Uncle Sam

Few states have as good a reason as Maryland to be nervous about cuts in federal spending. The U.S. government employs more than 280,000 Marylanders directly and many indirectly, thanks to the billions of dollars in federal contracts that businesses in the state have pulled in every year. Federal spending per person in Maryland outpaces that in all but three other states and the District of Columbia. As Congress and the White House battle over plans to attack the looming budget deficit, a Maryland banker has launched a nonprofit effort to help the state thrive in a future likely to see less cash from Uncle Sam. Blueprint Maryland's first move was to release an economic analysis by Baltimore's Sage Policy Group this week that says Maryland could lose nearly 150,000 jobs over the next 25 years if all the deficit-reduction recommendations from the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform are enacted.

Delmar Bancorp has no regrets about taking a $9 million investment from the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program, even though some banks have rushed for the exit. "We did it as an abundance of caution," said Ed Thomas, president of the parent of Bank of Delmarva, which serves the still-struggling Eastern Shore. "I'm glad we did it because we didn't know how deep the financial downturn was going to be. " TARP provided capital at an attractive price, he said. Created four years ago as the country's financial system teetered on the verge of collapse, TARP provided more than 700 banks with a combined $205 billion of capital by buying dividend-paying preferred shares.

LAST month, the Aberdeen Proving Ground was fined $115,000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and $25,000 by the Maryland Department of the Environment.According to documents filed by the two agencies, the fines were levied after a series of inspections starting 13 months ago in which several violations were discovered in the Army's management and disposal of chemical wastes. No damage to the environment was alleged by either agency.The charges by the EPA and MDE aren't surprising.

Gov. Martin O'Malleyand Maryland Democrats developed a creative yet questionable fix for their budget woes in a special session of the General Assembly last month. Governor O'Malley performed budgetary acrobatics by leveraging Maryland's geography and the federal tax code's idiosyncrasies. Thanks to Congress, big spenders in Annapolis are now dining at federal taxpayers' expense. When Governor O'Malley first came into office in 2007, he needed a way to pay for all of his campaign promises, so Annapolis used a "millionaire's surtax" to raise the money.

The 50-member Arundel Vocal Arts Society concluded its 15th season Saturday with "Songs for My Uncle Sam -- An American Songbook," a rousing production directed by Glenette Schumacher and accompanied by Cynthia Slate on piano, Helen Schlaich on woodwind, Ginger Turner on trumpet, Peter Hengen on bass and William Watson on percussion.The program was a patriotic melange drawn from musical theater, folk songs, and pop songs of the World War II era. The society presented a Broadway combination, including a song from Johnny Mercer's seldom-heard "Li'l Abner," familiar George M. Cohan tunes of "George M" and most of the songs from the less familiar "1776."

If the Clinton administration really wants to bolster thenation's hard-pressed inner cities, it should take a hard look at the federal government's master office-builder: the General Services Administration.The GSA, deciding it's cheaper in the long run to build rather than lease office space, has launched a gargantuan building program. At a cost of $11.4 billion, the agency expects to throw up office buildings with 23 million new square feet of space by the late 1990s.''You've got this dinosaur clomping across the land with big economic impacts.

I would like for everyone to call the White House and ask that an Internet fund site be opened for those who wish to donate directly to reduce the national debt. Maybe the White House can make the donations tax deductible. I would like every American who can afford it to give a dollar, and those who can afford to give more, to do so. We can directly reduce the national debt immediately. The high national debt affects tax rates, interest rates and other personal finances. I believe that reducing it will help Americans feel comfortable to go spending again which, in turn, will help other economies of the world.

Washington.-- Newspaper columnists and television pundits usually pretend that they see a solution for every problem, including the new world disorder brought on by the Persian Gulf war, or the conflict in the Soviet Union brought on by Mikhail Gorbachev's efforts to rein in his own reforms.But I confess that there is one ''crisis'' that renders me intellectually impotent, a debacle in which I know that my pockets are being picked, but I'm never sure how, or by whom. I refer to the savings-and-loan mess, which is arguably the greatest economic scandal in human history.

If you need to pack up your hippopotamus, the U.S. government is here to help. Don't forget, says Uncle Sam, soothing hippo music and a 1-pound sedative.The U.S. Postal Service Web site at www.usps.com includes a section of earnest, useful hints on packing and moving various items you might have around the house.But right there between Glasses and Teacups ("Put a layer of peanuts or newsprint on the bottom of the box") and Kids' Stuff ("Have your kids seal the boxes and write their names or put their favorite stickers on each box")

EVERY generation of Americans confronts the issue of "big government" in one way or another. The revolutionaries of 1776 were insurgents against what they viewed as illegitimate British governance. In our time, Americans have been intermittently angry at their own government.This partly stems from the fact that Americans keep changing their minds about the kind and amount of government action they want.After the Founding Fathers experimented for a while with a weak and decentralized government under the Articles of Confederation, many of them deemed the experiment a failure and ushered in the stronger union that was framed in the Constitution.

Tax season is officially here, with the Internal Revenue Service and state of Maryland starting Tuesday to accept electronically filed returns. This is a good year for procrastinators. April 15 — the traditional due date for returns — falls on a Sunday and the following Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday celebrated in Washington. This pushes the deadline to April 17. But this is also a leap year, so Feb. 29 gives us one more day to ponder our taxes. Many filers could use the extra time.

Here's a request from a frustrated voter to all public servants: Will you please be specific? I'm supposed to make informed decisions based on the information public officials provide. But where is that data? What's the address of the Medicare facility they intend to close? The department in the Pentagon where the ax will fall? The name of the government contractor whose contract will end, and the state where his business is located? Tell us exactly what should be stopped and where.

Few states have as good a reason as Maryland to be nervous about cuts in federal spending. The U.S. government employs more than 280,000 Marylanders directly and many indirectly, thanks to the billions of dollars in federal contracts that businesses in the state have pulled in every year. Federal spending per person in Maryland outpaces that in all but three other states and the District of Columbia. As Congress and the White House battle over plans to attack the looming budget deficit, a Maryland banker has launched a nonprofit effort to help the state thrive in a future likely to see less cash from Uncle Sam. Blueprint Maryland's first move was to release an economic analysis by Baltimore's Sage Policy Group this week that says Maryland could lose nearly 150,000 jobs over the next 25 years if all the deficit-reduction recommendations from the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform are enacted.

I would like for everyone to call the White House and ask that an Internet fund site be opened for those who wish to donate directly to reduce the national debt. Maybe the White House can make the donations tax deductible. I would like every American who can afford it to give a dollar, and those who can afford to give more, to do so. We can directly reduce the national debt immediately. The high national debt affects tax rates, interest rates and other personal finances. I believe that reducing it will help Americans feel comfortable to go spending again which, in turn, will help other economies of the world.

Animal Kingdom was a long shot in the Kentucky Derby, and those who took a $2 gamble on the chestnut colt to win received a $43.80 payout. That's a good profit, but also a taxable one. Gambling winnings, no matter how small, are subject to ordinary income taxes. The Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, the second jewel of racing's Triple Crown, is less than two weeks away. For those feeling lucky and planning to bet, now is a good time to brush up on the tax implications. But it's not just about paying taxes.

Well what do you know! The United States of America is a team player in the battle against Moammar Gadhafi. Not the owner, the coach or even the quarterback; just a linebacker. What a great moment for the world to see the "united" nations work for peace and human freedom. And the hopeful idea that the United States becomes a deputy and not the sheriff. The message to the young people of the world must be very inspiring. Mr. Gadhafi and all the old thugs are on the way out. And the kids of the world did it. Now let us old timers step back and give them room.

Ever wanted to know who Uncle Sam really was? If so, head on over to the USS Constellation on Saturday. Living-history interpreter Kevin Rawlings will portray Uncle Sam, and he'll discuss the man behind the famous 19th-century painting - Samuel Wilson - who helped to shape the image of America's favorite uncle and symbol of our federal government. The event runs 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday aboard the USS Constellation, Pier 1 at the Inner Harbor. $6.50; $3.50 ages 6-14; $5 seniors; free for ages 5 and under.

WASHINGTON -- The seven Republican presidential candidates who have qualified for the election-year subsidy under the federal campaign-finance law have just learned that they will have to take IOUs from Uncle Sam for a while.Five active candidates -- Lamar Alexander, Pat Buchanan, Bob Dole, Phil Gramm and Dick Lugar -- and two who have already folded their tents -- Arlen Specter and Pete Wilson -- have been told by the Federal Election Commission that the federal campaign fund is about $15 million short of what's needed to give them their full entitled amounts on January 1.This is so although the source of the subsidy, the voluntary checkoff on individual income-tax returns, has been increased from $1 to $3 since the 1992 election.

The dog really did eat it. Christine Dorr of Brooklyn Park unhappily discovered a corner piece of a $100 bill on the floor near her border collie's bed earlier this year. A bank envelope containing three bills — two $100 notes and one $50 — had fallen on the floor, and 12-year-old Sayde's guilt-ridden looks told the story. "The dog likes to eat paper," says Dorr, a researcher with a commercial real estate information company. All that remained were three pieces of the $100 bills.

After high school seniors graduate this season, they and their parents will soon face another time-honored tradition —paying college tuition. But the new crop of college-bound freshmen this summer will experience a much different federal student loan program than in years past. The loan process will be streamlined. Students will have one choice of lender instead of dozens. More money will be available for grants for needy students, and more of them will be eligible for the free money.