Politicians

Did politicians exempt themselves from the litter laws the same way they exempted themselves from the "do not call" list? The primary election was weeks ago, yet countless signs for those who lost remain, many illegally placed on public land. It's time for these signs to come down. At what point do they officially become litter? The offending campaigns should be fined. Steve Raskin, Parkton

For the past three years, Maryland has experienced an unprecedented crime wave of political corruption. The only comparable period in memory would be the 1970s, when a governor was jailed and a sitting U.S. vice president (who had served as governor and Baltimore County executive) resigned in shame. The current offenders have been high-ranking elected officials, and the offenses have been far more serious than simple lapses in judgment. They have involved a level of hubris and ethical depravity that are shocking by any standard.

Voters need to revise the job descriptions of career politicians who are only in it to serve themselves. Most of these people couldn't work in the private sector where companies require employees to sign a conflict of interest statement and comply with ethics rules. Voters need to ask themselves one question: Why do these people spend millions of dollars to be elected if there only goal is to serve the public? Joe Heming

Do I understand this correctly? We, the people of Maryland, paid for hotels and meals for our representatives in Annapolis because they failed to do the job of passing a reasonable budget and had to meet in special sessions to prevent fiscal "Doomsday. " So, we reward them by treating them to hotel stays and the cost of meals and libation throughout the duration? Don't they all live in our state? Why couldn't they just drive their cars or take public transportation? Most other job holders do commute to and from work, and many bring their own lunches.

Franklin Roosevelt established the Social Security Trust Fund to which workers contribute through their years of employment in order to receive benefits when they retire. This was supposed to be a cushion in their senior years. For some, it is their only income. It was supposed to be sacrosanct. For the past number of years, politicians have been taking money from this fund for other unrelated purposes. It's plain thievery! Now we are fed daily doses of news about the fund going broke and that it may not be available for future generations.

It is no wonder Baltimore is fiscally in trouble. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, mayoral contender and Baltimore Clerk of the Court Frank Conaway and Register of Wills Mary Conaway all are trying to skirt the homestead property tax credit law by applying for credit they are not entitled to. More important to the voters is the message they send to others who try the same thing and then say they made a mistake and didn't read all the documents they...

Bob Voelker ("What's important, birth control or the economy?" March 20) seems to disbelieve that "…with all the difficulties we face every day ... birth control and the roles of women in combat are what women voters are going to remember when choosing a candidate. " You're darn right we will, Bob. A candidate who writes off the deep personal priorities of 51 percent of the population is in dire trouble when it comes to asking for their votes. As Betty Freidan famously said, "The personal is political.

Maryland should have a constitutional convention with main agenda to be return the power from the politicians back to people ("To convene or not to convene," editorials, July 10). The people should demand changes to the laws and strip these that allow the government to raise salaries and protect pensions and health care costs for themselves, for the politicians are supposed be public servants and their pay salaries and pensions should not exceed those of the people they serve. It should be as plain and simple as that.

The Sun is correct in its criticism of the proposed new congressional districts ("Politicians choose voters," Oct. 9). The editors tell us that the only way to change the system where politicians protect themselves is for the voters to punish them for that behavior. Let's hope the editors follow their own advice when they issue endorsements in the next election. Rick Williams, Baltimore

It seems that all politicians can think about today is raising taxes that only affect the poor ("O'Malley weighing rise in gas tax," Oct. 18). Heaven forbid they should consider raising taxes on the rich. Don't any of them realize that the average working taxpayer - and the unemployed worker - is being taxed to the breaking point? People can't afford the normal necessities of daily living today with the cost of everything on the rise - food, clothing, rent, etc. Everything, that is, except the average wage!

Why do politicians continue to take money and favors from developers and others? ("Kamenetz, council members got tickets from developers," May 2). Don't they realize how this looks and that favors are expected in return? One of the attorneys who represents a large land development corporation gave Orioles tickets to a Baltimore County councilman who has much influence on whether or not a big development gets cut back or not. A councilwoman, who got $732 worth of tickets says, "It was a nice treat for members of my family.

What's that you say? You don't hear much about President Barack Obama's flip-flopping? How about: 1) the Obama reversal regarding child farm-labor regulations; 2) the president's (to quote The New York Times) "revers[ing] his two-year-old order halting new military charges against detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, permitting military trials to resume with revamped procedures but implicitly admitting the failure of his pledge to close the prison camp" (March 7, 2011); 3. the president's support of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, followed by his throwing him under the bus?

Weeks ago, when 5th District County Commissioner Doug Howard scheduled his April 30 meeting with Eldersburg residents, he assumed it would be the usual "get-together" where the commissioner gives updates on ongoing issues such as the county budget, funding for schools and the future of the beleaguered Carrolltown Center mall. But by the time this past week's meeting rolled around, a more pressing matter steam rolled other issues aside - namely the controversial proposal to build a 235-unit retirement facility on the 16-acre Ely property near the Oklahoma and Bennett roads in Eldersburg.

Data-stream around Grandpa, youngsters 2.1 and 3.1, while he tells you about the time long, long ago when a certain elected official grew so nostalgic about a time even longer ago when Labor Day marked the beginning of the school year. Way back in the last millenium, people always knew that public schools started the day after Labor Day. Why begin classes that Tuesday? Well, probably because the school calendar was based on the farm calendar and the growing season. It might also have just been a convenient date.

A storm of recriminations and denials followed the publication of "The Politician," but the testimony inJohn Edwards' criminal trial reads like the book's key chapters. The former senator from North Carolina is accused of accepting more than $900,000 in illegal campaign contributions while seeking the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Prosecutors say he used the money to bankroll his mistress, Rielle Hunter, rather than his campaign. The defense says the money was a personal gift, unrelated to the campaign.

I read with interest Blaine Taylor's letter about the voter turnout in the primary in last week's edition of the Towson Times ("Dems take notice: GOP turnout shows support for that party's team," April 11) because I had a conversation with a gentleman who told me he hadn't voted since he was a Democrat — and the primary was only for Republicans. What we need to do is better educate the public so that more will vote and they won't just vote for familiar names. That way, maybe some new candidates like Blaine Taylor will be voted in, and maybe even some Republicans, so our state won't be so one-sided.

When will the politicians take up the issue of their own benefits? You never hear them talk about requiring themselves to reach a retirement age before collecting a pension. Some collect pensions from serving local, state and federal elected offices long before any recognized retirement age. Maryland's ex-governors are a good example. Beside pensions ex-politicians often get subsidized medical insurance. How many really need the pension, from ex-presidents to local county executives/city mayors?

I was not surprised there was not one word about any plans to cut government spending during the upcoming 2012 legislative session in your recent report ("A big 'to do' list in Annapolis," Jan. 9). That's because there are no plans. It is just not in Gov. Martin O'Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch's DNA to cut state spending and relax the government's footprint on taxpayers' backs to fix the estimated $1 billion state revenue shortfall this year.

With the many different cultures represented in Howard County, it makes sense to offer cultural diversity training to teachers and administrators in the school system. Cultural diversity training helps to make them aware of the many different languages that students may speak at home, different styles of dress, differences in home life, in household income, parents education level, and the importance of education. Muslims, Hindus, African Americans, and Hispanics all have different styles of dress that are common in their ancestral home, be it Pakistan, India, Africa or Latin America, and are worn in this country to show solidarity to their culture.

Alfred J. Lipin, a former Anne Arundel County hardware store owner turned Democratic politician who served in both the House of Delegates and state Senate, died Friday of a heart attack at Hanover Hospital in Hanover, Pa. The lifelong Glen Burnie resident was 92. He was born and raised in Pasadena at Lipin's Corner, where his parents owned and operated a combination grocery store and gas station. After graduating from Glen Burnie High School in 1938, he attended the University of Baltimore for three years.