Why do Marylanders keep electing O’Malley? Re: “O’Malley seeks tax on iTunes, e-books,” Jan. 27
The fact that Gov. Martin O’Malley wants to tax downloads as part of an array of taxes he hopes make it through the Maryland General Assembly should be a clear indication to the citizens of his state that, like his close friend Barack Obama, O’Malley’s tax-and-spend mentality is out of control and he is clueless regarding the economy.
That Maryland voters continue to keep O’Malley in office clarifies a statement that one of my teachers once made when she said that some parts of the country were “dense”.
Ben Arnold
Centreville
Citizen summit one of Mayor Williams’ top achievements
Re: “Mayor’s $600,000 One City Summit is a boondoggle,” Jan. 26
Harry Jaffe ignores the experience of former Mayor Anthony Williams. As Williams’ deputy chief of staff, I was deeply involved in the planning and execution of his Citizen Summits.
First, we learned a number of things, most importantly that no matter what their income, education, ward or age, citizens desire to engage their elected leaders directly in shaping their city’s destiny.
Second, our summits were representative of the entire city, and I expect the same will be true of Mayor Gray’s. And some residents on the wrong side of the digital divide don’t have reliable or easy access to the Internet to partake in a “webinar.”
Third, it’s important to have a citywide strategic plan with its genesis in direct citizen participation. The desire and ability of summit participants to remain engaged over time, track the implementation of the strategic plan and hold Mayor Williams accountable was inspiring.
Finally, in a city as relatively small as Washington, citizens appreciate the respect shown to them by elected leaders who remove natural and sometimes man-made barriers that separate them. Indeed, the last election demonstrated that District residents are too smart and too industrious to be told that government reform is the domain of subject-matter experts only.
Mayor Williams counts his face-to-face Citizen Summits among his most meaningful legacies. Seeking the input of District residents was instrumental in developing consensus to move the city forward. “Unity of purpose” he called it. Just as for Williams, Mayor Gray’s summits will be wise investments to inform hard decisions about the city’s priorities.
Gregory McCarthy
Washington
No compelling reason to criminalize pot
Re: “Judge: Federal law trumps Montana’s medical pot law,” Jan. 23
What trumps federal law is the U.S. Constitution. Criminalizing marijuana is an unreasonable and unnecessary violation of my fundamental rights to liberty, property and privacy and contravenes the Fourth, Fifth and 14th Amendments.
Due process requires that the state identify a compelling state interest to justify any deprivation of a person’s fundamental rights and show the law is reasonable and necessary to protect public safety. The private cultivation and sale of marijuana to adults doesn’t threaten the rights of others. There are no crime victims here.
Judges can’t do their job until lawyers do their jobs, but it’s against a lawyer’s financial self-interest to protect people from such unreasonable laws.
Michael J. Dee
Windham, Maine
