Fees

If Gov. Martin O'Malley refuses to veto the bloated taxes and fees legislation, it will prove that Maryland has become the kind of tyrannical government our Founding Fathers escaped to America to avoid. We came to America to be free, not to be taxed to death. Ken J. Bower, Edgewood

With Maryland's proposed licensing fees for growing and selling medical marijuana among the highest in the nation, some advocates warn that the steep costs could drive off applicants, crippling the nascent program and limiting access to treatment for tens of thousands of state residents. Prospective medical marijuana growers would have to pay $125,000 a year for a two-year license, while dispensaries would have to pay $40,000 a year, according to the recommendations of a state commission.

Funny how Gov. Martin O'Malley used an anti-fee campaign to defeat Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — only to see his Democratic allies in the House of Delegates steamroll the state into more fees than ever before. This proves that the governor and the Democrats in the 2011 General Assembly don't care about overburdened Marylanders or feel the pain these high fees would cause. These fees were not "tough choices. " Raising fees was the stupidest onslaught against Maryland citizens in the history of the state.

City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young called Monday for a hearing on whether the city should charge passengers a fee to ride the Charm City Circulator, the popular bus service that now connects more than 4 million Baltimoreans and visitors to work, school and entertainment in the city for free. Young wants to review the $7 million annual cost of running the service and determine whether the city can afford it. But his suggestion of charging $1 a trip drew criticism from riders and others.

Jeers to the Baltimore City Council members who put big business ahead of the citizens of Baltimore ("Ticketmaster fees could be unlimited with proposed law," July 3). The excuses given for gutting the Ticketmaster fee bill are pathetic. "Baltimore may lose talent. " Maybe we won't! "There is a market for the service fees. " It's a monopoly! It's not as if the citizens can shop around as to whom we want to purchase tickets from. I do go to the box office to save the service charges when it is feasible, but that isn't always the case.

Re "Ehrlich pledges no new taxes if he is returned to Annapolis" (Aug. 26): If Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is returned to office, maybe he should reduce the "fees" that he increased. Roger L. Kegley, Abingdon

Mandating a runoff fee that is the same for all homeowners in a jurisdiction is patently inequitable taxation ("Fees statewide proposed to cut runoff pollution," Mar. 3). There is no justification for charging the same amount for a large property in Mt. Washington or Roland Park and a small one in Pigtown that might have less than a tenth the area. No matter how small the fee, it is unjustly applied. It would make far more sense to make a minor addition to the property assessment worksheet and generate the needed revenue for runoff remediation through a calculation that bears some rational relationship to the size and physical characteristics of the properties producing runoff.

How fitting to read about the extra fees charged from Ticketmaster just as my newspaper included a "code" to use when ordering tickets for Ringling Brothers Circus ("A chance to break free of Ticketmaster," Feb. 26). The code didn't work on their site so I called Ticketmaster. At first we thought the code wouldn't go into effect until Sunday but an agent double checked and said there was no such code. I then went back on the computer to the Ticketmaster site to see how much tickets would be without The Sun code.

Reporter Annie Linskey is right to characterize the last-minute budget deal that allows Maryland auto dealers to double and triple the processing fees they charge buyers as "a giveaway to car dealers" ("Businesses see breaks from General Assembly," April 18). That giveaway will be a serious blow to Maryland consumers, however, because they will foot the bill for the $100 million windfall the fee hike brings to the state's car dealers next year. As our economy struggles to emerge from the worst recession of the last 70 years, many low- and moderate-income Marylanders are struggling to afford the cars they need to find jobs, obtain child care and travel to the places that offer products at affordable prices.

Isn't the governor supposed to represent the views of the constituents who elected him to office? The governor is opposed to the death penalty, so no murderers have been executed. Does that represent the wishes of the majority of Marylanders? The governor is for in-state tuition for illegals, which the majority of Marylanders are against. UnderMartin O'Malley's administration, we have seen increases in our taxes, tolls and fees. Now this man wants to add more to the already-high cost of gasoline.

Running a medical marijuana operation could cost each grower more than $125,000 a year in fees, a sum so steep some officials believe it may shut out small businesses. Maryland's medical marijuana commission is tentatively proposing that fee for each of the 15 potential growers envisioned for the state's new program. The panel also is recommending a $40,000-a-year charge for dispensaries, according to a draft plan expected to be released for public comment Wednesday. Those license fees - atop as much as $6,000 in application fees - would finance the state's nascent medical marijuana program.

Environmentalists will team up Saturday to build support for a 5-cent plastic bag fee in Baltimore by handing out reusable bags and taking part in a citywide cleanup effort. Blue Water Baltimore, Waterfront Partnership, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Trash Free Maryland Alliance, Clean Water Action and volunteers will fan out across Baltimore to pick up litter in a show of support for legislation introduced by Councilman James B. Kraft that would impose a fee on most plastic bags distributed in the city.

For more than 30 years, John Astle has walked from his downtown Annapolis home to the State House, representing his friends and neighbors in Maryland's General Assembly. He's so well-known in the capital that he's frequently stopped on the street, whether by someone just saying hello or someone offering political concerns to the longtime Democratic senator. Astle hopes to keep doing the people's work for at least four more years. Standing in his way is Republican Don Quinn, a political newcomer who is young enough to be Astle's son. As Astle works to remind voters of his experience and connections at the State House, Quinn is offering himself as a fresh new face.

Arnold Center The following activities will be offered at the Arnold Senior Activity Center, 44 Church Road. Information: 410-222-1922: Scrabble Challenge your brain by playing Scrabble, 12:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays. New participants are welcome. Cultural Influences of Motown with instructor Nat Martin meets from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursdays. Registration and fees required. 19th-Century French Painters with instructor Deb Boudra meets from 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays.

More than two dozen of Dr. Nikita Levy's former patients have filed an objection to a $190 million class-action settlement over the Johns Hopkins gynecologist's malpractice. The plaintiffs cited an "excessive legal fee" requested by the lawyers who negotiated the settlement and a lack of clarity regarding the amount each patient would receive, according to the objection. The settlement - one of the largest ever of its kind - was announced in July, five months after investigators found more than 1,300 videos and images, surreptitiously recorded during pelvic exams, in Levy's home and office.

A bill that would have increased hunting and trapping fees in Maryland was defeated on the House floor Monday evening after a spirited floor debate. Members of the House GOP, who are vastly outnumbered in the chamber, cheered when the red votes when up on the board. "We shot the hunting lic fee increase bill DEAD!" tweeted Del. Kathy Szeliga, a Republican who represents Baltimore and Harford counties. "We won one," tweeted Del. Justin Ready, of Baltimore and Carroll counties. The legislation that came to the floor would have increased a resident hunting fee from $25 to $40. The trapping license would have gone from $25.50 to $40. The fees sparked anger from hunters when they were first proposed by the Department of Natural Resources earlier this year.

Republican lawmakers marked Monday's hikes in fees, gas taxes and tolls in Maryland by protesting what they called a "virtual downpour" of increases that they blamed on Gov. Martin O'Malley. As a result of legislation backed by O'Malley and passed by the General Assembly this year, the state's tax on gasoline increased 3.5 cents a gallon -- the first of several phased-in increases between now and 2016. In addition, the second phase of a toll increase adopted by the Maryland Transportation Authority in 2011 went into effect Monday.