Skip to main content

You Make the Call


 In yesterday’s news:

 Bill For Hogan Administration Litigation Over Unemployment Benefits Totals More Than $380,000, Danielle E. Gaines, Maryland Matters

Remember when the Governor decided to file suit in order to cut off pandemic unemployment benefits early? That’s how much it cost Maryland taxpayers: somewhere in the neighborhood of $380,000.00. Oh, and he lost. Twice. According to the article, a spokesman for the Governor stated that the benefits were damaging the Maryland economy and small businesses. Not mentioned by the Governor’s spokesman Mike Ricci: Maryland workers, families with children, individual human beings whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.

They don’t even warrant a mention.

So, today, let’s play a little version of “you make the call” in honor of Governor Hogan’s $380,000 boondoggle. Let’s say you are the Governor of the state of Maryland right now. What do you think would be a good use of $380,000 of taxpayer money?

Some suggestions:

  • Using it to move forward at great speed all the languishing unemployment claims from desperate Marylanders.
  • Adding it to funds to update air conditioning and heating in Baltimore City Schools.
  • Reimbursing the state for Roy McGrath’s questionable spending.
  • Putting it towards legitimate public transit improvements.
  • Purchasing masks and sanitizing supplies for schools in low income areas.
And that’s just a start. I’m sure you have great ideas, too. If you don’t have any serious suggestions, I’m happy to entertain silly ones.

It is Saturday after all. We can be forgiven for a little silliness. But, since it’s Labor Day Weekend, any responses which honor/elevate Maryland workers will receive my prompt attention.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...