WHO: The lucky few people who won legislator’s lotteries for swearing-in ceremony tickets.
WHAT: Many people are selling their tickets on Craigslist (and who knows where else) for as much as $5,000 — despite the fact that they were asked not to do so.
WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: This is patently unfair. Thousands of citizens who want to go to the inauguration (as opposed to the ones who just want to make a quick buck) put their names in for those tickets and were unable to get them. Has society really sunk so low that we’re illegally capitalizing on history? If you won the lottery and can’t go, let your legislator’s office know so that they can redistribute the tickets. Don’t sell them to the highest bidder. That is exactly what President-elect Barack Obama did not want for the inauguration and by selling your ticket you’re doing him a disservice.
Today’s bright blub: Economics 101
The high taxes Maryland currently imposes on business and investment encourage entrepreneurs to take their money to neighboring states. But it doesn’t have to be that way. To make Maryland more competitive legislators should roll back taxes to 2005 levels as laid out in “Improving Maryland’s Economic Competitiveness,” a new study by the Maryland Public Policy Institute.
Quote of the day
“They were not eating crab cakes; it was salmon cakes. … We need to clarify that. … They looked and smelled like crab cakes, but they were in fact salmon cakes.” — Ian Brennan, Mayor Sheila Dixon’s spokesman, clarifying a recent Examiner report that the City Council was served crab cakes at a lunch meeting. The council has not disclosed the cost of the luncheon, which is one of 26 catered meetings every year
