Tag Archives: Maryland

Maryland’s Political Divide Part 2, Gun Control

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MD flag 2

If you haven’t read Part 1 of this series, you can find it here.

The House of Delegates gun control vote yesterday, 78-61, looks strangely familiar. It’s nearly a carbon copy of the recent gas tax vote, 76-63. What’s up with that?

If you think Maryland is a deep-blue state with an invincible Democratic majority, those two votes seem hard to explain. Democrats hold a majority, 98-43, in the House of Delegates.

But looking closer, it’s clear that Maryland isn’t immune from the blue-red divide afflicting the rest of America. Far from it.  Continue reading →

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Maryland’s Political Divide Part 1, Gas Tax

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MD flag 2

PART ONE OF A SERIES

The vote on the gasoline tax in the Maryland House of Delegates gives us an interesting snapshot of the political balance in Maryland, a state considered to be among the bluest of the blue. The picture might not exactly match the popular perception.  Continue reading →

At Winter’s End, Explosive Surf Along Ocean City Beaches

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Unusually powerful waves continued to break just off the Ocean City, Maryland,  beach in the bright sunshine Saturday afternoon, March 9.

Earlier in the week, the last storm of winter rolled up the East Coast, bringing snow inland, but only rain and sustained high wind here on the Atlantic shore. The rotation of the storm caused strong winds to push ocean water onto the beach and into the coastal bays behind the barrier islands.

sand on sea wall

The onshore winds continued through four or five tide cycles on Wednesday and Thursday. Sand (above) was blown and pushed up to and over the sea wall and onto the boardwalk in places. But there was no damage to the boardwalk. The sea wall did it’s job. Some buildings in Ocean City sustained wind damage to siding, and some signs were blown over. A little beach erosion. But generally, I think the storm was pushing sand up on the beach, rather than washing it away. – John Hayden

More photos of the surf, taken between 3 and 4 p.m. Saturday, as the high tide came in:

Sequestration In America, Dancing On Wall Street, Pain In Maryland And Virginia

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As I write this on Tuesday, the Dow-Jones Index has hit an all-time high. It’s historic! Higher than the last record, set in 2007.

Sequestration, which I call Austerity, took effect on Friday.

Devastating economic pain is predicted throughout America, although some exaggeration is baked into the “sky-is-falling” rhetoric.

Exaggeration or no exaggeration, economic growth has been sluggish. Sequestration of $85 billion in federal spending will slow the economy even more.   Continue reading →

Democracy At A Crossroads

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Photo by John Hayden

Photo by John Hayden

“If democracy deadlocks here, we raise doubts about democracy everywhere.”

Sen. John Kerry made that sobering comment during his farewell address to the U.S. Senate this week. He’s leaving the Senate to become the new U.S. secretary of state, America’s ambassador to the world.

I don’t know about the whole wide world, but I think we have good reason to be concerned about the state of democracy here in America.   Continue reading →

December Sunshine @ The Beach

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pine tree on bdwk

Seventy degrees in December! It’s not unheard of in Maryland, although normal temps would be in the 40s during the day, maybe 30s at night.

But throughout the northern U.S.? Seventy degrees in December in Chicago? Temperature records are being broken in some places. Winter’s off to a mild start. (Reality check: Don’t get too excited. Winter doesn’t officially begin until Dec. 21.)  I’m trying not to be complacent. A blizzard might slap us in the face when we least expect it.

December is always a variable month here in Maryland. We rarely get snow before Christmas. But we don’t often enjoy 70 degrees, either. The photo above was taken a few days ago at the south end of the Ocean City boardwalk. Too bad there’s not many people here to enjoy it, except us year-rounders.

Seventy in December. Global warming? You think?

– John Hayden

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Election Day 2012 Part 2

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ELECTION DAY 2012, 11:48 p.m. It was as cold as expected in Maryland today. I was wearing Obama T-shirt over my winter jacket (layering is key in cold weather). This is supposed to be a conservative precinct. Almost no minorities. Not many men, either, I guess. Women, esp. young  women, voting in much higher numbers than men. (I can’t explain it.)  Young women and young men — many first-time voters —  voting in surprisingly high numbers. I didn’t know we had so many women under 25 here. Lots of them signaling a quick thumbs-up. Obama wins this precinct, unless my eyes deceive me. Ohio has been called. Looks like Obama will be a two-term pres. Health care wins. Women win. I hope Obama wins the popular vote too, or it may be a long four years. – John

Election Day 2012

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ELECTION DAY – November cold and gray in Maryland. Must be bitter cold across the northern states. I’m working at the school from 2 p.m. to closing time. Done it many times before, from early morning opening to past closing time in the darkness. No more all-day shifts for me now. It’s mainly a matter of being present in warm clothes, standing silent witness for Obama and Democratic principals. Polls open until 8 p.m. in Maryland. Results from early voting will be announced shortly after 8. A long day and night. I can predict the results in MD (if you want to know, call my cell phone); who knows how it will end nationally.  – John

Maryland Election Ballot Questions: In-State Tuition, Redistricting, Same-Sex Civil Marriage, Gambling Expansion

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See that line? That’s the first-day of early voting at Berlin in Worcester County, Maryland.

You can expect long lines at Maryland polling places for the Presidential Election on Tuesday. The reason: Ballot questions that voters know are important, so they take the time to read all the questions in the voting booth and make their decisions. The solution: Get familiar with the ballot questions before you go to vote. Do this on Sunday or Monday. Make your decisions and mark them on your sample ballot or just jot them down on a scrap of paper. Or print out this post and take it with you. Walk into the polling booth, vote, and you’re out in three minutes. But you’ll still have to stand in line, because most people won’t take a few minutes to prepare themselves in advance.

The following comments on four of the ballot questions represent the opinions of the blogger.

QUICK GUIDE TO THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON THE MARYLAND BALLOT

QUESTION 4, REFERENDUM: HIGHER EDUCATION, TUITION RATES.

Quick recommendation: QUESTION 4: VOTE FOR THE QUESTION.

Question 4 is the in-state tuition referendum, AKA the Dream Act referendum. Authorizes in-state and in-county tuition rates for all true residents of Maryland, including undocumented immigrants. It’s been passed by both houses of the General Assembly after considerable debate, and signed into law by the governor.

Continue reading →

Hurricane Sandy: Worcester County, MD, Warns of “Historic Flooding”

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No one here is taking Hurricane Sandy lightly. The town of Ocean City and Worcester County, which is Maryland’s only oceanfront county, have ordered limited partial evacuations. Good thing the summer tourist season is over, or there’d be a lot more people to evacuate. For specifics, see the Ocean City Blog, AKA Maryland On My Mind.

A prolonged siege of rain, high wind, and flooding is expected. It’s raining now (1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon), with some very localized flooding already. But the worst is not expected until Monday afternoon and Monday night.     Continue reading →

Early Voting in Maryland

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A GOOD DAY TO VOTE – Nothing I write here, or say or do, is going to change the course of Sandy, whether she be a hurricane or a tropical storm.  Meanwhile,  early voting begins today in Maryland. I’m going over to Berlin (our early voting location in this corner of the state) and say hello to my friends in the parking lot. Then I’ll go inside and vote for my president, Barack Obama, my vice president, Joe Biden, and my U.S. senator, Ben Cardin. And I’ll write in the name of John LaFerla, the official Democratic candidate for Congress. By so doing I’ll also be voting for Peace, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and health care for all.  – John

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Hurricane Sandy, Note No. 1

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CALM BEFORE THE STORM – Hurricane Sandy might become disorganized into a big Tropical Storm by the time she hits Maryland. Or she might roll right over Baltimore as a Cat. 1 Hurricane. Or, if she stays over the Atlantic, Sandy could be Cat. 2 by the time she hits NYC. If she comes inland, hope she at least keeps moving! I don’t want her stopped by cold air from the north, dumping rain and possibly snow on my house for three straight days! — John

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Hurricane Sandy — Ready or Not, Here She Comes

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Hurricane Irene

Be advised that a hurricane named Sandy is swirling off the coast of Florida and heading north. Sandy will bypass Florida and probably the Carolinas as it follows a north-northeast curve.

Halfway up the coast, Sandy is expected to turn left and take aim straight into the densely populated East Coast of the U.S. Broadcasters and headline writers are  trampling each other in their rush to label Sandy “the perfect storm.”    Continue reading →