A Letter To The Editor 6-2-12

JIM IRETON IS AN EMBARRASSING ACCIDENT

Unless you have been in a coma or under a rock you probably have heard the lament, mixed with whining, by Jim Ireton in the Daily Times about the prudent decisions by the Salisbury City Council on his recent budget proposals. He wants to spend City funds for a fireworks display that is already fully funded, and we already have plenty of fireworks at Perdue Stadium so don’t need more. City residents should thank the Council majority who said no to his and Mikey Dunn's big bang theory. Ireton's public criticism of them for that decision is disgraceful.

And his conduct regarding the City's next annual budget is atrocious. First, he proposed another tax increase for such things as another big pay raise for Lore Chambers of his office. Then, when the Council comes up with adjustments to his revenue estimates and spending cuts - so that higher taxes are not needed - he refused to discuss details with them. When asked to do so, he bashed his staff then stalked out and proceeded to trash the Council in the Daily Times.

Now the "newspaper" is hyping his "vow" to veto the budget passed by the Council to show that he doesn't support it (as if we didn't know).

Ireton got elected due to the "hope and change" dynamic that a few months earlier gave us Obama as President, who Ireton and Laura Mitchell will be supporting as delegates at the Democrat convention. Let's make sure that all of them are "one-termers."

STATE POLICE INVESTIGATE FATAL SHOOTING IN CHESAPEAKE CITY

(Chesapeake City, MD) The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit is investigating a fatal shooting of a Cecil County man last night.
The deceased is identified as David Everson, 41, of the 100 block of Elk Forrest Road in Elkton. After sustaining an apparent gunshot wound, he was pronounced dead by emergency responders at the scene. Everson has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy.

Shortly after 11:30 p.m. last night, the Maryland State Police North East Barrack received a 9-1-1 call from Everson’s ex-wife. She was calling from inside the residence where the shooting took place. She told police her ex-husband, Everson, had pulled into her driveway and was beating on the door.

Troopers from the North East Barrack were dispatched to the residence, located in the unit block of Vanderlyn Drive in Chesapeake City. The ex-wife, while on the phone with police, reported Everson was trying to enter the home.

Upon police arrival, the shooter was standing in the doorway of the residence holding a .22 caliber rifle and yelling for help. The shooter is currently married to the ex-wife.

Everson was found lying at the bottom of the outside steps with an apparent gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency medical providers on scene began lifesaving efforts. Everson was pronounced dead at the scene.

The preliminary investigation reveals Everson and the caller had been previously married. On the night of the shooting, police learned Everson was sending text messages to his ex-wife, the caller, threatening to come to the home and hurt her husband.

Shortly after 11:30 p.m., Everson reportedly pulled into the driveway of the residence and started blowing his horn. He exited his car and walked to the house and banged on the door. Everson allegedly entered the home with a key. The husband was standing in the living room when he fired a .22 caliber rifle at Everson who had just entered the house. The ex-wife and four children were inside the home at the time of the incident.
The Office of the Cecil County State’s Attorney was consulted. There have been no charges placed at this time.

Troopers from the North East Barrack and crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensics Division responded to the scene. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and the North East Barrack Criminal Investigation Section continues the investigation.

Murphy Sworn In As New Secretary Of Education

The Delaware Department of Education is under new leadership after the swearing-in this morning of Secretary Mark Murphy. Governor Jack Markell officiated at the ceremony at DDOE offices in Dover. Secretary Murphy was surrounded by his family -- including wife Erika, a teacher, and his parents -- and DDOE staff for the official event.

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Bar Brings In 70 Tons Of Sand For Beach Feel

WASHINGTON - The Eastern Shore has arrived in D.C.

Sort of.

The New York Avenue Beach Bar has brought more than the coastal vibe to the heart of downtown. Owners hauled in 70 tons of sand from the Eastern Shore to give it the right feel -- between the toes.

"When you walk through this gate, we want you to feel like you're at the beach in the middle of the city," says Karl Graham, one of the owners.

The location, between 6th and 7th streets in Northwest, is designed to be an escape from real life just feet away.

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Ocean City Has A Toilet Problem

WASHINGTON - As Ocean City officials prepare for the onslaught of visitors this summer, they're paying special attention to a certain commodity: extra toilets.

The toilets get clogged when people wash their feet and drop their phones in there.

"The big smartphones won't fit down the hole," says Richard Malone, deputy director of Public Works in Ocean City. "But the smaller ones go down there, and you're never going to be able to reach down there and get it back."

It happens all the time, Malone says.

"People inevitably have their cellphones in their shirt pockets or their pant pockets, and they fall out and they go into their toilet," he says.

"You literally have to unbolt the toilet from the floor, remove the toilet, reach down into the trap and pull the cellphone out."

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Obama Says Economy Will Come Back Stronger

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - President Barack Obama said Friday the latest employment report shows that the economy is not creating jobs "as fast as we want," but he pledged that the economy will improve.

"We will come back stronger. We do have better days ahead," Obama said at a Golden Valley, Minn., Honeywell plant where the company has taken steps to hire veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The president was responding to the government's jobs report for May, which showed that only 69,000 jobs were added during the month. That was the fewest in a year, as the unemployment rate increased to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent in April.

Obama, in a tight re-election campaign against Republican Mitt Romney, said the economy still faces a number of challenges, including Europe's debt crisis and higher gas prices, which have hurt families.

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Sorry Sisters - Women DO Want Men To Be Providers

Well, I could have saved them the trouble, but research from America claims that most women instinctively want a man who will provide for them.

Evolutionary biologists have discovered, it seems, that the nuclear family evolved when men discovered women preferred males who provided for them and their children to those who were constantly clubbing each other in a battle for supremacy.

For thousands of years, this model of two parents, with the male looking after the female, proved successful — but new figures released by the Office of National Statistics to mark the Diamond Jubilee reveal that husband-providers have become an endangered species.

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Berlin Makes Avenue A No-Parking Zone

BERLIN -- Booming crowds have prompted the Berlin Mayor and Council to outlaw parking on the often congested Powellton Ave.

“It’s just not a street, that small, that was designed for parking,” said Mayor Gee Williams.

According to Williams, Powellton has a history of becoming troublesome when people begin parking along the curb. It’s an issue that Williams admitted the town has turned a blind eye to in the past, but one he feels can no longer be ignored.

“A particular concern is with public safety vehicles,” he told the council, adding that when cars are lined up on both sides of the street “a car would come one way and another would literally have to back up” to create sufficient room.

Williams noted that Powellton usually doesn’t see both curbs loaded except during busy town events, which have been quickly filling up all available parking lots in town, pressuring visitors to search for street parking.

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Season’s First White Marlin Sets New OC Record

OCEAN CITY -- The first white marlin of the year was caught and released off the coast of Ocean City last Sunday morning, marking the earliest date ever for the annual milestone, which beat last year’s previous record by two days.

Last Sunday, the Clubb family on the Chain Reaction II out of Sunset Marina in West Ocean City was fishing for tuna in about 65 fathoms, or about 400 feet of water, in an area between the Poor Man’s and Baltimore canyons, when an unexpected visitor made its presence known. Captain Brad Clubb was fishing with his two sons, mate Ross Clubb and other son, Grant Clubb, when a white marlin charged into their spread.

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OC Council Approves Event Permits

OCEAN CITY – A number of private event permits were approved last week by the Mayor and City Council, including a couple of new additions.

The town approved the Delaware Volleyball Academy’s (DVA) request to hold a tournament on the beach from 20th to 23rd streets this summer, with 100 estimated participants and 150 spectators.

The Delaware Volleyball BeachFest is a new element added to a two-day event, July 6-7, starting with an outdoor skills clinic followed by the beach tournament the next day.

According to DVA President Rich Comly, DVA is a non-profit organization working with junior female athletes, ages 10 through 18. The DVA currently has 16 club teams and are members of the Chesapeake Region Volleyball Association and of USA Volleyball.

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Bill Clinton Joining Wisconsin Recall Battle Against Scott Walker

Washington - Bill Clinton will stump in Wisconsin on Friday for that state's Democratic gubernatorial challenger, the latest in a series of high-profile campaign roles for the former president.

Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced Thursday that Clinton would be campaigning with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett as he looks to unseat Gov. Scott Walker in next week's recall. The former president will take part in a rally with Barrett, according to the latter's website.

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Obama's Failed Investments: Warnings And Red Flags

Baby Names And Gender Differences

According to the widely accepted stereotype, young adults in the United States tend to disregard traditional gender roles and minimize distinctions between male and female. But when it comes to naming their babies—one of the bigger decisions any couple is likely to make—official reports show that today's child-bearing generation affirms age-old distinctions between boys and girls in a way their grandparents would have understood and, most likely, applauded.

The top ten male names in 2010 (the last year with complete figures) emphasize tradition, consistency and a connection to the past. Half of the favored designations, including the top three, are Biblical (Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Noah, Daniel). Another leading selection (Anthony) honors a revered Catholic saint. Two more evoke two of history’s most fierce, famous rulers-- Alexander (the Great) and William (the Conqueror). Only two choices on the list for little boys (Jayden and Aiden) seem to reflect today’s celebrity culture of novelty and quirkiness.

The list of fashionable names for baby girls, on the other hand, clearly emphasizes trendiness and stylish exoticism. Only one of the top ten (Abigail) comes from the Bible. The others (Isabella, Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Ava, Emily, Madison, Chloe and Michelle) would have struck our more conservative grandparents as sounding vaguely foreign, even odd. Few Isabellas, Sophias, Olivias or Chloes have played major roles in American history. Jacobs, Williams and Daniels, on the other hand, appear prominently in the chronicles of our past, going all the way back to colonial days.

A generation ago, male names displayed a similar traditionalist flavor, with the most popular choices of the 1980s (Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Joshua, David, James, Daniel, Robert, John and Joseph) even more solid, stolid and predictable than favorite boys’ names today. On the feminine side of the ledger, however, not one of the leading names of the ‘80s has survived as a top-ten contender today, with the thirty-year old list featuring such passing fancies as Ashley, Melissa, Nicole and Heather.

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Liberal Myths Versus Democratic Realities

This campaign season, President Barack Obama has run across the country – often on the taxpayer’s dime – to rail against the privileged station of the wealthy. It is Obama and the Democrats who will cut down on the power of the elite and restore the egalitarian ideals of the country’s founding. This is why tax hikes on the wealthy are needed, and why the GOP's efforts to cut the corporate tax rate must be opposed.

Or so the claims go. In reality, the gap between what Obama and the Democrats say on the stump and what they do in office is greater than what separates the Pittsburgh Steelers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Like ancient civilizations, both sides in our political debate have mythologies that explain who they are, where they came from, and what the other side is all about. The liberal myth centers on the concept of egalitarianism: The Democratic party is of the people, and the Republican party is of special interests.

This has been an enduring element of the Democratic catechism for centuries. In his famous “Cross of Gold” speech, William Jennings Bryan said, “The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it.” In his 1948 Democratic nomination address, for instance, Harry Truman assailed the Republicans as “the party of special interest, and it always has been and always will be.” This rhetoric sounds familiar to our modern ears, as Democrats regularly repeat these nostrums on the stump.

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When Pelosi Says ‘Free,’ Reach For Your Wallet

On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi explained to the Commonwealth Club the reason Washington passed Obamacare. Even if everyone in America “loved” his own health care plan, Pelosi argued, Congress had to pass President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act because American health care was “unsustainable financially.”

Yes, Pelosi actually believes Washington had to get involved in health care to reduce its cost.

The Democratic leader then listed some of Obamacare’s new benefits: “free” annual checkups and preventive care and the ability of adult children to stay on their parents’ policies until age 26.

Josh Archambault, director of health care policy for the Boston-based Pioneer Institute, expressed the frustration felt by health policy wonks who know the new benefits “are not free.” The cost of physicals and services doesn’t go away.

“It’s OK to decide that we should offer something as a preventive service, but we must understand the trade-off of cost,” Archambault noted. “We all pay more as a result.”

Obama also has made the dubious claim that preventive care “saves money for families, for businesses, for government, for everybody.” Problem: It’s not true. Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf warned in 2009, “Although different types of preventive care have different effects on spending, the evidence suggests that for most preventive services, expanded utilization leads to higher, not lower, medical spending overall.” Elmendorf cited a 2008 New England Journal of Medicine article that reported that less than 20 percent of preventive services save money, whereas the rest drive up costs.

Pelosi also told the Commonwealth Club that the Affordable Care Act would mean as much for Americans’ economic security as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Her analogy brought to mind PolitiFact’s award of its 2010 “Lie of the Year” to the Republican assertion that Obamacare represented “a government takeover of health care.”

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Today's Survey Question 6-2-12

Who would you recommend to replace Michelle Wright on the Wicomico County BOE Board?

Michelle Obama Totally Did Not Read Her Husband’s Book

So last night on the Daily Show, Michelle Obama decided to take it upon herself to ensure America that Barack is no longer that dude who smoked pot in random areas of Oahu in high school and totally felt entitled to take hits off the joint when it definitely was not his turn.

Instead, he is a focused, respectable man who is definitely nothing like his former self, because, you see, when his dad died, Barack Obama was inspired – at that very moment – to transfer to Columbia and make something of himself. He picked himself up, dusted himself off, shipped them his high school transcripts and packed up everything that wasn’t nailed down.

Because that’s what awesome people do, or something. Because they’re awesome.

The First Lady credited his parents with getting her future husband back on course.

“He had a mother that was saying ‘you’re so gifted, you’re so talented,’ and would slap him on the head (and say) ‘get yourself together,” she said.

But it wasn’t until his father died, she told Stewart, that he truly grew up.

“That was one of those click-in moments,” she said. “And he really buckled down, he transferred schools, went to Columbia and thought about how to use life to the fullest.”

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Confirmed: The Less You Know About Science The More You Believe In The Climate Change Hoax

Just to be clear, by “climate change hoax” I mean the notion that man is mostly or solely responsible for every change in the weather, known as hotcoldwetdry, and the slight uptick in temperatures since the end of the Little Ice Age. And, in a bit of comical irony, we find out, via James Delingpole, the Register has published a story entitled The more science you know, the less worried you are about climate highlighting a Warmist backed study that backfired.

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Torch Run

‘Flame of Hope’ Arrives in Wicomico County Law Enforcement Officers Participate in Statewide Torch Run Relay as Show of Support for the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games
Maryland Torch Run Celebrates 2

Salisbury-- Law Enforcement officers representing be on the run on June 4, 2012 at 1PM, taking part in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Relay for Special Olympics Maryland. Their mission: to escort and protect the Special Olympics ‘Flame of Hope’ as it makes it toward the opening of the 42nd Anniversary Summer Ga

This year marks the 27th Anniversary of the Maryland officers raising $5,000, and has grown into a true year $3.3 million in 2011. Since its inception, the Torch Run has taken very seriously its role as “Guardians of the Flame”, and the Relay is an important and celebrated part of every Special Olympics competition.

The schedule for Wicomico County’s portion of the Torch Run is as follows (all times are approximate and subject to change):

The approximate 4 mile run will begin at at 1PM and travel northbound on Camden Ave to westbound on College Ave to Pinehurst Elementary where students will line the streets. The run will continue down Riverside Dr to the through the plaza. The runners will then continue on W. Main St to Delaware Ave and finish at the Salisbury Police Department.

This local portion of the Torch Run Relay is part of a much larger effort. consists of four different legs – Eastern, Western, Central and Southern thousands of Torch Run volunteers will cover hundreds of miles, eventually converging on Towson where the individual flames will be united in the Final Leg Ceremony and then officers from around the state will travel the final 2.5 miles to the Opening Ceremony at Towson University.

Olympics athletes who have the honor of taking th officially declaring the 2012 SOMD Summer Games open.

"The Torch Run Relay represents the culmination of a year dedicated officers from around the state. These efforts include fundraising and awareness campaigns to help bring much needed funds to the thousands of athletes around Maryland," said Captain John Newnan, Law Enforcement Torch Run Director for Maryland. "It provides the opportunity throughout Maryland to come together and celebrate the successes of the Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Special Olympics as we carry the Flame of Hope throughout the state and share a message of hope, acc and tolerance to the community at large. Our goal is to create inspiring moments where we can increase the communities’ awareness about possibilities, not about disabilities."

The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Maryland is a year both funds and awareness for the athletes who train and compete in Special Olympics Maryland.

Torch Run began in 1986 with a handful of officers raising $5 grown tremendously, including volunteer officers from nearly every law enforcement agency and correctional facility in Maryland, and through special events such as the MSP Polar Bear Plunge, the annual Torch Run T and other efforts, raising $3.3 million for SOMD in 20 at the annual International Torch Run Conference.

The 42nd Anniversary SOMD Summer Games are set for June weekend, 1,400 athletes from around the state will go for gold in aquatics, athletics, bocce, cheerleading and softball.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Salisbury Police Department is pleased to announce a joint crime reduction initiative in conjunction with the Maryland State Police and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Department. This three month operation will be driven by information derived from data analysis of crime patterns throughout Safe Streets areas of the City and Wicomico County.

Coalition team members and allied agencies will proactively patrol and investigate criminal reports and quality of life. Chief Barbara Duncan is working with community members to insure these valuable and needed resources are responding to neighborhood issues as well as further

Community Outraged Over School Budget

Despite loud protests from parents, teachers and students the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, which oversees the Philadelphia School District, unanimously passed a $2.5 billion 2012-13 budget on Thursday evening.

Members of the crowd booed and shouted “shame on you” as the commissioners voted.

The new budget relies on more than $200 million in borrowing and counts on $94 million from the city, but that money is not guaranteed.

“We passed a budget that we still can’t pay for. We’re going to borrow money for this year’s budget,” SRC Chairman Pedro Ramos told NBC10.

Officials say it is the first step in a five year plan to make the district fiscally sustainable.

But Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers along with many activists say the plan is a bad idea that shortchanges students.

GO HERE to view video. WARNING, the original article has foul language in it.

Cracking Down On Bus Companies

Transportation safety officials have swooped down on more than two dozen curbside bus companies. It's the largest-ever federal crackdown on what's commonly known as "Chinatown buses." The cheap buses ferry passengers mostly between East Coast cities, dropping them off on the curb rather than at a bus terminal. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the companies are "very, very bad actors." He said they have ignored safety rules. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration spent a year investigating them. The buses have a fatal accident rate seven times higher than their competitors.

Federal Workforce Is Shrinking

It's official: the federal workforce is shrinking, but not by a lot. There were 11,600 fewer federal workers in April than a year earlier, which was about O.5 percent of the total workforce. But USA Today reported federal employment has fallen for seven straight months. It was the longest drop in more than a decade and marked an end to a hiring spree that began under President George W. Bush in 2007. Federal employment grew 13 percent from the time the recession began in 2007 until last year. Now, the Internal Revenue Service is among the fastest-shrinking agencies. It cut 6 percent of its workers last year though attrition. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also trimmed back.

Obama Visits Appliance Factory

President Barack Obama is heading to an appliance factory in Minnesota today to launch a new jobs initiative for veterans. The "We Can't Wait" Initiative would help thousands of vets obtain civilian licenses and credentials for manufacturing jobs and other high-demand skills. The president's economic council released a report on the unemployment situation for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The council said frequent moves combined with different requirements for licenses across state lines made it particularly difficult for vets to develop civilian careers. The president will also push his Veterans Job Corps legislation that has stalled in the House.

Government Selling Off Real Estate

The White House said that at the rate things were going, the government would save more than $8 billion by year's end through real estate deals. Most of the savings come from the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure process, but civilian agencies so far have saved nearly $2.5 billion combined. The Internal Revenue Service has reduced office space by 1 million square feet, and the General Services Administration has made a relative killing on a 1950s building in Nome, Alaska, which sold for nearly $1.7 million.

More Money

The House voted to give the intelligence community more money than it asked for. It has passed a 2013 budget that, the Associated Press estimated, would give spy agencies about $77 billion.

That's 4 percent less than last year, but slightly more than the president wanted. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said lawmakers have cut some programs to fund others. The bill would let agencies hire more surveillance officers. Rogers warned against the alternative — sequestration. Under across-the-board cuts, he said agencies would lay off thousands of intelligence workers and cut back on analysis.

What Would You Do With A $434,712 Tax Refund Check?

Coming into accidental money can be a heady thing — but while some of you might get a little nutty and go out and spend that "free" cash, we know others would return it. A Cleveland waitress spent her mistaken money only in her daydreams, musing about what she'd do with $434,712 from the Internal Revenue Service.

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Republican Wanted For BOE Board, NOT A RINO

Due to the resignation of Michelle Wright from the Wicomico County Board of Education, there is a vacancy for a Republican on the Board. The Wicomico County Republican Central Committee (WCRCC) will recommend applicants for the position. Interested Wicomico Republicans should contact Dave Parker, WCRCC Chair, for additional details, application form, and required information at WiCoGOPChair@yahoo.com or 410-749-4030. Complete applications are due to Parker by Monday, June 4. Dave Parker Chair, Wicomico County Republican Central Committee.