Showing posts with label Maryland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maryland. Show all posts

Thursday, January 19, 2017

A Balanced Budget


Pop Quiz, gentle readers. Imagine you’re the governor of Maryland and you have to balance the state budget. That means that there have to be budget cuts. Where do you want to make the cuts?
  1. Cut a from each county budget equally.
  2. Cut from the wealthiest county budgets--they can handle the cuts best because they have the most money to begin with.
  3. Cut from the aid package that was put together to help Baltimore City, specifically from programs to help schools, neighborhoods and libraries. Also reduce support for state workers, Maryland’s disabled residents and Prince George’s Hospital.
If you answered C, you must be Governor Larry Hogan. Hi, Governor. I didn’t know you read this blog, but I’m flattered.
Maryland’s ~super moderate~ governor balanced the state budget this year. Hooray! Of course, he did it at the expense of Baltimore City, just weeks after he spoke at the inauguration of new Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh and swore commitment to improve the city after the civil unrest that followed Freddie Gray’s death. One of the governor’s spokesmen said the proposal reflected the governor’s priorities for minimal spending. Fair enough. But wouldn’t it be wiser to cut from a place that isn’t as vulnerable as Baltimore City?
Gov. Hogan announcing his new budget. Photo courtesy of YouTube. 
I’ve got some quotes from the governor himself and I thought I’d share them with you. Afterwards, if you’re so inclined, call his office and read them to him. Let’s remind the governor of his commitment to Baltimore City. And if he’s unwilling to listen, let’s elect a new governor who will dedicate himself to defending the people of Baltimore.

"I want you to know that you do have a partner,”--Gov. Hogan to new mayor Catherine Pugh
"With a renewed partnership between the governor's office in Annapolis and the leadership in the city of Baltimore, we can truly change Baltimore and Maryland for the better."--Gov. Hogan at Mayor Pugh’s inauguration

“We've got to do something about it.”--Gov. Hogan about the violence problem in Baltimore
“[My budget will include] no serious cuts to any agencies or programs"-- Gov. Hogan about his 2018 budget proposal

You can contact Governor Hogan here

For more information on Hogan’s budget and his promise to check out these Baltimore Sun articles:
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Sunday, January 15, 2017

A Rally to stop the Repeal

This Sunday, my family and I attended a rally for healthcare at Bowie State University.

Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen 
Democratic Whip and District 5 representative Steny Hoyer
Anthony Brown, representative for Maryland's 4th district (apologies for the horrible lighting.) 

It was an amazing event. Maryland’s elected congressmen, senators, county officials and citizens called for protection of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Being there felt like breaking out of the cycle of fear and isolation that has defined existence as an American with a conscience since November 8th. I took some notes on how to protect the ACA at the rally, and I’m going to share them with anyone who wasn’t able to make it.

First off, if you want to sign up for healthcare: marylandhealthconnection.gov can help you find good health insurance at an affordable price. They have financial help for people who might need it. Enrollment deadlines are soon, so make sure to have a look at it today if you need insurance.

Currently, the voting on repealing the ACA is split down party lines in a 48-51. If three senators cross party lines, then they can block the repeal. The rally workers handed out lists of people to lobby. If you know someone in these states, encourage them to contact their senator and tell them they will be held accountable at the ballot box if they take away 22 million people’s healthcare.


Marylanders can also call Governor Hogan and tell him to defend the ACA. Yes, Hogan is a Republican, but he’s also a supposed moderate, and other “moderates” have condemned the planned repeal. Ohio governor John Kasich is a great example.
Remember, it’s better to call or handwrite your officials.

    There are going to be more rallies and protests as the year goes on. Keep in touch with your local officials--follow them on Twitter and Facebook and check in on what they're doing. A good page to follow is Together We Will--Maryland, which can keep you updated on what's going on in our state. Remember, we can fight back. And as long as we can, we must.
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Saturday, January 7, 2017

Inaguration Day

Well, it’s here.



Inauguration month.

Charles M. Blow has published a truly great article about what to do on the day that the winner of the electoral college gets sworn into office, which I’ve linked to here.
I thought I’d add some more detail to his ideas for people in the Maryland area who want to join the anti inauguration.

Places To Volunteer In Maryland
VolunteerMatch
This organization can get you in touch with different places around the state where you can help out. You can adjust, depending on what you’d like to do. You can pick up trash in the park, help young people with learning the alphabet, or serve food at a soup kitchen.
Maryland Food Bank
This food bank organization has several offices around Maryland. It’s necessary to fill out some forms and attend a brief orientation before you go, but it can connect you with several places where you can help others.
Donation Town
This is a directory that will tell you places where you can donate clothing and furniture in Maryland.
Donations for Vets
This organization doesn't serve every county in Maryland, but it’s a great way to help veterans and you can both drop donations off and schedule a pickup


Purple Heart Pickup
This is another organization that helps veterans who were injured and earned a Purple Heart medal. They will pick up your donations.
Donating
LoyalOpp has made a list of organizations around the country that plan to take on Donald’s administration and I plan to expand it further in the upcoming weeks. If you have any ideas for places that could use donations, just suggest them in the comments section and I’ll add them to the masterlist.


Representatives:
If you’d like to spend the day contacting your representatives, remember that phone calls and handwritten letters are the best way to do it. I’ve compiled the contact info for our reps here, in case you want to spend Hell Day reaching out to the people who work for you.
Congress
Senate
Staying safe:
If you’re going to one of the many rallies and protests happening around the area, good on you. Here are some links on protest safety and preparation.
This is mostly a general overview of how to prepare for a protest, defend your rights, and stay safe.
This is a more detailed guide on how to provide medical aid to your fellow protesters and yourself, along with information on how to handle getting arrested
If you witness police violence or other forms of civil rights violations, here is a link to the Maryland chapter of the ACLU’s complaint line.

Resist. Don't give in to despair, and don't let this become normal.

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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

About Maryland

Who loves Maryland? I do! It's the best state in the U.S.A. Where else can you get Old Bay shirts at your local grocery store? I want everyone to feel safe in Maryland. We're a good state, full of good people, and I am confident we can resist the rising tide of fascism together. Here's how you, fellow Marylander, can learn more about where you live and protect the American people and American democracy.
Maryland is known as a blue state. It’s likely to go blue in most presidential elections, so in that sense, it’s blue. But the truth is actually more complicated. Maryland has a Republican governor and many of its districts swing solid red. With the current atmosphere, it’s scarily likely that there could be even more Republican victories in Maryland in the future. And with each victory, district lines get redrawn, “voter fraud” bills get passed, and Maryland becomes North Carolina.
LoyalOpp stands in strident opposition (ha) to the behavior of North Carolina, and Republicans in general, and we hope to make our beloved state a better, more tolerant place. To start with this, we want to provide a general overview of information about politics and the atmosphere in Maryland.
Let’s begin with some statistics about Maryland
  • Total population: 6,016,447 people
  • About 22.4 percent of the population is under 18 years, and 14.1 percent are older than 65 years
  • Maryland is 52 percent white (non-Hispanic), 30.5 percent black, 0.6 percent Native American and Alaska Native, 6.5 percent Asian, 0.1 percent Pacific Islander (including Native Hawaiian), and 9.5 percent Hispanic or Latino. In addition, 2.7 percent of Marylanders identified as biracial.
  • There are 403,900 veterans living in Maryland
  • 14.5 percent of Marylanders were born outside of America
  • 89.4 percent of Marylanders over 25 have a high school degree
  • 37.9 percent of Marylanders over 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher
  • 67.9 percent of men and 64.1 percent of women are in the civilian labor force
  • The median household income is $74,551
  • There are 276,630 firms owned by men, 209,119 owned by women, 203,394 owned by minorities, 314,903 owned by non-minorities, and 50,976 owned by veterans in Maryland.
  • 95% of Marylanders have cracked a crab open with a large chunk of wood at least once.
Credit goes to the US Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/24), except for the last fact, which I made up.


Next,  with some good news sources for Marylanders in general. These are a bit city-centric, but they do a really good job information on state politics. Want to know what Hogan is up to? Curious about what the city council actually does? Just start here.
The Baltimore Sun
  • This is probably Maryland’s most famous paper. It does a really good job covering the inner workings of Maryland’s government, along with the specific inner workings of Baltimore. Also, check out Kevin Kallaugher's political cartoons.
The Kojo Nmadi Show
  • If you’re more of an auditory news hound, this is a good choice for you. His Politics Hour is a thing of beauty and the show demonstrates how good journalism isn’t just a thing papers do. Host Kojo Nmadi does an excellent job covering the politics of the DC Metro area and he hosts a variety of other great analysts, especially Tom Sherwood, who serves as a guest every Friday.
The Washington Post
  • Even though it’s not technically from Maryland, the Post covers news in the general DC Metro area (I won’t call it the DMV and you can’t make me). A good way to follow both news in Maryland and the surrounding areas.
Counties
This is a brief overview of all of Maryland’s counties and their political alignments. If you’d like more info on them, never fear! LoyalOpp will be running a more detailed analysis of each one in the upcoming months. MD counties have an official coalition that works to address issues facing the entire state, which I’ve included the link to.
The hottest issues in 2016 were the state budget, education, transportation, taxes, public safety and ethics. This will also be getting its own post, but check out their website in the meantime. Now, onward to the counties.



Key:
Solid-the party won a percentage over 60 in the 2016 election
Weak-the party won within two percentage points in the 2016 election
Map credit is geology.com
Congressional Districts

By Department of the Interior - National Atlas of the United States (http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/congress.html), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30930540
I have a headache. Anyway, here are Maryland’s districts. If you’re thinking “wow, that looks gerrymandered,” you’d be right. It’s one of the few dirty tricks that both parties subscribe to doing.
  • District 1
    • Counties: Worcester, Somerset, Wicomico, Dorchester, Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Kent, Cecil, Harford, Baltimore County, Carroll
    • Representative: Andrew P. Harris (Republican)
  • District 2
    • Counties: Harford, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Howard, Anne Arundel
    • Representative: Dutch Ruppersberger (Democrat)
  • District 3
    • Counties: Howard, Montgomery, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel
    • Representative: John Sarbanes (Democrat)
  • District 4
    • Counties: Prince George’s, Anne Arundel
    • Representative: Anthony Brown (Democrat)
  • District 5
    • Counties: Prince George's, Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s
    • Representative: Steny Hoyer (Democrat)
  • District 6
    • Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, Montgomery
    • Representative: John Delaney (Democrat)
  • District 7
    • Howard, Baltimore County, Baltimore City
    • Representative: Elijah Cummings (Democrat)
  • District 8
    • Frederick, Carroll, Montgomery
    • Representative: Jamie Raskin (Democrat)
More Information on Maryland’s voting records from 2014 and 2016,

Next week, we’ll start doing overviews of specific counties. I plan on starting with Montgomery County, the one I know best, and then working my way outward from there. After the county profiles are posted, we’ll go into electoral district profiles. I’ll also try to cover the national news. Feel free to leave a comment with a suggestion, and have a great new year, gentle readers.
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