Job Creation

Newark Mayor Cory Booker was wrong and President Barack Obama is right: Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital deserves closer scrutiny by voters. Whether a brief television ad accomplishes this is another matter. Presidential campaigns are seldom pretty. And this year's race is certain to be worse than most. The rise of super PAC spending and the prospect of tens of millions of dollars spent pounding on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's more inflammatory sermons or the creation of more websites devoted to the plight of the Romney family dog are especially depressing thoughts.

Maryland has hosted 1,775 clinical trials for new medicines targeting six major chronic diseases since 1999, including 369 that are still in the early stages of recruiting patients, according to a study by two pharmaceutical industry groups released Friday. The report assessed the economic impact of clinical trials in the state, noting that the industry helped support 81,000 jobs, total employee salaries of $1.9 billion and $71 million in Maryland taxes as of 2008. More than half of the continuing clinical trials in the state are occurring in Baltimore, at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University, the report found.

A report last year that Maryland ranked last in the nation for job creation over the previous 12 months deserves a response ("Maryland ranks last in job creation," June 18). Let's get rid of the Baltimore Development Corporation, the Maryland Economic Development Group, and any public or quasi-public group in this state that has business development in its charter. Think of all the millions of dollars we could save to put to better use, such as lowering the personal and corporate tax rates here.

Democrat businessman John Delaney won the endorsement of President Bill Clinton on Monday in his bid for Maryland's 6th Congressional District. Clinton's endorsement is a significant one for the Potomac financier, who has widely been seen as having less institutional Democratic support in the competitive race than his leading opponent, state Sen. Rob Garagiola. The announcement also comes as Garagiola's campaign has questioned Delaney's loyalty to the party, noting a political contribution to Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris in 2010.

Given that in 2011 Maryland ranked last in job creation and 44 t h in having a business-friendly environment, some response is required. We could start by getting rid of the Baltimore Development Corporation, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, and any other public or quasi-public group that has business development in its charter. Think of all the millions of dollars we could save and put to better use, like lowering the personal and corporate tax rates here.

Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley played surrogate for the Obama administration Sunday morning, appearing on CNN's State of the Union to offer his views on the GOP presidential nomination fight, the president's chances for re-election and the economy. O'Malley was paired with Republican Gov. Robert McDonnell of Virginia for the roughly 10 minute piece. Each chairs his respective party's governors association. O'Malley had the in-studio advantage, sitting across the table from CNN host Candy Crowley.

Gov. Martin O'Malley says his goal for the 2012 legislative session is "job creation. " The real goal is much simpler: more government spending to benefit his most diehard political supporters and those in the construction community who benefit largely from government contracting. This is political payback to the teachers unions - which have generously contributed money and warm bodies to his campaigns - dressed up as job creation. He wants the legislature to approve $372 million in funds to build new public schools.

- Federal regulations intended to clean the Chesapeake Bay will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in construction and monitoring, according to a report to be released Tuesday by a leading environmental group. Spending on sewage and storm-water treatment alone could support about 230,000 jobs in the region over the next 14 years, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation report found. That spending will be necessary to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements to reduce pollution in the bay. The report comes as a debate rages in Washington over whether environmental and other regulations hurt the economy.

Cities are like gardens; we cannot command their growth ("The mayor's mission," Dec. 11). Families, like plants, need good soil in which to put down roots and flourish. The "good soil" of Baltimore has always been its churches and synagogues. These provided the moral and spiritual center around which families lived, neighborhoods grew and developed. Everything else - school improvement, crime reduction, entrepreneur investment, job creation, sanitation, family structure and functioning - depends on this moral and spiritual ground which, by the way, is not primarily the job of government.

Sorry, Virginia, there is no contractual sanity clause for those who serve in Congress. Once again, the clock is ticking for Washington to fashion a compromise over legislation that would both stimulate the economy and provide tax relief to middle-class Americans. President Barack Obama's proposed payroll tax reduction sure would make a nice Christmas gift (or New Year's Eve surprise), but how many of us expect to take delivery within the next 30 days? If recent history is any guide, probably not too many - even among the most optimistic young Virginias of the world.