Voters

Four trucks laden with 100 slot machines arrived early Wednesday morning at the nearly completed casino at Arundel Mills mall. For the next two hours, workers wheeled banks of the gleaming new machines, one by one, inside on hand trucks. Installation of the first set of slots moved Maryland Live! Casino, the state's largest, another step closer to its scheduled opening in three months. That's progress for Maryland's lackluster gambling program, which has yet to be fully implemented more than three years after voters approved five slots locations statewide.

I suggest that The Sun and the Maryland Court of Appeals of Maryland are in too much haste to agree with a too-loud, aggressive minority ("Another boost for same-sex marriage," May 21). The grant of a divorce for a same-sex couple who had married out-of-state was premature and wrong. Admittedly, under current public policy, laws could readily and easily be enacted which grant to civil unions of same-sex couples gone astray from the laws of nature, all of the very same rights and equal protection of the laws that married couples now enjoy.

The two sides in Maryland's fight over same-sex marriage agree on this: It won't be over until November. With the state Senate's approval Thursday night of the governor's bill to legalize civil marriage for same-sex couples, opponents are expected to mobilize quickly to gather the signatures to petition the legislation to referendum. State elections officials say they are already getting calls seeking information on how to start the process. Even the bill's staunchest supporters expect its opponents to easily gather the 55,736 signatures necessary to put the question on the November ballot.

Maryland Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch, both Democrats, have now rubber-stamped Gov. Martin O'Malley's historic tax increases on Maryland families, even though Maryland's continued economic suffering and out-of-control government are direct results of their party's continued dominance in Annapolis ("O'Malley faces political risks of tax increases," May 17). Businesses are fleeing Maryland for Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia because they cannot afford the taxes, regulations and the state's unfriendly attitude toward job creators.

In Saturday's front page story showing (so far) six people seeking to become Baltimore's next mayor, your reporter quotes a citizen saying she did not know there was going to be an election this year ("Mayoral contenders plan summer of campaigning," June 4). There is a problem in today's society about elections: Citizens do not read the newspapers anymore and many skip the news on television, opting for goofy shows. The coming election will not be decided by honest, knowledgeable voters but by "know nothings" who year after year hold the balance of elective power in government, and the rest have to suffer for it. Richard L. Lelonek, Baltimore

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis blew up Dustin Keller in Week 1 as if the Jets tight end was another puny planet in the path of his rocket-powered raven ride through outer space. Lewis' huge hit stood the test of time, as voters on ESPN's SportsNation recently voted it as the best hit of the 2010 NFL season. Lewis' hit on Keller received more than 55 percent of the 2,754 votes. Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain's takedown of Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola was a distant second, and Bears wideout Earl Bennett laying out a punter was third.

As a victim of previous gerrymandering schemes in the Washington suburbs, I can only say that politicians and politics are out of control not only in Maryland but nationwide. Are state legislators and the governor completely blind to ethics as they toy with voters' districts, to their detriment? My suggestion to those who have been gerrymandered without consultation is to express their views at the next election and throw out the perpetrators of this political farce. Nelson Marans, Silver Spring

Editor: I wanted to take an opportunity to provide some comments in summary of the recent Town of Bel Air election. First, I must express my gratitude once again to the voters of Bel Air. This campaign was yet another rewarding experience for me as a candidate. I always enjoy knocking on doors and hearing feedback from voters; this truly is a great town in which we live. I am pleased to see two outstanding incumbents remain in office and am delighted that a very well qualified challenger is joining the board.

The picture in Wednesday's Sun ("Election draws lowest turnout in history," Sept. 14) illustrates my huge complaint and frustration about the lack of privacy while voting. If the machines were placed with the screens facing the wall instead of open to the public, our votes wouldn't be visible to anyone behind us. I don't accept any excuse. The Board of Election Supervisors has a duty to see that the screens are private and are wired so that each machine is shielded. Claudia R. Fielding

Last year, Maryland's Democratic-controlled General Assembly made short work of a Republican-sponsored bill that would have required voters to show a government-issued photo ID before being allowed to vote. The legislation, which closely tracked similar GOP-backed ballot security laws around the country, died in committee without ever coming up for a vote. But Del. Kathryn L. Afzali, the Frederick Republican who is the bill's chief sponsor, is back with a substantially revised version of her original proposal that she hopes will pass muster with her colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee.

The Republican sleight-of-hand machine is back in business ("Obama targets divisive issues," April 29). Instead of talking about the economy (for which they have no solution) or energy (no solution there, either) or global warming (GOP: "What's that"?), they want to talk about same-sex marriage, Planned Parenthood and any other "social issues" they can find to distract people's attention from the real problems facing this country. Repeated lies, negative advertising - these are the tried-and-true methods that Republicans (privately)

The approach to National Harbor, where three highways meet on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, is pretty much a wow, with the arched 18-story atrium of a massive convention hotel its centerpiece. National Harbor is a still-new resort town on a slope overlooking the big river, with six hotels, upscale shops, restaurants, condominiums, marinas and a busy schedule of events that attract healthy crowds on weekends. David Cordish must look at Nat Harbor and wish he'd thought of it. Or maybe he wishes the place had been available as a location for gambling four years ago, when Maryland voters approved the return of slot machines to the state.

The economic and political tumult in Europe has continued this week with anti-incumbent votes in France and Greece as well as signs of disaffection in Italy, Great Britain and Germany. The electorate is angry, and the election results have raised renewed concerns about whether Europe's most debt-burdened countries will stick with their quest toward fiscal discipline. On this side of the Atlantic, it's tempting to view the uproar in purely parochial terms - out of concern that the U.S. economy will continue to be encumbered by the eurozone crisis.

In more than 30 states, if a corporate chieftain were to ask top executives to contribute to a politician, an inquisitive voter could easily learn that the firm was bankrolling the candidate. But not in Maryland. Campaigns are not required to disclose the occupation and employer of large contributors. That will change as of June 1 if Gov. Martin O'Malley signs legislation approved by the General Assembly that would require campaigns to gather such information from donors who give $500 or more to a single candidate during a four-year election cycle.

Former Gov. Parris N. Glendening's proposal to let voters decide whether to build transportation projects ignores the long history of disconnect between the state's plans and outcomes, which cannot be resolved by a simple yes or no by voters ("Voters will support transportation projects," April 22). This goes back at least as far as the 1960s, when voters rejected a second parallel span for the Bay Bridge - and the state built it anyway. In the 1990s, even Gov. William Donald Schaefer got conned by his own Department of Transportation's promises regarding light rail.

State Sen. Jim Rosapepe should be applauded for his statement on transportation funding ("Put transportation in voters' hands," April 11). Identifying funding streams for transportation investments is a national political debate. Many understand the extraordinary need to invest in rebuilding our transportation infrastructure, but no one has taken the initiative to Senator Rosapepe's level. It will take a great amount of political courage to achieve his vision. Three thoughts came to mind in response to his column.

The time is now for the voters of Baltimore County to wake up and do their homework. We have an opportunity to restore the County Council to a more balanced entity whereby the interests of the public are considered wisely. The suggestion in The Sun's editorial ("Buying influence?" Sept. 8) that voters can "find out who is bankrolling the candidates seeking to represent them" is good advice, but the voters can and should do much more than checking the campaign finance section of http://www.

The Republican sleight-of-hand machine is back in business ("Obama targets divisive issues," April 29). Instead of talking about the economy (for which they have no solution) or energy (no solution there, either) or global warming (GOP: "What's that"?), they want to talk about same-sex marriage, Planned Parenthood and any other "social issues" they can find to distract people's attention from the real problems facing this country. Repeated lies, negative advertising - these are the tried-and-true methods that Republicans (privately)

President Barack Obama's re-election largely hinges on his ability to play young voters for suckers -- again -- and whether Mitt Romneywill let him. In 2008, Mr. Obama won the youth vote by better than a 2-1 margin, 66 percent to 32 percent. Even more impressive, he actually expanded the share of young voters going to the polls by some 3 million. Those extra voters helped tip several swing states. Mr. Obama owed his success to being a charming political unknown onto whom young people could project their hopes.

The state's top court has agreed to decide if Maryland's Dream Act will be on the ballot this fall. The Court of Appeals said this week it will hear CASA de Maryland's appeal of a judge's decision to allow the referendum on the 2010 law. The court scheduled arguments for June 12. The controversial measure was designed to provide college tuition discounts to certain illegal immigrants. Opponents blocked the law from taking effect last year by obtaining enough signatures to bring it to a referendum.