Government Support

A month ago, the University System of Maryland was set to hit students with another round of stiff tuition increases, in some cases at more than twice the rate of inflation.But this time, the Board of Regents' express ran into a roadblock when The Sun published a story about the plan the day before the regents were to vote on it.Gov. Parris N. Glendening and other state leaders can read. They also know where the votes are. In one day, they forced the regents to delay action on the increases until their October meeting Friday in Frostburg.

Are Carroll County voters ready for charter government?Support appears to be building for a change to an executive-county council form of government, but twice, in 1968 and 1992, the county has overwhelmingly rejected attempts to replace the county's commissioner form of government.Charter supporters think the third time could be the charm. Although they failed four years ago, they say support for an executive-county council form of government has increased among voters."I think because it was much closer last time, it could pass," said Commissioner Richard T. Yates, who was a member of a group that drafted the 1992 charter.

LOST IN THE hoopla over the balanced federal budget projected for the year 2002 is an obvious but much-avoided question: Why have the richest people who ever lived been so comically unable to pay their bills?For this is not Paraguay, after all, or some other impoverished nation, struggling to live within limited means. This is the United States of America, 1997 -- the wealthiest nation that has ever existed.Despite self-pitying portraits of "the first generation to have less than its parents," the fact is that Americans have material resources unmatched in the history of life on the planet.

Apple has gone on a very public tax strike. Months after reporting the second-highest quarterly profits in U.S. history, America's favorite company is refusing to bring home more than $60 billion of offshore funds in protest of the taxes it would have to pay. Apple paints its predicament as unfair. Yet Apple's funds did not build up offshore because its iPhones, iPads and Macs are so much more popular overseas than they are at home. Though more than two-thirds of its retail stores are in the United States and Apple sells more products in the U.S. than in any other nation, it reports to shareholders that it made 24 cents in pre-tax profit for every dollar of sales in the United States, compared to 36 cents profit on every dollar of sales abroad.

In 2009, Congress passed legislation reversing the decades-old ban on the use of federal funding for syringe exchange but, for unclear reasons, in late 2011, it reversed this decision, again withholding federal funding from programs that provide drug users with sterile needles and syringes. This month, Congress approved the health spending budget for the rest of this fiscal year without lifting the ban. This lack of action worsens public health problems, makes our communities less safe, and increases future financial burdens on taxpayers.

Gov. Martin O'Malley Monday announced something that had been widely known in Baltimore at least for the last two weeks: That the Netflix series "House of Cards" was back in town to film its second season. The White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington Saturday night opened with a spoof featuring Kevin Spacey that was filmed on the "House of Cards" set. And crew members have been working for the last two weeks inside the Baltimore Sun building on Calvert Street rebuilding the "House of Cards" newsroom set. But principal photography on the the second season officially started today, according to the Maryland Film Office.

With the primaries in full swing, the cowboy poetry festival and Big Bird have returned to the news. The Nevada festival is the most recent whipping boy for those who oppose government funding of the arts. Mitt Romney joined this chorus by suggesting that, in his administration, "Big Bird is going to have advertisements," meaning that he would advocate using advertising revenue to replace government funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Similarly, Mr. Romney suggested that the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities seek private philanthropy to replace their government funding.

A United Nations Protection Force plane was shot at durin takeoff from SARAJEVO airport and one person on board was wounded. The Ukrainian aircraft was the only plane to land at the airport since it was closed Thursday after three U.N. aid aircraft were shot at in two days.Russia's foreign minister has offered assurances that his country will support a plan to punish the Serbs for rejecting a settlement in Bosnia, Secretary of State Warren Christopher said. Bosnia's prime minister reaffirmed his government's support for the plan and urged the plan's sponsors to punish Serbs if they don't go along.

Jay Davidson's call for additional government support for the Baltimore Grand Prix ("Grand Prix needs more from city," Dec. 4) begs for a response. He confesses to naivete, poor management practices and heeding bad advice from consultants but believes the problem is the need for additional financial considerations from the city government. It is nowhere apparent that there was a realistic business plan for this event, a plan based on the least favorable results and budgeted accordingly.

A study requested by the Maryland Technology Development Corp. found that stem cell research in the state supports 514 local jobs with an average salary of $64,000. The economic impact study by Sage Policy Group Inc., released Monday, also said that Maryland's Stem Cell Research Fund helps generate $71.3 million in business sales in the state. The corporation administers the research fund. The analysis also found that Maryland's stem cell industry was able to return nearly $3 million to state and local government through support of income generation, retail activity and property tax payments.