Andy Harris Travelling Upper Shore

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) will be holding town hall meetings in Elkton and Chestertown on Tuesday, May 17th.  Kudos to Harris for continuing to reach out to constituents.

11:15 – 12:15 p.m. – Meeting with Kentucky Derby winning trainer H. Graham Motion to congratulate him on his victory.  Derby winner Animal Kingdom will be present.

Fair Hill Training Center

715 Training Center Drive

Elkton, MD 21921

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. - Town Hall Meeting with residents of Kent County.

Chestertown Town Office

118 N. Cross Street

Chestertown, MD 21620

4:00- 5:00 p.m.– Meeting with Cecil County Mayors to discuss cooperation between the federal and local government. Attendees include: Elkton Mayor Joseph Fisona, Rising Sun Mayor Tom Mumey and Charlestown Town President Robert Gell.

Elkton Town Hall

100 Railroad Avenue

Elkton, MD 21921

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.– Town Hall Meeting with residents of Cecil County.

Elkton Town Hall

100 Railroad Avenue

Elkton, MD 21921

GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY TO PARTICIPATE IN GROUNDBREAKING OF FIRST-IN-THE-NATION PLANT AT GM POWERTRAIN BALTIMORE

ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 16, 2011) – Governor Martin O’Malley will join U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu, Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, GM executives, and leaders of the UAW for the groundbreaking of a new facility at GM’s Powertrain Baltimore, making GM the first U.S. automaker to develop and manufacture electric motors for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.

In January 2010, GM announced that it would build a manufacturing facility at the existing White Marsh plant to manufacture its Global Rear Wheel Drive motors for GM electric cars.  Through an innovative public-private partnership, the new facility is expected to create approximately 190 jobs.

Tomorrow, Governor O’Malley will participate in the groundbreaking of the new facility, making White Marsh home to America’s first electric motor manufacturing facility owned by a major automaker.

WHAT:           Governor O’Malley to participate in groundbreaking of America’s first electric motor manufacturing plan owned by a major U.S. automaker

WHEN:           TOMORROW, Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:         GM Powertrain Baltimore

10301 Philadelphia Road

White Marsh, MD 21162

78 Y/O Woman Struck By Car In O/C & Rt. 90 Update

A 78 year old woman was struck by a vehicle on Coastal Highway. She was crossing Coastal Highway in a Non Cross Walk area. She has been taken away via helicopter and her condition at this time is unknown.

Rt. 90 has re-opened in both directions after a 8 vehicle accident.

Judge Denies Bail To IMF Chief In Sex Assault Case

Richard Drew / Pool via Getty Images

NYC hotel maid alleges violent attack; Dominique Strauss-Kahn, at left, "denies any wrongdoing," his lawyer says. 

Full story 

Trump Won't Run

Donald Trump announces he's not going to pursue the 2012 Republican nomination for president

BREAKING NEWS: RT. 90 BRIDGE SHUT DOWN

There has been an 8 car pile up on the Rt. 90 Bridge and the bridge has been shut down in both directions. Multiple injuries and quite the mayhem at the moment.

If you're traveling to and or from Ocean City, take Rt. 54 or Rt. 50 for the rest of the evening.

Supreme Court Won't Hear Challenge To 'So Help Me God' In Obama Oath

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court is brushing aside an atheist's challenge to religion in government, refusing to hear a complaint about President Obama adding "so help me God" to his inaugural oath of office.

The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Michael Newdow, who argued that government references to God are unconstitutional and infringe on his religious beliefs.

Many presidents have added "so help me God" to the oath. 

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US Dips Into Pension Funds As Debt Limit Hit

Treasury makes move to give country more room to borrow

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress he would start tapping into federal pension funds on Monday to free up borrowing capacity as the nation hits the $14.294 trillion legal limit on its debt.

The Treasury will issue $72 billion in bonds and notes on Monday, pushing the nation right up against its borrowing cap at some point during the day, a Treasury official said.

Geithner said he would suspend investments in two government retirement funds to give the U.S. Treasury additional room to borrow.

"I will be unable to invest fully" in the civil service retirement and disability fund and the government securities investment fund, he said in a letter to congressional leaders.

The Treasury has said the suspension of the investments and other measures it could take would give the government until about August 2 before it will start defaulting on obligations, such as paying bond investors.

Congress is in charge of increasing the debt ceiling, but Republicans are demanding deep cuts to federal spending for the price of their support in doing so.

Geithner reiterated previous pleas for action. "I again urge Congress to act to increase the statutory debt limit as soon as possible," he said.

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Bad Accident On Rum Ridge Rd.

The wreck is by Gordy Mill Road and Rum Ridge. Rum Ridge is shut down. Vehicle into tree.

Four Years Ago Today

Click on image to enlarge.

Wood Creek, A Local Ghost Town

You finally get to a point in life where you're capable of retiring. You search out different communities to downsize and you pick Wood Creek, (A GOLFING COMMUNITY) to settle down to the good life. You buy a home, you play a round of golf every possible day you can and the next thing you know the developer goes bankrupt, building slabs lie dormant and the beautifully landscaped golf course is ruined by the lack of maintenance.

This is pretty much the story for many of the Wood Creek residents today. Unfortunately these are the times ahead of us and the images above simply tell the story, it has come to a community near you.

Keep voting Democrat and maybe you too can pick up a piece of property for a penny on the dollar and interest rates so low you just can't refuse.

How Long Could You Survive on $50

Although poverty isn't much fun, it can be entertaining and informative to impose severe restrictions on spending for a short period, just to see what you're made of.
In a post on Serendipity's Guide To Saving, the author — who is saving up for braces — challenges herself to survive eight days on just $50. She writes about potentially avoiding a budget-killing trip to the movie theater and planning out meals covered by a single trip to the grocery store.
Bills aside, how long could you survive on $50 of spending money?
from The Consumerist

REPUBLICAN WOMEN OF WORCESTER COUNTY ARMED FORCES DAY

On May 21st at 1:00 PM the Democratic and Republican Women’s Clubs of Worcester County will be joining together to celebrate ARMED FORCES DAY at the Ocean Pines Veterans Memorial on Rt. 589 in Ocean Pines. In the event of inclement weather the event will be moved to the Community Church on Church Road off of Route 589. All those planning to attend, please plan to be there 15 minutes early and bring a chair. The entire community and others are invited to come help us honor our military in all branches of service.

A Letter To The Edtor: The Flying Crane Cafe

Hi Joe,

I was hoping you could post this to let make other people aware of the horrific experience I had at the Flying Crane Cafe in Princess Anne last night. My mother had 2 gift certificates for free pizzas which she won at a benefit for breast cancer in Crisfield a few weeks ago. Last night she was entertaining friends and ordered 6 pizzas from the Flying Crane. Upon arrival to pick them up, we found only 2 of our pizzas were ready since they had run out of pepperoni. So the young lady tending the counter asked us what other kind of pizzas we wanted. No one had called us before we got there to tell us about this.

Keep in mind we had a house full of guests at our home, waiting on us, and were told it would be another 15-20 minutes before our food was ready. I simply asked the girl how can a pizza place run out of pepperoni? I mean, Food Lion is right down the street, and I'm sure they knew well in advance if there food supply was running low. Also, I told her that us having 4 fresh pizzas and 2 not so fresh pizzas was not ok, and that I would like the other 2 remade also. I said nothing out of line and nothing to offend her. I was only trying to help resolve this situation so we cul get back to our guests and get them fed.

She began mocking me, getting smart with me saying "you know what, its been a really long day and I dont know what you want me to do", and seeing the shocked look on my face she said "what?, , what?" and began getting loud and irate with me for no reason. At that point I told her I didnt like her attitude, and  I tried to difuse the situation by going outside to sit on a bench while my mother stayed waiting for our food. While walking out the door she yelled "LOVE YOU!!". I returned inside after about 2 minutes and went up to my mother and quietly said "Mom, I dont think we should stay here and give these people our money after how rude we have been treated". At that point the young lady looked up and began yelling at me again, saying incredibly unkind things, screaming at me, and was creating a completely innappropriate scene. I asked if there was a manager available and as I said that an older man came out from the kitchen and grabbed her from behind by her shoulders to get her away from me. She broke free from him, continued screaming expletives at me, and he grabbed her again and was able to shove her away from the counter. All the meantime she's yelling "oh lets go girl, its gon' be real, its gon' be real!", which I interpreted as her wanting to fight maybe?? However even though the man was some kind of manager, he did nothing whatsoever to help resolve the situation.

Keep in mind, the restuarant is about a third full of customers, who had just spent their hard earned money to have their Friday evening dinner here. They also did not deserve this kind of treatment. I did nothing to deserve being treated this way, and my mother who is not in good health especially did not deserve this kind of treatment. The whole reason we were event here to begin with is because we had gift certificates that were won at a BREAST CANCER BENEFIT. How do you think the coordinators of the benefit would feel if they knew this is how the recipient of those certificates was treated? How do you think breast cancer vicitims would feel?

I want to make people aware of how poorly run this establishment is, and how awful my mother and I were treated last night. I hope the other patrons of the restuarant were a refund of some sort after having to witness that. I'm wondering if anyone else has had an experience with this young lady and if you havent had the pleasure of dealing with her of this place, I would highly suggest you spend your money elsewhere. After we left I called Dominos, quickly placed an order, picked them up and was treated with respect and gratidude. Thank you Dominos!!

SS Trust Fund - "We Lost $1.1 Trillion Last Year!"

By Bruce Krasting

Created 05/16/2011 - 07:41

Yes, that is a correct headline. In its annual report to Congress last week SS acknowledged that its condition had sharply deteriorated in 2010. This sentence from the report is all you really need to know about what the status is:

The open group unfunded obligation over the 75-year projection period has increased from $5.4 trillion (present discounted value as of January 1, 2010) to $6.5 trillion (present discounted value as of January 1, 2011).

Note that this is a present value calculation. The total unfunded obligation has grown by a cool $1.1 trillion in just a year. In other words, if we had to shore up the TF to the level that it was just a year ago the USA would have to write a check for $1.1 T. The unfunded status was a disaster a year ago at $5.6T, it got worse by 20% during 2010. The cost of “fixing” SS goes up as a result. To put things in balance one of these two extremes are now required:

For the combined OASDI Trust Funds to remain solvent, the payroll tax rate could be increased an immediate and permanent 2.15%, (or) scheduled benefits could be reduced by an immediate and permanent 13.8%.

If you think this a ho-hum result, think again. If benefits get cut across the board by 14% we will have many seniors who will fall into a hole. An increase in payroll taxes of 2.15% is simply not going to happen anytime soon. There is no support in Congress for an increase like that. It would mean that taxes on all workers/employers would have to go up by $110b in the first year and rise every year thereafter. This would be a very regressive tax increase that hurts lower end workers the hardest. For 2011 there is already a payroll tax holiday of 2%. If the required increases take place in 2012 it would mean a 3.2% reduction in wages. Kiss the economy goodbye under that scenario.

I underlined the TF’s use of the words immediate and permanent as this language highlights the fact there can be no delaying on the fixes necessary at SS. One thing that you can take to the bank is that nothing will happen with SS in 2011 or 2012. This is a problem that will simmer for at least another 24 months. This delay will prove to be very costly for all involved. Both the required tax increases and/or the required cutbacks will be much larger than today.

The NPV of the unfunded liabilities at SS are now growing by at least $100b a month. One would think that this massive cost would spur some response in D.C. Don’t count on it. As a result, SS is going to come off the rails in about two years.

Source

Pit Bulls Kill 8 Sheep, Attack Farmer In Funkstown

FUNKSTOWN, Md. (AP) - State police say a pair of pit bulls attacked 20 sheep at a farm near Funkstown, killing eight of the animals before attacking the owner of the farm.

Police say Joseph Frey encountered the dogs Sunday morning and they chased him to a barn, where he shut himself inside. Frey then called his son, Justin Frey, who shot and killed one of the dogs with a rifle. Justin Frey will not be charged.

The other dog ran away toward Funkstown. It was later found at a home there along with two other pit bulls, and police say the owner was told to keep the animals confined while the case is under investigation.

Police believe the two dogs attacked the sheep throughout the night.

Source

How Should Wait Staff Handle Rude Customers?

Anyone who's worked on a wait staff looks at their dining out experiences in a totally different way than the uninitiated. Understanding the pressures and perspective of servers can give you a deeper understanding of how to handle disappointments. For starters, you realize that customers have just as significant a role as servers in making it a pleasant dining experience. That's what I'm told, at least. Full disclosure: My food industry working experience is restricted to one hellish day working at a student union Chick-fil-A.

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Disney-Owned Studio Pays $3 Million For Violating Kid Gamers' Privacy

The Federal Trade Commission is not about to let anyone, even Disney, get all up in the U.S. Child Online Privacy Protection Act's business without paying dearly for it. Playdom, a social games studio owned by Disney, is in trouble to the tune of $3 million for collecting kids ages and email addresses without requiring parental consent.

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Gingrich Racist For Calling Obama A 'Food Stamp' President?

Gingrich says calling Obama most successful "food stamp" president in U.S. history isn't racist, but others argue racial undertones are his signature

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

The Affluent Elderly

WASHINGTON -- When House Speaker John Boehner calls for trillions of dollars of spending cuts, the message is clear. Any deal to raise the federal debt ceiling must include significant savings in Social Security and Medicare benefits. Subsidizing the elderly is the biggest piece of federal spending (more than two-fifths of the total), but trimming benefits for well-off seniors isn't just budget arithmetic. It's also the right thing to do.

I have been urging higher eligibility ages and more means-testing for Social Security and Medicare for so long that I forget that many Americans still accept the outdated and propagandistic notion that old age automatically impoverishes people. Asks one reader: Who are these "well-off" elderly you keep writing about? The suggestion is that they are figments of my imagination, invented to justify harsh cutbacks in Social Security and Medicare on the needy.

Just the opposite. We see every day that many people in their 60s and older live comfortably -- and still would if they received a little less in Social Security and paid a little more for Medicare. The trouble is that what's intuitively obvious becomes lost in the political debate; it's overwhelmed by selective and self-serving statistics that cast almost everyone over 65 as being on the edge of insolvency. The result: Government over-subsidizes the affluent elderly. It transfers resources from the struggling young to the secure old.

To correct the stereotype, consult a government publication called "Older Americans 2010, Key Indicators of Well-Being." It reminds us that Americans live longer and have gotten healthier. In 1930, life expectancy was 59.2 years at birth and 12.2 years at 65; in 2006, those figures were 77.7 and 18.5. Since 1981, death rates for heart disease and stroke have fallen by half for those 65 and over. In this population, about three-quarters rate their own health as "good" or "excellent."

READ MORE …