Is History Going To Repeat Itself?

America was founded and established because the British were taxing us too much. We fought and won our independence and look how bad the liberals have screwed us up.

Between O'Malley and Obama, they're raising taxes and forcing local municipalities to raise taxes to the maximum level, just as Wicomico County is now preparing to do this budget session.

Wayne mentioned today, the rest of the state doesn't realize the special problems we have in Wicomico County and the taxpayers simply cannot afford these increases.

With all due respect Wayne, THEN STOP SPENDING. STOP THE PAY RAISES. Tell Mike Lewis to drive his Durango for another year or two, (as an example). Tell Rick Pollitt to STOP making all those trips to Annapolis. Please, I beg of you, tell us how those trips are working out for us!

I have a strong feeling that there's going to come a point where the citizens are going to revolt. Cable Companies are demanding $200.00 a month for cable access. A gallon of milk is through the roof. Groceries are just too expensive for far too many people. People will learn soon enough, either most become completely dependent on our government OR they'll take up arms and fight once again for our independence.

I, (for one) want my America back. Screw the entitlements. That's right, screw them all. Force the Churches to either pay it forward or pay taxes on ALL of their income. Its time for serious change in America.

A Comment Worthy Of A Post 4-17-12

I wish to make a statement based on this post. Your observation and articulation of the subject matter couldn't be more accurate. Most people have heard the phrase "Taxation without representation" but what most don't understand is that the original 13 colonies were, in fact, represented in Parliament. Most people were just not pleased with the level of representation and didn't feel that the representation accurately reflected the will or best interest of the people.

Think of the parallels here.

The colonists didn't approve of the level of representation provided by their government - The majority of Americans aren't happy with the current representation.

The colonists spoke out against the government and were imprisoned. Today, Americans are routinely arrested for speaking out against the government - more than ever before. (see all of those arrested for photographing police or the case where the Maryland State Police arrested pro life protestors)

The government tried to sieze gunpowder and arms from colonists which caused the "shot heard 'round the world". The DHS has recently purchased 450 MILLION rounds of one type of ammunition and has issued an RFP for 175 million rounds of another. The goal is to create a vaccuum making ammunition difficult to find in popular calibers - defacto disarming of Americans. What good are guns with no ammunition?

Many parallels exist between the time just prior to the American Revolution and current events.

The U.S. Constitution was written to prevent the government from running slip shod over the people. All government representatives from politicians to police officers take and oath to uphold that constitution and to protect the nation FROM ALL ENEMIES, FORIEGN AND DOMESTIC. That's right domestic. The biggest threat to our way of life is domestic. Large government that taxes the people without adequately representing the will of the people (see above). History will indeed repeat itself and that time is not far off. You know it, I know it....and they know it. They are preparing for the inevitable. They are buying up ammunition. They are stockpiling MRE's. They are preparing detention areas some refer to as "FEMA Camps". You are reporting on these items at a time when you can what the state of our nation degrade daily. Get ready.

I too want my America back.

Mileage Reimbursement

Federal employees will see an increase in the mileage reimbursement rate for employees who use their own vehicles for work, GovExec reported. The rate will increase by 4.5 cents bringing it up to 55.5 cents per mile. New rates will also go into effect for privately owned airplanes, government owned vehicles and motorcycles.The increase is in response to rising gas prices and takes effect today.

Women

As a father of two daughters in college, I couldn’t have been more disappointed to learn that today is Equal Pay Day--a day that represents how far into 2012 women must work to earn what men earned in 2011.

That means that this year, a woman will have to work an additional four-and-a-half months just to earn what a man does in a year.

Thankfully, in Maryland we’ve been able to reduce the wage gap between men and women to the fourth-lowest in the nation - and we were recently named the 3rd best State in the US to be a woman.

In 2009, I signed a law that builds on the federal Lilly Ledbetter equal pay law, extending the period of time for individuals to seek back pay for unlawful discrimination and unequal pay to two years.

Together, we’ve appointed nearly 2,800 women to judgeships, cabinet appointments and boards and commissions. We’ve increased awards of state contracts to women-owned firms by nearly 59% over 2007. And every day, we’re working to expand access to women’s health services and combat violence against women and children.

We will continue to fight as long as inequality exists.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of gender discrimination in the workplace, please call this toll-free number: 1-800-637-6247.

Together, we will keep moving forward, close the wage gap and end discrimination for everyone.

Thank you,


Martin O'Malley

Michigan Lotto Winner Charged With Welfare Fraud

LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan woman who continued to get food stamps after winning a lottery jackpot was arraigned Tuesday on welfare fraud charges.

Amanda Clayton, 25, of Lincoln Park was arrested on Monday. If convicted of the two felony charges, she could face up to four years in prison.

Clayton stood silently during her arraignment at Lincoln Park's25th District Court. Defense lawyer Stanley Wise said he hopes to have charges dismissed at her next court hearing April 24. He didn't elaborate.

"She's upset but she'll be fine," Wise said.

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Police Handcuff Georgia Kindergartner for Tantrum

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Police in Georgia handcuffed a kindergartner with her arms behind her back after the girl threw a tantrum and the police chief defended the action as a safety measure.

The girl's family demanded Tuesday that their central Georgia city change policy so that other children aren't treated the same way. They say the child was shaken up by the ordeal.

While it's unusual to see a young child handcuffed in school, it's not unheard of. School officials around the nation have wrestled with the issue of when it's appropriate to call police on a student.

Salecia Johnson, 6, was accused of tearing items off the walls and throwing books and toys in an outburst Friday at Creekside Elementary School in Milledgeville, according to a police report.

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HELP WANTED

Experienced custom tile installer needed, great pay, benefits & retirement plan. Please email resume.

Hollie Jones

Herl's Bath and Tile Solutions

410-219-9033

hollie@herlsinc.com

www.updatemybath.com

Rep. Andy Harris Honors Holocaust Hero Who Saved 100,000 Hungarian Jews

Washington, DC — Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives honored Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat and Holocaust hero who saved the lives of an estimated 100,000 Hungarian Jews during World War II, by passing legislation to posthumously award him the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian decorations in the United States, awarded to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. Raoul Wallenberg was made an honorary citizen of the United States, an honor only previously extended to Winston Churchill. Before the vote, Rep. Harris participated in an event sponsored by the Hungarian Embassy that included Annette Lantos, herself a Holocaust survivor and the widow of former Rep. Tom Lantos, Hungarian Ambassador Gyorgy Szapary, Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Zsolt Nemeth, and Congressmen Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Dan Burton (R-IN), Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).

“This is very emotional for me because my father is of Hungarian descent and he was an anti-communist who was sent to a Soviet Gulag for two years,” said Rep. Andy Harris. “It is an honor to help recognize the memory of Raoul Wallenberg, one the greatest humanitarians of the 20th Century. Even in tragic periods like the Holocaust, heroes like Raoul Wallenberg shine a light for future generations so they never forget.”

GSA Officials Face Tough Questions, More Investigations Underway

Inspector General Brian Miller testified Monday that GSA's Region 9 remains under further investigation for potential bribery and kickbacks. Martha Johnson, the former chief of the General Services Administration, was hammered by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee over what she knew about a 2010 Las Vegas conference and when she knew it. Johnson resigned her post after an inspector general report detailed excessive spending at the $822,000 event.

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That Ain't My America!

Obama's Pig

FY13 Budget Schedule

A Death Bounty and an Attorney General

One can be forgiven for wondering what level of New Black Panther Party (NBPP) thuggery is sufficient to warrant the attention of Florida law enforcement officials or, seemingly, the most myopic U.S. attorney general to ever head the Department of Justice. On March 24th, New Black Panther Party leader Mikhail Muhammad offered a $10,000 bounty for the “capture” of Zimmerman and publicly stated that Zimmerman “should be fearful for his life.” Fellow Panthers distributed wanted posters calling Zimmerman a “child killer” and offering that bounty “dead or alive.” And in a mind-boggling rant during a conference call, Michelle Williams, Chief of Staff for the Tampa, FL branch of the NBPP, told Party members to get ready for a “race war.”

Willams was just warming up. She got far uglier:

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Who Is The Big Money That Really Controls The World?

What if all global leaders' suits and any news/products associated with huge global events were required to be labeled with corporate sponsorship as are the racing jumpsuits and racing cars of Nascar drivers? Below are two satirical videos with suggestions as to how people’s consciousness can be raised about exactly who is sponsoring today’s music, media and news as well as whos is sponsoring various wars, Presidents, Prime Ministers, banks and education institutions. Amazingly a few people that have viewed these videos did not understand their satirical nature and believed that my proposed solutions were of a serious nature. Maybe these same people wrote the publisher of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm [6]” to complain that Orwell’s book was unrealistic because animals can’t really talk.

For those that may still be confused by the satirical intent of my videos, William Banzai has graciously provided the below brilliant-as-usual accompanying artwork so that one can visualize the lunacy of requiring all public and prominent figures and global leaders to wear Nascar type jumpsuits emblazoned with all of their corporate “sponsors.” Finally, as an example of how far and wide the US Federal Reserve spreads its octopus arms and control into the realms of education and corporate global finance, consider this article: Federal Reserve Officials Leave For Wall Street With Privileged Info [7]

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Karzai Wants 'At Least $2 billion' a Year From US

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday said he wanted "at least $2 billion" a year from the United States after it withdraws its troops in 2014.

Karzai said the US should specify in a partnership agreement to be signed between his country and the US how much money it will give to Afghanistan after they leave.

"They (US) say we will give you money, but will not specify the amount. We say give us less, but write it down," Karzai told a group of university professors and students in Kabul.

"We want them to write down that America will give for Afghanistan's security $2 billion a year -- or at least two billion a year", he said. "If they want to give us more, they are welcome."

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Media Reveal the Muslim Brotherhood’s True Face

Muslim Brotherhood Calls for a ‘United Arab States’ with Jerusalem as its Capital

Once again, we see how Western concepts, when articulated through an Islamic framework, lead to results antithetical to the West. For instance, “democracy” and “elections”—which in the West suggest “freedom,” “human rights,” “liberty,” etc.—are today being used to bring Sharia law, the antithesis of Western law, to power.

In this recent video, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Dr. Safwat Hegazy, a popular preacher, talks about how he yearns to see Arab nations become “like the United States”—for them to unify into the “United Arab States.” While that may sound like an admirable (or at least neutral) goal, bear in mind what he is alluding to: the resurrection of a caliphate—which by nature exists to expand, including through jihad.

Moreover, Hegazy made clear that his interest in seeing the “United Arab States” has less to do with Arab solidarity (nationalism) and more to do with Islamic allegiance (religion). As he gushed about how wonderful it would be for Arab nations to unite into one bloc, the secular and skeptical host interviewing him reluctantly agreed, “so long as the capital is Cairo,” that is, so long as Egypt’s integrity remains.

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Mixing And Matching

Apparently the soaring national debt and the threat of a nuclear Iran are not enough to occupy the government's time, because the Obama administration is pushing to force Westchester County, N.Y., to create more low-income housing, in order to mix and match classes and races to fit the government's preconceptions.

Behind all this busy work for bureaucrats and ideologues is the idea that there is something wrong if a community does not have an even or random distribution of various kinds of people. This arbitrary assumption is that the absence of evenness or randomness – whether in employment, housing or innumerable other situations – shows a "problem" that has to be "corrected."

No speck of evidence is considered necessary for this assumption to prevail at any level of government, including the Supreme Court of the United States. No one has to show the existence, much less the prevalence, of an even or random distribution of different segments of the population – in any country, anywhere in the world, or at any period of history.

Nothing is more common than for people to sort themselves out when it comes to residential housing, whether by class, race or other factors.

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Global Unemployment at 8% in 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Global unemployment remained stable at 8% between 2010 and 2011, according to Gallup surveys in 148 countries. Unemployment was highest in the Middle East and North Africa (22%) and sub-Saharan Africa (17%) last year and lowest in Asia (5%).
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Sea Gull Century Scholarships Honor Muller

For some two decades, Dr. Susan Muller served the Salisbury University community as a health education professor and as a dedicated volunteer during Sea Gull Century weekend. Six scholarships, made possible by rider donations and other Century funds, recently were presented to SU students in her honor.

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The TRUTH Finally Comes Out About Disability Insurance

Sheriff Lewis was slouched so low in his chair this morning at the County Council Meeting that he could see all the gum on the bottom of the chairs.

Human Resources Director Michele Ennis came forward to explain to the County Council the actual facts about disability insurance.

You see, Sheriff Lewis went public two weeks ago trying to make claim they have no disability, complete BS. Just because some people will walk into a room when the Sheriff is present and shine his boots, don't go and embarrass the County Council Members who represent ALL taxpayers by making it look like you're not well cared for.

So the Council got a ton of calls from citizens complaining after seeing the WBOC News Report and PAC 14 challenging them as to how this could be possible. The Council contacted Mrs. Ennis and immediately learned what the Sheriff was spewing and Deputy Funk was a complete load of crap and this morning she went public expressing such.

In fact. she explained how the disability insurance the Deputies have right now is actually BETTER than LEOPS! Let me remind all of you that IF the Sheriff's Department were to get LEOPS it will cost the taxpayers almost a million dollars, (if not more) just to buy into the program, for less insurance. However, if you're about to retire, well, that's a whole different story, which is what I've been trying to explain.

I have two problems with this disability insurance crap we've all been fed. One, Sheriff Lewis needs to stop grandstanding and get his facts straight before he continues to look like a fool. Secondly, the local MSM needs to stop acting like a political tool spewing whatever politicians want to say without researching those statements. As I stated yesterday, they claim to be held to a higher standard. Instead, they simply use those politicians to say things in their own words and in their eyes it becomes fact.

Well, they are all wrong and Salisbury News was the only outlet, (once again) to challenge the Sheriff. Open your eyes Folks. Did you really believe there was NO disability for the Sheriff's Deputies? Unfortunately I believe the Sheriff used Deputy Funk, (and others who didn't know better) to attempt to sell the public on why they need collective bargaining and LEOPS. Mind you, we already know the public voted on collective bargaining but if they'll lie about disability insurance, the County Executive didn't challenge it and or even know if what Mike Lewis was stating was true or not, it's time to make some changes in leadership in Wicomico County.

By the way, IF ANY Sheriff's Deputy wants to challenge me about your current disability verses LEOPS, please contact Mrs. Ennis first before you come on here with a challenging comment. I was right about this from the beginning and I'm even more right, (vindicated) today.

New Posts to fall below.

Obama Administration Takes On Westchester

Apparently the soaring national debt and the threat of a nuclear Iran are not enough to occupy the government’s time, because the Obama administration is pushing to force Westchester County, N.Y., to create more low-income housing, in order to mix and match classes and races to fit the government’s preconceptions.

Behind all this busy work for bureaucrats and ideologues is the idea that there is something wrong if a community does not have an even or random distribution of various kinds of people. This arbitrary assumption is that the absence of evenness or randomness — whether in employment, housing or innumerable other situations — shows a “problem” that has to be “corrected.”

No speck of evidence is considered necessary for this assumption to prevail at any level of government, including the Supreme Court of the United States. No one has to show the existence, much less the prevalence, of an even or random distribution of different segments of the population — in any country, anywhere in the world, or at any period of history.

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Rebellion At NASA Against 'Global Warming'

Letter warns 'green' position endangering 'reputation of science itself'

Forty-nine highly respected former NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists are fighting back against efforts by top executives to use the federal agency to promote global warming alarmism.

The letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden accuses the agency of endangering “the reputation of science itself” by advocating the “extreme” position that carbon dioxide is the major cause of climate change.

The signatories include seven former Apollo astronauts as well as Chris Kraft, the man more responsible than any other for establishing Mission Control.

They want NASA to “refrain from including unproven and unsupported remarks in its future releases” and contend that the claim “that man-made carbon dioxide is having a catastrophic impact on global climate change” is “not substantiated.”

The letter has done nothing to stop the efforts of NASA’s most notorious global warming activist, James Hansen, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a division of NASA.

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‘The Proof of Innocence’: Read the Math Problem That Got One Man Out of a Traffic Ticket

Remember when you used to gripe about doing mathematical proofs in high school arguing a lack of real-life applications for it to be worth your while? Well, here’s how one man got off the hook for traffic ticket he received by using a math problem.

University of California-San Diego physicist Dmitri Krioukov was pulled over and issued a ticket for running a stop sign. While many wouldn’t go through the hassle of actually fighting this ticket in court, Krioukov is an exception — and he came prepared. io9 reports that he presented a mathematical paper to prove his innocence, aptly named “The Proof of Innocence,” and convinced the judge of his case.

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3rd Annual Blue Mass

Plaintiffs and Lawyers Discuss Details of Settlement With Md State Police In First Amendment Case

Along Reisterstown Road in front of Maryland State Police headquarters on Monday morning, lawyers and plaintiffs talked about details related to a $385,000 settlement between nine plaintiffs and State Police in a federal lawsuit stemming from the arrest, detention and strip searches of 18 Defend Life demonstrators along Route 24 in Bel Air in 2008.

"Our group, Defend Life, and other groups, now have a clear mandate to do what we were doing back on August 1st and August 2nd 2008, showing graphic images," said Baltimore-based Defend Life founder and director Jack Ames. "That's what this ruling is all about. So there is a real precedent value to this ruling."

Members of Defend Life were arrested by the Maryland State Police on Aug. 1, 2008, along Route 24 in Bel Air. The group was on its Face the Truth Tour in which it used graphic roadside posters depicting aborted babies.

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LET’S STOP THAT HUGE FEDERAL WIND POWER SUBSIDY NOW

First: kudos to State Senator Pipken for his vocal opposition the O’Malley’s offshore wind farm subsidy – to be subsidized by Maryland’s electric power customers through a special tithe on their power bills. Hopefully, his statements have turned the tide; we may soon see if there’s a special session of the General Assembly to pass the new taxes that O’Malley wants to hit us with.

So much for the sublime, now on to the really ridiculous. In the past decade or so, there has been a huge federal subsidy – known as the “production tax credit” -- which provides a 2.2-cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) subsidy for the first ten years of a wind energy facility's operation. It has resulted in very substantial investment in “wind farms” that generate power that is distributed to customers through the national “grid” system. But the notion that the power is “free” of either economic or environmental costs is nonsense. Not only are the huge towers and turbines (and related equipment) very costly to install and maintain, they are very unreliable as a source of energy, because electric power cannot be stored – there is no strategic kilowatt reserve.

Therefore, it is necessary to maintain and operate conventional (fossil-fuel) power plants when wind speed is minimal, and often (especially at night) the wind power is ample but cannot be used or marketed due to low demand at that time.

Fortunately, the “PCA” subsidy is set to expire on December 31. However, urged on by the Obama administration, certain members of Congress have sponsored legislation to extend it. But not all members. Here’s what Tennessee Senator, Lamar Alexander, an opponent of extension of the PCA recently had to say about extending the subsidy, which would maintain a big loophole for investment bankers, for the very wealthy, and for big corporations:


“We hear a lot of talk about federal subsidies for Big Oil. I would like to take a moment to talk about federal subsidies for Big Wind -- $27 billion over 10 years. That is the amount of Federal taxpayer dollars between 2007 and 2016, according to the Joint Tax Committee, that taxpayers will have given to wind developers across our country. This subsidy comes in the form of a production tax credit, renewable energy bonds, investment tax credits, federal grants, and accelerated appreciation. These are huge subsidies. The production tax credit itself has been there for 20 years. It was a temporary tax break put in the law in 1992.

"And what do we get in return for these billions of dollars of subsidies? We get a puny amount of unreliable electricity that arrives disproportionately at night when we don't need it. “Residents in community after community across America are finding out that these are not your grandma's windmills. These gigantic turbines, which look so pleasant on the television ads -- paid for by the people who are getting all the tax breaks -- look like an elephant when they are in your backyard. In fact, they are much bigger than an elephant. They are three times as tall as the sky boxes at Neyland Stadium, the University of Tennessee football stadium in Knoxville. They are taller than the Statue of Liberty. The blades are as wide as a football field is long, and you can see the blinking lights that are on top of these windmills for 20 miles. “In town after town, Americans are complaining about the noise and disturbance that come from these giant wind turbines in their backyards….

And, to that we add this:

Mr. Obama: are you listening – here’s a way to make those wealthy fat cats pay more taxes and protect to rest of us at the same time.

Secret Service Revokes Security Clearance for Agents in Prostitution Probe, Pentagon 'Embarrassed'

The Secret Service has revoked the security clearances for the 11 agents accused of misconduct over a prostitution scandal in Colombia -- as the Pentagon looks at broadening its own investigation into the incident, which the top U.S. military official calls an embarrassment.

The fallout from the alleged misconduct has spread across both the Secret Service and the U.S. military. On the Secret Service side, a senior law enforcement official confirmed to Fox News that all 11 who were recalled and placed on administrative leave have had their clearances revoke. The official added that among the 11 are two supervisors and three members of the counter-assault team, indicating that senior officials are involved.

The incident late last week not only overshadowed President Obama's visit to Colombia but has raised troubling security questions. Some lawmakers have said agents could have been compromised, or opened themselves to blackmail, because of their actions.

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Another Empty Obama Promise

The extent of Obama’s duplicity continues to grow apace. And yes — it’s duplicity. If you can’t or won’t fulfil a promise, don’t make it.

From Bloomberg:
Two years after President Barack Obama vowed to eliminate the danger of financial institutions becoming “too big to fail,” the nation’s largest banks are bigger than they were before the credit crisis.

Five banks — JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co [30]., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. — held $8.5 trillion in assets at the end of 2011, equal to 56 percent of the U.S. economy, according to the Federal Reserve.

Five years earlier, before the financial crisis, the largest banks’ assets amounted to 43 percent of U.S. output. The Big Five today are about twice as large as they were a decade ago relative to the economy, sparking concern that trouble at a major bank would rock the financial system and force the government to step in as it did during the 2008 crunch.

“Market participants believe that nothing has changed, that too-big-to-fail is fully intact,” said Gary Stern, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

And the hilarious (or perhaps soul-destroying) thing?

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Obama's Push to Implement 'Eco-Tyranny'

The environmentalist movement isn’t about protecting the environment at all, according to meteorologist-turned-journalist Brian Sussman.

It’s about destroying private property, controlling behavior, and expanding government – and the Obama administration has a secret plan to further all of it, he says.

Sussman is now blowing the whistle on the real nature of environmentalism in his explosive brand-new book, “Eco-Tyranny.”

He reveals secret memos from inside Obama’s Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, outlining a covert plan “to pursue a program of land consolidation” for the federal government to secure tens of millions of acres of land that will be permanently out of reach for entrepreneurs, businessmen and private citizens.

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SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL FY13 BUDGET AGENDA

APRIL 17, 2012
4:00 P.M. – 6:30 P.M.
COFERENCE ROOM 306
GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING
ITEM FOR CONSIDERATION

 FY2012 Port Security Grant Program Grant Opportunity – John Pick/Acting Fire Chief
Rick Hoppes

BUDGET WORK SESSION (following conclusion of above item)
 Overview of City’s financial condition
 General Fund Revenues
 City Council
 City Clerk
 Elections
 Mayor’s Office
 City Attorney

POLLITT ISSUES BURN BAN FOR WICOMICO COUNTY

Due to extreme drought conditions, County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr., has issued a burn ban order for Wicomico County effective immediately. Pollitt took the action on the advice of his Burn Ban Committee. The group is composed of representatives of the County Health Department, the Forestry Service, Emergency Management Services, fire fighters, county code enforcement and a local meteorologist.

The executive has the authority to issue a ban for 7 days. Pollitt said that he expects the dry conditions to continue into the foreseeable future and has recommended to the county council that they extend the ban indefinitely until weather conditions warrant a re-assessment by the Burn Ban

Committee. The council is expected to consider the matter at their regular meeting of April 17th.

All outdoor burning is prohibited with the following exemptions:

1) Gas and charcoal grill for their proper use;

2) Campfires at Roaring Point and Sandy Hill campgrounds which must be monitored at all times.

All such campfires shall be confined to designated fire rings, grills, fire pits, fireplaces or other facilities constructed for fires. Before breaking camp, fires should be drowned and completely extinguished.

3) Recreational campfires on private property and public campgrounds are permitted. The campfires are limited to a size of 2 feet in width and 3 feet in height;

4) The staging of professional fireworks displays.

Burn ban violations carry a $500 fine per incident. County Planning & Zoning administers Burn Ban enforcement. Citizens may call 410-548-4860 to report violations during regular business hours. At other times, citizens may call the Sheriff’s Office at 410-548-4891.

Pollitt urged all residents to practice caution while engaging in the exempted burning practices, saying, “I suggest that citizens keep a garden hose and fire extinguisher nearby while using their gas or charcoal grills or enjoying a recreational fire. Also, all fires should be completely extinguished and should never be left unsupervised.” Residents are also encouraged to reduce their water consumption during this time of reduced rainfall.

Pollitt added that all burning permits are voided for the duration of the Burn Ban and that the Health

Department will not be issuing burning permits until further notice.

This Day In History

Apr 17, 1970:

Apollo 13 returns to Earth

With the world anxiously watching, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returns to Earth.

On April 11, the third manned lunar landing mission was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying astronauts James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert, and Fred W. Haise. The mission was headed for a landing on the Fra Mauro highlands of the moon. However, two days into the mission, disaster struck 200,000 miles from Earth when oxygen tank No. 2 blew up in the spacecraft. Swigert reported to mission control on Earth, "Houston, we've had a problem here," and it was discovered that the normal supply of oxygen, electricity, light, and water had been disrupted. The landing mission was aborted, and the astronauts and controllers on Earth scrambled to come up with emergency procedures. The crippled spacecraft continued to the moon, circled it, and began a long, cold journey back to Earth.

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The Bully Project

By Katie O’Malley

Last week, Governor O’Malley and I had the privilege to join hundreds of students, parents, educators, administrators, and anti-bullying experts to host an advanced screening of The Weinstein Company’s, “The Bully Project.”

I believe “The Bully Project” can be used as an educational tool to show all of us that bullying is a very serious issue. It is an insightful, yet heartbreaking documentary that sheds light on an issue that is too often overlooked as just “kids being kids.” It follows the lives of children who are tormented nearly every day by their peers and even calls our attention to how parents, teachers and administrators choose to deal with the effects of bullying. The film also takes a deeper look into the lives of parents whose children have tragically committed suicide as a result of bullying.

Following the film, we held a town hall discussion with renowned author and bullying expert Rosalind Wiseman, Acting Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Schools David Esquith, and other great panelists to talk about bullying and what we as one community can do to stand up against it.

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Buffett Rule Vote Blocked by Republicans in Senate Vote

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans derailed a Democratic "Buffett rule" bill Monday forcing the nation's top earners to pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes, using the day before Americans' taxes are due to defy President Barack Obama on one of his signature election-year issues.

By a near party-line 51-45 tally, senators voted to keep the bill alive but fell nine votes short of the 60 needed to continue debating the measure. The anti-climactic outcome was no surprise to anyone in a vote that was designed more to win over voters and embarrass senators in close races than to push legislation into law.

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Council Meeting Confirms EVERYTHING We Stated Last Night

Without repeating everything we stated last night, it's simply a waiting game to see if there will be a special session in Annapolis. Either way, no matter what happens, Wicomico County cannot fund MOE and the BOE, Norm Conway and the Liberals have completely screwed Maryland residents.

More importantly, Rick Pollitt was NOT present for what was probably the BIGGEST meeting of his entire career. As I stated yesterday, he surrounds himself with people who ARE capable while he sits back completely clueless. We're seeing this far too often.

Guess what Folks, Rick Pollitt was in his Office during this meeting, we confirmed that. He did NOT want to be seen publicly. Your County Executive is afraid of his own shadow and has proven once again he is a politician, not a businessman.

Tighten your seat belts Ladies & Gentlemen, things are about to get really rough out there.

WANT TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE USA? ASK THE IRS' PERMISSION FIRST!

A bill that nobody is paying any attention to is sailing through Congress: Senate Bill 1813. It passed the Senate by 74 to 22, and is expected to sail through the House as well. It’s an act “[t]o reauthorize Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs, and for other purposes.”

It’s the “and for other purposes” part of the title that has me worried—specifically Section 40304: “Revocation or denial of passport in case of certain unpaid taxes.”

This section would give the IRS the power to keep a U.S. citizen from traveling—

—and it’s another example of Executive Power run amok. It’s another example of how the United States is turning into a police-state.

The right to travel freely is sacrosanct—it’s not some privilege that the government bestows on us: It’s one of our basic freedoms as citizens. In point of fact, the countries that have limited their citizens’ ability to travel—the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, Cuba—were all rightfully called “police-states”: It’s one of their defining characteristics—the fact that they were keeping their citizens hostage.

In the United States, there are several, clearly defined reasons why you would have your passport either denied or revoked—and all of them pass the smell test.

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Obama Pitchs $52M Plan To Regulate Oil Markets

WASHINGTON – President Obama on Tuesday urged Congress to help strengthen federal supervision of international oil markets, amid pressure from U.S. voters to take action on rising gasoline prices.

The president wants Congress to increase penalties for market manipulation and empower regulators to increase the amount of money energy traders are required to put behind their transactions.

"Congress should do all of this right away," the president said Tuesday during a White House speech in the Rose Garden.

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FCC Fines Google $25,000 Over Street View Probe

The Federal Communications Commission has fined Google $25,000, saying the online search leader impeded an investigation into how it collected data while taking photos for its “Street View” mapping feature.

The FCC said in a report from Friday that Google Inc. “deliberately impeded and delayed” the investigation for months. The agency said that the online search leader did this by not responding to requests for information and documents.

At the same time, the FCC said it will not take action against Google over its data collection. Part of the reason for that is that it still has “significant factual questions” about the Street View project that haven’t been answered. To get some answers, the FCC had subpoenaed a Google engineer who developed the software code that the company used to collect and store data. But the engineer, who is not named in the report, declined to testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against incriminating himself.

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TRAFFIC DELAYS EXPECTED ON APRIL 22 FOR INAUGURAL KOMEN MARYLAND OCEAN CITY RACE FOR THE CURE

The Ocean City Police Department is reminding citizens to expect traffic delays on the morning of Sunday, April 22, 2012, as participants in the Inaugural Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure fill the streets of downtown Ocean City. The race, which will feature a 5k run/walk and a 1-mile “Family Fun” walk, will begin at Somerset Streetand continue northbound along the Boardwalk.

The inlet lot, which will host the “RaceVillage,” will be closed to all traffic from 7:30 a.m.until 11a.m. Northbound traffic on Baltimore Avenue will be restricted to one lane from the inlet to 9th Street and will be closed to all traffic from 9th Street to 15th Street. All northbound traffic from 9th Street will be directed toPhiladelphia Avenue.

Residents and visitors are likely to see traffic delays on eastbound route 50 as early as7 a.m.and should expect congestion until after12 p.m. Citizens should consider using alternate routes into OceanCityduring these times in order to avoid traffic delays. In addition, heavy pedestrian traffic is expected along the race route and in surrounding areas.

The Ocean City Police Department is reminding pedestrians to use marked crosswalks while crossing the street. Pedestrians should not take unnecessary risks crossing busy streets against traffic lights. In addition, pedestrians are encouraged to make eye contact with drivers and continue to watch for traffic the entire time you are in the crosswalk. Motorists should also be extremely vigilant while driving, keeping constantly aware of race participants, spectators, pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds and scooters.

Today's Fill In The Blank 4-17-12

The more I follow state politics the more I want to ______.

Proponents: Sports/Events Center Could Be Catalyst For Redevelopment Of Downtown

HAGERSTOWN — The possibility of constructing a new multiuse sports and events center in downtown Hagerstown is being viewed by local elected officials as a long-overdue catalyst for redevelopment of the city’s struggling downtown.

But exactly how the stadium, which would be the new home of the Hagerstown Suns, would help facilitate that goal — in the form of new development and jobs — remains to be seen.

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Wicomico County - Pension Shift Time Bomb

Wicomico County's Budget dilemma is soon to be exacerbated as the State of Maryland attempts to shift a significant portion of the Schoolteachers Pension liability onto the Counties.

Most taxpayers are not aware of the enormity of this problem. The system's fiscal health has gradually deteriorated over the past decade. In fiscal 2000, the system's actuarial liabilities consistently grew faster on an annual basis than its actuarial value of assets, resulting in its unfunded liabilities increasing each year to the present. As a result, the system's actuarial funded status reached 100% in fiscal 2000 - and that is the good news. However, since then - the fund has dropped to 64.1% as of June 2010. This has prompted the growth rate for State pension contributions to far outpace its revenues. From fiscal 2002 to 2011, the annual State cost of teacher pensions grew 159%, while general fund revenues grew just 39%. Current projections predict that the annual State general fund expenditures on pensions for both State employees and teachers will grow at twice the annual rate of general fund revenues between fiscal 2012 and 2015. While general fund revenues are expected to grow 4.9% annually during that time, pension costs are projected to grow 9.9% annually. This trend makes the current structure of State pension benefits unsustainable.

The State has tried to prop-up the sinking fund by diverting a portion of the ARRA stimulus money - (which ought not have been allowed - emphasis added by author). But the ARRA stimulus money is set to expire by the end of 2012.

Overview of the State Retirement and Pension System

Total State expenditures for employee and teacher pensions is projected to be 1.54 billion in fiscal 2012, of which $975.6 million is projected to be for teachers, community college faculty, and librarians employed by local governments. Of the total figure, about 84% is projected to be paid from State general funds, with the remainder evenly dived between special and federal funds. As recently as fiscal 2006, the State contribution was approximately 652.4 million, less than half the current payment. As I said - it is a Time Bomb - and it is soon set to go off.

The taxpayers of Wicomico have been warned - not only by SBYnews analyst and professional banking analyst like Meredith Witney - but also by the major bonding underwriters like Fitch.

New Posts to fall below.

Today's Advertiser Of The Day 4-17-12

Chesapeake Bay Gets Grades In New Report Card

BALTIMORE (AP) -- How is the Chesapeake Bay doing? The University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science will let us know in its latest report card.

The report card is to be released Tuesday outside the center's laboratory in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Last spring, the bay got 42 out of 100 possible points, down from 46 the year before and the first drop in four years. Winter storms were blamed for the drop.

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Wisconsin's Property Taxes Drop for First Time in 12 Years

Milwaukee, Wisc.
According to Wisconsin's Department of Revenue, property taxes on homes in the state of Wisconsin have decreased for the first time in more than a decade.

Governor Scott Walker's pledge to balance the budget without raising taxes was a key plank of his 2010 campaign, and his fulfillment of that pledge will be a major campaign theme leading up to the June 5 recall election. “Our reforms have reversed a decade of property tax increases from previous administrations,” Walker said in a statement on Monday. “For the first time in over ten years, the average property taxpayer will have more money in his or her pocket than the year before.” Walker's office noted that property taxes had risen by 43 percent since 1998, and "the average homeowner would have paid an additional $700 over the biennium" without the 2011 budget reforms.

The property tax decrease is largely attributable to a reduction in state spending on local school districts, according to Todd Berry of the non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance.

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Fundraiser

Today's Survey Question 4-17-12

What do you think of the idea of putting billboard-type ads on city fire trucks to help fund the department?

Misreading Sunstein

A while back The New York Times Magazine ran what amounts to a puff piece about Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein, President Obama's long-time friend, former colleague and one of America's regulation czars. It was penned by Benjamin Wallace-Wells, who is identified as "a contributing writer for the magazine and a contributing editor for Rolling Stone" magazine.

The essay was a decent enough account of Sunstein's career and personal life but it focused only upon one of his significant and controversial ideas, namely "nudging" or "libertarian paternalism." This is the belief in a system of government regulations that amount to creating incentives for people to do the right thing (as per how the government or Professor Sunstein see it, of course). Instead of coming down on what government considers objectionable or undesired human conduct with a sledgehammer, nudging works by setting up various tricks with which people are led to act in the way the government people intend for them to act.

Call it behavior modification or libertarian paternalism, the gist of Sunstein's type of government meddling in people's lives is to use a not very subtle program of Skinnerian stimulus-response (after the late Harvard behaviorist psychologist, B. F. Skinner), whereby what government officials want the citizens to do isn't commanded but made the result of various prompters. Although Sunstein and his collaborators prefer the term "nudging," it is a misleading idea since if it involved no more than that, one could just sidestep it.

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Judges, Journalists Clash Over Courtroom Tweets

Getting news from a big trial once took days, moving at the speed of a carrier pigeon or an express pony. The telegraph and telephone cut that time dramatically, as did live television broadcasts.

Now comes Twitter with more changes, breaking up courtroom journalism into bite-size reports that take shape as fast as a reporter can tap 140 characters into a smartphone. But the micro-blogging site is increasingly putting reporters on a collision course with judges who fear it could threaten a defendant's right to a fair trial.

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How Did Ben Bernanke Muscle Fed Prez Fisher?

This is right out of a bad Mafia movie. CNBC's John Carney emails me:

I managed to discover some news in the absurdly redacted Fed minutes released today.
He then points to a post he has written that says in part:

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher initially provided the only "No" vote on a motion before the Federal Open Market Committee at the height of the financial crisis...

Immediately following the mystery vote, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke requested a break for lunch.

Upon returning from lunch, Bernanke announced that Fisher had changed his mind.
“On consideration, in order to maintain a united front with the Committee, President Fisher changed his vote to vote ‘yes’ on the resolution,” Bernanke said, according to the transcript.

Wow, how did the mild mannered appearing Bernanke get Fisher to change his vote, during a lunch break?

The full Carney post is here.

Delaware Killer Asks Judge Not to Delay Execution

WILMINGTON, Del. — The attorney for a Delaware death row inmate facing execution this week asked a federal judge on Monday to reject an attempt by the convicted killer’s estranged sister to stop the execution.

Shannon Johnson has waived his right to further appeals of his conviction and death sentence and faces death by lethal injection on Friday.

Federal public defenders are trying for the second time to intervene in the case without Johnson’s consent, arguing on behalf of Johnson’s sister that he is mentally incompetent and should not be executed.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY 4-17-12

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can persuade you to commit atrocities.”

Voltaire

Tax Day freebies and Deals

BALTIMORE - Several area eateries are trying to take the misery out of Tax Day and spice it up by offering relief with free and discounted food, plus cash.

Arby’s is offering one person $5,000 in tax relief and everyone else free curly fries. It's the restaurant chain's way of rewarding consumers across the nation for paying their taxes and surviving another tax season.

You can enter to win $5,000 and get a coupon for the free value size curly fry on April 17 only by visiting Arby's Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/Arbys Free value curly fries will be given out while supplies last.

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CONFIRMED OBAMA BIRTH CERTICATE IS A FAKE!

The major media is finally forced to do the job an unbiased press would have done 4 years ago! Wake Up America, before it’s too late.

O'Malley Meets Miller; Republicans To Speak On Special Session

On the day that is the deadline for filing federal and state income taxes, House Republicans in Annapolis hold a news conference today to talk about the possibility of a special legislative session, and Governor Martin O'Malley tries to broker a deal on a tax bill that will be the focus of the session.

Legislative leaders want the governor to call a special session, so that lawmakers can approve a tax bill and avoid $512-million in spending cuts from taking effect July 1.

The Washington Post reports the governor will meet today with Senate President Mike Miller, after meeting with House Speaker Mike Busch over the weekend.

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BREAKING NEWS: American Couple Identified As Costa Concordia Victims

The bodies of Barbara and Gerald Heil, of Minnesota -- the only Americans to die in Italian cruise ship wreck -- identified after weeks of DNA testing, Italian officials say.

From Fox News

SPD Press Release 4-17-12

Timmy Lee Hall, 31yo of Salisbury, MD was arrested and charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marihuana, Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone, Possession of Marihuana (2 counts), Possession of Heroin, Possession of Oxycodone, and Possession of Paraphernalia.

On April 13, 2012 members of the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit (GEU) affected a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by Hall after the officers observed Hall commit a traffic violation in the area of N Division St and Priscilla St. A K9 was
requested to respond to conduct a scan of the vehicle for any Controlled Dangerous Substances. The K9 did indicate a positive alert on the vehicle and a search was conducted which yielded an amount of suspected marihuana. Hall was placed under arrest.
On April 13, 2012 at approximately 9:05pm, members of the Rx Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force and the GEU executed a search and seizure warrant on the residence of Timmy Hall and his vehicles. As a result, a quantity of suspected marihuana, suspected heroin, suspected prescription oxycodone, and related paraphernalia was located and seized. The suspected controlled dangerous substances were found to be in a quantity to indicate
distribution. As a result, Hall’s vehicles were seized and a large amount of U.S. Currency was also seized. Hall was released to the custody of central booking.

The Rx Task Force was assisted by the MSP-GEU and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation is continuing.

Nearly All Of The State Now In Drought

With temperatures possibly setting records and brushfires becoming a daily routine for fire companies, most of the state is now under a drought designation.

Eastern Shore has been designated as in a severe drought.

That's not all.

The only part of the state that is not now on the drought map as dry is the extreme western portion of Garrett County.

In just three months Maryland has gone from normal rainfall to almost entirely abnormally dry or in drought.

In fact the lower Eastern Shore from Queen Anne's County south is now in a severe drought.

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Preregister For The May 5 Employee Wellness 5K & Family Fun Walk

Wicomico Employee Wellness 5K & Family Fun Walk

Sarbanes: Environmental Education Must Be Priority

WASHINGTON — Maryland Congressman John P. Sarbanes says environmental education must be a national priority.

Sarbanes made the comments Monday after participating in a White House Summit on Environmental Education. Sarbanes says research shows hands-on, outdoor environmental education helps student performance not only in science and math, but also in reading and social studies. Sarbanes says the nation must invest in environmental education to meet economic and energy challenges as well as protect the environment.

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It's Tax Day

Have you done your taxes yet?