My Frederick County, MD Ballot

George Wenschhof

Upon review of my absentee ballot, I was immediately struck by the number of questions put forth to the voters.

Propositions before the voters in west coast states is a common occurrence, but three constitutional amendments, four referendums and a local question is rare in Maryland.

The election choices for U.S. President, U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress and Board of Education are standard and expected, along with casting one’s vote on a Judge for circuit court and court of appeals.

I highly recommend reading The Voter's Guide prepared by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Frederick County.  It is a wonderful tool voters should use to help them sort out the ballot questions prior to heading to the polls.

At the top of the ballot, I will be adding my support to the reelection of President Obama and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin.  They both have earned the right to continue to serve and Maryland is a state where both Democrats are heavily favored to win.

In spite of four years of obstructionism by Republicans in Congress, President Obama has managed to lead the country out of the Great Recession he inherited - a result of Republican misguided policies of the previous administration. Over the four years Obama has been in office unemployment has dropped from 10% to under 8%.

The President also led efforts to decimate al-Qaeda, ordered the mission into Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, ended the U.S. involvement in Iraq and will responsibly end the U.S. military role in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.  These two unfunded wars added to the nation’s deficit. 

President Obama deserves four more years and he has my vote.

Ben Cardin has been a steady voice in the U.S. Senate and the country would be better off if we had more like him.

My vote for Congressional Representative in district 6 will go to Democratic challenger John Delaney. My vote for Delaney is primarily a result of my dissatisfaction of twenty years of ineffective representation by Republican Roscoe Bartlett.

The Board of Education contest, where you pick three candidates, was a no-brainer for me as I marked in my vote for Zakir Bengali, Kathryn B. “Katie” Groth and Joy Schaefer.

Voters need to be aware they should not “throw away” their vote on candidate Tom Shade whose name appears on the ballot as his withdrawal from candidacy, due to health reasons, came too late for his name to be removed from the ballot.  Mr. Shade has declared his support for Bengali, Groth and Schaefer.

Newly appointed Circuit Court Judge William Nicklas, a long term respected local attorney, who is running unopposed, has my vote.  He would have received my support even if he had opposition.  

Moving into the ballot questions, the first two concern the archaic election of Orphans’ Court Judges.  I have argued for some time, these positions should be appointed and not elected, as most counties require no qualifications for the office.

Question 1 and 2 on the ballot require candidates for Orphans’ Court Judges in Prince George’s County and Baltimore County to be admitted to practice law in this state, and to be a member in good standing of the Maryland BAR.

The reason these questions are on the ballot is this change requires a constitutional amendment.  Which means voters from across the state must weigh in.  I am supporting this change.

But, I believe the change should apply to all Orphans’ Court Judges who are elected in the state.

The third question has to do with nuances surrounding when an elected official, found guilty of certain crimes, is suspended and removed from office.  The ballot question reads in part “Under the amended law, an elected official is suspended when found guilty and is removed when the conviction becomes final or when the elected official pleads guilty or no contest” and I support this.

Turning the ballot over, Question 4 appears on the top left hand corner.  Known as the “DREAM” Act, it establishes individuals, including undocumented workers, eligible to pay in-state tuition, provided among other conditions the individual files income taxes, applies for permanent residency and registers with the selective service system.

This makes sense and I am voting for it.  Republicans in Congress blocked this from becoming law when President Obama proposed it, leading him to take executive action to implement this program.

Statewide redistricting is the subject for Question 5 and one only has to look at the gerrymandered sixth congressional district which overwhelmingly favors Democrats, to see the map approved by the state was egregious.

As a Democrat, who has been frustrated with the ineffectiveness of Republican Roscoe Bartlett for twenty years, I will nonetheless vote against the redistricting.

I opined in a column published April 2, 2012 in The Baltimore Sun, "To ensure a more reasonable and balanced redistricting process across the country, it would be sensible for Maryland and the rest of the states to adopt the policy used by the handful of states that use an independent or bipartisan committee.

 

This process, if adopted by all states, would aid in reducing the acrimony and gridlock prevalent in Congress today. Perhaps, representatives would then be elected who would work together to move America forward."

It is way past time to support Same-Sex Marriage and I filled in “For the Referred Law” on Question 6 on my Ballot; Civil Marriage Protection Act.

Interestingly, when petitions were being gathered by those in opposition to this law, one woman asked if I would sign the petition.  When I said no, she asked me if I was gay. I was taken aback with the question and replied I did not understand why anyone would fear this law.  “How does it hurt you”, I asked her, “if two individuals of the same sex are able to be legally married and receive the same benefits as you and I?”

Governor O’Malley’s mistake in taking slots to referendum, instead of forcing state legislators to do their job, is continuing to haunt the man who has his eyes set on the White House.

The roll out of statewide slots had been a disaster and with the authorization coming as a result of a referendum and state constitution change, subsequent changes require statewide referendums.

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker battled hard to get Question 7 “Gaming Expansion” on the ballot.  A measure, if adopted, in part will allow a facility to operate in Prince George’s County.

I voted “No” on this question.  Not, because I oppose gambling, as I see the multitude of daily lotteries in the state to be more of the same. 

I oppose it because the manner gambling has been allowed in the state of Maryland is cumbersome and will always create problems in the future.

Instead, the General Assembly should take action on gambling, which would allow them to make adjustments in the future in a much more effective manner than a referendum.

The last question on the ballot “Adoption of County Charter” also received my “Nay” vote.

My October 25, 2012 column in The Frederick Gazette spells out why I do not support this proposed charter.

My opposition comes primarily due to the proposed charter providing for a strong elected executive and a hybrid part time council without the council having enough authority over the budget proposed by the executive.

The council should be elected either by district or at-large and they should hire the executive, who could be replaced if they turned out to be incompetent.

The proposed charter’s only requirement for the elected county executive is that they meet a residency threshold and in Maryland there is no recall provision for inept elected officials.

This concludes how I am voting.

Whether, you agree with me or not, make sure you cast your vote.

You can vote early at the Frederick County Department of Aging/Frederick Senior Center located at 1440 Taney Avenue in Frederick, Maryland.

On Saturday October 27 and Monday October 29 through Thursday November 1, the early voting center will be open from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM.

On Sunday October 28 the hours are Noon – 6:00 PM.

On the day of the General Election November 6, polling centers will be open from 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM.

 

If, you do not know where your poll is located, the Maryland State Board of Elections has made it easy for you to locate online - Just click here.

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Will Maryland DREAM Act Doom Frederick County Charter?

George Wenschhof

The rocky start by the Frederick Maryland Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) to move to a charter form of government may have been dealt a fatal blow by statewide action on a totally unrelated issue.

The Maryland General Assembly passed, in their regular session earlier this year, the DREAM Act, which provided in-state tuition rates for children of undocumented immigrants. The in-state tuition rate earned if the guidelines providing a pathway to citizenship were followed by an applicant.

A reasonable approach, one would argue, in dealing with the highly charged issue surrounding the children of the estimated 11+ million undocumented immigrants who reside in the United States.

However, due to the failure of the U.S. Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill, measures such as the one passed by the Maryland General Assembly receive the ire of many voters, as they only address a single component of this volatile issue.

As, was the case in regard to the Frederick BoCC selection of a charter writing board, the Maryland DREAM Act was subject to a petition for referendum under the Maryland constitution. The number of required signatures obtained and recently certified by the Maryland state board of elections.

This action will result in the “yes or no” question on the DREAM Act put forward for voters to decide in the Maryland 2012 General Election. The same election Frederick County voters will be answering a “yes or no” question on instituting charter government.

The demographics of Frederick County suggest voters will vote “no” to the DREAM Act and as a result, political analysis indicates a second “no” is likely on the move to charter government.

Interestingly, both issues illuminated the state board of elections petition signature certification process, which is currently being challenged on behalf of those who petitioned for a Frederick County special election to determine the members of the charter writing board appointed by the BoCC.

The onerous requirement to have one’s signature match the signature in the voter registration file should not survive legal review. The only issue of concern should be the person is who she/he claims to be, not whether one signed their name with middle initial or not.

I opined in an earlier column, that while I was not convinced a special election for the charter writing board was needed, I supported the right for voters to call for one. Upon learning former Frederick Commissioner and lawyer John Thompson would take on this case, I wrote "...I trust his legal expertise is up to the day in court which will hopefully come soon".

Thompson failed to request a stay from the court, which if granted, would have halted the work being conducted by the appointed charter writing board, until a ruling on the validity of the signatures had been issued.

If, a special election resulted, it would stand to reason, work by the charter writing board should be suspended until the results of the election had been certified.

The appointed charter writing board has now requested twenty-five thousand from the BoCC to use in part to hire a consultant and in part for expenses incurred by the board. The financial request is reasonable. I had also written earlier, a budget should have been included by the BoCC when they appointed the charter writing board.

However, if court review results in a special election for the members of the charter writing board, it should be up to the new members to determine who to hire as a consultant and how to expense the balance of the funds provided by the BoCC.

This is a clear example of why a stay, if requested, would likely be issued by a Judge. The issuance of a stay would also likely result in a faster ruling on the validity of the petition signatures, as it would be apparent valuable time in preparing the charter was being lost.

As one who has long called for charter government in Frederick County, I fear the combination of a muddled charter writing board appointment process coupled with the inclusion of the DREAM Act referendum question in the 2012 General Election, will doom the passage of charter government for Frederick County.

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Daily Political Wire 12-2-2010

George Wenschhof

House to Vote on Rangel Censure Today - the long drawn out process will finally come to a close today. The vote will decide whether to censure Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) or issue a reprimand, as requested by Rangel. The House ethics committee found Rangel guilty on eleven counts of ethics violations and recommended censure. TheHill.com has more here.

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No Charges for Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) - the senator had been under investigation for payments his parents made to his mistress and for his role in securing a job for the husband of his mistress. Ensign's lawyers say the Justice Department is no longer investigating him. You can read more here.

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House Ethics Committee Suspends Two Lawyers - they were placed on administrative leave with pay, for actions relating to the ethics investigation of Representative Maxine Waters (D- Calf.). She had been accused of steering bailout funds to a bank where her husband owned stock. Waters trail was to have started last month, but was called off without any explanation. stay Tuned... The NY Times Caucus Blog has more here.

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Knowing When to "Hold or Fold" When it Comes to Tax Cuts - the newly formed four member committee by President Obama charged to resolve the tax issue is already meeting with hopes for a proposal emerging as early as Sunday or Monday.

Meanwhile, the House will vote today to extend the tax cuts for those earning $250,000 or less. A largely symbolic vote, as the Senate will not pass it. FirstRead.com has more here.

The question remains as to what Democrats will be able to extract from Republicans in exchange for extension of all the Bush tax cuts. Stay Tuned...

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Former Republican Secretaries of State Urge Ratification of START Treaty - now we know why Colin Powell was meeting with President Obama recently at the White House. He is joined by four other former secretaries of state urging Republican senators to ratify the current START Treaty with Russia. Their op-ed in the Washington Post today can be read here.

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New "Watered Down" DREAM Act Submitted by Senate Democrats - in spite of a much less controversial bill, it is not expected to receive support during the lame duck session. Politico.com has more here. It is doubtful, more liberal Democrats in the House would pass this version anyway.

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Daily Political Wire 11-18-2010

George Wenschhof

Congressional Leadership Stays the Same - in spite of the "wave" election in which republicans gained control of the House and also gained seats in the Senate, the leadership remained the same as before the elections.

Both, the Republican and Democratic Parties will know in two years if staying the course was the right decision.

Meanwhile, a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds 73% believe there will be little change after the election and 76% believe the country is headed for more divisiveness. You can read more on the poll results here.

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to Hold Votes for D.A.D.T. and DREAM Act - both controversial bills will be brought up in the lame duck session in early December. The NY Times has more here.

The pentagon survey report on D.A.D.T. will be released on December 1 and in spite of opposition by Senator John McCain, the bill repealing the current military policy toward gays/lesbians should be passed.

The DREAM Act will be a heavier lift for Democrats as will be introduced as a stand alone bill and not an attempt toward comprehensive immigration reform. Heated rhetoric is expected as the bill provides for a pathway to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. A good bill which could easily be torpedoed due to the lack of consensus of overall immigration reform.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for ratification of START - testifying in front of her former Senate colleagues, she argued the treaty with Russia can not wait for approval. The White House is fighting for approval of this nuclear arms reduction treaty which requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate. TheHill.com has more here.

Failure to have this treaty ratified would be a major blow to the Obama administration.

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Rangel Sanctions Expected Today - the House Ethics committee is meeting this morning to determine the punishment for representative charles Ragel (D-NY) who was found guilty on 11 of 12 ethics charges.

On tap is representative Maxine Waters (D-Calf.) who has her ethics hearing scheduled for November 29. She is accused of intervening in helping a Bank, where her husband owned stock, receive federal funds.

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Unemployment extension set for a vote - so far 319 Billion has been spent in unemployment compensation and a fifth extension of benefits is set to receive a vote prior to the end of the year. If the benefits are not extended, 2 million will stop receiving benefits. You can read more here.

319 billion spent funding a national public service employment program for the unemployed would have been a better use of tax payers money.

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More on Palin running for President in 2012.



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Notes on the Week Ahead in Washington

George Wenschhof

Two weeks will have passed since the mid term elections and President Obama will be back in town after a ten day Asian trip. Results from the mid term elections and the Asian trip were not very positive for the Obama administration as Democrats lost control of the House and little positive outcomes from trade and global economic negotiations were announced during the president's trip.

This week, the Lame-Duck Congress will open and the looming question is what will be accomplished?

While Democrats could pass most of what they wanted as they still maintain a solid majority in the House, Senate Republicans have shown they are capable, with the use of the outdated filibuster, of stopping Democratic legislation.

Before, Congress focuses on what bills to address, they will first vote on their new leadership. Interesting, as the vote will take place before newly elected members of Congress are sworn in.

No major changes are expected on either side as Democrats are expected to keep Harry Reid (Nev.) as Senate Majority Leader and Republicans will keep Mitch McConnell (Ky.) as Minority Leader.

The House Leaders will also stay the same with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) merely changing positions upon the start of the new Congress. Democrats avoided a nasty insider fight by agreeing to make Steny Hoyer (Md.) Minority Whip and creating a new position of Assistant Minority Leader position for James Clyburn (N.C.). Eric Cantor (Va.) will assume the Majority Leader position.

With no changes in leadership on either side of the aisle, do not expect much compromise and consensus building to transpire.

However, President Obama will take a stab at it by inviting the leaders of Congress to the White House on Thursday for a afternoon discussion, followed by dinner. Expected to be discussed is what bills can we pass now during the lame-duck and where do we go from here?

No big shake ups expected within the Obama administration other than a long planned exit of Senior White House adviser Axelrod who will most likely be replaced by David Plouffe. In a reversal of roles by the two close advisers as the campaign to reelect Obama kicks into gear come Spring.

Votes most likely to come forward during the lame duck session, in no particular order are as follows:

Extension of Bush Tax Cuts - sunsets as of 12-31-2010. Expect at minimum a passage of all tax cuts for two years, which effectively puts off making a decision. An option picking up support is a passage of all the current tax cuts except those on folks making more than one million.

An interesting figure is if all the tax cuts enacted by the Bush administration were allowed to expire and we went back to the Clinton administration tax levels, the deficit would be reduced by more than 2.5 trillion.

The START Treaty with Russia which further reduces the number of nuclear weapons, is now in danger of not being passed if it is not acted on during the lame duck session. Even if acted on now, the required two-thirds votes needed in the Senate will be difficult. Obama needs this to pass - if this also fails, it will be another blow to his administration.

Extension of Unemployment Benefits - set to expire the end of the year. Democrats will push for a one year extension, but doubtful this will be approved. Look to see a 3-6 month compromised approved.

What should have been proposed is a national public service jobs program which required unemployed to work in an area of public service. This way, a public service would be provided for the tax payers money being spent.

DREAM Act - a bill which provides a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. This is a good bill and should be approved, but it is unlikely to be approved until a comprehensive immigration bill is introduced.

Energy bill - Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) will try again for some watered down bill devoid of the controversial cap-and-trade provisions, but it will face stiff opposition.

The deficit reduction commission will also issue their recommendations in early December, but do not expect any action by Congress on them during the lame-duck session.

Also, remember there is a planned update on the Afghanistan war in December planned which would hopefully lead to the beginning of U.S. troop withdrawal this coming summer.

This report is also pivotal for the Obama administration. If the withdrawal of troops is delayed, this would be another setback for Obama and further anger the Democratic base.

Stay Tuned...

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Daily Political Wire 11-12-2010

George Wenschhof

President Obama in Japan today - on the last leg of his Asian trip. The G-20 meetings did not result in any major agreements and the long negotiated trade deal with South Korea also delayed. Japan is facing major economic problems including deflation. CNN.com has more here.

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Obama faces economic issues when he returns home - to compromise or not on the extension of the Bush tax cuts is one of the first issues the president has to confront as the tax cuts expire at the end of the year. Liberal democrats, led by House speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats should not compromise. The Washington Post has more here.

In addition, the bipartisan deficit reduction commission co-chairs have released a series of proposals to reduce the deficit which has angered both the Left and Right. The NY Times has more here.

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Congressional Approval Only 17% - the recent mid term elections did little to improve the rating Americans have of Congress. The Gallup poll shows a drop from the 21% approval prior to the elections. Gallup.com has more here.

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Steele to face Challenges for RNC Chair - Saul Anuzis, former chair of the Michigan republican Party has announced he will run for chair of the Republican National Committee. In spite of huge Republican victories in the mid term elections, Steele has been beset with problems and political gaffes after barely winning the chair position in the 11th round of balloting less than two year ago. You can read more here.

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Will an Energy bill be introduced in Lame Duck Session? - doubtful any major legislation will be introduced. However, attempts might be made to require utilities to increase use of clean energy in producing electricity. TheHill.com has more here.

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Dream Act Likely to be Introduced during lame Duck Session - a bill which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. Citizenship would be earned after serving in the military for two years or attending college. You can read more here.

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FreedomWorks Provides Orientation to Incoming Tea Party Congressmen - Former Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey is leading the several day orientation to new members. Politico.com has more here.

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Daily Political Wire 9-20-2010

George Wenschhof

Today, the president and vice president travel to stump for Democratic candidates - President Obama will be in Pennsylvania headlining an event for Joe Sestak who is running against Republican Pat Toomey for the senate seat held currently by Arlen Specter.

Biden will travel to Ohio to help Governor Ted Strickland who is trailing Republican candidate John Kasich in the polls.

Also today, President Obama will appear at a televised town hall meeting. John Hardwood of CNBC will moderate. You can read more here.

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DREAM ACT and D.A.D.T. up for discussion in Senate this week - both controversial measures will surely receive strong rhetoric from both sides of the aisle. Ending a policy directed toward gays and lesbians who serve in the military and providing a pathway to citizenship for children of immigrants who serve in the military or have attended college will receive media attention this week. The NY Times has more here.

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Bottom kill of Gulf oil well successful - finally, after an estimated 172 million gallons of oil had gushed into the gulf. The sealing of the well from both the top and the bottom is considered a permanent fix.

Now, comes a continuing effort to restore the areas affected by the spill and the payment of funds from the BP escrow account to those who were hurt financially from the disaster. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Sunday "Talking Heads" wrap - from what former Secretary of State Colin Powell to former President Bill Clinton, CNN.com has a quick wrap up with short video clips here.

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Daily Political Wire 9-16-2010

George Wenschhof

Today, President Obama heads to New York to fund raise for Democrats - he will speak at an event for the DNC and also one for Connecticut U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal. Blumenthal is battling Republican Linda McMahon. You can read more here.

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Small Business Aid on the way - a day after President Obama blasted Republican leadership for blocking aid to small businesses, the Senate is expected to pass a bill today. 30 billion would be invested in community banks to encourage small business lending which has been stalled during the economic recession. In addition, tax breaks for small businesses are included in the bill. Small business growth is responsible for many of the new jobs created today. Reuters.com has more here.

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START Treaty to receive Senate committee vote today - the nuclear arms reduction treaty agreed upon by Russian President Medvedev and President Obama earlier this year will receive a vote today from the Senate Foreign Relations committee. When it will come before the full Senate for ratification is not known. A 2/3 vote is needed for passage. Politico.com has more here.

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DREAM Act expected to be voted on next week - the Development, Relief & Education for Alien Minors bill failed in 2007 by a 52-44 vote. Democrats in the Senate plan to attach the bill to an appropriation bill. The bill will be sure to create partisan discussion and election rhetoric as some far right Republicans have been calling for the repeal of the 14th amendment which provides U.S. citizenship to minors born in the United States. TheHill.com has more here.

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What will it take for meaningful campaign finance reform? - In California, Republican candidate for Governor; Meg Whitman, has spent a record 115 million of her own money. She is in a statistical dead heat with former Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.

Last year, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent 109 million of his money, (a then record), to win a third term. MSNBC.com has more here.

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