Strangled in its Cradle Morality, it is said, is what you do when no one is looking. To assess the morality of the O’Malley administration and its favored clients, the teachers’ unions, it is appropriate to look at an obscure enactment, passed and signed ‘under the radar screen’, Chapter 288 of the Acts of 2012. […]
George Liebmann: Switzerland in America Gazette Newspapers, November 2, 2012 The ballot referendums are important since two cure-alls of the 1970s, campaign finance “reform” and strict reapportionment, have delivered the legislature to reliable partisans and ‘bundlers” of campaign contributions. Referendums have served the Swiss well. The casino bill and congressional redistricting reflect the culture […]
Marylanders get a taste of veto democracy Referendums allow voters to check Annapolis’ excesses 0 By George Liebmann 1:21 p.m. EDT, October 30, 2012 Marylanders will soon have an opportunity common in a country other than their own: the right to veto a legislature’s product. […]
SIGN UP CULTURE WARS AND HISTORY by George Liebmann Issue 213– October 10, 2012 The American political system as traditionally understood was described by Charles de Gaulle in the last volume of his memoirs published in 1971: a federation of states, each of which, with its governor, its representatives, its judges, and its officials–all, elected–takes upon itself responsibility […]
Maryland is No. 1 in education spending and centralization — not in results Magazine’s ranking prioritizes inputs rather than outputs By George Liebmann1:36 p.m. EDT, September 24, 2012 Gov. Martin O’Malley has taken on the road to Charlotte, N.C., and to Iowa his claim that Maryland’s schools are “Number […]
Federalism and Obamacare by George Liebmann The Supreme Court decision allowing ‘Obamacare’ to survive should not have come as a surprise to anyone. Save where confiscatory legislation is involved, the Constitution as it has been construed for at least the last 80 years imposes few barriers […]
Questionable investment strategies could put state’s bond rating at risk Comments 2 Share0 By George Liebmann12:34 p.m. EDT, July 9, 2012 There are serious clouds over the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System and the way the O’Malley administration has managed it. Consider the following: 1. The rate of […]
Saturday, 07 July 2012 From Today’s Wall Street Journal Regarding John Yoo’s “Chief Justice Roberts and His Apologists” (op-ed, June 30): Mr. Yoo’s characterization of Chief Justice John Roberts as another Charles Evans Hughes is a compliment. Hughes never sought to bar “expansion of the welfare state.” He designed systems of state insurance and public […]
Progress in Drug Policy A recent Court of Appeals decision threatening to require appointment of counsel at bail hearings before District Court commissioners spurred long-overdue reforms in drug laws. Chapter 352 of the Acts of 2012 allows probation before judgment for a second drug possession offense; a similar proposal by Delegate Curtis Anderson and others […]
The O’Malley Fiscal Record After five years, it is time to take stock of Governor O’Malley’s fiscal record. This may be done under several headings: 1. New Spending Initiatives A. Employment Tax Credit This $20 million “Job Creation and Recovery Act” credit was initially claimed with respect to only 1000 jobs, […]