Recently, he managed the search operations for an abducted 11-year old child that resulted in the recovery of critical evidence for the successful prosecution of her murder. In 2009, he was presented with the Hal Foss Award, the most prestigious award presented by the National Search and Rescue Association for his successful work in law enforcement.
In a comment regarding his 2009 nomination, Captain Ronald B. Lewis, Commander of the Special Operations Division said, “Sgt. Fogle consistently demonstrated his unique ability to ‘raise the standard’ for all other law enforcement officers in the field of police canine operations, search and rescue and search management.”
CITY OF SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Meeting #6
April 12, 2010 6:00 p.m.
City/County Government Office Building Room 301
Times shown for agenda items are estimates only.
6:00 p.m. CONVENE – LORD’S PRAYER – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
6:04 p.m. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
6:07 p.m. RECOGNITION – Mayor James Ireton, Jr. Banner City designation
6:12 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA – City Clerk Brenda Colegrove
March 22, 2010 minutes
April 5, 2010 Special Meeting minutes
Resolution No. 1899 - appointment of Bennett W. Yu to the City Park Committee
Resolution No. 1900 - appointment of Cindy Feist to the Friends of Poplar Hill Mansion Board of Directors
Resolution No. 1901 - appointment of Ricky W. Sanders to the Historic District Commission
Resolution No. 1902 - approving lease agreement between the City and the Chamber of Commerce for the Salisbury Dogwood Festival
Resolution No. 1903 - accepting funds in cooperation with the Wicomico County Circuit Court to provide for overtime reimbursement to police officers participating in the Drug Treatment Court Program
Resolution No. 1904 - accepting donation of equipment and materials from Home Depot for the Salisbury Zoo
6:16 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING – City Attorney Paul Wilber
Ordinance No. 2102 - amending Section 8.24 of the Salisbury Municipal Code to properly identify departmental authority to investigate and take necessary measures to abate such violations that constitute a nuisance which injuriously affects adjoining property owners and/or tenants
6:21 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING/ADOPTION – City Attorney Paul Wilber
Public Hearing/2nd reading - Ordinance No. 2104 - Jane E. Lawton Conservation Program loan
Resolution No. 1905 - adopting terms and conditions of the Jane E. Lawton Conservation Program loan
6:31 p.m. AWARD OF BIDS – Internal Services Director Pam Oland
6:36 p.m. ORDINANCES – City Attorney Paul Wilber
Ordinance No. 2100 - 2nd reading - amendment to subdivision regulations regarding bonding and plat recordation – Section 16.48.030, Guarantees in lieu of completed improvements, of the Salisbury Municipal Code
Ordinance No. 2103 - 2nd reading - approving FY10 General Fund budget
amendment to appropriate funds from the Contingency account to the Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance Department to cover the cost of the emergency snow removal expended from the grass cutting account
Ordinance No. 2105 – 1st reading - amending Chapter 15.24 of the Salisbury Municipal Code to provide for the removal of graffiti from private and public property
Ordinance No. 2106 - 1st reading – adding Chapter 12.36 to the Salisbury Municipal Code to allow businesses that are designated as public eating establishments to obtain a sidewalk café permit to operate a sidewalk café
7:36 p.m. RESOLUTIONS – City Administrator John Pick
Resolution No. 1906 - adopting policies on the uses for annexation funds generated for neighborhood reinvestment and workforce housing
Resolution No. 1907 - rescinding Resolution No. 1470, which adopted an Annexation Fee Schedule, and adopting a new Annexation Fee Schedule
Resolution No. 1908 - adopting revised guidelines for the Downtown Revolving Loan Fund
Resolution No. 1909 - authorizing the Mayor of Salisbury, the Police Chief and Director of Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance to sign aMemorandum of Understanding for the City of Salisbury Safe Streets Coalition
8:20 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS
8:30 p.m. ADJOURN
Copies of the agenda items are available for review in the City Clerk’s Office
Room 305 - City/County Government Office Building
410-548-3140
or on the City’s web site www.ci.salisbury.md.us
The City Council reserves the right to go into closed session as permitted under the Annotated Code of Maryland 10-508(a)
Proposed agenda items for April 26, 2010 (subject to change)
Ordinance No. 2101 – Public Hearing – repealing and reenacting Chapter 13.28,
Stormwater Management, of the Salisbury Municipal Code in order to comply with the requirements of the Maryland Department of Environment Water Management Administration
Ordinance No. 2102 - 2nd reading - amending Section 8.24 of the Salisbury Municipal Code to properly identify departmental authority to investigate and take necessary measures to abate such violations that constitute a nuisance which injuriously affects adjoining property owners and/or tenants Public Hearing - Comprehensive Plan
Ordinance No. 2105 – Public Hearing – amending Chapter 15.24 of the Salisbury
Municipal Code to provide for the removal of graffiti from private and public property
Ordinance No. 2106 - Public Hearing – adding Chapter 12.36 to the Salisbury Municipal
Code to allow businesses that are designated as public eating establishments to obtain a sidewalk café permit to operate a sidewalk café
Ordinance – 1st reading – zoning text amendment to Sections 17.04.120 and 17.156.030
of the Salisbury Municipal Code to add a definition and to permit a Veterans Training Center by special exception in the R-5 Residential District
Ordinance - 1st reading - proposed FY11 Budget & setting the date for public hearing
Resolution - proposed water and sewer rates
Resolution(s) - accepting donations for the Animal Health Building
Resolution – approving Waiver of Capacity Fee for Affordable Housing Policy
April 12, 2010 6:00 p.m.
City/County Government Office Building Room 301
Times shown for agenda items are estimates only.
6:00 p.m. CONVENE – LORD’S PRAYER – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
6:04 p.m. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
6:07 p.m. RECOGNITION – Mayor James Ireton, Jr. Banner City designation
6:12 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA – City Clerk Brenda Colegrove
March 22, 2010 minutes
April 5, 2010 Special Meeting minutes
Resolution No. 1899 - appointment of Bennett W. Yu to the City Park Committee
Resolution No. 1900 - appointment of Cindy Feist to the Friends of Poplar Hill Mansion Board of Directors
Resolution No. 1901 - appointment of Ricky W. Sanders to the Historic District Commission
Resolution No. 1902 - approving lease agreement between the City and the Chamber of Commerce for the Salisbury Dogwood Festival
Resolution No. 1903 - accepting funds in cooperation with the Wicomico County Circuit Court to provide for overtime reimbursement to police officers participating in the Drug Treatment Court Program
Resolution No. 1904 - accepting donation of equipment and materials from Home Depot for the Salisbury Zoo
6:16 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING – City Attorney Paul Wilber
Ordinance No. 2102 - amending Section 8.24 of the Salisbury Municipal Code to properly identify departmental authority to investigate and take necessary measures to abate such violations that constitute a nuisance which injuriously affects adjoining property owners and/or tenants
6:21 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING/ADOPTION – City Attorney Paul Wilber
Public Hearing/2nd reading - Ordinance No. 2104 - Jane E. Lawton Conservation Program loan
Resolution No. 1905 - adopting terms and conditions of the Jane E. Lawton Conservation Program loan
6:31 p.m. AWARD OF BIDS – Internal Services Director Pam Oland
6:36 p.m. ORDINANCES – City Attorney Paul Wilber
Ordinance No. 2100 - 2nd reading - amendment to subdivision regulations regarding bonding and plat recordation – Section 16.48.030, Guarantees in lieu of completed improvements, of the Salisbury Municipal Code
Ordinance No. 2103 - 2nd reading - approving FY10 General Fund budget
amendment to appropriate funds from the Contingency account to the Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance Department to cover the cost of the emergency snow removal expended from the grass cutting account
Ordinance No. 2105 – 1st reading - amending Chapter 15.24 of the Salisbury Municipal Code to provide for the removal of graffiti from private and public property
Ordinance No. 2106 - 1st reading – adding Chapter 12.36 to the Salisbury Municipal Code to allow businesses that are designated as public eating establishments to obtain a sidewalk café permit to operate a sidewalk café
7:36 p.m. RESOLUTIONS – City Administrator John Pick
Resolution No. 1906 - adopting policies on the uses for annexation funds generated for neighborhood reinvestment and workforce housing
Resolution No. 1907 - rescinding Resolution No. 1470, which adopted an Annexation Fee Schedule, and adopting a new Annexation Fee Schedule
Resolution No. 1908 - adopting revised guidelines for the Downtown Revolving Loan Fund
Resolution No. 1909 - authorizing the Mayor of Salisbury, the Police Chief and Director of Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance to sign aMemorandum of Understanding for the City of Salisbury Safe Streets Coalition
8:20 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS
8:30 p.m. ADJOURN
Copies of the agenda items are available for review in the City Clerk’s Office
Room 305 - City/County Government Office Building
410-548-3140
or on the City’s web site www.ci.salisbury.md.us
The City Council reserves the right to go into closed session as permitted under the Annotated Code of Maryland 10-508(a)
Proposed agenda items for April 26, 2010 (subject to change)
Ordinance No. 2101 – Public Hearing – repealing and reenacting Chapter 13.28,
Stormwater Management, of the Salisbury Municipal Code in order to comply with the requirements of the Maryland Department of Environment Water Management Administration
Ordinance No. 2102 - 2nd reading - amending Section 8.24 of the Salisbury Municipal Code to properly identify departmental authority to investigate and take necessary measures to abate such violations that constitute a nuisance which injuriously affects adjoining property owners and/or tenants Public Hearing - Comprehensive Plan
Ordinance No. 2105 – Public Hearing – amending Chapter 15.24 of the Salisbury
Municipal Code to provide for the removal of graffiti from private and public property
Ordinance No. 2106 - Public Hearing – adding Chapter 12.36 to the Salisbury Municipal
Code to allow businesses that are designated as public eating establishments to obtain a sidewalk café permit to operate a sidewalk café
Ordinance – 1st reading – zoning text amendment to Sections 17.04.120 and 17.156.030
of the Salisbury Municipal Code to add a definition and to permit a Veterans Training Center by special exception in the R-5 Residential District
Ordinance - 1st reading - proposed FY11 Budget & setting the date for public hearing
Resolution - proposed water and sewer rates
Resolution(s) - accepting donations for the Animal Health Building
Resolution – approving Waiver of Capacity Fee for Affordable Housing Policy
How Are Federal Agencies Going To Help You Keep An Eye On Them?
Federal agencies are required today to post plans on how they'll be more transparent. Official White House PhotoToday marks another deadline on the federal transparency to-do list (pdf).
We’ve been following federal agencies’ progress toward greater openness as set out last December in a directive from the White House Office of Budget and Management.
By today, agencies must use their new open government Web pages to post plans laying out how they will achieve greater transparency. You can see a list of many open government Web pages on our Transparency Tracker.
Some of the plans we’ve looked at today are a bit vague when it comes to what agencies actually will to do to be more transparent – tossing around hip terms such as "goals," "strategy" and "accountability."
Coming Up Soon On The Wicomico School Calendar
REMINDER ON SCHOOL CALENDAR CHANGES
An updated 2009-10 school calendar is posted at www.wcboe.org under Quick Links. Students and parents/guardians should note the following changes in the 2009-10 school calendar:
April 13: End of 3rd marking period (originally scheduled for March 30)
April 14: Beginning of 4th marking period (originally scheduled for April 6)
April 21: Report cards distributed (originally scheduled for April 13)
May 3: School day with dismissal two hours early (originally scheduled as a professional day for teachers)
May 14: Mid-term reports distributed (originally scheduled for May 7)
June 9-11: Regular school days (originally scheduled as early dismissal days)
June 14 and 15: Regular school days (added as makeup days due to inclement weather closings)
June 16, 17 and 18: School days with dismissal two hours early (added as makeup days due to inclement weather closings). June 18 is the last day of school for students.
Monday, April 12-Friday, April 16
HSA Makeup Exams
High Schools
High School Assessment (HSA) Makeup Exams for seniors who have previously taken and not passed one or more of the HSAs will take place at the high schools the week of April 12-16. Students and parents/guardians should be in contact with the school guidance office if the student needs to take one or more exam. Maryland requires that all students pass the four HSA exams, or achieve a combined score of 1602 or complete approved Bridge projects, to qualify for a Maryland high school diploma.
Tuesday, April 13, 1:30 p.m.
Board of Education Monthly Meeting
Board of Education Office
The monthly meeting of the Wicomico County Board of Education will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, in the Board of Education Office. 410-677-4561.
Wednesday, April 14
Parkside Concert Choir Sings National Anthem
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
The Concert Choir of Parkside High School submitted an audition CD to the Baltimore Orioles and has been chosen to sing the National Anthem at the start of the game at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 14. Many parents and other family members will be joining the choir at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for this incredible experience. Choir director Sarah McCabe, 410-677-5143.
Wednesday, April 14
Parent Connection Playgroup Event
Fire Station 16, Cypress Street in Salisbury
Parents and guardians of children from birth-age 3 are invited to participate in a Wicomico Infants and Toddlers Program playgroup event at the Salisbury Fire Department Station 16 on Cypress Street at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 14. Meet other families and take a tour of the fire station. Each child who attends will receive a snack. Participants must RSVP to Maleasa by April 9; call 410-677-5250.
Tuesday, April 20
Board of Education Awards & Recognitions Night
Wicomico Middle School
The next Wicomico County Board of Education Awards & Recognitions Night of the 2009-10 school year will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, at Wicomico Middle School to honor outstanding students, teachers, administrators, schools, programs and community partners.
Wednesday, April 21
Superintendent’s Open Door Session
Board of Education Building
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen will hold a Superintendent’s Open Door Session from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, in the Administrative Conference Room of the Board of Education Building, Mt. Hermon Road and Long Avenue, Salisbury. Open Door Sessions provide the opportunity for people to meet one-on-one with the superintendent. People may express concerns, offer comment, or ask questions on any issue involving Wicomico schools. No appointment is needed. The final Open Door Session of this school year will be held May 26. 410-677-4495.
Wednesday, April 21
7th annual Transitioning Night
Wicomico High School Cafeteria
The 7th annual Transitioning Night for students with disabilities, their families and educators will take place from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, in the Wicomico High School cafeteria. This event is hosted by the Wicomico County Board of Education and the Division of Rehabilitation Services. This is an opportunity for students and their families to explore opportunities after high school such as college, internships, training programs, employment, certifications and on-the-job training. For more information about Transitioning Night, please call the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) at 410-548-7025 and ask for Vanessa Cooper, Kathy Brittingham or Karen Mohler. General information about DORS services for students with disabilities is available at www.dors.state.md.us.
April 21-May 11
MSA Science Testing for Grades 5 and 8
The testing window for Maryland School Assessment (MSA) Science will begin April 21 and run until May 11. The MSA Science test is taken by students in grades 5 and 8.
Sunday, April 25, 7 p.m.
Wicomico Middle School Flute Ensemble Concert
Immanuel Baptist Church, Salisbury
Six very talented young ladies from Wicomico Middle School will present a Flute Ensemble concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at Immanuel Baptist Church in Salisbury. For information please contact Jana Hobbs at jhobbs@wcboe.org or 410-677-5145.
Thursday, April 29
Wicomico County Council of PTAs Awards Banquet
Parkside High School
The annual Wicomico County Council of PTAs Awards Banquet will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at Parkside High School. The dinner will be prepared by the Parkside High School CTE Culinary Arts Department. Tickets are $13 and must be purchased by April 16. Please contact Patty Iott at 410-546-5615 or kpiott@comcast.net.
Saturday, May 1
Safe Kids Day
Mid-Shore YMCA, Salisbury
The Mid-Shore YMCA will host a Safe Kids Day on Saturday, May 1, from 12-3 p.m. This event is presented by Safe Kids Lower Shore Maryland and the Salisbury Jaycees. Call 410-334-3480 for information.
Thursday, May 27
Wicomico County Math 24 Game Tournament
Salisbury University Commons
The annual Math 24 Game Tournament for Wicomico elementary and middle students will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 27, in the Commons at Salisbury University. (This event was originally scheduled for May 20.)
An updated 2009-10 school calendar is posted at www.wcboe.org under Quick Links. Students and parents/guardians should note the following changes in the 2009-10 school calendar:
April 13: End of 3rd marking period (originally scheduled for March 30)
April 14: Beginning of 4th marking period (originally scheduled for April 6)
April 21: Report cards distributed (originally scheduled for April 13)
May 3: School day with dismissal two hours early (originally scheduled as a professional day for teachers)
May 14: Mid-term reports distributed (originally scheduled for May 7)
June 9-11: Regular school days (originally scheduled as early dismissal days)
June 14 and 15: Regular school days (added as makeup days due to inclement weather closings)
June 16, 17 and 18: School days with dismissal two hours early (added as makeup days due to inclement weather closings). June 18 is the last day of school for students.
Monday, April 12-Friday, April 16
HSA Makeup Exams
High Schools
High School Assessment (HSA) Makeup Exams for seniors who have previously taken and not passed one or more of the HSAs will take place at the high schools the week of April 12-16. Students and parents/guardians should be in contact with the school guidance office if the student needs to take one or more exam. Maryland requires that all students pass the four HSA exams, or achieve a combined score of 1602 or complete approved Bridge projects, to qualify for a Maryland high school diploma.
Tuesday, April 13, 1:30 p.m.
Board of Education Monthly Meeting
Board of Education Office
The monthly meeting of the Wicomico County Board of Education will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, in the Board of Education Office. 410-677-4561.
Wednesday, April 14
Parkside Concert Choir Sings National Anthem
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
The Concert Choir of Parkside High School submitted an audition CD to the Baltimore Orioles and has been chosen to sing the National Anthem at the start of the game at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 14. Many parents and other family members will be joining the choir at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for this incredible experience. Choir director Sarah McCabe, 410-677-5143.
Wednesday, April 14
Parent Connection Playgroup Event
Fire Station 16, Cypress Street in Salisbury
Parents and guardians of children from birth-age 3 are invited to participate in a Wicomico Infants and Toddlers Program playgroup event at the Salisbury Fire Department Station 16 on Cypress Street at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 14. Meet other families and take a tour of the fire station. Each child who attends will receive a snack. Participants must RSVP to Maleasa by April 9; call 410-677-5250.
Tuesday, April 20
Board of Education Awards & Recognitions Night
Wicomico Middle School
The next Wicomico County Board of Education Awards & Recognitions Night of the 2009-10 school year will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, at Wicomico Middle School to honor outstanding students, teachers, administrators, schools, programs and community partners.
Wednesday, April 21
Superintendent’s Open Door Session
Board of Education Building
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen will hold a Superintendent’s Open Door Session from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, in the Administrative Conference Room of the Board of Education Building, Mt. Hermon Road and Long Avenue, Salisbury. Open Door Sessions provide the opportunity for people to meet one-on-one with the superintendent. People may express concerns, offer comment, or ask questions on any issue involving Wicomico schools. No appointment is needed. The final Open Door Session of this school year will be held May 26. 410-677-4495.
Wednesday, April 21
7th annual Transitioning Night
Wicomico High School Cafeteria
The 7th annual Transitioning Night for students with disabilities, their families and educators will take place from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, in the Wicomico High School cafeteria. This event is hosted by the Wicomico County Board of Education and the Division of Rehabilitation Services. This is an opportunity for students and their families to explore opportunities after high school such as college, internships, training programs, employment, certifications and on-the-job training. For more information about Transitioning Night, please call the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) at 410-548-7025 and ask for Vanessa Cooper, Kathy Brittingham or Karen Mohler. General information about DORS services for students with disabilities is available at www.dors.state.md.us.
April 21-May 11
MSA Science Testing for Grades 5 and 8
The testing window for Maryland School Assessment (MSA) Science will begin April 21 and run until May 11. The MSA Science test is taken by students in grades 5 and 8.
Sunday, April 25, 7 p.m.
Wicomico Middle School Flute Ensemble Concert
Immanuel Baptist Church, Salisbury
Six very talented young ladies from Wicomico Middle School will present a Flute Ensemble concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at Immanuel Baptist Church in Salisbury. For information please contact Jana Hobbs at jhobbs@wcboe.org or 410-677-5145.
Thursday, April 29
Wicomico County Council of PTAs Awards Banquet
Parkside High School
The annual Wicomico County Council of PTAs Awards Banquet will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29, at Parkside High School. The dinner will be prepared by the Parkside High School CTE Culinary Arts Department. Tickets are $13 and must be purchased by April 16. Please contact Patty Iott at 410-546-5615 or kpiott@comcast.net.
Saturday, May 1
Safe Kids Day
Mid-Shore YMCA, Salisbury
The Mid-Shore YMCA will host a Safe Kids Day on Saturday, May 1, from 12-3 p.m. This event is presented by Safe Kids Lower Shore Maryland and the Salisbury Jaycees. Call 410-334-3480 for information.
Thursday, May 27
Wicomico County Math 24 Game Tournament
Salisbury University Commons
The annual Math 24 Game Tournament for Wicomico elementary and middle students will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 27, in the Commons at Salisbury University. (This event was originally scheduled for May 20.)
Video of Journalists’ Death Answers Some Questions, But Raises Others
On Monday, WikiLeaks made a big splash when it released a still-classified military video from 2007 that shows a U.S. helicopter gunship shooting down a group of men in a suburb of Baghdad.
Reactions to the video range widely: Some believe it betrays a possible war crime; others find it completely justifiable. Interestingly enough, many commentators fail to mention that, in recent weeks, the military itself has made some serious admissions about shooting civilians. During a videoconference to answer soldiers’ questions in March, military officials said that U.S and allied forces had killed 30 Afghans and wounded 80 others during shooting incidents at checkpoints and during convoy runs, the New York Times reported in a little noticed story. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that military inquiries into the incidents revealed that none of civilians had turned out to be threats.“We have shot an amazing number of people, but to my knowledge, none has ever proven to be a threat,” McChrystal said during the videoconference, the Times reported.
Earlier this week the U.S. military did an about-face and admitted that American forces killed three Afghan women during a nighttime raid in February. The military had previously denied involvement in their deaths.
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Reactions to the video range widely: Some believe it betrays a possible war crime; others find it completely justifiable. Interestingly enough, many commentators fail to mention that, in recent weeks, the military itself has made some serious admissions about shooting civilians. During a videoconference to answer soldiers’ questions in March, military officials said that U.S and allied forces had killed 30 Afghans and wounded 80 others during shooting incidents at checkpoints and during convoy runs, the New York Times reported in a little noticed story. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that military inquiries into the incidents revealed that none of civilians had turned out to be threats.“We have shot an amazing number of people, but to my knowledge, none has ever proven to be a threat,” McChrystal said during the videoconference, the Times reported.
Earlier this week the U.S. military did an about-face and admitted that American forces killed three Afghan women during a nighttime raid in February. The military had previously denied involvement in their deaths.
Read More…
Highlighted Events This Week in Wicomico Schools
April 8-10
Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival
Salisbury University
The annual Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival at Salisbury University will highlight outstanding authors and books and will engage many Wicomico schoolchildren in learning about literature. The festival begins on Thursday, April 8, with the Environmental Literature Festival from 6-9 p.m. with author Michael Buckley (The Sisters Grimm series, NERDS series) presenting at 6 p.m. and signing at 7 p.m., along with winners of the Green Earth Book Awards. At 7 p.m., winners of the 2010 Eastern Shore Young Authors and High School Young Authors contests will be honored, followed by a presentation by author Peter Gould.
Also on Thursday, author Peter Gould will conduct a writing workshop at Mardela High School from 8-11 a.m. From 1-2:30 p.m., Mardela will host author Michael Buckley, who will conduct an assembly for sixth-grade students. These author visits are taking place in conjunction with Salisbury University's 2010 Children's and Young Adult Literature Festival. 410-677-5142.
Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival
Salisbury University
The annual Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival at Salisbury University will highlight outstanding authors and books and will engage many Wicomico schoolchildren in learning about literature. The festival begins on Thursday, April 8, with the Environmental Literature Festival from 6-9 p.m. with author Michael Buckley (The Sisters Grimm series, NERDS series) presenting at 6 p.m. and signing at 7 p.m., along with winners of the Green Earth Book Awards. At 7 p.m., winners of the 2010 Eastern Shore Young Authors and High School Young Authors contests will be honored, followed by a presentation by author Peter Gould.
Also on Thursday, author Peter Gould will conduct a writing workshop at Mardela High School from 8-11 a.m. From 1-2:30 p.m., Mardela will host author Michael Buckley, who will conduct an assembly for sixth-grade students. These author visits are taking place in conjunction with Salisbury University's 2010 Children's and Young Adult Literature Festival. 410-677-5142.