As always, I love to bring you the cutting edge, feel good articles that we don't see in your average lamestream media. Today's edition involves the Military Time's coverage of a WW II fighter jock that got to make his first skydive a few days before his 94th birthday. I guess I should relent and let my wife do a jump considering a 93 year old fighter ace is tough enough for the task, shouldn't I? Dear readers, please feel free to dissuade my change of heart and mind.
At any rate, thanks for your contribution to the free world Airmen McCauley. May you make another jump next year and until God takes your blessed soul!
16 September 2010
After Action Review: Maryland Primary
Finally! The gloves are off and maybe we can get a good old fashioned street fight going. Instead of two heavyweights going at it in the ring with an official to keep the hits above the belt, we'll just bill it as a rematch, a slug-fest, a winner-take-all event! Perhaps we could even mix in a little mud slinging and a few good lies to go with it to make it that much more interesting.
Well, of course, that's what we have! We've got a rematch. O'Malley vs. Ehrlich, 2! Hell, we don't even have to wait for the mud slinging, it's already happening. Thanks to Martin! Your commercials on the radio make Rex Ryan's football smack talk appear as a though it's the gospel. Yes, Bob worked for a lobby firm, even though he never took any lobby money or even directly lobbied himself. True he's an advocate for drilling for oil but so are a lot of hard working Americans to get a reasonable assurance of an "all of the above" energy independence strategy. Yes, Bobby raised fees and property taxes, but that was also at the hands of the legislature, since THEY make the budget and the Governor's office only proposes it. What have you done Martin?
Oh, that's right OWE'Malley has done nothing but raise taxes: Sales tax 20% increase, a new "millionaire's" tax on not only businesses, but the individuals as well. No, our fees haven't gone up, but we've borrowed profusely to balance the budget and have endangered Maryland's Triple A bond rating (assuming that bond ratings mean anything in this casino investment economy these days). Additionally, we plugged the holes in the defect with handouts from the FedGov that is basically stolen property from states with better fiscal responsibility. Oh, and of course, the two biggest campaign promises were what, no BGE rate hike and no need to have slots in the state of Maryland to save horse racing or balance the budget, right? I guess you were for the BGE rate hike and slots before you were against them, only to be ultimately for them again dear current Governor?
But, I digress, and these are not the only reasons why I am writing this post today. Most of us know that Maryland is blue through and through (and no, not Elvis blue), and the apathy showed itself in the primary. In a state of over 5.6 million people, only 724,659 total ballots were cast in the Gubernatorial primaries for both parties. Compared with the previous Gubernatorial primaries of 2006, that's down from a total of 738,415 votes cast. It will be interesting to see just how much that apathy bleeds into the general election come November.
Of personal note and interest was the primary race for District 8 Maryland Delegate. Being a Hazzard county native and not understanding Baltimore county politics, I wanted to get the low-down prior to the election on this race, and several others. A friend of mine gave me some good insight, but it seems that the party backed candidate who is effectively a closet dem, closely beat out an up start Tea-Party candidate by 127 votes. I still hold out hope that the absentee ballots can turn the tide in that race, but it appears that won't be the case.
I have yet to understand why the party establishment wants to back those who are moderate or RINO leftists like Mike Castle, when clear alternatives with conservative and libertarian principles are now mainstream and are showing us they can win, or run a very close second. If the party had thrown it's weight behind candidate Merryman, might she have won in a fairly conservative dem district? Considering it shot itself in the foot for power over policy, I guess we will never know.
That means I will probably support the returning democrat Delegate since he is pro-business, pro-gun, and good at communicating with his constituency. Fortunately there will be two good alternatives on the Republican ticket and it would be nice to make district 8 a two republican and one dem district. It just means that I'll have to hold the dem's feet to the fire so he doesn't vote aye with his party on every bill.
Ah yes, the largest Tea Party countdown may no commence. Welcome ye Reds to Blue Maryland.
Well, of course, that's what we have! We've got a rematch. O'Malley vs. Ehrlich, 2! Hell, we don't even have to wait for the mud slinging, it's already happening. Thanks to Martin! Your commercials on the radio make Rex Ryan's football smack talk appear as a though it's the gospel. Yes, Bob worked for a lobby firm, even though he never took any lobby money or even directly lobbied himself. True he's an advocate for drilling for oil but so are a lot of hard working Americans to get a reasonable assurance of an "all of the above" energy independence strategy. Yes, Bobby raised fees and property taxes, but that was also at the hands of the legislature, since THEY make the budget and the Governor's office only proposes it. What have you done Martin?
Oh, that's right OWE'Malley has done nothing but raise taxes: Sales tax 20% increase, a new "millionaire's" tax on not only businesses, but the individuals as well. No, our fees haven't gone up, but we've borrowed profusely to balance the budget and have endangered Maryland's Triple A bond rating (assuming that bond ratings mean anything in this casino investment economy these days). Additionally, we plugged the holes in the defect with handouts from the FedGov that is basically stolen property from states with better fiscal responsibility. Oh, and of course, the two biggest campaign promises were what, no BGE rate hike and no need to have slots in the state of Maryland to save horse racing or balance the budget, right? I guess you were for the BGE rate hike and slots before you were against them, only to be ultimately for them again dear current Governor?
But, I digress, and these are not the only reasons why I am writing this post today. Most of us know that Maryland is blue through and through (and no, not Elvis blue), and the apathy showed itself in the primary. In a state of over 5.6 million people, only 724,659 total ballots were cast in the Gubernatorial primaries for both parties. Compared with the previous Gubernatorial primaries of 2006, that's down from a total of 738,415 votes cast. It will be interesting to see just how much that apathy bleeds into the general election come November.
Of personal note and interest was the primary race for District 8 Maryland Delegate. Being a Hazzard county native and not understanding Baltimore county politics, I wanted to get the low-down prior to the election on this race, and several others. A friend of mine gave me some good insight, but it seems that the party backed candidate who is effectively a closet dem, closely beat out an up start Tea-Party candidate by 127 votes. I still hold out hope that the absentee ballots can turn the tide in that race, but it appears that won't be the case.
I have yet to understand why the party establishment wants to back those who are moderate or RINO leftists like Mike Castle, when clear alternatives with conservative and libertarian principles are now mainstream and are showing us they can win, or run a very close second. If the party had thrown it's weight behind candidate Merryman, might she have won in a fairly conservative dem district? Considering it shot itself in the foot for power over policy, I guess we will never know.
That means I will probably support the returning democrat Delegate since he is pro-business, pro-gun, and good at communicating with his constituency. Fortunately there will be two good alternatives on the Republican ticket and it would be nice to make district 8 a two republican and one dem district. It just means that I'll have to hold the dem's feet to the fire so he doesn't vote aye with his party on every bill.
Ah yes, the largest Tea Party countdown may no commence. Welcome ye Reds to Blue Maryland.
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