Tag: Ronald Reagan

Trust but verify.  And be prepared.

| by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

Trust the process.

That’s the advice a member is often given at this stage of the session.

A commitment has been made that your bill will be acted upon favorably in the other house.

The commitment will be honored is the message.

But as Ronald Reagan advised, “Trust but verify.”

Less artfully said, don’t take anything for granted.

Listen to the Senate hearing on your bill.  You might pick up something.

Get an update from the advocates you’re working with

Remind a Senator of the commitment if you have a chance encounter

Yet again, go through the list of your bills that are still alive.  You might think of something that will help get a bill enacted.

And be prepared to take action if that promise is not kept.

Here to help you

| by delsandy | Sandy's 2012 Legislative Diary | No Comments

     I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you.

     Ronald Reagan said those were the “nine most terrifying words in the English language.”

     Elderly homeowners who need minor maintenance on their home would disagree – if such help were available and they knew of its existence.

     An elderly homeowner may face more pressing problems than a leaky roof and is justifiably reluctant to take on debt.

     However, a deteriorating property poses a problem for its owners, their heirs, and their neighbors.

     We need to intervene before these people get “caught in the crosshairs of code enforcement,” said a participant at my pre-bill drafting meeting.

     CHAI is already providing such assistance in Northwest Baltimore, but the need far exceeds its resources.

      My conversations with some of the first families to buy on their block in Forest Park and other communities are confirmed by the census data.  There are hundreds of homeowners 75 and older in the Park Heights and Liberty Heights corridors.

       We decided to draft a bill creating a task force on aging in place.

      Help from the government may be on its way.

A smaller tent – gay rights and the GOP

| by delsandy | Sandy's 2011 Legislative Diary | No Comments

            The big tent just got a lot smaller. 

            Ronald Reagan spoke of the Republican Party’s big tent, which allowed for members of differing views.  More recently, that tent has been contrasted with political correctness on the left.

             Last week, the Republican leader in the State Senate, Alan Kittleman, announced that he would be introducing a bill to allow civil unions for same-sex couples.

             Today, the senator announced that he would be resigning his position.  The Republican caucus would “feel more comfortable” with a different leader, he said on the Senate floor.

            Truth be told, the GOP tent was never big.  On abortion and gay rights, the Democratic Party has greater diversity. 

            Every Republican member of the House of Representatives, but one, voted for the pro-life Stupak amendment to President Obama’s health care bill.  Among the Democrats, 64 voted yes and 194 voted no. 

            Two years ago, I had a bill outlining the procedure for moving human remains from a burial site.  The domestic partner of the decedent was one of the individuals who could authorize the disinterment.

            The only Senate  Republican to vote for it was Alan Kittleman.

  • My Key Issues:

  • Pimlico and The Preakness
  • Our Neighborhoods
  • Pre-Kindergarten
  • Lead Paint Poisoning