Democratic Party

Editor: I am not surprised to see that the Harford County Teachers Union is stopping their members from getting a much deserved bonus. Once again they show that the union leadership is only interested in how they can get and control the money. I was glad to see that the non-member teachers were awarded their bonuses. When will union members realize that the union leaders are only interested in being a cash cow for the Democratic Party and President Odrama. The teachers would be much better off to resign their membership, keep the money they waste on union dues and get the bonus they deserve.

The decision of Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts to retire next year after 32 years in the House is a blow to the Democratic Party, to the cause of liberal politics and to the effort bring public responsibility to Wall Street. It's also a setback to candor, wit and the fading belief on Capitol Hill that sharp ideological and policy differences can be overcome by compromise. Mr. Frank's strength has been not only his acid tongue and in-your-face style, but also his long-held conviction that Ronald Reagan was wrong in his famous dictum that "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

Woodrow Wilson once observed: "Congress in committee is Congress at work. " But what was once a keen observation is now little more than an anachronism describing a Congress that no longer exists. In theory, the committee structure is crucial to a functioning Congress. By dividing the work among specialized "mini-congresses," the committee system allows Congress to become greater than the sum of its parts. Committees allow Congress to overcome the challenges of managing a diverse and numerous body through specialization and structure.

Our governor recently said on the radio that Maryland's redistricting process was "fair and open. " In a narrow sense, perhaps he is correct. But in a larger, sense, the governor's statement is simply not true. It's a lie intended to cover over what any reasonably well-informed citizen already knows: The redistricting process, and the proposed redistricting map, are pure power politics that have nothing to do with openness and transparency and everything to do with promoting and prolonging Democratic control.

Maryland's state leaders have redrawn the state's congressional districts yet again in an attempt to give the Democratic Party an edge. Already known for its gerrymandered districts, Maryland further contributes to the denigration of the democratic process. The problem lies in the fact that Maryland's leaders don't understand the purpose of these districts. All they care about is what party leaders tell them: "party first, state second. " These leaders, who come from both parties, care more about power than actually doing what is right.

For the current election cycle, "jobs" is the new black. It's the buzzword that transcends the left and the right. From the parties of Occupy Wall Street to the tea parties of last year, and from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party to the Worker's Party (which claims they are a right), "jobs" is the one thing everyone can agree on. Trouble is, there remains much disagreement on the creation of said jobs. With so many divergent points of view converging around jobs, it's important to understand what a job is. At its most basic, a job is a voluntary transaction between two entities — a buyer and a seller.

Congressional district lines should be based on equal populations, not their potential for partisan political gains. Looking at Maryland's proposed redistricting map clearly shows gerrymandering at its worst ("District lines draw critics," Oct. 5). Maryland is playing a game of one-upmanship: What's good for the Democratic party rather than what is good for the people of this state. I have seen my district in rural Howard County be annexed into western Baltimore City to guarantee that Republicans have no voice in Congressional elections.

I am pleased to report the sighting of an artifact so rarely seen among Democrats that it has become the stuff of legend and conjecture, like Bigfoot or theLoch Ness monster. It is called a spine. Said spine was briefly glimpsed a little over a week ago at a "jobs summit" in Inglewood, Calif., in the person of Rep. Maxine Waters. "I'm not afraid of anybody," the California Democrat said. "... And as far as I'm concerned, the 'tea party' can go straight to hell. " Her words left the Tea Party Patriots sputtering about the need to play nice.

Harford County recently announced it received two Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties for initiatives undertaken in the last year. It's kind of like the board game Risk, wherein players roll dice and move armies as they vie with fellow players to take over the world, territory by territory. It's the decennial election district reapportionment process, which began in Harford County with an unusual political skirmish. In the past, the county council district lines were drawn, as per usual based on new numbers from the latest U.S. Census, by a commission consisting of political appointees, Republicans and Democrats.

Under pressure from fellow Democrats, Del. Curt Anderson quit the otherwise solidly Republican tea party caucus Wednesday, a day after he had been named the new group's vice chairman. Members of the city delegation told the Baltimore Democrat at a hastily called delegation meeting that he had "embarrassed" and "hurt" them by joining a group that one called "a subset of the Republican Party. " They demanded that Anderson quit the caucus or step down as leader of the delegation.