Are You A Real TaxPayer of Genius?

Yeah-this is cute, sort of, but it completely misses the real issue. The entire tax system is a total mess, whether you file with papers or file on-line. Who the %#^$ understands how to do the @^@))#&^%) F&%%___#@@ thing regardless of whether it is paper or electronic? And that's not even touching upon the issue of what happens with our dollars!!!! I think the only real taxpayers of genius are those that make tons of money getting highly paid directly from our taxes, then don't pay taxes and then pass the laws that make our tax system such a F#@%#&$ mess. Gee, now who might that be? Politicians!!!!! Let's see, Tom Daschle for starters??

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Reminder: Lincoln's Walk This Sunday

See our previous post for details at:

Annapolis, February 2, 1865....Where Lincoln Walked....

Ahhh, those were the days. Politicians were humble, honest, candid, eloquent....and look where it got him....


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Noted Local Illustrator Jim Hunt on "Mayor McCheese"

This just in from Eastporter Jim Hunt, an accomplished cartoonist whose works are familiar to people here and across the country:

Paul,
Just read your post regarding the City Planning presentation... First of all, my condolences to you for having suffered through as much as you could stay awake for. I was disgusted (though not surprised) by the fact that Shropshire pulled an all-too-common, pre-emptive, "I have a prior commitment, so let me say something, not take questions and GET OUT OF HERE FAST!". As you know, Mayor McCheese is famous for that routine. In fact, I'll never forget what I felt was a clear depiction of exactly who she is, when a meeting was held @4-5 years ago. A young man was shot (and died) on Madison St. in Harbor House. Lots of bystanders... No witnesses of course. Anyway, an emergency meeting was held at the Fire Station, primarily for people to vent and if lucky enough, confront the powers that be. Well, the meeting starts with Cynthia "How the hell did she ever get elected in the first place" Carter telling everyone to "Not point fingers". Which was of course one of the main reasons for people attending. But the highlight was when Moyer slipped in to the meeting after it began (like Shrek slipping into a China Shop), came up to the microphone and said she's sorry but can only stay for a minute as she had a prior commitment. #@!*

I railed as best I could at the folks seated at the dias, including Snowden and EADES for God's sake! Nothing to see here folks... Move on.

Keep up the good work.

www.jimhunt.us
Annapolis, MD. Humorous Illustration for Ad, Editorial and Promotional Use

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Arnett's First Saturday Get Together

Ross Arnett, Alderman, Ward 8 reminds you that it’s the FIRST SATURDAY of the month again and he will be at Ahh, Coffee! in the Eastport Shopping Center at 11 AM to answer your questions and to listen to your ideas.

How to Bore and Piss Off The Very Residents Who are Most Interested in Our City

Welcome Citizens:

This is about a 1000-word post. It is entirely about the public hearing on the comprehensive plan. In it I mainly criticize the meeting for failing to be clear about its purpose and for wasting my time. You will learn why I left the meeting in disgust. Thank you for your time. Now, let us begin:

There are good meetings and there are bad meetings, just as there are good and bad speakers and presentations. Most of us in any professional field know about meetings. Tonight’s Planning Commission hearing fell into the very bad category on all accounts—at least from 7 until 7:45 when I left….disenchanted. But perhaps the fault was that I was getting something I did not want or did not expect. But is that not the point of planning a meeting and giving an agenda out in advance? This was billed as a “Public Hearing.” I for one was familiar with the draft plan. I would assume that many if not most in the audience did not need a complete review of the plan—but that’s what they were giving us, until I left.

Rules for Meeting Success—Be clear about the purpose, make it action-oriented or at least have some kind of desired outcome, create an agenda and share it with all parties in advance, review the agenda at the start of the meeting, and stick to the agenda. Never forget that you are taking people’s time and attention—respect that! This did not happen. That’s why this meeting was a recipe for failure. A hundred or more people packed City Hall—a room hopelessly ill-suited for this meeting. A handful of commissioners took up about half of the big chairs at the front half of the room, with a packed crowd squeezed into the other half.

After all the perfunctory thank-yous and introductions, we finally got underway. Oh wait—one more thing. Alderman Shropshire, er I mean mayoral candidate Shropshire. He asked for and received special dispensation to make a statement—before anyone else had the chance. Why? Because he had somewhere else to be and wanted to get there--instead. I had other stuff to do as well, but Sam, you are running for mayor and if you can’t attend this hearing—that is your business—although it does make some question your priorities, but you used, yes you used your special privilege to make a statement—which some might construe as a cherry opportunity for you to promote yourself and your campaign. And then you ducked out. You did not say much of any consequence—but you did get everyone’s attention for a few minutes. It’s called grandstanding. Been there. Seen it. Expect more of it. Good move Sam.

By the time the city planner got up front—er to the side rather, and started narrating what I immediately knew was going to be a loooong presentation, I quickly lost interest! While the handful of commissioners enjoyed the spacious front half of the room, a large screen was put up to one side of the room, so that most of one side of one-half of the room could view the screen. That left about half of the audience unable to view the screen. One person thankfully spoke up about it. The poor planner explained what a challenge it was to do this presentation in City Hall. Hello! Why not hold it elsewhere—such as The Stanton Center? Or—perhaps they could have asked the commissioners to move in with the rest of we the plebeians, and place the screen in the front of the room and project it from the center!!!! What is this—rocket science? No—it’s planning….

More rules about public speaking: Always plan the room out in advance. Know your audience. Remember that they are giving you their time and attention—don’t waste it. More failure. I had read much of the plan—at least the parts I wanted. The plan was on-line and at public places. Everyone in the room had the same opportunity. By the time the boring planner got to the third slide out of about 36 she told us were coming, I just lost all interest. Even after she got through her 36 slides, there was going to be public testimony—which is the real reason I came.

I cannot know what the rest of the audience was feeling, whether they had read the plan, or why they were there. However, I was pissed. The meeting was going to be a waste as far as I could tell. I won’t go into a massive missive about everything that is wrong with planning in general or this plan in particular, but I will say this:

THEY ARE DEAD WRONG AND ABSOLUTELY MISUNDERSTAND THIS CITY AND THE BASIS OF PLANNING AND THE HISTORY OF OUR CITIES IF THEY BELIEVE IT IS BEST TO INCREASE DENSITY AND THEREBY REDUCE AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENCE AND IMPROVE TRANSIT. DEAD WRONG.

First you plan and build infrastructure—including transportation such as transit—and then you build density around that. This plan, as described by Chair Ron Jarashow is dead wrong in this respect. The reason people such as Ron don’t ride a bus into West Annapolis and drive instead, is because people such as Ron, who is a runner and drives the half-mile to work in West Annapolis, is because he can afford to do it, it is relatively cheap and there is a lot of cheap parking! But there is no transit! Bingo! If you wish to reduce automobile use, you make parking difficult and costly. You don’t create density and then hope you’ll get alternatives to driving!!!

PLEASE---UNDERSTAND THAT CLEARLY.

Ohhhhh……ugggghhhhh….I did not want to sit through an hour or more of slides taken directly from the plan I already reviewed. I left. And now my final point—If our planning commission cannot even plan a meeting properly, how can we expect it to plan our city????

I’ll send my comments in writing—along with this posting. I hope you liked reading this. Thanks for your time.

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He Stole My Fish! (But We Stole His Land and Water)

We knew something was going on outside as soon as the trusted family watchdog barked and jumped against the glass door. A great blue heron was standing silent sentinel from the neighbor's roof. It was stalking our fish pond. It had been here before. This muddy February day brought out this magnificent bird who was probably having a hard time fishing in the icy creeks. The pond ice had just melted and the bird must have been hungry. He came to watch the fish in my pond.

But the fish? Or the bird? Who shall live? And who shall die? Or who shall possibly go hungry?
Both of my boys were home, each with a friend. It was ime for a natural history lesson.

I figured there were a lot more goldfish than there were herons. A heron was more valued than a goldfish. The heron was a native in an area that had been trampled by humans for hundreds of years. That's why I was warm and dry inside, contemplating cooking a warm meal. Would I serve chicken or fish?

The goldfish was an invader shipped in to an artificial habitat-the pond in my backyard. The Bay had formed some ten thousand years ago when the Susquehanna Rover flooded. My pond was dug in a few minutes by a steel machine.

But I liked the goldfish too. I had raised them from minnow size to some now as large as 7 or 8 inches. I bought the food. Still, the beautiful heron was going to win. Rather I was going to let it win. We closed the curtains and watched.

The heron slowly swooped in and landed. It crept in toward the pond. A crowd of crows and even a hawk gathered in the old walnut tree to watch. We crept upstairs and like those other birds, we watched from our second floor window perch so as not to disturb the heron. The dog was put into a back room to silence her.

The heron crept. Slowly. Crept forward. A little more. Stealthily stood at the pond's edge. Silently waiting. Still. Still. We watched. Quietly. Even the boys were quiet. Minutes passed. The heron leaped in the pond, struck out with its long neck and had the goldfish in her beak. Darn! My biggest fish! My oldest fish! That damn bird took my biggest fish! It swallowed that big fish whole. In one gulp. The fish slid down its long throat. I regretted my decision. Ahh, never mind.

That damn bird. It took my biggest fish. We watched my fish swallow and wiggle down the heron's neck. I let it take my biggest fish. My fish. My pond. My yard. My property. My home. My habitat.

I opened my back door and startled the heron. It took to flight gracefully lifting and bringing its great wings slowly up and down. It went to a nearby roof. My other neighbor's roof.

The heron won. I let the heron win. Heron won. Heron one. Fish zero.

It was kind of like playing God in the city, if only for a moment or two. I can always buy some more goldfish from a store and feed them more store-bought fish food. My small contribution to a beautiful Chesapeake native. I can't buy a great blue heron at a store but I can buy a Treasure the Bay license plate with its image stamped into the metal. Millions have done so. Put a heron by your tailpipe. Treasure the Chesapeake. Feed a heron.

This was better than watching Nemo. Read Tennyson's Canto 56. That's not Department 56.

That night I made the youngest a hamburger for dinner but the rest of us had neither fish nor fowl.

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Reminder---Thursday's Sip N' Blog

Our featured guest will be Housing Authority Director Eric Brown. See you from 8-9 am at Ahh, Coffee! in Eastport.

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Lawyer and ACLU Member on Housing Authority Bans

The Maryland Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is taking the Housing Authority of the Community of Annapolis (HACA) to court because it believes that HACA's banning of certain people from coming on to HACA property is illegal. The following comments have been provided by Albert A. Foer, a lawyer and member of the board of the National Capital Area, ACLU. Mr. Foer's comments are solely his own and do not necessarily reflect the position of any ACLU body or anyone else. Foer is related to CP Publisher Paul Foer. For more background see ACLU-Feb. 1 .

I note in the recent column and editorial in The Capital what seems to be a confusion about who is a "criminal", a term thrown around rather loosely as the justification for banning visitors to public housing. Is a criminal someone who was arrested but not convicted? No. That can't be. Getting arrested doesn't make you a criminal, and we surely don't want the police to be able to define a person's rights merely by arresting them.
By "criminal" does HACA mean someone currently incarcerated? No. That wouldn't make sense. People in jail appropriately don't have the opportunity to dine at their mother's home. Someone on parole? Subject to supervision, such a person's visits might be restricted in various ways, but how many banned "criminals" would fall into this category?

So perhaps what columnist Eric Hartley is worried about as a "criminal" is one who already served a sentence and has returned to the community? But with the exception of sex offenders whose guilt some believe should never be erased, we are supposed to grant most rights back to those who served their sentence or what we commonly describe as having "paid their debt to society." Indeed, we want such people re-integrated into the community, to have socializing bonds that will help them stay on the right side of the law. If we tell them, no, you can't get back into the community in meaningful ways, we help assure that they will end up as incarcerated recidivists.

Whom should the police or HACA be punishing? For surely it is a form of punishment to be prohibited from entering a community, especially one that is public, on the basis of a police suspicion or a HACA suspicion that a person might, perhaps, maybe, possibly commit a crime while he or she is visiting.

It seems to me that if there is to be a ban on visitors, it must be scrupulously limited to immediate and identifiable threats to the community. Otherwise, it runs the risk of undermining constitutional values such as the presumption of innocence, due process, and (more generally) freedom, that should be of greater importance to the community. Good for the ACLU in putting the police and HACA to the test of justifying their policy in depth before a neutral judge.

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The Capital on Steele....Clueless..(Maybe they should stick to the Steelers)

This is what our local newspaper had editorialized about Michael Steele's new job:

Steele is the first African American to hold that job. His selection is a strong indication that his party, after its 2008 debacle, understands the necessity of appealing to young and minority voters - not to mention its need to strengthen itself in the Middle Atlantic and the Northeast.

Oh yeah. Strong indication indeed--but of what? If the GOP were not in such disarray and crisis and had not come out on the losing side in November--and in such a big way, would it dare have chosen Steele? Would he have even been considered? They could not find a former governor--they had to settle for a one-term Lt. Governor? The newspaper just doesn't get it. Oh and because he served as Lt. Governor in MD for one term where he distinguished himself by, by, by...wait a minute, I'm thinking, by being Black?--this will strengthen the GOP in the Middle Atlantic and the Northeast....and among the young and minorities?.....I can see it now.

"I am so excited about Michael Steele. Here I am, a young minority from the Northeast and suddenly I am excited about the GOP thanks to Michael Steele. I am going to become a Republican. Woow!! Michael Steele. He is soooo....soooo....Black. Just like Alan Keyes! Yeah. I liked Keyes and he was from Maryland (at least when it was convenient not to be in another state) but Steele is even....uuuh.....even...Whiter....I mean Blacker. I mean, whatever, I am just excited about the Republican Party because of Michael Steele. As a young minority from the Middle Atlantic, I watched Steele's career carefully while he was the number two guy in Maryland--and that's a Middle Atlantic state too! I am so proud to be a young minority person from a Middle Atlantic State...."

Quick--ask any American, no wait, ask a young minority American to name the chairman of either of the two big parties. I dare you. Who knows? Who cares? Wow, when Howard Dean was chair of the DNC, that just brought in so many young doctors from New England. The chairs of the two major parties are not exactly household names in this country. Maybe one-quarter to one-third of Americans know--or care who they may be. Having said that, I would think that young and minority persons would be excited, ummm, let's see, for example, maybe by Barack Obama? Yeah--I would think that would be exciting....oh, yeah, I mean it has been and continues to be exciting. Yeah--that Obama guy--he has certainly appealed to young and minority voters. But Michael Steele?

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Latest Poll on City Manager---Just Like the Last Poll

For the second time, readers have overwhelmingly supported the creation of a real city manager form of government, with results almost exactly mirroring those of the November poll. With our latest poll just closed, 31 of the 40 respondents said they support the Arnett-Israel-Shropshire-Stankivic Amendment, 4 were in favor of the Cordle Amendment, 4 said to leave things the way they are and 1 voted for "something different."

CP again cautions readers that these polls are not random nor do they adhere to standard scientific survey methods. Normally this would mean the results are not repeatable, but in this rather strange case, well, they were pretty much repeated. Go figure. Current results are still posted in the right column and the first results can be found at first poll . Hello---city council --are you listening?

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CP Going Strong as We Enter Our Second Year

In our continuing efforts to be as transparent as possible with our readers, CP provides you with the latest stats for page visits and site views. December was a record month, about twice as busy as the previous December. January was almost another record month but was 150% busier than the previous January. You know what this means? It means that growth for this blog is out-pacing most newspapers which are contracting. Speaking of contracting, isn't it about time you advertised here at Capital Punishment? By the way--thanks for reading and writing!!!! We can always use more readers!! Please support our advertisers.

Capital's Editor and Columnist Think ACLU is Wrong

What do you think? The American Civil Liberties Union intends to file suit against the city's housing authority because of its ban on certain individuals from visiting some HACA residents.

The Capital is upset that the ACLU is "absolutist" and is not employing "common sense." Hartley asks whose rights are more important. Hmmm...I dunno' 'bout you, but something in this makes me think about Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo--not in an "absolutist" sense of course, but in the sense of whose rights are more important, and in what does our law allow? Can we violate some individual rights in some cases in order to protect the rights of the greater society? Of course we can take action but we can't violate their rights if they are guaranteed by law--just because we think they might be "bad guys" Even if they are "bad guys" they still have rights. If you want to take away their rights--just do it within the bounds of the law..unless you believe we should not be a society of laws.

If the law forbids HACA from banning anyone, then so be it. In such a case, the ACLU would be right in being absolutist in defending the absolute constitutional rights of individuals to have whoever they want visit them at a HACA property. If the law says yes you can ban, then do it legally. If the law is unclear or subject to interpretation or if what HACA does might or might not be illegal, then let's work it out, maybe even change the law--but a lawsuit? Is that the only way?

I think the banning in many respects is probably a good thing for everyone--except the bad guys we are trying to keep out. Sure--let's keep them out. But how is HACA deciding who is or is not banned? Are people's rights being violated? HACA residents may be tenants and they may be on the public dole, but they have absolute rights as citizens as well--rights to be secure in their homes AND rights to have people visit them--unless of course they truly are banned for a real and a legally supported reason. Which one is it? Perhaps HACA needs to be absolutist in who can and who cannot be banned. If that's not going to work, then it is the law that must be changed, and it is the law that does not employ common sense--and not the ACLU as The Capital opines. I'm not a constitutional lawyer. I don't even play one on t.v. Regardless of what one thinks of the ACLU, it is not a huge or hugely powerful organization. I like what they do and what they stand for, but not in an absolutist sense. But I do believe in the Constitution--absolutely. And so does the ACLU. In fact, what other organization does?

Read the piece by the editors and by Eric Hartley:

ACLU 1

ACLU 2

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Here's the House to Rob If You Fancy African Art

(NOTE: If you're shocked or offended by what you are about to read, remember that the subject invited me and you and tens of thousands into her home--in all its intimate portraiture. CP is merely re-amplifying the news. This is not personal. I would not know the lady if I walked into her waterview bathroom...come to think of it...I did....Anyhow, I had been planning to spoof HOTW for a long time and this opportunity just presented itself at the right time)

This week's Home of the Week (HOTW) in the local paper is not the typically featured cookie cutter, neo-conservative, neo-colonial, neo-fascist, brick mansion with wall-to-wall white carpets and little princesses named Godiva and Antoinette. No, this architect and designer showcase waterfront place is filled with a really neat collection of African art. This homeowner has that rare combination of money and taste so lacking in Annapolis--and almost always so lacking in HOTW which brought to us through the miracle of modern newspapers.

It' nice but it's narcissistic and ostentatious. Why would anyone want to SHOW THE WORLD WHERE THEY SLEEP, COOK AND ELIMINATE THEIR BODILY WASTES? This is just the latest example of someone having way more than he or she needs, but read for yourself:

At the opposite end of the house, a guest bedroom and an office/gym complete the first floor.

In the office is a first for a "Home of the Week": Due to a bad back, Ms. B has difficulty carrying her suitcases from upstairs, and she travels often for work. So there it is - a suitcase elevator that travels between the first and second floor at the touch of a button.

Upstairs, a meditation room, another guest room and the master bedroom suite complete the home.

"I did not want to lift my head up to see the water," she said.

"One of the things I never wanted to do was change over closets by seasons again," Ms. B said, pointing to the two sides of her large closet. This side is nine months, this side is summer."

"I just love to sit by the water, hear the water...It's soothing, calming, centering for me.

Despite owning this amazing and amazingly expensive narcissistic home, "she travels often for work." I hope the Hyatt and Marriott can live up to her standards. She travels with a suitcase and has a gym but she needs a lift to get the suitcase upstairs.

Who lives in a home such as this? You can easily find out through the web. Read on:

"Her passion for understanding the impact of oppression on individuals and organizations has influenced her to focus on long term organizational change, strategic visioning, and developing the self-empowerment of women and people of color....She is able to use her skills in strategic planning, team building, and planning for change to help people challenge existing systems in order to eliminate oppressive policies and practices."

One of the goals of the organization with which she is affiliated is to, "Build systems, processes, and procedures that support and sustain inclusion."

Yeah. I too have a passion for understanding not only the oppression of individuals but their selfishness. No doubt she helps individuals build dream houses with water views so they can rid themselves of oppression by soothing themselves...while not lifting their head to look at the water. Yeah. Homes such as these and systems that build homes such as these are by their very nature, based on oppressive policies and practices. Like having a three-bedroom waterfront home all for yourself...complete with gym and suitcase elevator, just a couple miles from public housing projects where some people check in for a generation, or two, or three--but don't check out.

That seems pretty inclusive--for one person. The trouble is, there just ain't 'nuff waterfront, or land or water or resources of any kind for everyone to live that way--and maybe she does not see that maybe, just maybe there is a relationship between an elite living the way she does, and the masses living on a whole lot less?

Readers have seen her house and know she travels a lot, so all a criminal needs to do is find one of those days when she is off traveling for work. He could even use the water as his escape route--but beware--I think I spied an alarm system keypad in one of the photos. Of course, he'd probably have a hard time fencing the great collection of African art. Better to go for the jewelry.

Remember the article I just posted about the culture of victimization engendered in public housing? You know--If The Shoe Fits and all that? One of the public housing residents told city council that there are plenty of vacant places around Annapolis for her to live in. Well, here's one for her!Move in with the inclusion, empowerment, anti-oppression lady...someone's knocking at the door, somebody's ringing the bell, do me a favor, open the door and let 'em in.....I hear you knocking, but you can't come in...Just got home from Illinois lock the front door oh boy! Got to sit down take a rest on the porch....

I am not likely to get invited for real into the HOTW, but I have been to the The Museum of African Art on the National Mall at least three times--for free! Now that's the kind of inclusion I can support. Hey, I wonder if they're looking to expand their collection these days? I just happen to know of a place...just kidding.

Read all about the dream home for one and view the slide show, including the photo of the marble bathroom where inclusion lady does not have to raise her head to see the water at Home of the Week .

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