The Feds, the States and the Controlled Substances Act How exactly is Colorado undermining federal law? Nothing requires a state to make marijuana illegal. Wall Street Journal January 12, 2015 To the Editor: Maryland, under Gov. Albert Ritchie, steadfastly refused to prohibit alcohol sales throughout Prohibition, and Al Smith’s New York repealed its prohibition […]
Time for ‘Bottom-Up’ Education Reform by George W. Liebmann The renewed clamor for postponement of ‘common core’ testing provides further evidence of the failure of ‘top-down’ reform in Maryland public schools. Who can forget MSPAP, the State Board’s high stakes tests for graduation, and the procrastination in fulfilling the ‘Race to the Top’ promise that […]
O’Malley’s latest ‘pop’ issue – baltimoresun.com Maryland’s governor has proposed that undocumented child immigrants should be placed in foster care By George W. Liebmann 1:31 p.m. EDT, August 6, 2014 O’Malley takes on another ‘pop’ issue [Commentary] Gov. Martin O’Malley, a presidential hopeful, has taken on yet another “pop issue,” proposing that we provide foster […]
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 […]
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, […]
Important issues go unaddressed because political donors don’t care about them 0 By George W. Liebmann1:46 p.m. EDT, April 5, 2012 If the Obama administration proceeds to electoral doom, blame rests on its surrender to its financiers and campaign organizers: Wall Street and public employee and construction unions. A Democratic administration […]
www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-school-construction-20120301,0,1047591.story State should not agree to commit vast sums over decades to a questionable building plan By George W. Liebmann 4:18 PM EST, March 1, 2012 Advertisement On the important issue of school construction, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has displayed refreshing common sense by demonstrating skepticism about a vastly inflated — indeed […]
baltimoresun.com Reefer madness: Reform our crazy marijuana laws 750,000 marijuana arrests a year have gotten our society nowhere By George W. Liebmann 7:00 AM EDT, August 15, 2011 The militarization of the Mexican border is a new phenomenon for two nations whose militaries have traditionally been made to stay out of politics. There are constant […]
In March 2006, The Institute published a study, The Baltimore City Retirement Systems: Heading for Trouble, available online here. That study pointed out that the Employees’ Retirement System of Baltimore City had consistently produced investment results below its benchmark yields based on comparisons with market indices. The shortfalls were as follows: 2004-05.7% 2003-041.0% 2002-03.81% In […]
Over the course of the last 50 years a ‘quiet revolution’ fostered by federal mortgage lending regulations has given rise to the creation of hundreds of thousands of private community associations with the power to impose charges on members.