Boondoggle

Why can't we all just agree that we have been fleeced by the Baltimore Grand Prix and move on ("Md. warns it may seize Grand Prix firm's assets," Nov. 22)? The taxpayers once again have been betrayed by their elected leaders and will probably have to foot the bill. This will go down as just another Baltimore embarrassment like former City Council President Walter "Wally" Orlinsky's giant bicentennial cake that was wiped out by a rain storm! C.D. Wilmer, Baltimore

If the teacher pensions are transferred to the counties, the real losers are the taxpayers of Maryland ("A costly breakthrough," March 13). The state is in debt and can't meet it's commitments. One of its solutions is to transfer teacher pension costs. The counties, of course, do not have the money to pay for them either. Ergo, while Gov.Martin O'Malleycan claim he's balancing the budget and not raising taxes even higher, the counties will have to raise taxes to pay the pensions.

If the teacher pensions are transferred to the counties, the real losers are the taxpayers of Maryland ("A costly breakthrough," March 13). The state is in debt and can't meet it's commitments. One of its solutions is to transfer teacher pension costs. The counties, of course, do not have the money to pay for them either. Ergo, while Gov.Martin O'Malleycan claim he's balancing the budget and not raising taxes even higher, the counties will have to raise taxes to pay the pensions.

Why can't we all just agree that we have been fleeced by the Baltimore Grand Prix and move on ("Md. warns it may seize Grand Prix firm's assets," Nov. 22)? The taxpayers once again have been betrayed by their elected leaders and will probably have to foot the bill. This will go down as just another Baltimore embarrassment like former City Council President Walter "Wally" Orlinsky's giant bicentennial cake that was wiped out by a rain storm! C.D. Wilmer, Baltimore

Thank you, Marta H. Mossburg, for your column pointing out that Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan for curbing sprawl in Maryland is just a boondoggle to reverse a trend that has been going on since the 1950s ("Governor, don't tell us where to live," Nov. 9). It is a trend that is a choice of the people. I was a member of the blue collar working class before I retired. My wife and I were one of the few Dundalk households before the last election that had an O'Malley sign in the lawn. And now we regret it. Mr. O'Malley is trying to reverse the will of the people.

Let me see if I have this right. We are going to pay $60 million for a solar project at Mount Saint Mary's University for which the kilowatt hour rate is "well-above current cost" ("Largest solar power project under way," Sept. 30). The solar panels may well be made in Malaysia or Germany, and a grand total of two permanent workers will be added to the payroll? I'm no rocket scientist, but I can divide $60 million by 2 employees and figure out the latest boondoggle promoted by Gov. Martin O'Malley is costing $30 million per employee.

FAITHFUL READERS know about a $2 billion federal boondoggle called the Javits-Wagner- O'Day program, which pays peanuts to disabled people working on no-bid government contracts, enriches nonprofit executives and operates with little oversight or control. Last year, the government showed signs of seeing the problem and reacting. Responding to articles in The Sun and nationwide efforts to improve corporate governance, the little agency that runs Javits-Wagner proposed strict executive salary limits for nonprofit organizations getting the contracts as well as requirements for the groups to name audit committees, disclose business relationships with trustees, change trustees regularly and publish board minutes.

President Barack Obama signed legislation last week to more than triple the number of Ameri-Corps members, from 75,000 to 250,000. Mr. Obama declared that the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act is about "connecting deeds to needs." Paying people on false pretenses to do unnecessary things is the soul of AmeriCorps. Since President Bill Clinton created this program in 1993, politicians have endlessly touted its recruits as volunteers toiling selflessly for the common good. But most AmeriCorps members go on to work for government agencies or nonprofit groups; their AmeriCorps gig is more of a career steppingstone than an act of financial sacrifice.

Bloomsbury Square a city boondoggle Trudy McFall, chair of the Annapolis Housing Authority board, is contemplating changing the name of the troubled Bloomsbury Square Housing complex to "be more historically correct." Nobody wants to rehash the errors in judgment and bad ideas that accompanied this project from the beginning, but historical accuracy would dictate that we rename the project "Boondoggle Square." It would serve as a reminder to the politicians that good financial times come and go, but they should always spend the citizens' money wisely.

IF YOU HAVEN'T seen the U.S. Capitol for awhile, a trip there now will be quite a shock. The view from the east side, where the Supreme Court sits, has been almost completely obscured. Wooden barriers hide earth-movers digging a hole three-fourths the size of the Capitol itself. The ostensible purpose of this massive, three-year construction project, which could cost taxpayers as much as $1 billion, is to create a visitors center that will make a tour of the Capitol "more accessible, comfortable, secure and informative for all."

Thank you, Marta H. Mossburg, for your column pointing out that Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan for curbing sprawl in Maryland is just a boondoggle to reverse a trend that has been going on since the 1950s ("Governor, don't tell us where to live," Nov. 9). It is a trend that is a choice of the people. I was a member of the blue collar working class before I retired. My wife and I were one of the few Dundalk households before the last election that had an O'Malley sign in the lawn. And now we regret it. Mr. O'Malley is trying to reverse the will of the people.

Let me see if I have this right. We are going to pay $60 million for a solar project at Mount Saint Mary's University for which the kilowatt hour rate is "well-above current cost" ("Largest solar power project under way," Sept. 30). The solar panels may well be made in Malaysia or Germany, and a grand total of two permanent workers will be added to the payroll? I'm no rocket scientist, but I can divide $60 million by 2 employees and figure out the latest boondoggle promoted by Gov. Martin O'Malley is costing $30 million per employee.

Nero played fiddle while Rome burned. Sheila Dixon teetered on stilettos, wrapped in mink, with glossy lips paid for by someone else, while the city crumbled around her. We already know the disgraced former mayor stole gift cards from poor people and hit up her developer boyfriend for haute couture. But thanks to Fox 45, we also know she billed the city's few remaining taxpayers more than $11,000 for makeup, including days before she resigned to save her $83,000-per-year pension from the limp handshake of justice.

It's never too early to smother a really, really bad transportation project. These things take on a life of their own if they're allowed to progress too far, and before you know it you're being tossed out of your home so that folks who freely chose to live in outer suburbia can race home in congestion-free comfort to down their dinner a little earlier in the evening. That's apparently the plan for 251 families who live along the Interstate 270 corridor in Montgomery and Frederick counties.

President Barack Obama signed legislation last week to more than triple the number of Ameri-Corps members, from 75,000 to 250,000. Mr. Obama declared that the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act is about "connecting deeds to needs." Paying people on false pretenses to do unnecessary things is the soul of AmeriCorps. Since President Bill Clinton created this program in 1993, politicians have endlessly touted its recruits as volunteers toiling selflessly for the common good. But most AmeriCorps members go on to work for government agencies or nonprofit groups; their AmeriCorps gig is more of a career steppingstone than an act of financial sacrifice.

News item: The offseason is heading into its second month, and the Orioles have given little indication whether they will (a) sign Mark Teixeira or A.J. Burnett; (b) get a contract extension completed with Nick Markakis; or (c) trade or re-sign Brian Roberts. My take : The natives are understandably restless, but it's still early. Andy MacPhail came here with a reputation for being a deliberate, careful administrator. Now he's under fire for not falling into the same kind of knee-jerk, reactionary mind-set that got the Orioles into this mess.

Housing Commissioner Daniel P. Henson III's unilateral decision to cancel "heat days" is sure to cause much grumbling among the 430 Housing Authority maintenance workers who no longer can quit -- with pay -- every time the temperature reaches 90 degrees by noon and humidity registers at least 55 percent.Let them grumble.If there is any scandal in Mr. Henson's decision, it is in the fact that this extraordinary featherbedding clause was allowed to exist for 30 years without any whistle blower making a big stink about it earlier.

County Council chairman Paul R. Farragut fought unsuccessfully Monday to stop what he called a $1.1 million financial boondoggle -- the connection of North Chatham Road to U.S. 40.Had Farragut prevailed, it would have been the first time the council had stopped a capitalproject after appropriating money for it.The fact that $730,000 had been authorized previously and nearly $100,000 already spent was cited by the four other council members asa compelling reason...

Two-term Del. Bobby A. Zirkin says he is seeking higher office to continue his efforts to reform the state's juvenile justice system. Physician Scott Rifkin says he has a plan to reduce health care costs that includes the creation of a statewide surgeon general's office. As they run for a seat in the state Senate, Zirkin and Rifkin have been campaigning for months to get their messages out in what is perhaps the most hard-fought race this year in Baltimore County.

Wriggle your toes in that glistening white sand, holiday fun seekers, and take a good long look at the mesmerizing vistas off Maryland's pretty piece of the Atlantic Coast. They may not be available much longer. A powerful coalition of lawmakers seeking to remove the federal ban on offshore oil and gas drilling won a key victory in the House last week, heightening pressure on the Senate to approve something similar. Anyone inspired by the high cost of gas to think opening the nation's coastal reserves is a good idea should hear Western Maryland Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett argue otherwise.