Minimum Wage Increase Long Overdo

George Wenschhof

It is disheartening to hear the ageless Republican Party argument against an increase in the minimum wage.  This is just another example of how out of touch with reality the Republican Party has become.  Added to their stance against women’s rights, gay marriage and meaningful immigration reform, it is no surprise voters are leaving the Republican Party in record numbers.

President Obama’s proposal to increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.00 is not only needed, it is not enough of a raise.  Tying automatic increases of the minimum wage to the consumer price index to keep pace with future inflation is also necessary.

The Republican Party mantra that an increase of the minimum wage would lead to job losses and higher unemployment is just not true.

Rather, there is a stimulus to the economy that occurs and businesses benefit by the increase in spending.

There is a universal acknowledgement that the present federal $7.25 per hour minimum wage is not even a living wage.  Paying rent, food, clothing and other expenses with less than $300 week after taxes, is a huge strain on even the most frugal individual, let alone family.

It is widely known and documented individuals who exist on minimum wage earnings will spend the increase they receive, which in turn, benefits the economy.

Republican obstructionists in the U.S. Senate kept an increase to $9.00 per hour from happening a year ago and it is likely they will follow suit this year in spite of the push by Obama and his inclusion of this issue in his state of the union address.

In a midterm congressional election year, Republicans would be wise to heed a January 8, 2014 Quinnipiac poll that shows 71% of American voters support an increase. 

Further illustrating the mood of the electorate, states are not waiting for the federal government to act and a majority of them have bills that will be acted on this year to increase the minimum wage.  This follows the District of Columbia and five states that passed an increase last year.

The state of Maryland is one of those states that are not waiting for Congress to act.  Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D) supports raising the minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016 and tying future increases to inflation by 2017.

Meanwhile, impatient individual counties in Maryland, reflecting how states are reacting to a slow moving congress, are already passing their own increases in minimum wage.  Montgomery County and Prince George’s counties have passed legislation that will lead to an $11.50 minimum wage by 2017.

Democrat Karen Young, who is running for Maryland state delegate in district 3-A sent me an email saying “After extensive research on this topic, I have found that there is little, if any, historic data that ties a raise in the minimum wage to increased unemployment. To the contrary, economists suggest that an increase in the minimum wage will have a stimulating effect on the economy by increasing purchasing power. 

Most importantly, raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would reduce the number of people living in poverty by 4.6 million, according to a recent study by University of Massachusetts – Amherst economist Arindrajit Dube”.

It has been reported Maryland senate president Thomas “Mike” Miller (D) feels it is more likely for the senate to pass regional wage hikes as opposed to a statewide increase in the minimum wage.

Republicans in the Frederick County state delegation have made their opposition to an increase in the state minimum wage known.  In an earlier interview, state senate minority leader David Brinkley (R) told me he felt a raise in the minimum wage should come from the federal government and not by the states.

Roger Wilson, another Democratic candidate for Maryland state delegate in district 3-A, told me “Increasing the minimum wage is both responsible and logical. It is a Win, Win. Let's use the example of Henry Ford.

Henry Ford paid his workers a living wage. Ford understood that by paying employees a living wage the employees could then afford to buy Ford motor cars. The same would hold true today for any company... Increase purchase power, buy more, sell more, build more, and the economy improves”.

Gene Stanton(D), who is running for Maryland state delegate in district 4 wrote in an email "Increasing the minimum wage is the right thing to do, for employees, employers and most especially, for Maryland taxpayers. In addition, it is the right thing to do morally. Maryland taxpayers benefit with increased income tax revenue and fewer people collecting public assistance and the business community benefits with happier employees that have money to spend on their products. Its a win-win situation for Maryland."

It is past due to increase the federal minimum wage and $10.10 is still insufficient for an individual or family to live in America today, regardless of what state they live in or what region within a state they reside.  Arguing against this makes little sense and government failing to act is a travesty.

Keeping a class of Americans in poverty and tied to government assistance is hardly representative of the “American Way”.

We can and must do better.  Demand your representative in Congress support an increase in the federal minimum wage and let your Maryland state legislator know you support a statewide increase in the minimum wage with automatic future increases tied to inflation.

Stay tuned.

Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Civil War in Libya - government forces continue to battle rebels demanding the removal of Muammar Gaddafi. The possibility of a protracted civil war is indeed a real one. Reuters.com has more below.



---

Republicans and Democrats Already Developing Plans for 2012 Congressional Races - Democrats need to pick up 25 seats in the House to regain a majority and have already targeted 14 Republican held seats in Democratic leaning districts. Over, in the Senate, where Republicans only need to pick up 3 seats, five contests have been zeroed in on and the strategy begun. TheHill.com has a good read here.

---

Romney Speaks to New Hampshire Republicans - Mitt Romney, one of the leading contenders for the Republican 2012 presidential, called for the repeal of the Obama health care law. A problem hanging over his head, as he enacted a similar law when he was Governor of Massachusetts. Politico.com has more here.

---

Peter O'Malley, brother of Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley Become Maryland Democratic Party Chair - in a formal vote yesterday as Maryland Democrats gathered for their annual meeting. Peter O'Malley has long been involved in managing the campaigns of his brother and knows Democrats across the state very well.

The state coordinated campaign next year will focus on the reelection of President Obama and Senator Ben Cardin, along with the eight congressional seats up for election. The Baltimore Sun has more here.

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.

O'Malley/Brown and Mikulski Fire Up Frederick Democrats

George Wenschhof

On day three of their "On Your Side" tour across Maryland, Governor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown were joined by Maryland U.S. Senator Barbara Milkuski at their stop this afternoon at the Bernard Brown Community Center located in the City of Frederick. Also speaking to the crowd was Maryland Democratic Party chair Susan Turnbull.

They fired up the enthusiastic crowd of supporters before heading off to Frostburg State University and then on to Cumberland for more events today. The statewide tour will conclude in Baltimore next week prior to the election on Tuesday.

Senator Mikulski, as she was introducing the Governor, told the crowd about how she first met Martin O'Malley years ago when he was working for her in her early campaign for Senator of Maryland. It was a humorous story on how O'Malley managed to bag her, a stool for her to stand on, and after an introduction from Mikulski, also bagged his wife Katie Curran - a fortuitous night for O'Malley.

The Governor and other speakers focused on the campaign theme of moving Maryland forward with the Governor highlighting his accomplishments during his first term in office.

From keeping college tuition rates steady, receiving high evaluations/ratings in the areas of public education and public safety, to balancing the budget in difficult economic times, restoring the Chesapeake Bay, and keeping Maryland's unemployment rate among the lowest of any state in the country, the emphasis was on moving Maryland forward.

The Governor took a moment to talk to me after the rally. I asked him about the "dirty tricks" pulled by the Ehrlich campaign on election day in 2006 and what his campaign was doing to inform voters of the potential of this type of shady behavior in this election. I also asked him how he came to name the "On Your Side" Van used for the tour after his wife Katie.



---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hans margin.

MD Delegate Replacement Process for District 3-B has it's Shortcomings

George Wenschhof

Local Republican Central Committees were unable to reach agreement on the replacement for the vacant state delegate position from district 3-B. Instead, they have sent two names to Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and left the decision to him.

Who would have ever thought that questionable procedures to be followed to replace vacant state elected Delegate positions would ever touch the southern tip of Frederick county, Maryland.

Yet, it should not have been a surprise as this decade began with counties in the state of Florida counting "hanging chads" as the country struggled with determining the 2000 presidential election outcome.

The 2008 Democratic primary, aided by 24/7 News and Internet reporting, further provided a civics lesson when the convoluted process used by the Democratic Party to determine their nominee went on display.

Voters learned a state could hold a Caucus or the traditional voting procedure in their primary, each state could have a two step and sometimes three step process for awarding state delegates to the candidate, states were stripped of delegates due to holding their primary too early, and on top of all of those differences between states, candidates had to win over superdelegates who were not answerable to the voters.

All the nuances in procedure played important roles as the close and hard fought contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama played out. Fortunately, the Democratic presidential primary process is currently under review by the Democratic National Committee.

In Maryland, when a state delegate position becomes vacant, the process to fill the position is for the local central committee representing the political party held by the individual when they were elected to office, is charged with determining a replacement which is then confirmed by the Governor.

This is important, as Delegate Rick Weldon who resigned to take a position with the City of Frederick, was elected as a Republican and switched to "Unaffiliated" a year prior to leaving office. Some have questioned why the replacement should be a Republican.

Another part of the selection process for the replacement came into play as the state delegate from district 3-B represents voters in both Frederick and Washington counties. Which leads to the central committees in both counties having an equal say in the nomination process for the replacement per the state constitution.

Some have questioned the fairness of this as the voters in Washington county make up about 6% of the district. The argument, which is valid, is the Washington County Republican Central Committee should only have 6% of the vote in determining the next delegate.

Nonetheless, that is the process, with each central committee being able to submit a name to the Governor if the two committees do not agree on one individual. Which is exactly what happened when the Frederick County Republican Central Committee selected Michael Hough and the Washington County Republican Central Committee selecting Frederick county Commissioner Charles Jenkins.

Additional questions that have been asked pertain to if a member of the central committee who is under consideration for the vacant position can also vote. This was allegedly the case with Mr. Hough who as a member of the Frederick county Republican Central Committee, voted for himself.

Further aggravating to some Republicans was the vote by the central committees were secret with one strong rumor indicating Mr. Hough won by one vote (his own) in Frederick County. Also angering some Republicans were the interviews held by the central committees were held in private and not open to the public.

Now that both names have been submitted to the Governor, it is left to him to make the decision. Not necessarily a good position to put your Governor in, especially if he is a Democrat and you are a Republican.

It is already clear, that if the losing candidate is Michael Hough, he will use the appointment choice by Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley of Charles Jenkins against him. He will say he is running against the liberal Democratic Governor's choice for the district.

The 2008 presidential election and subsequent White House appointments by President Obama also pointed out differences in the filling of vacant U.S. Senate and House of Representatives positions by state. Some could be appointed and then subject to a special election, some were held vacant until a special election was held, and some could be appointed immediately.

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich hastened his already destined departure from office by talking about how the vacant Obama Senate seat was "fu..ing golden" in apparent reference to how valuable the position was to him as it was he was who would name the replacement.

Over in Delaware, Vice President Joe Biden's Senate seat was replaced by a placeholder (a long time family friend) who would hold the office until the next election when Beau Biden (yes, Joe's son) was back from serving in Afghanistan and would run for the position.

The late Ted Kennedy, prior to his death, appealed to have the Massachusetts law requiring a special election changed to be a Governor appointment as he knew this one vote in the senate would be crucial to the passage of health care reform. His appeal was successful in the state and that one vote did make a difference in the senate passing health care reform.

I wrote back in a column dated December 18, 2009 what the possibilities may be in replacing Rick Weldon, who has just made public his resignation. I was correct in predicting Michael Hough and Charles Jenkins as the main competitors for the position and pointed out the Republican central committees had the possibility of naming a placeholder until the general election on November 2. It made sense for if they chose Jenkins, they would have to go through another contentious process of naming his replacement and by not choosing Hough, they would avoid splitting their party.

As a Democrat, I am disheartened by Republicans being able to give a leg up in the Elections this Fall to one candidate, let alone two if Frederick County commissioner Charles Jenkins is selected. It is also questionable, if Jenkins, who has not filed to run for delegate or raised any significant funds, would run if he did not receive the interim appointment. However, I am no supporter of Mr. Hough.

I look forward to the Democrats fielding a competitive candidate(s) for Delegate in District 3-B, a district that is winnable for Democrats. There are about 31,000 registered voters in the district with the approximate breakdown being: Republicans-13,000, Democrats-12,000 and Unaffiliated/Others-6,000. A strong moderate Democrat would do well in this district.

Let's now hope the discussion moves to what the candidates propose to do for the voters in district 3-B.

----

To receive "Daily Updates" from Air-it-out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.

Repeal of Maryland Death Penalty Yet Again Out of Reach

Ann-Marie Luciano Bio

Ever since the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in December 2006 that the state's procedure for administering executions by lethal injection was not adopted properly -- which effectively imposed a death penalty moratorium in the state — abolitionists and civil rights advocates believed that it was only a matter of time before Maryland repealed the death penalty once and for all. With the election of Governor O'Malley, who, as a Catholic, is personally against the death penalty, these hopes seemed realistic. But the failure this week of Governor O'Malley's repeal bill demonstrates again how quickly and easily politics can transform the terms of the debate.

In 2007, a senate bill to repeal the death penalty fell short by just one, single, solitary vote. Although Governor O'Malley spoke to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in support of the bill, his statements at the time were based on statistics about the death penalty's cost and its ineffectiveness as a deterrent.

This time around, Governor O'Malley spoke from the heart about the moral issues involved with the death penalty, from the question about the risk of wrongful convictions (the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment found that for every 8.7 Americans sent to death row, there has been one innocent person exonerated), to the broader moral question as to the type of society we want to build for our families and communities.

The Governor's impassioned plea for the repeal of the death penalty didn't resonate with the Senate, however. Yesterday the Maryland Senate voted 34 to 13 on a compromise bill that will tighten evidence standards in death penalty cases — presumably to reduce the possibility of executing an innocent person – while still allowing the death penalty in egregious cases. The bill prohibits death sentences based solely on eyewitness testimony and would require either biological or DNA evidence, videotaped confessions or videotaped crimes to proceed with capital cases.

What is discouraging to the abolitionists, including myself, is that the changes in the political climate – with an anti-death penalty Democratic Governor in a heavily Democratic state – have not translated into a repeal of the death penalty or any real changes in its administration. Indeed, according to the Washington Post, a poll released in January by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies shows that 41 percent of Marylanders oppose the death penalty and as many as 65 percent said life in prison without the possibility of parole was an acceptable alternative to the death penalty as punishment for murder. Why, despite this changing political climate, are the elected representatives still unwilling to muster the courage for a repeal?

If the vast majority of Marylanders find that life without the possibility of parole is an acceptable alternative to the death penalty, why is the death penalty still on the books? Instead of focusing on the details as to how to pass a compromise bill that differentiates between the type of evidence that would be sufficient to support the death penalty, why doesn't the Maryland legislature draft a simple bill repealing the death penalty and providing for a sentence of life without parole for "capital" crimes?

Although all of the stars appear to be aligned for a repeal, Maryland legislators still are not willing to stick their necks out. During times like these when voters are preoccupied with keeping or finding a job, staying in their home and picking up the pieces from their shattered 401(k), it is understandable that the public will focus more on bread and butter issues that affect their daily lives rather than the death penalty. My fear, however, is that the voice of the abolitionist and civil rights community will either be shut out by all of the other competing voices or that they will lose the will to fight for a repeal after so many disappointments in the Maryland legislature.

If the compromise bill passes and is signed into law, it will be interesting to watch and see how the bill works in application and whether its success or failure will affect the possibility of another repeal bill for 2010.

--------------------

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.