Jobs

Gov. Martin O'Malley returned to the national stage Sunday after a Democratic National Convention speech that received tepid reviews, facing off with Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt over job creation and women's issues on CNN. Questioned by CNN's Candy Crowley, O'Malley defended President Obama's handling of the U.S. economy, asserting that employment is now greater than it was when the president took office. He said job creation could have been more robust if Republicans hadn't blocked Obama's jobs creation legislation in Congress.

John Root, and those of his ilk, who are opposing the proposed State Department Training Facility in Ruthsburg, are erecting one straw man after another to attempt to justify what is, at it's heart, NIMBYism at its worst (Readers respond, Jan. 26). Does Mr. Root bemoan the Glen Burnization of the Kent Island/Grasonville corridor? I think not. He probably welcomes it because it keeps his taxes lower. There are plenty of historical places in this area that have been affected by development.

During the recent Republican National Convention, the talking heads were all a twitter about Clint Eastwood's rambling speech and whether or not Rep. Paul Ryan lied about President Barack Obama's promise to save a GM plant in Wisconsin. We have now witnessed another choreographed extravaganza performed at the Democratic National Convention with more meaningless analyses by the beltway pundits. Rhetoric will not solve our problems, and neither party is willing to address the cruel reality that over the last 40 years we have allowed the nation's industrial base to be hollowed out to provide high corporate profits from foreign manufacturing by U.S. companies and low cost imported goods, which gave a temporary shot of economic adrenaline to the consumer economy.

About 160 clerical associates will lose their jobs by the end of this year at Johns Hopkins Hospital as it transitions to an electronic medical support system, including patient records and order entry. A spokesman said the medical system is trying to find new positions for affected employees in areas where jobs are being created, including in the new clinical building. Seventeen employees have found spots so far. Hopkins also began offering paid training opportunities for clerical associates last December.

Maryland employers added 9,800 jobs in September, a gain that came almost entirely from the private sector, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated Friday. The state's unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent from 7.1 percent in August, the agency said. The large increase in jobs — coming as most of the country saw growth — is the second gain in a row after five months of losses in the state, according to the Labor Department's preliminary estimates. Chesapeake Compost Works in Baltimore, which opened this month with its first two employees, didn't contribute to the improving unemployment picture in September.

When the votes from the 6th Congressional District were counted last week, John Delaney didn't just become Maryland's newest House member. He also became the state's newest employer. And as Delaney and his fellow members of the congressional Class of 2012 now head to Capitol Hill for freshman orientation, they'll also be reviewing resumes, interviewing job candidates and hiring the staff members whose work can be the difference between their success or failure in Washington. Every two years, Election Day marks the end of the campaign season and the start of a hiring frenzy, as dozens of new members choose from among thousands of candidates to fill highly coveted staff positions.

Former Orioles interim manager Juan Samuel is getting plenty of attention from teams with managerial vacancies. Samuel, who guided the Orioles to a 17-34 record this season after he replaced the fired Dave Trembley , will likely interview for both the Pittsburgh Pirates' and Milwaukee Brewers' managerial jobs. Those became vacant when John Russell and Ken Macha were let go. Neither interview has been set up, but Samuel has had discussions with both clubs about his interest in the jobs.

Payment and marketing services company Harland Clarke says it will cut 125 jobs at its Glen Burnie facility, leaving 70 to 80 employees there as it moves printing and production work out of state. The company expects the reductions will begin this summer and end in June 2013. Employees will be encouraged to apply for positions elsewhere in the San Antonio-based company but will be eligible for transition assistance and severance packages if they can't find a good fit, spokeswoman Donna Hinkelman said.

President Barack Obama is initiating an "Insourcing American Jobs" dialogue with top business leaders. The latter are always looking for tax breaks and special benefits, and this could quickly degenerate into pleas for special treatment - whereas creating the best overall environment for all private investment would best foster growth and jobs. Huge losses in Washington's equity stake in GM illustrate that government-financed jobs are too expensive. Fiascos like Solyndra and other ill-fated energy projects prove yet again that businesses, not bureaucrats, have the fine-grain information and financial acumen to make the right bets: investments that create new products, advance established industries and multiply jobs, not merely pay politicians' debts to campaign supporters.