Bad Idea

Unfortunately, a lot of military decisions are being made by people who have never served in combat or have had limited service ("Military ceiling lifted," Jan. 25). President Barack Obama never served in the military, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta served a brief two years in military intelligence. Not only will women in combat create all kinds of additional issues as far as personal privacy, but you are adding an undue burden to these units which is the last thing they need while in a front line situation.

I am watching with interest the drum beat to criminalize bullying. It's already illegal and it's call harassment.  Like so many things that sound good at first glance, has anyone stopped to consider the chilling effect on freedom of speech? Additionally, and maybe the most scary, is that teachers and administrators will likely be on the front line of deciding whether or not a person is bullying someone else. These are the same people who just suspended and second grader for chewing his pop tart into a politically incorrect form, or maybe just the state of MD?

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake seems to think raising the container tax on soft drinks is creative ("Rawlings-Blake calls on council to adopt bottle tax hike," Nov. 14). Just keep taxing the average Joe out of Baltimore. Is that a really good plan? Here is a better idea. Eliminate deputy mayors, make developers pay property tax on what they build and eliminate the Baltimore Development Corporation. I am sure there is more cutting to be done, but these are some easy ways to reduce waste in government quickly without more taxes.

Regarding your recent report on a the bill to put slot machines at BWI airport, there are other means to generate revenues for Maryland and Anne Arundel County ("Bill to put slots at BWI returns," Feb. 5). Putting slot machines in the airport will only jeopardize airport security, increase the cost of airport security and have a bad influence on minors by exposing them to the gambling environment. It will also distract the passengers and make them miss their flights and compete with the newly opened Maryland Live Casino just miles away from BWI. Do we want to turn BWI into a mega-gambling airport like the one in Las Vegas?

Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposal to require Maryland utilities to buy electricity at above market rates from wind turbines located in the Atlantic Ocean may create a nice green credential for an aspiring national politician, but it would be bad for Maryland ("O'Malley wind plan draws questions," March 4). The proposal would require every Marylander to pay more for energy than would be the case if utilities could buy electricity on the open market. In effect, it is a tax on energy with the tax proceeds going to the wind farm developers.

Regarding your recent report on a the bill to put slot machines at BWI airport, there are other means to generate revenues for Maryland and Anne Arundel County ("Bill to put slots at BWI returns," Feb. 5). Putting slot machines in the airport will only jeopardize airport security, increase the cost of airport security and have a bad influence on minors by exposing them to the gambling environment. It will also distract the passengers and make them miss their flights and compete with the newly opened Maryland Live Casino just miles away from BWI. Do we want to turn BWI into a mega-gambling airport like the one in Las Vegas?

The extent of the financial liabilities of the Baltimore Grand Prix promoters is a continuing revelation, but let's face it: The race had "bad idea" written all over it from the beginning ("Papers say Grand Prix debts over $12 million," Dec. 8). Yes, the event generated some revenue for downtown hotels and restaurants, but has anyone calculated the cost to the environment? And what was the expense of tying up the downtown for months in advance and virtually shutting it down the first day of the race?

Regarding your editorial "A flawed compromise on illegal immigrant tuition" (March 8), the initial premise of your argument — that we should be educating the children of illegal aliens — is ridiculous. Since these kids are here illegally, why are we letting them into our K-12 schools in the first place? According to you, we already are spending $200,000 per kid to get these undocumented students from elementary school through high school. That money could be better spent on the law-abiding legal residents of Maryland.

As Harford County's law enforcement officials consider whether to start using cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones, they'd do well to consider not only the embarrassing experience of Baltimore City's speed camera program, but also the mixed blessing of Bel Air's red light camera program. When the Town of Bel Air first looked into putting enforcement cameras at traffic light intersections to catch and fine red light runners, it seemed like a great idea. Red light running was rampant at many intersections, and traffic accidents were the result.

Here's my take on the O'Malley-Miller gas tax: Gov. Martin O'Malley and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller had worked it out in a closed-door session that Mr. O'Malley would propose a 15-cent-a-gallon increase in the gas tax and Miller would knock it down to 10 cents. That way, everyone would feel good. But - hello? - where did that $1 billion in dedicated transportation taxes go? Answer: Both parties plundered the money for other projects. This is not about protecting Democratic or Republican turf; it's about the people you were elected to serve.

Here in Wordville, news of the discovery of a fresh superstition about language is as exciting as the discovery of a hitherto-unknown tribal society in Borneo would be to an anthropologist. And, as with the anthropological discovery, the novelty will be found to coincide with certain human universals.  A correspondent has informed Arnold Zwicky of an invented rule of grammar and usage that he had never encountered. (Nor had I.) A teacher in Germany, a Briton, solemnly informs students that " there  was used for relatively short distances,  over there  for significantly longer distances.

Unfortunately, a lot of military decisions are being made by people who have never served in combat or have had limited service ("Military ceiling lifted," Jan. 25). President Barack Obama never served in the military, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta served a brief two years in military intelligence. Not only will women in combat create all kinds of additional issues as far as personal privacy, but you are adding an undue burden to these units which is the last thing they need while in a front line situation.

When will they ever learn? Probably never. We all know social media can be a figurative stick of dynamite in the hands of angry, frustrated NFL players. Now it's pretty obvious their wives should stay away from it, too. For evidence, look no further than Wes Welker's wife and her nasty Facebook rant about Ray Lewis, which has blown up in her face and in the face of the New England Patriots' organization, too. Not dealing well -- obviously -- with the Ravens' 28-13 win over her husband's Patriots in the AFC Championship game Sunday, Anna Burns Welker wrote this on Facebook about the Ravens' legendary and soon-to-be-retired inside linebacker: "Proud of my husband and the Pats.

A stated goal of Harford County's Pedestrian Master Plan and its component that advocates for increased bicycle-friendly thoroughfares is a bit far-fetched, namely to make the county more "multi-modal" in terms of transportation options. Turning Harford County into a place where anything approaching a significant number of people can rely on bicycles as a primary mode of transportation is an idea that left the station three or four generations ago, when our ancestors got in their cars and fled cities to settle in places like Harford County.

As Harford County's law enforcement officials consider whether to start using cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones, they'd do well to consider not only the embarrassing experience of Baltimore City's speed camera program, but also the mixed blessing of Bel Air's red light camera program. When the Town of Bel Air first looked into putting enforcement cameras at traffic light intersections to catch and fine red light runners, it seemed like a great idea. Red light running was rampant at many intersections, and traffic accidents were the result.

A few years ago, it was fashionable for Democratsto describe themselves as "members of the reality-based community. " These days, it seems the foreclosure crisis has hit them so hard they've been forced to move to another neighborhood. Metaphorically, at least, they've set up a refugee camp in Charlotte this week. In this political Brigadoon, things are going well in America, so well in fact that President Barack Obama obviously deserves a second term because Americans are better off than they were four years ago, and that the Republican Party is little more than a haven for old-fashioned robber barons who think like Klansmen but dress like Mr. Monopoly.

When will they ever learn? Probably never. We all know social media can be a figurative stick of dynamite in the hands of angry, frustrated NFL players. Now it's pretty obvious their wives should stay away from it, too. For evidence, look no further than Wes Welker's wife and her nasty Facebook rant about Ray Lewis, which has blown up in her face and in the face of the New England Patriots' organization, too. Not dealing well -- obviously -- with the Ravens' 28-13 win over her husband's Patriots in the AFC Championship game Sunday, Anna Burns Welker wrote this on Facebook about the Ravens' legendary and soon-to-be-retired inside linebacker: "Proud of my husband and the Pats.

There are pros to idea Ron Fritz Baltimore Sun I used to be totally against this because I thought the Olympics should be for amateurs. But who are we kidding? Many of the Olympic "amateurs" make more in a year than you and I will make in our lifetimes. So now I'm all for NHL players, and for that matter, NBA players, representing their countries in the Olympics. I want to see the best players from each country playing against the best. And in the case of the NHL, whose season goes on in almost anonymity, any exposure gained by having your elite athletes playing on center stage in the Olympics can only help more people find the sport.

Jimmy Smith is fully aware of the expectation that in his second full season with the Ravens and in the NFL, he should be poised to emerge as a starting cornerback. And perhaps because of that sentiment, Smith shrugged off that expectation. “I'm making strides,” he said with a smile after Tuesday's practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills. “I'm still a young player, but I'm gearing towards that.” There may be some within the organization who are not as patient.

I think looking for a new commissioner outside the city police department is a very bad idea. It would not be good for the department's morale. The mayor should appoint Deputy Commissioner Anthony Barkesdale as the new commissioner because he already knows what is going on and it's a waste of money to look for someone from somewhere else who would have to learn how the department works from scratch. Gerald Yamin, Pikesville