Policy Changes Sparked by the Coronavirus Epidemic

Policy Changes that Have Been Sparked by the Coronavirus Pandemic Townhall Columnists George Liebmann OPINION May 23, 2020 As Americans suffer the coronavirus pandemic, the economy is in a precarious state and unemployment has reached levels not seen since the Great Depression. It is a time to reconsider some policies relating to taxation and labor […]

Why Not the Best

  Why Not the Best? Washington Times, April 30, 2020 by George W. Liebmann These suggestions regarding the selection of the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee come from what might be considered a suspicious source: a registered Republican.   To be sure, I have been unable to vote for my party’s nominee in the last four Presidential […]

Trump Won’t Be the Last President of His Kind

The American Conservative, September 9, 2019   by George Liebmann It is fashionable for Americans and Europeans alike to think of Donald Trump as an aberration—a fluke thrown up by the obtuseness of an insulated ruling class for sponsoring an unattractive candidate like Hillary Clinton. Many believe that once the lessons of Trump are absorbed […]

Expanding Distance Learning in Maryland Schools

Expanding Distance Learning in Maryland Schools   A Comparative Analysis of Distance Learning in Maryland and Other States   by Nicholas Schwaderer   Calvert Institute for Policy Research 8 West Hamilton Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201 Tel: (410) 752 5887                     Contents   1 MARYLAND ONLINE EDUCATION […]

Property Tax Incentives for Business–Another Folly

A Worthy Report on Property Tax Incentives for Business The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has issued an exceptionally valuable report on state and local misuse of property tax incentives for economic development. Its authors are Daphne A. Kenyon, Adam H. Langley, and Bethany P. Paquin. Ms Kenyon is well known as the principal author […]

More Pension Follies

More Pension Follies With great fanfare, Governor O’Malley announced his 2014-15 budget. Three thick budget volumes were released. Nowhere in these volumes (with one minor exception) are any of the pertinent data concerning Maryland’s pension and employee health obligations disclosed. The re-design of Maryland’s budget documents carried out by the present budget secretary, Eloise Foster, […]

Maryland’s Pension System has Performed Poorly for Decades

  www.baltimoresun.com/ Maryland’s pension system has performed poorly for decades under two separate treasurers By George W. Liebmann 2:09 PM EST, February 19, 2014 Advertisement   The state pension system is Maryland’s financial Achilles heel and has been for decades. All bond rating services have noted that rising pension debt endangers the state’s AAA bond […]

Pension Follies, Resumed

      Maryland has, just, preserved its AAA bond rating, though with a negative outlook from Moody’s. Moody’s has issued a publication reporting that Maryland is one of the ten worst states in terms of the burden of pension debt, Maryland’s pension obligations being almost exactly equal to one year’s gross revenues, 99.5% of […]

Mismanaged Maryland

    Mismanaged Maryland Despite talk of reforms and budget cuts, Annapolis dabbles in excessive borrowing, noncompetitive projects and risky investments   By George Liebmann6:00 a.m. EDT, March 11, 2013   There is a sharp disconnect between the image and reality of the O’Malley administration’s fiscal policies. The image features pension reforms, reduced structural deficits, […]

Teacher Certification in Maryland

Maryland’s Protective Tariff Against Teachers   In 2011, Maryland colleges produced 2897 graduates from state-approved teacher education programs, out of 28701 new Maryland college graduates (Maryland Higher Education Report, 2011, p.17). Barely 10% of Maryland’s college graduates are thus eligible for regular certification as teachers in Maryland’s public schools. The regulations governing approved teacher education […]