The last time the Orioles played a post season game at Camden Yards, the first baseman for the Cleveland Indians was Jim Thome. I did not page through my scorebook for the 1997 season to recall that baseball trivia, even though the book is somewhere in my condo. I googled. Two nights ago, Thome hit …more >
“If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.” Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote that in Whitney v. California. Jay Bernstein emailed me two weeks ago, disturbed that John Mearsheimer would …more >
Florida has a lot of snowbirds. They spend winters there and summers up north. Wendy Rosen is one of them. The Democratic “candidate” in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District lives in Cockeysville and St. Petersburg, Florida. She has voted in both places. When this story broke, I knew that my Republican friends would use this incident …more >
An op-ed and a tweet prompted me to put fingers to keyboard this week. Former Governor Ehrlich’s weekly column in the Sun was about how President Obama would do in the Jewish community this November. Here’s my letter to the editor: Relations between the United States and Israel remain “as strong as they ever have …more >
There is legislation after slots. Since I returned from Annapolis — Repeal of the death penalty will be my number one issue next winter. I met with Archbishop William Lori and participated in a conference call on how to increase our majorities in both houses of the legislature. Innovative ways to refinance underwater mortgages, provide …more >
When the Governor, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the House support a bill, it will pass. I learned that a long time ago. Consequently, when Speaker Busch decided to support expanded gaming at a special session, I chose to work on amending the legislation, instead of opposing it, despite my concerns about …more >
People don’t believe us. At neighborhood meetings, when my 41st District colleagues and I discuss how the money from slots will be spent, our constituents don’t believe us. Blame it on the advertising for the referendum when the lottery was authorized 40+ years ago, which said that the money would be used for education, …more >
Summer study. The three months since the General Assembly adjourned on April 9 have given that term new meaning. Our deliberations on gambling seem endless. In fact, one of the arguments for holding a special session in August is to put the matter behind us, freeing up the 2013 legislature’s time, focus, and horsetrading. …more >
A lawsuit brought by a Goodyear worker in Alabama will benefit some of my constituents and countless others across the country. That was the theme of my remarks below, after receiving the Community Leadership Award last night from Shalom USA, a weekly radio program produced by two Baltimoreans, Jay Bernstein and Larry …more >
It’s the time of year when I’m working on my legislative agenda for next winter and my Legislation Class syllabus for this fall. My interest in welfare was piqued by a discussion in the American Prospect. Peter Edelman, who has been working on poverty issues since he was on Robert Kennedy’s Senate staff, …more >
