Larry Hogan Launches Official Campaign Website

Larry Hogan is not a career politician. He is a small businessman, a concerned citizen, and a lifelong Marylander who loves this state.

Hogan is the Founder, President, and CEO of The Hogan Companies, a leader in economic development for over 25 years, and has brought hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs to Maryland. He clearly understands how government policy can have an impact on business growth and job creation.

Always a concerned citizen, Hogan also understands state government. He took a leave from his company to serve as a State Cabinet Secretary from 2003 to 2007. During this time, Hogan was involved in the appointment of people to all three branches of government and responsible for making the Ehrlich-Steele administration the most bipartisan, most inclusive, most diverse administration in Maryland history.
More

The Killer Nail For Obamacare

Even Democrats now worry Obama's signature law has fatal flaw

An ardent supporter of President Obama’s health law now admits the funding for Obamacare is in peril because young Americans simply aren’t signing up in large enough numbers, and a health-policy expert says Republicans are on the right track with their various repeal and replace approaches to the law.

In an effort to get everyone insured, Obamacare has always been predicated upon millions of young, healthy people choosing to enroll, even though the penalty for not having insurance is far lower than the premiums they are facing.

The Obama administration now says more than three million people are enrolled in the various health-care exchanges but won’t offer statistics on how many have actually paid premiums and whether enough young people are in the mix to pay for the care needed by older, less healthy Americans.

Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., told NPR-affiliated WAMU radio that he doesn’t expect the numbers to balance when open enrollment comes to a close.

“I’m afraid the millennials, if you will, are less likely to sign up. I think they feel more independent. I think they feel a little more invulnerable than prior generations, but I don’t think we’re going to get enough young people signing up to make this bill work as it was intended to financially,” he said.

More

Wicomico County Schools Closed Wednesday

Schools will be closed Wed Jan 29. Central Office reports 2 hours late. No Substitute Orientation

House Passes Bill To Ban Abortions From Being Covered Under ObamaCare

The House has voted to bar federal subsidies to Americans signing up for insurance plans under President Barack Obama's health care law if the policies cover abortion.

The vote was 227-188 on Tuesday. The bill stands no chance in the Democratic-led Senate and the White House has threatened a veto in any event.

Majority Republicans in the House insisted that the measure was necessary to permanently bar any taxpayer dollars for abortion as implementation of the 4-year-old law moves ahead.
More

Where The Homeless Are (And Are Not)

With food-stamp recipients dominated by 'working age Americans' for the first time in history; and 1.4 million having recently dropped off the benefits rolls, we suspect, extremely sadly, that the following breakdown of homelessness in America is about to get worse. Los Angeles has by far the greatest number of unsheltered homeless in America and New York City the largest population - at around 65,000 - of homeless people in the US.One wonders at the State of the Union tomorrow...

More

Snow Emergency Plan In Effect For Worcester County

Maryland State Highway Administration
ALERT - A Snow Emergency Plan is in effect for Worcester County http://ow.ly/2aMIec

Tweets From Governor O'Malley This Morning

SOTU Bingo/Open Forum

Congress Agrees On Five-Year Farm Bill

Congressional negotiators agreed Monday evening on a massive farm bill that would keep agriculture subsidies, crop insurance and the food stamp program funded for another five years while ushering in reforms that promise to lower the deficit.

The measure would cost almost $100 billion a year over five years, with a cut of about $2.3 billion a year from current spending.

Negotiators from both congressional chambers have been meeting for weeks to hammer out the final details of the measure, which would provide an economic boost to farmers and agriculture-related businesses that the bill's backers say will stimulate the nation's economy.

More

Special Olympics Falls Short Of Polar Bear Plunge Goal

When Saturday's cold weather canceled the Polar Bear Plunge at Sandy Point State Park in Maryland for the first time in its 18-year history, Special Olympics had not met its fundraising goal of $2.5 million.

More than 7,000 people planned to strip down to their bathing suits and dash into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay for the charity before organizers canceled the event.

But by the time the decision was made to cancel, only $1.5 million in donations had been pledged.
More

Clinton “Regrets” Benghazi

At a keynote appearance before the National Automobile Dealers Association on Monday, Hillary Clinton began laying the groundwork for how she will respond to the Benghazi scandal during her likely 2016 presidential run. “My biggest, you know, regret is what happened in Benghazi,” she answered in response to a question asking her to identify “do-overs” during her stint as Secretary of State. She then proceeded to double down. “I mean, you know, you make these choices based on imperfect information,” she contended. “And you make them to, as we say, the best of your ability. But that doesn’t mean that there’s not going to be unforeseen consequences, unpredictable twists and turns.”

One is left to wonder what “imperfect information” Clinton was vaguely referring to in her response. The alleged “imperfect information” that led Clinton and company to lie for weeks about the nature of the attack? The “fog of war,” as Clinton previously described it? Of course, “imperfect information” had nothing to do with the Obama administration’s deceitful portrayal of the terrorist attack to the public. Declassified documents made public two weeks ago reveal that AFRICOM commander Gen. Carter Ham told members of the House Armed Services subcommittee that he learned about the “terrorist attack” on the consulate compound only 15 minutes after it commenced. ”My first call was to [Joint Chiefs of Staff General chairman] General Dempsey, General Dempsey’s office, to say, ‘Hey, I am headed down the hall. I need to see him right away,’” Ham testified on June 26, 2013. “I told him what I knew. We immediately walked upstairs to meet with Secretary [of Defense] Panetta.” Ham further testified that Dempsey and Panetta “had the basic information as they headed across for the meeting at the White House.”

More

WCSO Press Release 1-28-14

Press Releases 1/28/2014

Incident: WCSO Activity 27 Jan 2014

Location: Wicomico County

1.      On 27 Jan 2014 at 9:45 AM a deputy arrested Darnell Larryette Fuller, 59 of Salisbury, on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant.The warrant was issued after Fuller failed to appear for a violation of probation hearing following a conviction for Assault 2^nd degree.Fuller was detained without bond.

Darnell Fuller

2.      On 27 Jan 2014 at 10:30 AM a deputy arrested Kevin Lee Marquess Jr., 24 of Willards, on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Marquess failed to appear for a violation of probation hearing following a conviction for Burglary 2^nd Degree. Marquess was detained on a bond of $1,000.00.

Kevin Marquess

3.      On 27 Jan 2014 at 11:15 AM a deputy arrested Alexander Dewight Stevens, 33 of Salisbury, on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant.The warrant was issued after Stevens violated the terms of his probation following a conviction for CDS Possession with the Intent to Distribute.Stevens was detained without bond.

Alexander Stevens

4.      On 27 Jan 2014 at 4:55 PM a deputy arrested Bryan Keith Parker, 42 of Salisbury, on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Parker failed to appear for a trial in a CDS Possession with the Intent to Distribute case. Parker was detained without bond.

Bryan Parker

Incident: Assault

Date of Incident: 27 January 2014

Location: 8800 block of Woodcreek Parkway, Delmar, MD

Suspect: Robert L. Nichols, 20, Delmar,DE

Robert Nichols

                                 

Narrative: On 27 January 2014 at 3:48 PM a deputy began an investigation into an altercation that occurred in the 8800 block of Woodcreek Parkway in Delmar, MD. In this incident, Robert Nichols stands accused of engaging in an altercation with a male subject at that location that turned physical. According to the victim in this case, Nichols assaulted him by punching him in the face causing a broken nose.

The deputy applied for and obtained a warrant for the arrest of Nichols and he was taken into custody at 10:22 PM. Upon arrest he was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Nichols pending a future court appearance.

 

Charges: Assault 2^ndDegree

                                                                                                   

Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson        Date: 28 January 2014

Bill Could Stop Most Shackling Of Pregnant Inmates

Maryland delegates will hear testimony about a bill that would prevent the shackling of pregnant inmates in most circumstances, particularly during labor and delivery.

The House Judiciary Committee will review the bill Tuesday. Maryland already has a similar internal policy for prisons. But Meredith Curtis, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union, said it doesn't apply to local facilities, such as county jails.

Curtis also said the state could reverse this policy whenever leadership changes. A law would be more permanent.
More

SAFE STREETS CONVICTION GERARD WILLIAMS, Jr. SENTENCED FOR THE MURDER OF ANDREAS AGUILERA

On January 28, 2014, Gerard Williams, Jr., age 18, of Salisbury, Maryland, was sentenced to Life suspend all but thirty (30) years, for his role in an armed robbery that resulted in the murder of Andreas Aguilera, age 23 of Salisbury, Maryland. The Court ordered the Defendant to serve an additional ten years (a consecutive sentence) for attempting to rob Mr. Aguilera’s sixteen-year-old friend, who also sustained a gunshot wound to the head during the assault.

On November 6, 2013, after a three day trial, a Wicomico County Jury found Williams guilty of seventeen charges, including First Degree Felony Murder, Armed Robbery, Firearm Use in a Felony or Violent Crime, and Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm.

The State prosecuted the Defendant under the theory that the Defendant was guilty of Aguilera’s murder because he participated with others in the commission of an armed robbery that resulted in his (Aguilera’s) death. If an individual participates in the crime of robbery, and during that crime someone is killed, Maryland Law instructs that the Defendant is just as criminally responsible for the murder as the person who fires the fatal shot. During this crime the Defendant was armed with a .38 caliber revolver; and, during the robbery, he pistol whipped one of the victims. Subsequently, his accomplices, Tevin Blake and Deyamah O. Fisher, fired upon the victims. The investigation revealed that Fisher fired the shots that struck both Aguliera and his friend.

On May 23, 2013, Deyamah O. Fisher, pleaded guilty to three crimes including First Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. Fisher was sentenced on August 8, 2013 to Life suspend all but 50 years for Murder. He was also given a consecutive mandatory-minimum sentence of five years for Use of a Handgun in the Commission of a Felony or Crime of Violence. Additionally, he received 15 years (to be served consecutively) for the Attempted Murder of the Mr. Aguliera’s friend. (Thus, Fisher received a total sentence of sixty five (65) years for his crime.)

A third accomplice, Tevin Blake, fired a shotgun during the commission of this robbery. On May 6, 2013, Blake pleaded guilty to First Degree Murder and Attempted Murder. Blake was ultimately sentenced to Life suspend all but forty five (45) Years for his role in the robbery and murder. Blake’s sentence is to be served consecutively to a twenty (20) year sentence that he received for committing a robbery the day before he robbed Aguilera.

These three men were a danger to the City of Salisbury, and, thankfully, the combined efforts of the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, the Salisbury City Police, the Gang Enforcement Unit (GEU), the Wicomico Narcotics Task Force (WNTF), Wicomico County Bureau of Investigation (WBI) and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, worked together to bring these three men to justice. During “Super-storm Sandy,” as the Hurricane was about to hit our area, over fifty (50) law enforcement officers gathered in Salisbury and worked through the storm to apprehend Mr. Aguliera’s killers and to collect the evidence that was used to secure the State’s convictions.

Matt Maciarello, State’s Attorney for Wicomico County commended the agencies involved in this investigation, especially the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and the Salisbury Police Department’s City Investigation Division (CID). He further commended Sgt. Chasity Blades of the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and Det. Matthew Thompsen of the Salisbury Police Department, who were the lead investigators assigned to this case.

These cases were prosecuted by Matthew A. Maciarello, State’s Attorney for Wicomico County, and Ella M. Disharoon, Deputy State’s Attorney. For more information or for an interview please call the Office of the State’s Attorney at (410) 548-4880 or go to www.wicomicosao.com.

Photos attached: Defendant’s .38 Calibur Handgun found during line search performed by Wor-Wic Community College Cadets and Salisbury Police Department Officers during the Hurricane. Tevin Blake’s Shotgun. 

The REAL State Of The Union In Just 889 Words

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, fellow citizens:

This summer we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I.

This senseless, destructive war was started and championed by politicians who cared nothing for the 9 million people who lost their lives.

And in doing so, they began a century of warfare which continues to this day.

Our military industrial complex is larger than ever. We have nearly 2 million troops and national guardsmen, plus 3.5 million civilians employed in the defense sector.

With such awesome capabilities, we continue to resort to violence and death to exact political goals which benefit a tiny elite.

All of this has created a police state in the Land of the Free that is a far cry from the country we all grew up in.

More

Recount Ensures Democratic Control Of Va. Senate

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Delegate Lynwood W. Lewis kept his scant lead over Republican Wayne Coleman in a recount of a special Senate election Monday, giving Democrats control of the upper chamber.

According to media reports, the recount widened Lewis' lead over Coleman to 11, an increase over the 9 votes that separated the candidates in a Jan. 7 special election for the Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore District.

Lewis will succeed fellow Democrat Ralph S. Northam, who successfully ran for lieutenant governor. His former district, Senate 6, includes Norfolk, a slim section of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore.
More

Obama To Unveil Treasury IRAs, Or Planning For A Post-Monetization World

Wondering who will take over the mantle of Treasury bond buyer now that the Fed is stepping away? Curious of the government's next steps towards repression and control of wealth? Wait no longer. As the AP reports,President Obama will unveil a new retirement savings plan tonight that allows first-time savers to buy US Treasury bonds tax-deferred for retirement. Of course, this is not the mandatory IRA that remains somewhat inevitable (as the muddle-through fails) but is certainly a step in the direction we alerted readers to a year ago by which the government generously offers to help manage your retirement savings. Two words spring to mind... remember Poland.

More

Republicans Need To Win More Elections To Change Things

President Obama, dogged by the bungled rollout of the Affordable Care Act and a slow economic recovery, is declaring war on inequality. An age-old problem made worse by his policies, he offers more opiates — like raising the minimum wage — that fail to address the root causes of vanishing opportunities and falling incomes for most Americans.

Market capitalism has proven a superior system to anything Old World socialists and American liberals can contrive. To the misfortune of utopians seeking both equality and prosperity, the system rewards intelligence and hard work and requires some inequality to accomplish prosperity.

Globalization, promoted through free trade agreements by presidents since Kennedy, has opened vast markets and increased the incomes of the most talented and industrious Americans, while subjecting more ordinary citizens to more intense competition from workers in Asia and elsewhere.

Sadly, foreign markets for what many Americans make remain largely closed. GM boasts some of the best-selling cars in China, but high tariffs and regulations keep out U.S.-made vehicles. That denies ordinary workers good-paying jobs.

More

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release 1-28-14

With freezing temperatures, wind and snow accumulations of up to four inches expected overnight Tuesday and into early Wednesday morning, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office urge residents to remain indoors and stay off the roads if at all possible.

Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly in the early evening hours. Those who must venture out are strongly urged to exercise caution, as slick conditions and low visibility will make driving hazardous.

Bundle up if headed outdoors, and exercise extreme caution. Wear layers of lightweight clothing that can be added to or removed as needed and protect extremities by wearing gloves and hats, and be sure to protect pets from the cold as well by bringing them indoors and assuring they have access to unfrozen water.

Democrats Scramble To Block 'New World Order'

NEW YORK – As President Obama prepares to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, powerful groups in the Democratic Party base are organizing to oppose “fast track” authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sweeping free-trade agreement the Obama administration is ready to push through Congress.

On Monday, an impressive group of 564 political analysts from labor, environmental, family-farm and community organizations sent Obama a strongly worded letter to the White House arguing that pushing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, undermines the president’s message on income inequality.

“President Obama can’t have it both ways,” Arthur Stamoulis, the spokesman for Citizens Trade Campaign, the group organizing the letter, told WND. “Either the president is for reducing income eligibility as we expect he will say in the State of the Union address, or he can push for fast-track legislation on the job-destroying TPP free-trade agreement. He can’t have it both ways.”
Read more

Russian Bank Halts All Cash Withdrawals

It would appear the fears of a global bank run are spreading. From HSBC's limiting large cash withdrawals (for your own good) to Lloyds ATMs going down, Bloomberg reports that 'My Bank' - one of Russia's top 200 lenders by assets - has introduced a complete ban on cash withdrawals until next week. While the Ruble has been losing ground rapidly recently, we suspect few have been expecting bank runs in Russia. Russia sovereign CDS had recently weakned to 4-month wides at 192bps.

More

ACTION URGENTLY NEEDED

The IRS has proposed a gag rule (IRS REG-134417-13) that would handcuff the ability of 501(c)(4), tax-exempt organizations to educate the public prior to federal, state, and local elections. The proposed rule would prohibit groups like the Tea Party from providing voting records, doing get-out-the-vote activities, and sending information to voters in the months leading up to an election (the time when voters are paying attention.)

If these rules go into effect certain non-profit organizations would not be able to even mention a candidate's name within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of the general election.

They would not be able to tell voters that a Member of Congress voted for Obamacare or is pushing amnesty. This rule protects incumbents from being held accountable for their actions

Please take the time to learn more about the proposed rule and leave a public comment on the federal register's website. You can do this by visiting: http://www.ProtectC4FreeSpeech.com.

THE DEADLINE FOR ALL COMMENTS IS February 27, 2014, SO PLEASE ACT NOW!

Without public outcry these proposed regulations will take effect and the rights of all Americans will be curtailed.

State Roundup

ESTATE TAX CUT: Democratic leaders of the Maryland General Assembly outlined plans Friday to reduce the estate tax and to offer targeted tax credits to bolster businesses around universities as part of a broader agenda to foster economic development in the state, the Post’s John Wagner writes.

• The group wants to raise Maryland’s estate tax exemption to the $5.34 million federal estate taxexemption over a four-year period, reports Alex Jackson for the Annapolis Capital.

• The legislative leaders sent an encouraging signal to Maryland’s private sector when they announced a joint legislative agenda for business and economic development in the state. Agenda action items include establishing a private-sector commission to review Maryland’s support foreconomic development and creating “reduced tax” zones, a new cyber-seed investment fund and an initiative to develop matching private-sector funding for university research to nurture science and technology industry growth. Donald Fry writes about the plans for Center Maryland.

SMOKING AGE: Maryland lawmakers on Monday introduced a bill to restrict the sale of tobacco products in the state to those age 21 and older instead of the current age of 18. If passed, that would make Maryland the strictest state in the nation when it comes to cigarette purchases, consultant Frederick Mattis writes in an op-ed in the Sun.
More 

Public School Teachers Rip Us Off

High school teachers identified as most influential

With winter break over and the holidays retreating into memory, students, parents and teachers dive into the second half of the school year. With books back on the brain, it’s an appropriate time to think about the relationships teachers share with students, parents and administrators. According to a new Harris Poll, perceived levels of respect between these parties is down – dramatically so in many cases – in comparison to what Americans recall from their own K-12 experiences. While nearly four in five Americans (79%) believe students respected teachers when they were in school, that number has plummeted 48 points, with only 31% believing students respect teachers today.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,250 adults surveyed online between November 13 and 18, 2013 by Harris Interactive.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

When thinking about school dynamics when they were K-12 students themselves, vast majorities of Americans recall respect existing between academic “stakeholders.” Respect between teachers and parents during this time is perceived as having been especially strong, with 91% of Americans each believing that teachers respected parents, and that parents respected teachers.

More

SALISBURY DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO FIFTEEN YEARS IN PRISON

On January 27, 2014, Jamie Thomas Fagans, age 19, of Salisbury, Maryland, was convicted and sentenced on a charge of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense as well as a charge of possession with the intent to distribute heroin. A Wicomico County Circuit Court judge sentenced Fagans to ten years of active incarceration in the Maryland Division of Corrections for the firearm offense. Fagans was also sentenced to 20 years with all but 5 years suspended on the drug charge. That sentence was ordered to be consecutive to the firearm sentence for a total sentence of 30 years with all but 15 years suspended. Upon release from prison, Fagans will be subject to 2 years of supervised probation. Fagans was also ordered to forfeit a total of $375 of suspected drug proceeds and several firearms and ammunition which had been seized during the investigation of the case.

Fagans had been pending charges related to an August 14, 2013, arrest by members of the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit and members of the Salisbury Police Department’s Safe Streets Unit. After receiving intelligence that Fagans was utilizing a Salisbury residence for drug distribution, officers applied for and received a search and seizure warrant for that residence. As officers entered the home to execute the warrant, Fagans fled from a rear exit and was apprehended after a short foot pursuit. During a search of the home, officers were able to recover a large amount of heroin and cocaine as well as an amount of marihuana, a digital scale and drug related paraphernalia. Officers also seized three handguns, a shotgun, and a cache of ammunition along with $375.

At the time of his arrest, Fagans was on probation for a charge of possession of a handgun. A hearing on a violation of probation in that case is scheduled for February 14, 2014. Further, Fagans is the brother of Arnold Fagans. Arnold Fagans was murdered in a gang execution in Salisbury, Maryland, in January 2012.

Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew A. Maciarello commended the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit and the Salisbury Police Department’s Safe Streets Unit for their work in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Mr. Maciarello also thanked James L. Britt who prosecuted Fagans.

AGAIN! MASSIVE FUDGING ON GLOBAL-WARMING TEMPS

An independent data analyst whose work has been published by Principia Scientific, where scientists deliberate and debate, throwing out predetermined political results in favor of the truth in the data, says the global warming activists are at it again.

They’re manipulating the data.

In this case, lowering the historical temperatures for years prior to 2000. Which makes the temperatures after that look like they’ve risen. Which makes it look like global warming.
Read more

Health Exchange Website For Business Delayed

Maryland's health exchange board approved a plan Monday to allow eligible small businesses to begin offering employees small group health plans and to access federal tax credits in April, but the state is pushing back the launch of a website for the program until January 1, 2015.

The delay puts Maryland's Small Business Health Options Program Exchange on the same timeline as the federal government. It was initially set to open in October, but was delayed until January to fix technical problems. Still, state officials said certified plans and access to tax credits worth up to 50 percent of the employer's contribution toward employee premium costs, will be available directly through carriers, third party administrators and brokers starting on April 1.

"Maryland small businesses will be able to access tax credits to help them cover the cost of health coverage for their employees," said Carolyn Quattrocki, interim executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange.
More

Opera Sues Over Uncontrolable "TOOTING" Problem

An opera singer and Army wife claims in a lawsuit her career is threatened by damage to her digestive and reproductive systems after an Army nurse allegedly botched a childbirth operation.

Amy Herbst and her husband, Staff Sgt. James Herbst, filed a lawsuit against the government Monday in a Cincinnati federal court. The lawsuit seeks $2.5 million for negligence, as well as pain and suffering, embarrassment and loss of income.

“She is suffering though a very embarrassing and very significant injury, and frankly, the prognosis of a fully successful repair is pretty low,” her attorney, Charles Allen, told Army Times on Wednesday.

More

Eastern Shore Stamp And Postcard Show Returns To The WY&CC On February 9

Salisbury, Md. – The Eastern Shore Stamp and Postcard Show will return to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Sunday, Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The show is free and open to the public. In its 53rd year, the show will offer free stamps for children, dealer bourse and stamp frame displays. Stamps, coins and postcards will also be available for sale. For more information, please email esstampclub@yahoo.com.

Most and Least Bible-Minded Cities In The United States

President Ronald Reagan once said, “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” Well, if Reagan was right, Chattanooga, Tennessee, will be solving their problems a little better than all the other cities across the nation.

After interviewing more than 46,000 adults nationwide over a seven-year period, the American Bible Society, in conjunction with Barna, ranks Chattanooga as the number one most Bible-minded city in the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, share the dubious distinction of being the least most-Bible minded cities in America.

“Bible-mindedness” was calculated based on combined levels of regular Bible reading and residents’ belief in the Bible’s accuracy. Barna identifies "Bible-minded" people as "respondents who report reading the bible within the past seven days and who agree strongly in the accuracy of the Bible."

More

David Craig Fixes Obamacare Mess In Maryland

Harford County Executive and Maryland Governor candidate David Craig offered to reimburse a Seattle businesswoman who received hundreds of errant phone calls because Maryland Health Connection, the state’s online Obamacare exchange, incorrectly posted her toll-free number as a help line.
 
As State officials dither over whether to reimburse the owner of Seattle Pottery Supply, health care point man and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown remains silent on the issue after refusing to issue an apology for the troubled state exchange in General Assembly hearings. 
 
“When people make a mess they usually clean it up and apologize, but our elected officials do neither,” said Craig.  
 
As reported in the Baltimore Sun January 18, state health department officials “would consider reimbursing Lunz for long-distance calls from Maryland.” The calls to Sue Lunz’s pottery supply company started in October, and she has been directing Marylanders to the correct number through last weekend. 
 
David Craig sent Lunz a letter yesterday stating that she will be reimbursed for the cost of phone calls.  Craig is hopeful it is a small amount since the money would come from his personal account, and in the event it is a large amount a fundraiser will be held.  
 
“As a small business owner myself, I can only imagine the inconvenience this must have caused her,” said Del. Jeannie Haddaway, who is running for Lt. Governor. “The State’s approach to handling this is arrogant, bureaucratic and unacceptable.”
 
In a separate error, the so-called zip code glitch has been corrected which the Craig campaign discovered on Jan 6.  A “local” help feature on the federal exchange directed consumers in 14 states with their own exchange to navigators in other states. In Maryland, for example, entering a Baltimore zip code directed people to Reston, Virginia and York, Pennsylvania.
 
The glitch was reported on in national media outlets including Daily Caller, Fox News, Hot Air and Maryland media. 

Craig and Haddaway have repeatedly called on the state to shift millions of dollars in marketing, outreach and promotional dollars away from the error-prone Maryland Health Connection.  Undisclosed millions of dollars are allocated to promoting the troubled Maryland health exchange while virtually nothing is going to informing the public of their options of signing up for coverage with the assistance of insurance brokers or directly through carriers.  
 
“It is a shame that the O’Malley-Brown Administration is just now getting around to considering some of the viable alternatives that we proposed.  What will it take and how bad will this have to get before they finally admit that there is a better way to ensure Marylanders have health coverage?” asked Haddaway.

The board overseeing Maryland Health Connection announced yesterday that they will be working with insurance brokers to develop a telephone help line.  Craig and Haddaway called on the State to emphasize direct enrollment options with the insurance industry on Jan. 6. 

You Won’t Believe How Many Food Stamp Recipients Have Attended College

If you’ve attended college or received a college degree, you’re facing better-than-average odds of managing to find and hold a job, even in this dismal economy.

So it’s slightly surprising that over a quarter of households receiving food stamps are headed by those who have attended college.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for December, the unemployment rate for high school grads was 7.1 percent. For those who had some college or an associate’s degree, the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, while for those who had graduated from college, the unemployment rate was a mere 3.3 percent.
More

Pay Close Attention People

PJM Asks Consumers To Conserve Electricity On Tuesday

Record-breaking electricity use possible tomorrow due to extreme cold weather

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- PJM Interconnection, the electricity grid operator for more than 61 million people in 13 states and the District of Columbia, is asking consumers to conserve electricity on Tuesday. The call for conservation is prompted by another wave of frigid weather that will push up the demand for electricity.

The request is being made throughout the entire area served by PJM. The demand for electricity and the need for conservation is expected to be highest Tuesday evening.

More

Joe,
Here is a notice from PJM asking folks to conserve for the next few days. I work in a power plant and know how serious the fuel supply has become. The drivers bringing our fuel are telling me that fuel oil supplies are very limited. Power plants have resorted to burning liquid fuels instead of natural gas because there isn't enough. The notice that PJM has sent out for consumers to conserve, is the next step before energy will be cut to the customers. PJM is the Mid Atlantic electric controller in Valley Forge, Pa.

Are You Ready For Another Massive Polar Plunge?

(Accuweather) The next blast of brutal cold will grip most of the eastern two-thirds of the United States early this week and could yield the lowest temperatures so far this winter in many communities.

While harsh cold is returning to the Midwest and Northeast this weekend, it will pale in comparison to what will follow for Monday through Wednesday.

The impending polar plunge will rival the frigid days from earlier this January for the coldest daytime highs and nighttime lows so far this winter. This does not include South Florida.

The arctic air first plunged into the Upper Midwest, northern Plains and northern Rockies on Sunday and is expected to continue pressing to the south and east through Tuesday.

More

Somerset County Sheriff's Office Press Release 1-28-14

Glinda Mae Duckworth of Princess Anne, Criminal summons served on 1-17-14 for theft less than $ 500.00, Duckworth was released on signature pending court actions.

Jerome Copes of Princess Anne, arrested 1-17-14 for driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, and driving while impaired by alcohol per-se. Copes was released to the Salisbury Police Department on unrelated charges . The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conducted by deputies in the area of Somerset Ave, and Mt. Vernon Rd. Deputies stopped Copes while riding a bicycle the wrong side of the roadway, and a headlight violation.

Hassan Bilal of Atlantic City New Jersey, arrested 1-18-14 for possessing and transporting unstamped cigarettes. Bilal was held on a $10,000 bond. The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conducted by deputies on Ocean Highway near the State Police Barrack. Deputies later recovered 289 cartons of Virginia unstamped cigarettes, cash, ledgers, and a cell phone.

Clinton Melvin Johnson of Princess Anne, arrested 1-23-14 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Johnson was later released on a $ 4,000 unsecured bond.

Piara Pecola Corbin of Fruitland, arrested 1-26-14 on warrants for simple assault, malicious destruction of property, 2nd degree assault, and harassment. Corbin was later released on a $ 10,000 unsecured bond.

Lauren Sheaique Fountain of Fruitland, arrested 1-26-14 on warrants for 2nd degree assault, malicious destruction of property, and harassment. Fountain was later released on a $ 10,000 unsecured bond.

Lavernea Michell Hodge of Crisfield, Criminal summons served on 1-26-14 for 2nd degree assault. Hodge was released on signature pending court actions.

Shawn Lamont Jackson of Salisbury, arrested 1-27-14 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Jackson was held on a $ 500.00 bond.

Juvenile arrested 1-27-14 at the Somerset Intermediate School for disturbing school functions. Deputies responded to the school for a male juvenile who refused to obey school staff causing teachers to clear a classroom. Deputies arrested the juvenile for disturbing school functions, and later released him to parents.

Liberal Feminist: “I Look Down On Women With Husbands And Kids And I’m Not Sorry”

Holy war on women, Batman, this left-wing feminist really holds stay at home moms in contempt.

I Look Down On Young Women With Husbands And Kids And I’m Not Sorry

…Do people really think that a stay at home mom is really on equal footing with a woman who works and takes care of herself? There’s no way those two things are the same. It’s hard for me to believe it’s not just verbally placating these people so they don’t get in trouble with the mommy bloggers.

Having kids and getting married are considered life milestones. We have baby showers and wedding parties as if it’s a huge accomplishment and cause for celebration to be able to get knocked up or find someone to walk down the aisle with. These aren’t accomplishments, they are actually super easy tasks, literally anyone can do them. They are the most common thing, ever, in the history of the world. They are, by definition, average. And here’s the thing, why on earth are we settling for average?

More

New Fall Hat

MARYLAND GAINED 7,300 JOBS IN DECEMBER 2013

Maryland businesses created 7,000 jobs over-the-month

BALTIMORE, MD (January 28, 2014) – Governor O’Malley today announced another month of job growth in Maryland at Domino Sugar, an iconic Maryland business and the largest marketer of refined sugar in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary survey data, Maryland created 7,300 total jobs in November. Maryland’s businesses created 7,000 jobs and the public sector gained 300 jobs.

“I’m pleased to announce this latest round of jobs gains on the grounds of the Domino Sugar refinery, an iconic symbol of American ingenuity lighting our harbor for almost 63 years. Maryland is now one of a handful of states to have recovered more than 100 percent of the jobs lost during the recession with over 34,000 jobs created in 2013. While we continue to make tremendous progress, there’s still more work to be done. The North Star of the O'Malley-Brown Administration has always been strengthening and growing our middle class, building our economy from the middle out, creating quality, family-supporting jobs, and expanding more opportunities to hard working moms and dads across our great State,” said Governor O’Malley.

“Working together to expand opportunity and spur new economic development opportunities, we are building a stronger, increasingly-diverse middle class,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “By making smart decisions during the toughest economic climate since the Great Depression over the last seven years, we have made Maryland the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

This report reflects a steady uptick in job creation rates with significant gains in both November and December of 2013. This December recorded the highest number of private sector jobs for the month since before 2003. In fact, the private sector added 34,100 jobs in 2013—a gain of 1.6 percent over the previous year.

Maryland's unemployment rate has been driven down to 6.1 percent in December's preliminary report, significantly below the national rate of 6.7 percent.

“Maryland’s economic recovery is why the O’Malley Administration continues funding job training programs that provide Marylanders with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century workforce,” said Secretary Leonard Howie.

According to the data released today, the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services subsector gained 2,100 jobs and the Administrative and Support Services subsector added 500 jobs. The Leisure and Hospitality Sector saw the most private sector growth in December 2013, adding 2,900 jobs. The Accommodation and Food Services subsectors added 3,700 jobs.

A REAL-LIFE DEMON POSSESSION IS BEING REPORTED IN INDIANA – THE DETAILS ARE ALMOST TOO HORRIFYING TO BELIEVE

A terrified mother claims she watched in horror as her demon-possessed 9-year-old son walked backwards up a wall and ceiling. Her claims would be easy to dismiss if a child services case worker and a nurse weren’t reportedly there to witness it all.

Latoya Ammons claims all three of her children showed signs of being possessed, including “evil” smiles and strangely deep voices, the Indianapolis Star reports. The mother says she also witnessed her 12-year-old daughter levitating in their Gary, Ind., home.

Strangely enough, the scary-sounding incident is outlined in official documents. Further, Gary police Capt. Charles Austin told the Star that he is a “believer” after making several visits to the home and interviewing witnesses. He first thought the family was making stories up as part of a get-rich-quick scheme.
More

Look At The Date On This Letter

Which 46 Senators Voted to Destroy Us?

Please note how your senators voted on this critical bill.

God forbid that the USA would ever cede any of its rights to the UN!

We came four votes away from the U.S. Senate giving our Constitutional rights over to the United Nations.

In a 53-46 vote, the Senate narrowly passed a measure that will stop the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.

The Statement of Purpose from the Bill reads:   "To uphold Second Amendment rights and prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty."

The U.N. Small Arms Treaty, which has been championed by the Obama Administration, would have effectively placed a global ban on the import and export of small firearms. The ban would have affected all private gun owners in the U.S. and had language that would have implemented an international gun

registry on all private guns and ammo.

Astonishingly, 46 out of our 100 United States Senators were willing to give away our Constitutional rights to a foreign power and to allow the creation of an UN police force to come into this country to assist in the collection of weapons from US, you and me!

Here are the 46 senators who voted to give your rights to the U.N.

Baldwin (D-WI)

Baucus (D-MT)

Bennett (D-CO)

Blumenthal (D-CT)

Boxer (D-CA)

Brown (D-OH)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Casey (D-PA)

Coons (D-DE)

Cowan (D-MA)

Durbin (D-IL)

Feinstein (D-CA)

Franken (D-MN)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Harkin (D-IA)

Hirono (D-HI)

Johnson (D-SD)

Kaine (D-VA)

King (I-ME)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Landrieu (D-LA)

Leahy (D-VT)

Levin (D-MI)

McCaskill (D-MO)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

Mikulski (D-MD)

Murphy (D-CT)

Murray (D-WA)

Nelson (D-FL)

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV)

Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schatz (D-HI)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Udall (D-CO)

Udall (D-NM)

Warner (D-VA)

Warren (D-MA)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wyden (D-OR)

Folks: This needs to go viral. These Senators voted to let the

UN come into our country and take OUR guns.

They need to lose their next election. We have been betrayed.

46 Senators Voted to Give our 2nd Amendment Constitutional

Rights to the U.N.

Please send this to EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

This is exactly how Hitler began his dictatorship, by taking away the ownership of guns.

Green Drought

For the sake of the smelt, California farmland lies fallow.

San Joaquin Valley, Calif. — “We have the greatest factory anywhere on earth,” Harris Farms’ executive vice president, William Bourdeau, tells me, as our car bumps rapidly along the dirty, uneven track. “These are pistachio trees,” he says, sweeping his hand across the horizon. “Over there, we have asparagus.” He points through the windshield. “And in that facility, we process garlic.”

Around the corner and away from the freeway, I see almonds, broccoli, onions, watermelons, and tomatoes. Lettuce, which in the grand scale of things is a mere afterthought for Harris, is produced nevertheless on an astonishing scale, with 3 million cartons — 72 million head — being shipped out each year, the fruit of 700,000 man-hours. On neighboring Harris Ranch, the largest in the West, there are 100,000 cattle, most of which will eventually end up at In-N-Out Burger joints along the Pacific Coast and throughout the Southwest. The smell of the cattle permeates the air for a good mile around, announcing the farm to travelers before any signs come into view. In the distance, the mountains loom large.

More

Arizona GOP Censures McCain For ‘Liberal’ Record

PHOENIX — The Arizona Republican Party formally censured Sen. John McCain on Saturday, citing a voting record they say is insufficiently conservative.

The resolution to censure McCain was approved by a voice-vote during a meeting of state committee members in Tempe, state party spokesman Tim Sifert said. It needed signatures from at least 20 percent of state committee members to reach the floor for debate.

More

Virginia Governors Before Bob McDonnell Accepted Lots Of Gifts

A $200 leather jacket, an $18,000 Caribbean vacation rental, $350 in hunting gear — just a few of the valuable things given to the governor of Virginia in recent years.

But the items weren’t accepted by Bob McDonnell, whose indictment on federal public corruption charges has renewed attention to the comparatively lax laws over Virginia’s culture of gift-giving. They were made to his predecessors, Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine.

The former Democratic governors accepted thousands of dollars worth of tickets to professional football, basketball, hockey and auto racing events, as well as countless bottles of wine, rounds of golf and an odd assortment of goods that includes a train set, a weed eater, a fishing rod and at least one basket of soft-shelled crabs.
More

News From The Associated Press

WANT TO GET THE FLU? VOLUNTEERS SNEEZE FOR SCIENCE

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) -- Forget being sneezed on: Government scientists are deliberately giving dozens of volunteers the flu by squirting the live virus straight up their noses.

It may sound bizarre, but the rare type of research is a step in the quest for better flu vaccines. It turns out that how the body fends off influenza remains something of a mystery.

"Vaccines are working, but we could do better," said Dr. Matthew Memoli of the National Institutes of Health, who is leading the study that aims to infect up to 100 adults over the next year.

Wait a minute: Flu is sweeping the country, so why not just study the already sick? That wouldn't let scientists measure how the immune system reacts through each step of infection, starting with that first exposure to the virus.

More

SPD Press Release 1-28-14

Homeland Security Secretary: Illegals Have ‘Earned Right To Be Citizens’

(CNSNews.com) – Speaking at the United States Conference of Mayors on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the approximately 11 million people who are in the country illegally have “earned the right to be citizens.”

“An earned path to citizenship for those currently present in this country is a matter of, in my view, homeland security to encourage people to come out from the shadows,” said Johnson, in what he remarked was one of his first public speeches since being confirmed as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief in December.

“It is also, frankly, in my judgment, a matter of who we are as Americans,” he said, “to offer the opportunity to those who want to be citizens, who’ve earned the right to be citizens, who are present in this country--many of whom came here as children--to have the opportunity that we all have to try to become American citizens.”

More

Why Cell Phones Will Kill The Public Schools Before 2040

The Ron Paul Curriculum is 100% digital. It does not use classrooms. It does not require parents to buy any textbooks. It is the wave of the future -- the not too far-distant future.

This is because of Moore's law: computer chip density doubles every 18 months. That was in 1965, when Gordon Moore of Intel made this observation. Today, it's close to every 12 months.

I take seriously Ray Kurzweil's estimates on information costs. His article on the law of accelerating returns(2001) is a classic. It has influenced my thinking.

Moore's law is accelerating. Kurzweil wrote this in 2001:

In line with my earlier predictions, supercomputers will achieve one human brain capacity by 2010, and personal computers will do so by around 2020. By 2030, it will take a village of human brains (around a thousand) to match $1000 of computing. By 2050, $1000 of computing will equal the processing power of all human brains on Earth.

What will a public school teach a student who owns a computer as powerful as Hillary Clinton's village? What if this computer is a cell phone?

What will a public school teach 2,000 students in 2030? What will be the range of student performance? When the top 20% are equipped with this tool, what will the curriculum look like? What teacher will be bright enough to teach such students? A smartphone app will be a better teacher by far than whoever is in the classroom.

What will that teacher do for a living? Not teach. Monitor. Enforce discipline. Schools will be warehousing operations. Everyone will know this. They will be for the disciplinary problems.

How will these people train the best and the brightest for the brave new world of digital production?

The exodus will begin.

More

CALIFORNIA: ONLY ONE-THIRD HAVE REGAINED INSURANCE LOST THROUGH OBAMACARE

California has long been the flagship for Obamacare. It was targeted last fall by President Barack Obama's own activist group, Organizing for Action, for precisely that reason: given the strength of their volunteer efforts, they hoped the state could be a symbol for the success of Obamacare as a whole.

That is one reason that there is so much loud cheering by the media's left-wing commentators every time Covered California, the state's Obamacare program, announces that it has achieved something, no matter how modest--or how exaggerated.

More

Secret Abortion Fees Hidden In ObamaCare Premiums, Lawmakers Say

Insurance companies working under the Obamacare umbrella have secretly added a surcharge to cover the cost of abortions, an apparent violation of federal law that forbids the practice, congressional leaders charge.

Consumers signing up for insurance in an Obamacare exchange won't find a single sentence telling them that they will pay at least $1 a month to fund abortions.

"The president promised when the health care bill passed that it would not cover abortion. We knew that was an empty promise as the bill stipulated a $1 a month surcharge for plans that covered abortions," said Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., who chairs the House's Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health. "On top of that ... it's near impossible to decipher which plans include abortion and at what cost!"

More

Which State Just Stripped 10,000 People Of Food Stamps For Not Working?

More than 10,000 residents of Ohio were stripped of their food stamp benefits this month and that number is expected to more than double by the end of February. Newly enforced work requirements mandate that food stamp recipients spend at least 20 hours per week working, volunteering, attending school or engaging in job training. The requirements were put into place last October, but county caseworkers are still completing required assessments to determine whether current recipients must comply with the new rule. Only those with mental illness, substance abuse or similar issues are exempt from the new policy.

Although this policy has been part of Ohio law since 1996, the state used a federal waiver to exempt food stamp recipients for the past six years due to the economic crisis. But now that thousands of recipients have refused to undergo assessments about their eligibility food stamp assessment, they are also expected to be removed from the public assistance program by the end of the month. Out of the 1.8 million Ohioans who receive food stamps, more than 350,000 of them have no cash income.
More