DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Protect Yourself After Hurricane Sandy, Too
Baltimore, MD - In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, your home, yard, automobile or business may be in need of repairs as a result of wind and/or water damage. Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler urges you to be wary of home repair scams and other attempts to defraud consumers that often follow in the wake of a large storm's destructive path.
"We hope the worst fears about Hurricane Sandy do not come true, but Marylanders should nonetheless always be on guard for the flood of con artists who try to take advantage of consumers after a big storm. These swindlers will try to rip off families and business owners who are desperate to get their storm damage fixed," said Attorney General Gansler. "Be careful with door-to-door salesmen using high pressure tactics to get your hard-earned money. That money may vanish while the repair goes undone."
The vast majority of home repair contractors, tree removal companies and car repair shops in Maryland are reputable businesses doing good work for their customers. Many are eager to help their neighbors and their communities recover from a disaster. These are people you are likely to know and trust. Attorney General Gansler urges consumers to be wary of people you do not know who solicit you at your home or business.
Warning signs that consumers should look for following severe weather include:
Traveling salesmen who come knocking on your door immediately after a disaster
High-pressure sales tactics
Demands for up-front payments
Demands for an immediate decision
Advance-fee loans that "guarantee" a loan to rebuild your home or business
More
"We hope the worst fears about Hurricane Sandy do not come true, but Marylanders should nonetheless always be on guard for the flood of con artists who try to take advantage of consumers after a big storm. These swindlers will try to rip off families and business owners who are desperate to get their storm damage fixed," said Attorney General Gansler. "Be careful with door-to-door salesmen using high pressure tactics to get your hard-earned money. That money may vanish while the repair goes undone."
The vast majority of home repair contractors, tree removal companies and car repair shops in Maryland are reputable businesses doing good work for their customers. Many are eager to help their neighbors and their communities recover from a disaster. These are people you are likely to know and trust. Attorney General Gansler urges consumers to be wary of people you do not know who solicit you at your home or business.
Warning signs that consumers should look for following severe weather include:
Traveling salesmen who come knocking on your door immediately after a disaster
High-pressure sales tactics
Demands for up-front payments
Demands for an immediate decision
Advance-fee loans that "guarantee" a loan to rebuild your home or business
More
Anticipating The Devolution Of Big Government
With the US elections approaching next week, as well as the threat of another fiscal cliff showdown looming, we asked contributing editor Charles Hugh Smith to revisit his earlier work [12] on how the expansive Central State has come to dominate both private society (i.e., the community) and the marketplace, to the detriment of the nation’s social and economic stability. In this updated installment, we will examine six critical dynamics that will lead to the devolution of Peak Government.
Massive Borrowing
In a misguided attempt to maintain an unsustainable Status Quo, the Federal government is borrowing unprecedented amounts of money that then must be serviced. And the Federal Reserve is expanding its balance sheet by trillions of dollars (“printing money”) and intervening in stock, bond, and other markets for the purposes of managing perception (“the recovery is here!”)
These government funds are not just paying the government’s bills – they are being used to guarantee loans and mortgages that subsequently enter default, transferring what was private debt to the public and subsidizing politically powerful special interests.
Guarantees and subsidies both incentivize what is known as moral hazard: the separation of risk from consequence. This can be summarized very simply. People who are not exposed to risk act completely differently than those who are exposed to risk. When risk has been transferred to the taxpayers by guarantees, give-aways, and subsidies, then speculation and mal-investment are incentivized. If the bet pays off, I get to keep the gain, but if it loses, then I personally lose nothing, as the loss is transferred to the taxpayers.
Institutionalized Mal-Investment
The net result of these policies – borrowing immense sums to prop up an unsustainable Status Quo and institutionalizing moral hazard – leads to misallocation of scarce capital on a grand scale. In effect, the money borrowed by the federal government and electronically printed by the Federal Reserve is mal-invested, because those receiving the funding are personally not at risk and face no consequence if the money is squandered on speculation or unproductive programs. Once moral hazard has been institutionalized, it becomes a positive feedback loop. Since everyone in the system faces little personal consequence from mal-investment, the institution loses the ability to police itself.
Even worse, concentrations of private wealth readily influence public institutions via lobbying and political contributions, exacerbating moral hazard and mal-investment of the publicly borrowed money.
Erosion of Trust in Government
Mal-investment inevitably yields poor results, and just as inevitably, the government seeks to mask the dismal results of moral-hazard riddled policies and agencies. This “perception management” is driven by political expediency, as public outrage at failed policies and unproductive spending would eventually lead to a political price being paid by the leadership. So failed policies are declared great successes, negative data is massaged into positive data, and unflattering frauds involving public funds are buried or transformed into pseudo-realities.
More
Crisfield Flooding Called Worst Since 1985; 2 Caskets Rise From Graves
Maryland’s southernmost town has been hit hard by superstorm Sandy. Residents of Crisfield on the Tangier Sound say they haven’t seen flooding this bad since Hurricane Gloria in 1985.
At a cemetery on North Somerset Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, two caskets had been forced out of their graves, their sides visible above the grass. Cement slabs that had covered the graves were dislodged.
On Cove Street, water was covering lawns and splashing against the front steps of houses. One house had a rowboat tied up but floating in the yard.
Interesting Article: Delmarva Farmer Uninviting Maryland Dept. Ag From Speaking At FB Convention
CHESTERTOWN, Md. — A recommendation which, if approved, would deny Maryland Agriculture Secretary Earl “Buddy” Hance the opportunity to address the 97th annual meeting of the Maryland Farm Bureau, has emerged from a recent meeting of the Kent County Farm Bureau.
The recommendation has been forwarded to the Maryland Farm Bureau’s directors for their consideration at a meeting slated for Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Kara Morris, who is in her third year as president of the Kent County Farm Bureau, said the admittedly unusual proposal resulted from “frustration” with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, particularly in the wake of the new nutrient management regulations.
The recommendation is “a preliminary step,” said Morris, “but it’s a start. We want to get it done.”
Official spokespersons for both MDA and MFB declined to comment.
The county meeting was held Oct. 11.
Its principal mission was to formulate policy resolutions which the county Farm Bureau hopes to get approved by the MFB directors and then brought to the floor of the Dec. 2-4 convention at the Clarion Fountainebleau Hotel in Ocean City, Md.
More
The recommendation has been forwarded to the Maryland Farm Bureau’s directors for their consideration at a meeting slated for Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Kara Morris, who is in her third year as president of the Kent County Farm Bureau, said the admittedly unusual proposal resulted from “frustration” with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, particularly in the wake of the new nutrient management regulations.
The recommendation is “a preliminary step,” said Morris, “but it’s a start. We want to get it done.”
Official spokespersons for both MDA and MFB declined to comment.
The county meeting was held Oct. 11.
Its principal mission was to formulate policy resolutions which the county Farm Bureau hopes to get approved by the MFB directors and then brought to the floor of the Dec. 2-4 convention at the Clarion Fountainebleau Hotel in Ocean City, Md.
More
Hurricane Sandy Forces Coffins Above Ground in Crisfield
In one of the most jarring images we've seen from its' wreckage, the storm pounded the ground in Crisfield, Maryland so hard, that two caskets rose from the ground at a local cemetery.
The storm dislodged huge slabs of cement covering the caskets -- one silver, one bronze -- at a cemetery on North Somerset Avenue, according to local reports.
More
Copper Wire Stolen From Utility Trucks Helping To Restore Power After Storm
An electric utility company that helped local electrical crews deal with the damage from what had been Hurricane Sandy reported that copper wire was stolen off their trucks while they were parked near Railway Lane, according to a Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
Pike Electric had five trucks parked at the Ramada Plaza Sunday night, said Lt. Tom Newton.
Pike Electric crews reported Monday morning that wire had been stolen from trucks parked at the motel, Newton said.
More
Pike Electric had five trucks parked at the Ramada Plaza Sunday night, said Lt. Tom Newton.
Pike Electric crews reported Monday morning that wire had been stolen from trucks parked at the motel, Newton said.
More
ONE KILLED IN MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH ON I-495
(College Park, MD) – A Princes George’s County man was killed this morning after the car he was driving stopped in the roadway and was struck by a truck tractor traveling on I-495 prior to New Hampshire Avenue.
The deceased has been identified as Kwame (NMN) Abban, 44, of the 9800-block of Good Luck Road, Lanham, Md. The victim was transported to Suburban Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The deceased was driving a 1997 Toyota Corolla.
The second driver is identified as Jessica W. Smith, 31, of White Hall, Md. Ms. Smith was driving a 2007 Nissan Sentra. Her vehicle struck the rear of the 1997 Toyota Corolla prior to it being struck by the truck tractor. She was not injured.
The third driver is identified as Anthony W, Reil, 44 of Bentonville, Va. Mr. Reil was driving a 2005 Sterling truck tractor. His vehicle struck the rear of the 1997 Toyota Corolla causing it to spin around and face the opposite direction. He was not injured.
A preliminary investigation has been conducted by troopers from the College Park Barrack with assistance from the Maryland State Police CRASH Team. The preliminary investigation reveals that shortly after 5:15 a.m. today, the 1997 Toyota driven by the deceased was stopped in the travel portion of I-495 prior to New Hampshire Avenue after being struck in the rear by the 2007 Nissan. The Nissan was able to move to the right shoulder of the road. For unknown reasons, the 1997 Toyota Corolla remained stopped in the roadway.
Moments later, a 2005 Sterling truck tractor traveling in lane number four struck the stopped 1997 Toyota in the rear. The crash caused the Toyota to spin around and face the opposite direction. The driver of the truck tractor was able to stop his vehicle without further incident.
There were no other passengers in any of the vehicles. It is believed at this point in the investigation that all drivers were wearing seat belts. There has been no determination of vehicle speeds at this time.
Due to the severity of the crash and the severity of the injury, troopers had to close westbound I-495 for about five hours. Prince George’s County Police and State Highway Administration personnel assisted with the closure.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. No charges have been placed. The investigation continues.
The deceased has been identified as Kwame (NMN) Abban, 44, of the 9800-block of Good Luck Road, Lanham, Md. The victim was transported to Suburban Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The deceased was driving a 1997 Toyota Corolla.
The second driver is identified as Jessica W. Smith, 31, of White Hall, Md. Ms. Smith was driving a 2007 Nissan Sentra. Her vehicle struck the rear of the 1997 Toyota Corolla prior to it being struck by the truck tractor. She was not injured.
The third driver is identified as Anthony W, Reil, 44 of Bentonville, Va. Mr. Reil was driving a 2005 Sterling truck tractor. His vehicle struck the rear of the 1997 Toyota Corolla causing it to spin around and face the opposite direction. He was not injured.
A preliminary investigation has been conducted by troopers from the College Park Barrack with assistance from the Maryland State Police CRASH Team. The preliminary investigation reveals that shortly after 5:15 a.m. today, the 1997 Toyota driven by the deceased was stopped in the travel portion of I-495 prior to New Hampshire Avenue after being struck in the rear by the 2007 Nissan. The Nissan was able to move to the right shoulder of the road. For unknown reasons, the 1997 Toyota Corolla remained stopped in the roadway.
Moments later, a 2005 Sterling truck tractor traveling in lane number four struck the stopped 1997 Toyota in the rear. The crash caused the Toyota to spin around and face the opposite direction. The driver of the truck tractor was able to stop his vehicle without further incident.
There were no other passengers in any of the vehicles. It is believed at this point in the investigation that all drivers were wearing seat belts. There has been no determination of vehicle speeds at this time.
Due to the severity of the crash and the severity of the injury, troopers had to close westbound I-495 for about five hours. Prince George’s County Police and State Highway Administration personnel assisted with the closure.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. No charges have been placed. The investigation continues.
The Maryland National Guard Responds to Hurricane Sandy
Joint Task Force Maryland Command Sgt. Maj. Aaron Henderson speaks with Steve Marshall, Somerset County Director of Emergency Services, in the county emergency operations center. — at Crisfield, Maryland.
Governor O'Malley In Crisfield
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Photo Courtesy of MEMA
Governor O'Malley visits with the Mayor of Crisfield.— at City Hall, Crisfield, Maryland.
Crisfield Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
Publishers Notes: I will be heading to Crisfield tomorrow afternoon to offer my help and I hope those of you who have the time will take this opportunity to help our neighbors in desperate need of relief. THINK about ALL of the people who headed to New Orleans to help in their relief efforts a few years ago. Crisfield is right in our own back yard and they need help. I have friends who live there and I can tell you, it's bad. Join me if you can.
RNC Left With Hoards Of Cash But Little Time
A late surge of support and months of restrained spending have left the Republican National Committee flush with cash with little time to spend it — $68 million as of Oct. 17, which was nearly seven times the amount the Democratic National Committee had in the bank.
Adding in the cash from other presidential campaign committees, the mismatch still was stark: $156 million for Mitt Romney and his GOP allies to $94 million for President Obama and his allies. State Republican parties also had 50 percent more cash than their Democratic counterparts, according to an analysis by The Washington Times.
It’s likely that means a surge of GOP spending is coming. What’s unclear is what form it will take, and RNC officials declined to tip their hand.
Craigs List: Sand
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sand (ocean city boardwalk)
Date: 2012-10-30, 6:51PM EDT
ctjpz-3375835935@sale.craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Free sand
you bag and haul
PostingID: 3375835935
you bag and haul
- Location: ocean city boardwalk
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