EXPLORE
August 11, 2011
Regarding Howard County Executive Ken Ulman's recent criticism of the Board of Education as "dysfunctional," I respectfully disagree. As one often outspoken member of the board, I will be the first to acknowledge that current board members possess varied and often profoundly different opinions on how to best carry out the mandate of our citizens. That said, I view the diversity of opinion on the board as a strength, not a "dysfunction. " The current board has consistently worked within tight budget constraints to address a wide variety of critical issues impacting Howard County's children, the treasures for whom we board members are stewards, and ever mindful of protecting our frequently overlooked but most essential asset: Howard County's public school classroom teachers and support staff.
NEWS
March 11, 2011
As we continue another year of debate over in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, complete with the legal and moral issues, I wish to suggest to our representatives in the state legislature a different approach. Why not propose a bill creating a partnership between Maryland and the federal government that would mandate that each non-resident student complete, as part of his or her college or technical school admission, the requirements for U.S. citizenship? Trained naturalization instructors certified by the United States government would educate students in the requirements of gaining citizenship.
NEWS
February 10, 2011
If there is any lesson to be drawn from Baltimore City Democratic Del. Curt Anderson's quixotic foray into the House of Delegates Tea Party Caucus, it is this: Cynicism and the pursuit of political self-interest are alive and well in Annapolis. Veteran lawmakers like to talk about a time when Republicans and Democrats fought ferociously during the election season but then put partisan politics behind them when the time came to govern. If that was ever really true, it is certainly not now. Mr. Anderson has something of a point in his explanation for why he, a fairly liberal Democrat and head of the city's very liberal House delegation, would join a group that takes its name from the strongest force in contemporary conservative politics.
NEWS
By Thomas F. Schaller | October 4, 2010
Last week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg dipped his toe in Maryland's political waters to bestow his blessing upon Gov. Martin O'Malley's re-election bid. A day later, the National Rifle Association announced its backing for 1st District Congressman Frank Kratovil, one of the most endangered House Democrats in the country. What should we make of the impact of these developments? Not much, frankly. The endorsements may help Messrs. O'Malley and Kratovil a little. But their electoral fates will not be determined by endorsements — and, in any event, there won't be many political surprises in Maryland this November.
NEWS
January 28, 2010
Much has been written in praise of former U.S. Sen. Charles "Mac" Mathias Jr. since his death Monday from complications of Parkinson's disease, and all of it is deserved. As much as anyone who has represented this state in Congress, the Republican from Frederick exhibited a fierce independent streak and a keen disinterest in partisan politics. The 87-year-old left behind an impressive legacy: three terms in the U.S. Senate and four in the U.S. House of Representatives, a strong record in civil rights, a willingness to buck his party's increasingly influential conservative wing, a place on Richard Nixon's enemies list, opposition to the Vietnam War. Marylanders loved him for his thoughtful statesmanship and pragmatism even as he was ostracized by his own party for daring to harbor so many left-of-center views.
NEWS
March 10, 2009
Partisan politics has ruined racing If I were a civics professor, I could not find a better example of partisan politics for my students than the slots/race track debacle ("Md. tracks on auction block," March 6). In all four years of his one-term tenure, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican governor facing a Democratic-controlled legislature, fought to get a slots bill passed to help bail an anemic Maryland thoroughbred industry and to fund the Thornton education law. In each legislative session he hit a Democratic leadership stonewall and slots went nowhere.