Government

Up to half of sexually active young people will get a sexually transmitted disease by the time they are 25, yet many don't seek testing because it may be difficult, costly or embarrassing. Public health officials nationally and in particularly affected cities like Baltimore, however, say they've found a method that seems to address the major hurdles — a website that supplies free in-home testing kits for three of the most commonly reported STDs. "The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we had to reach these kids," said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Maryland for years benefited from its close proximity to the nation's capital, but the mandatory federal spending cuts called sequestration will be a drag on the state's economy for the next couple of years, said the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. "This retrenchment at the federal government level ... is tough this year. We are still finding out what the dimensions of this are," said Jeffrey Lacker, the Fed president. Despite the pain, the spending cuts are needed for the long-term fiscal health of the country, he added.

When people run for office, they solicit and receive campaign contributions from people in many lines of work. It can cost a lot of money to run for public office. But what are the expectations once the election is over? Is it realistic to expect someone who makes a major contribution to a candidate to stand back for four years and expect that elected official to do what the contributor thinks is the right thing? Is it OK for the office holder to meet regularly with the contributor to review legislation that directly affects the contributor?

Last month, I received emails from two people I know but who don't know each other: one a close friend and Second Amendment supporter, and the other a regular reader who sends me news items she believes the "liberal media" are willfully suppressing. Each sent me a story link about recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchases of huge stockpiles of ammunition, including hollow-point bullets. A Forbes.com column penned by Larry Bell, replete with conspiratorial overtones, suggested that the Obama administration is up-arming itself while trying to disarm the citizenry.

I find it unbelievable that the cost for the 2010 census is estimated at just under $15 billion. A quick calculation shows that the cost translates to almost $50 per U.S. citizen. In this day of number crunching and data mining, this per capita cost seems excessive. I am sure if this process were placed under bid by private contractors, a less costly and more efficient process would ensue. This government endeavor only provides fodder for those who condemn government services. Chris Shane, Towson

Dan Rodricks wonders why Americans are angry and what they want ("Angry Americans: What do you want?" Oct. 5). They want responsible government that addresses are nation's debt, energy, entitlement and immigration issues. They do not want a government that has time to bring comedians to Washington to testify on the issues of the day. They do not want to subside their neighbors cars (Cash for Clunkers, $8 billion) homes (mortgage assistance $75 billion) or healthcare (Obamacare $1 trillion)

No second chances Bill Shaikin Los Angeles Times No. Roger Clemens essentially was charged with failing to play by the rules. The justice system cannot work properly if people do not tell the truth, and Clemens was alleged to have lied — at great risk, because the government would not have prosecuted him for illegal use of steroids but would prosecute for perjury. However, the government has to play by the rules too. It is difficult to believe the prosecutors intentionally defied a judge's order, but they nonetheless failed to play by the rules.

I was glad to see Dan Rodricks mention Congress as a culprit in his column about economic inequality ("Millionaires versus millennials," Nov. 15). Not just Wall Street but both political parties will have to be held accountable if the "99 percent" expect to see any progress. As I wrote in a recent letter to U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Maryland seems to have a multitude of rules, regulations and other methods to deny poor people the help they need. I say this from first hand experience, having lived below the poverty level the past two years.

Please stop repeating the Republicans' lie about distrusting government ("Obama's downsized ambitions," Sept. 9). The Republican party loves government, as long as it does what they approve of - like sending armies to the other side of the world, subsidizing farmers and corporations, and enforcing morality laws. The only government they hate is the one that helps ordinary citizens and prevents corporations from poisoning the air and water for profit. B. Lawrence Hurlbut

I am a classic FDR liberal. I believe government (at least in domestic policy) has been a force for good. President Roosevelt put in place economic institutions such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, which provided the stability for our post World War II economic boom. He saw that only big federal government could be a countervailing force against the excess risks taken by big business. In 1980 Roland Regan sold us on the premise that government is the problem, that it is an impediment to the creative energies of private enterprise.

Sandy Apgar, an erstwhile pretender to being a public servant during the Clinton era, enthusiastically recommends that Maryland fall into the public-private partnership trap along with benighted states like Virginia ("The future of infrastructure," May 9). I'd like to know how inviting the pork farmers to engage in policy-making and priority-setting to increase the price of pork is going to benefit Mr. Apgar's "taxpayers. " I'm one of those taxpayers; the fat-cat corporations Mr. Apgar would woo with my money, not so much, according to the COST figures columnist Dan Rodricks cites in his column about CEO whining ("Complaining CEOs need to take a hike," May 9)

As a taxpayer and a voter, I am sick and tired of government agencies that do not get audited every year when they are spending my money. After working in the private sector for 45 years and having the ability to spend company money, I know how important it is to be accountable when spending others' money. Why is it OK for these government agencies not to have the same respect for my money? Joe Heming Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

The chemical and fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, where at least 15 were killed and more than 200 injured a few weeks ago hadn't been fully inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 1985. (A partial inspection by a different agency in 2011 resulted in $5,250 in fines.) OSHA and its state partners have a total of 2,200 inspectors charged with ensuring the safety of more than 8 million workplaces employing 130 million workers. That comes to about one inspector for every 59,000 American workers.

Companies supplying components for the nuclear power industry are located throughout the United States, including a number in Maryland. These manufacturing firms have developed businesses providing components and equipment required for the maintenance and upkeep of the 104 operating reactors in the U.S. Unfortunately for them, the domestic market is expanding at a very low rate. Currently in the U.S., ground has been broken for five new reactors. These supplying firms would benefit if allowed to participate in the growing international market.

There has been much in the news following the end of the 2013 General Assembly session about Gov. Martin O'Malley's "Rain Tax. " This law was actually passed in 2012, and at the time I called it the worst bill passed that year. It forces Maryland's "metro" counties to enact a tax on the amount of impervious surface people have on their property. The statewide amount of the tax could reach into the billions. The reason it catapulted into the news in recent weeks was a failed attempt to pass legislation delaying the implementation of this tax for two years.

Baltimore County is preparing to sell three taxpayer-owned properties to private developers, but members of the public won't know all the details of what they're planning until officials make a decision. County leaders said last week they would not release proposals for the North Point Government Center in Dundalk, the Towson fire station, and a police substation in Randallstown after The Baltimore Sun filed a Public Information Act request. Don Mohler, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz's chief of staff, said the county wants to keep the documents under wraps so that the procurement process is "devoid of any kind of external pressure.

Would someone please tell Gov.Martin O'Malleythat I'm already sharing the wealth - with the federal government. Leonard Magsamen, Nottingham

The government hasn't screwed up medical services delivery enough? Let's have politicians determine the appropriateness of stent placements. And after that, we can let the legislature read our X-rays. Thomas F. McDonough, Towson

Reading about the rain water tax, I see that government buildings do not have to pay this tax. The government evidently knows how to keep their runoff from causing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Why not tell the rest of us their secret so we can keep our rain water from being contaminated and the Bay will quickly become pristine clean? Believe that and I'll tell you another one. Mary Chesney Schwind Cockeysville

The government's handling of the sequester is a perfect example of how inept it is ("Lawmakers ease airline delays," April 27). A business would lay off employees who are not essential to its operations. The government lays off the air traffic controllers and keeps the back office people who supposedly are supporting them. This is absurd, but it's how an inefficient, poorly managed organization operates. I wonder how many other layoffs are comparable. Operating in this manner will increase the deficit, not reduce it. Meanwhile, the government is doubling the interest on student loans.