Security

The economy is improving and so is employment, but workers' optimism about a comfortable retirement has fallen to a new low, according to the annual Retirement Confidence Survey released Tuesday. Just over half of workers say they are either very confident about their retirement prospects or somewhat so. But 28 percent - a record high - have no confidence while an additional 21 percent express pessimism about their retirement future. The survey by the Employment Benefit Research Institute gauged the outlook on retirement among 1,254 U.S. workers and retirees interviewed in January.

As someone who has made a career advocating on behalf of those that depend on Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits, I was disheartened to read Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s column, "Disability insurance entitlement explodes under Obama" (March 3). The percentage increase in people on Social Security disability in recent years was expected, due to the aging Baby Boomers, half of whom are now reaching "high disability years. " Additionally, there has been an increase of women in the workforce in recent decades, women who are now eligible to draw on their own earnings record when they become disabled.

Act first and ask questions later is not always a great management strategy, but in the case of Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman's response to a mysterious network of surveillance cameras in and around government buildings, it's hard to consider it rash. Ms. Neuman has now been on the job for a little over a week, after being named by the County Council to replace former executive John Leopold, and given the circumstances of his departure, Ms. Neuman can't act fast enough to convince county workers and residents that a new leader has taken charge at the Arundel Center.

If there are nearly 20,000 cyber security jobs are available in the state of Maryland, why hasn't it been shouted from the roof tops ("Cyber help wanted," Feb. 27)? Most employment news we hear now is fairly dismal. With this many high-paying positions needing to be filled, the school system must take more notice. Baltimore's Digital Harbor High School, a marvelous place dedicated to technology and located right in Federal Hill, is one place to start. Recruiters from the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command and other government and private agencies should stop by and encourage students to enroll in computer security programs and pursue degrees in the field.

The only residents of the Westport waterfront last week were a gaggle of geese that commandeered a large puddle amid the brush and broken asphalt. The only structure was a battered chain-link fence, capturing wind-blown litter along the perimeter. By now the 43-acre tract, assembled and cleared over several years with millions of dollars and personal resolve, was supposed to house hundreds and bustle with office workers. There should be a towering skyscraper and a stadium. Instead, the development company that was going to make that happen is in bankruptcy and the future of the $1.4 billion Westport Waterfront project, thought of as a potential "Harbor West," is uncertain.

WASHINGTON -- Officials at the Woodlawn-based Social Security Administration informed employees they do not anticipate furloughs when across-the-board federal budget cuts go into effect, the union that represents many of those workers said Thursday. The announcement came days before $85 billion in budget cuts known as sequestration were expected to take effect on Friday -- cuts that the Obama administration has warned could lead to government-wide furloughs. Acting Social Security Administration commissioner Carolyn Colvin informed employees in a meeting on Thursday that furloughs would be avoided.

Nineteen thousand four hundred thirteen. Focus on that number. Like so many numbers in news articles, you might easily have skipped over 19,413. But this is an important number for what is happening in Maryland higher education. According to the Cyber Security Jobs Report issued this month, this is the number of job openings in Maryland, as of October 2012, for qualified cybersecurity professionals. These are good, high-paying jobs. They are in such demand that the unemployment rate for people who qualify for them must be nearly zero.

President Barack Obama has named Gov. Martin O'Malley one of two co-chairmen of a panel of state and federal officials focused on defense and homeland security, the governor's office said Monday. The Maryland Democrat will co-chair the Council of Governors with Republican Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa. The panel brings together 10 governors, the secretaries of defense and homeland security, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, the commandant of the Coast Guard, the commander of U.S. Northern Command and other key officials to discuss issues related to the National Guard, homeland security and defense support to civil authorities in the event of terrorism or natural disaster.

Checks will arrive on time, but nearly every other task the Social Security Administration performs - from answering phones to determining eligibility for claims - will be delayed if Congress fails to stop steep federal budget cuts from taking effect this week, officials warned Monday. The Woodlawn-based agency is bracing for a cut of roughly 8 percent to its $11.5 billion budget if Congress does not avert the government-wide reductions known as sequestration. Officials say the cuts would leave people who call the agency's hotline on hold for 10 minutes and delay some disability decisions by a month.

The Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway presented the Town of Perryville with a check for $32,678 earlier this month to help with the renovation of the historic Rodgers Tavern on the town's waterfront. The check, presented to Mayor Jim Eberhardt on Feb. 5, is from a Neighborhood Business Works Grant that the organization collaborated on and received from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. The purpose of the grant is to help with the restoration of the Rodgers Tavern for future public use as a focal point of downtown Perryville business development, according to a news release from the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway announcing the grant.