Annapolis Capital Punishment

Mayor Cohen and staff did an excellent job at last night's budget presentation and I am suprised and pleased. I was also heartened by the fact that many in the audience, among them some of the most visible and active folks we might characterize as conservative, or fiscal conservatives or Republicans, were not only out in full force, but were seemingly supportive of the mayor's desire to cut spending. And as always, he listened and responded carefully.


What did CP say? CP the arch liberal was gratified to see the likes of Herb McMillan, Mike Dye, Harvey Singer, Bob and Donna McWilliams, Mike Pantelides, Rock Toews, Cindy Cole Seamans and many others actively voicing their concerns to shrink government? You bet I was. It's that bad. Let's hope the days of bigger and bigger, tax more and spend more liberalism are dead. It may seem strange coming from this believer in activist government, but we've gone way too far. Let's not forget that wealth is derived from people outside of the government. McMillan and others skillfully articulated this. However, let us not forget that the market cannot address every social concern, and that government is often necessary to keep business from running everything. Yet we must not let government run everything either.

Of course, there were a few who made their pleas for more spending, more entitlement, more guarantees of forever keeping a government job, but I think they were in the minority last night. I am not attending tonight's hearing, and it may be a very different story, but as far as I can tell, the mayor and his team are headed in the right direction and are intent on cutting spending and not raising our taxes.

Just because someone has a goverment job or we have a government program does not mean that it is either effective, efficient, appropriate or needed. I worked in city government for eight years and I am shocked to see how we have been s poorly managed as to pay bus drivers, mechanics and other employees so much overtime that in some cases, people with barely a GED are earning nearly double what some with advanced degrees are earning.

While I am on a roll let me address overtiime. I think again that the mayor and team are doing the right thing--and clearly showing how waste, mismanagement and a culture of porcine excess is at the heart of the problem--and it is being addressed.  The Capital did a big piece exposing these excesses and today it opines that this is the right thing to do.

Let us now wait and see what next Monday's budget presentation brings.

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March 4 Len Lazarick,Editor, MarylandReporter.com
March 11 Mayor Josh Cohen (AT BB Bistro-West Annapolis)
March 18 County Executive Candidate Joanna Conti
March 25 County Councilman Chuck Ferrar