Cracking Open the Ballot Box

from the Baltimore Sun

A non-partisan, national group that plans to run a third-party presidential candidate nominated by an online convention will submit more than 18,000 signatures to the Maryland State Board of Elections on Wednesday with the hope of gaining a spot on the state’s ballot in November. Americans Elect, a well-funded nonprofit that is working to gain ballot access in all 50 states, aims to change the way presidents are elected, bypassing the primaries and conventions used by Democrats and Republicans and instead allowing voters to pick a candidate via the Internet.

The most high-profile candidate in the running on the Americans Elect line appears to be Buddy Roemer, the former governor of Louisiana who had run for the Republican presidential nomination this year but withdrew in February.

The group is funded in part by wealthy banker Peter Ackerman, though it does not disclose its other donors. Even as it continues to gain ballot access across the country, the group has faced a number of recent setbacks. It postponed online voting this month and also announced it would prioritize its fundraising toward the repayment of investors who contributed more than 20 percent of the group’s budget.

Harford Campaign for Liberty Meeting

From the Dagger and the Harford Campaign for Liberty:

Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves. – Thomas Jefferson

Harford Campaign for Liberty
April 24, 2012 - 7pm
Bel Air Knights of Columbus Hall
23 Newport Drive
Forest Hill, MD 21050

Featured Speaker – Karen Kiawitkowski – USAF– Ret

Our guest speaker is Dr. Karen Kwiatkowski, a retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel with extensive experience at the Pentagon and National Security Agency. She is the author of several books on U.S. policy in Africa and was featured in the 2005 film “Why We Fight.” Since retiring she has been a vocal critic of the corrupting influence of politics on military decisions.

She currently seeks office in Virginia’s 6th district and hopes to bring her seasoned Goldwater Republicanism to constituents now represented by a supporter of the National Defense Authorization Act and The Stop Online Piracy Act. Her genuine conservative principles have earned her the endorsements of Republican Party figures as well as fiscal and constitutional conservatives.

What’s a Party Platform? Betcha Didn’t Know That…

Dave Pridgeon will speak on the construction of party platforms and provide some unique insights that will shock & amaze you.

Keep the Wolves at Bay

- Learn how Harford County Government is keeping you in the dark regarding their association with ICLEI.
- Find out how you can oppose the installation of SmartMeters on your home.
- Don’t forget to bring in articles and reports that highlight the efforts of PLANMD and sustainability initiatives in our state and county.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Corporate Greed Isn't the ONLY Thing that's Out of Control...

  From Delegate Kathy Szeliga & the Harford County Dagger:

I’m disappointed with the failed leadership in Annapolis that will most likely force the legislature back for a Special Session. The budget that was passed has been labeled a “Doomsday budget.” This budget increases spending by $700 million – not a “Doomsday” for most people!

In Maryland, it’s the governor’s responsibility to shepherd his budget through the General Assembly. The O’Malley-Brown team was too busy working for special interests (like off-shore wind power and same sex marriage) and playing national politics to get the job finished last week.

While the numerous tax proposals, including the gas tax, did not pass, the Maryland State budget still grew by $700 million. The real winners in the 2012 budget proposal are taxpayers because the tax bill or the Governor’s gas tax did not pass.

During the Special Session called in November of 2007, the leadership in Annapolis raised an unprecedented amount of taxes. I am concerned that any Special Session called in the next six weeks could turn into another “Special Taxing Session.” I hope that the leadership in Annapolis will commit to a disciplined course of action that will not last more than one or two days and will not turn into a taxfest.

The budget debacle has left counties wondering what is going on. The teachers’ pension shift that will cost counties millions of dollars is in the BRFA, the bill that never made it through the House. Counties are left wondering how to craft their own budgets with uncertainty from the state.

I know that the leadership in Annapolis will be calling us back for a Special Session because they should not lay off 500 state employees by July 1 that is required without action – especially while increasing spending on other things.  Laying off 500 people is certainly a jobs killer when it’s your job that gets eliminated. We need adult decisions and agreements by the Democrat leadership before we are called back to Annapolis.

I will be in Annapolis whenever they call us back and I will continue to stand up for the 96% of Marylanders that say they pay enough in taxes. Families are struggling today and they simply cannot pay more taxes.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them coming my way.

Kathy

A Budget Increase Means "Doomsday" to Maryland State Democrats???

from the Maryland House Republican Caucus and the Harford County Dagger:

House Republicans today shed light on what many have called the “Doomsday Budget” that passed last week in the final hours of the 2012 Legislative Session.

“For all the hand wringing and wailing that we’re seeing in the media, the bottom line is spending in this budget increases by nearly $700 million over last year” said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell. “It was not a budget that we would have crafted, but it is does not demand a Special Session.” \

According to the Department of Legislative Services, even with the cuts included in the “Doomsday Budget”, total state spending still increases by nearly $700 million over last year. Total state spending in FY 2012 was $34.7 billion, in FY 2013 total spending increased to $35.4 billion. “When you look at the numbers it seems that ‘doomsday’ is certainly in the eye of the beholder,” said Delegate Kelly Schulz. “While cuts to education have been making headlines, the reality is they’re basically level-funded in FY 2013, and still receiving more than FY 2012. While interest groups like MSEA are making hysterical cries for a Special Session to increase taxes, we think after years of record education funding, the taxpayers deserve a break.”

“Our caucus offered a well thought-out plan that reduced the budget and avoided tax increases but it was solidly rejected on party lines”, said House Minority Whip Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio. “Now we have the Democratic majority’s budget that was haphazardly crafted as a coercion tool for tax hikes – it was a bluff to force their more reluctant members to vote for tax increases. This scheme backfired and now they want a do-over.” In fact, a special session could be quite a costly “do-over” for taxpayers.

When the legislature convened for a tax-raising special session in 2007, it cost taxpayers over $20,000 per day and lasted several weeks.

“With today being the Tax Day deadline, it is important to keep in mind that nearly $3 billion in new and increased taxes proposed in the 2012 Session, said Delegate Mark Fisher.  “While polling showed that 96% of Marylanders felt they paid enough taxes, Governor O’Malley and the Democratic majority were still positioning themselves to take more. The fact that Maryland’s taxpayers made it through the session with very few of those taxes passing borderlines on miraculous.”

“Even in the final days of the 2012 Session Governor O’Malley was still pushing for a gas tax increase and even floated the idea of another sales tax increase, said Delegate Haddaway-Riccio. “This ‘Doomsday Budget’ is a contrived crisis to give them another bite at the tax apple. We do not need a special session that allows the tax-hungry General Assembly to make another grab for Marylander’s wallets.”

Maryland Gay Marriage Supporters Gear Up for Fight

from the Baltimore Sun

Anticipating that opponents of same-sex marriage will succeed in forcing the recently passed Maryland law allowing gay couples to wed to referendum, its supporters have hired a political veteran to lead the charge to uphold the measure.

Josh Levin, who has led congresional campaigns and served in former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign, has signed up to be the new campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the group announced Wednesday. He replaces Sultan Shakir, who will become the group's political director.

The marriage equality group is the coalition that led the effort to push the marriage bill, which was supported by Gov. Martin O'Malley, through the General Assembly early this year. Opponents of the bill, including many churches, are gathering signatures to put the issue on the November ballot, where voters could invalidate the legislature's action.

The announcement of the appointment came as same-sex marriage proponents were touting the results of a poll by Hart Research suggesting that Maryland voters favor the new law by 51 percent to 43 perecent. That is a wider margin than suggested in most previous polls.

Santorum Folds

It's time for the Tea Party to register Democratic... there's no place in the RNC for non-monied non-corporate interests.

Is Corporatism Good for America? Or has it Transformed the Economy Into a Night of the Living Dead?

h/t - Paleocon Command Center

In 1886, the U.S. Supreme Court legally recognized corporations as “persons” entitled under the Fourteenth Amendment to the same protections as living citizens.

Unlike average citizens, corporations have large flows of money at their disposal. With this money they hire lobbyists, donate abundantly to politicians, and sway public opinion with marketing and advertising ideas that increase their profit.

A corporation never sleeps or slows down. They are immortal. Zombies? Fast and slow zombies... but mostly slow ones since 2000.

Publicly traded stock corporations are explicitly designed to maximize return to an elite minority of stockowners. The "head" zombies who now control the zombie politicians in both major parties.

Corporations externalize as many costs as possible and never reach an upper limit of profitability, because no such limit has yet been established. As a result, corporations keep getting larger and more powerful and continuously less liable. Some are even now considered, "too big to fail" by the US government, and must be kept alive at taxpayer expense.

International agreements, promoted by the United States, not only lowered taxes but extended corporate property rights and reduced the ability of other nations to regulate corporations differently. Turning their economies into zombie clones of the American economy.

In 1955, sales of the Fortune 500 accounted for one-third of U.S. gross domestic product. By 2004 they commanded two-thirds. This means that a few hundred corporations enveloped not only the commons but also millions of smaller firms organized as partnerships or proprietorships. Resulting in a zombie economy.

How Radical is the Ryan Budget?

Isn't it LONG past the time when Democrats should have dropped their rhetorical histrionics?

Why Corporations Don't Invest Domestically

Harford County Republican Primary Returns

PRESIDENT 1 REP
Total
Number of Precincts 52
Precincts Reporting 49 94.2 %
Vote For 1
Times Counted 14227/49390 28.8 %
Total Votes 14168
Times Blank Voted 59
Number of Uncast Votes 0
Gingrich, Newt 1441 10.17%
Huntsman, Jon 56 0.40%
Karger, Fred 10 0.07%
Paul, Ron 1821 12.85%
Perry, Rick 61 0.43%
Roemer, Buddy 42 0.30%
Romney, Mitt 6606 46.63%
Santorum, Rick 4131 29.16%

PRESIDENT 2 REP
Total
Number of Precincts 31
Precincts Reporting 28 90.3 %
Vote For 1
Times Counted 4024/15573 25.8 %
Total Votes 3994
Times Blank Voted 30
Number of Uncast Votes 0
Gingrich, Newt 432 10.82%
Huntsman, Jon 19 0.48%
Karger, Fred 14 0.35%
Paul, Ron 590 14.77%
Perry, Rick 23 0.58%
Roemer, Buddy 15 0.38%
Romney, Mitt 1820 45.57%
Santorum, Rick 1081 27.07%

Maryland VOTES TODAY!

from the Harford County Board of Elections

2012 Presidential Primary Election
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
Polls are open on Election Day 7am to 8pm
Early voting dates for the Primary Election:
Saturday March 24th, 2012 through Thursday March 29th, 2012
10am to 8 pm (except Sunday's time: 12pm to 6pm)
Early voting location:

McFaul Activity Center
525 West MacPhail Road
Bel Air MD 21014


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REMINDERS FOR ELECTION DAY

Maryland Election Law allows only registered voters affiliated with the Democratic or Republican political parties to vote in the Presidential Primary Election, which will be held on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012.

All registered voters may vote in the Presidential General Election, which will be held on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012, regardless of political affiliation.

Registered voters are assigned to a polling place, based on their residential address. The name and address of a voter’s polling place can be found on their Voter Registration Card. Call the Election Office if you need to verify your polling place.

For voters in a wheelchair or voters who prefer to be seated, an alternative touch screen or voting booth is available. Tell the Election Judge if you wish to use this unit.

For voters who are vision-impaired, an alternative audio or magnified ballot are available on the touch screen or paper ballot. Tell the Election Judge if you wish to use these features.

Ballot questions and write-in voting are offered in the General Election only.

Notify the Election Office if your address or name changes or inform the Election Judge when you go to the polling place so your voter registration record may be updated.

To avoid delays or long lines at the polling place, vote between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or vote during Early Voting or call the Election Office for an absentee ballot. Absentee Application are not available for the 2012 election. Please call the office to request an application at 410-638-3565. One will be mailed to you when the application becomes available.