BRIGHT BULB: Securing the vote. After numerous states reported community activist group ACORN submitted thousands of fraudulent voter registration applications, the FBI is stepping in to investigate according to the Associated Press. We wonder what took them so long. With the presidential election weeks away, Americans deserve to know its really one person, one vote.
General inspection
Baltimore City Inspector General Hilton Green widens his investigation into the misuse of city funds.
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The details: After a city employee was found guilty of forgery and felony theft, an investigation started. When Green found more financial irregularities, like $50,000 worth of copper wire missing from City Hall, he dug deeper. We must applaud the fact the city is willing to acknowledge its faults, but we’re not clapping too hard — employees should have been better supervised in the first place.
Helping hands
Students across the state are working to help those who need it most.
The details: Last week we wrote about a high schooler who gave his prize pig to a food bank, and this week it’s Howard High School getting kudos for their work with the homeless. We need more students like these to help us get through tough economic times ahead.
Evidence of innocence
James Owens spent 21 years behind bars — for a murder he didn’t commit.
The details: Owens, who was scheduled to be released Wednesday, was cleared after DNA evidence found at the scene didn’t match his DNA. Owens is the seventh man in Maryland to be released from prison because of post-conviction DNA evidence.
Enrollment jump
The failing economy is sending Marylanders back to school.
The details: Ben Passmore, of the University System of Maryland, said that one of the things people often do during economic downturn is head back to school, and we’re thinking that’s a good idea. The more education a person has, the more valuable an employee they will be.
It’s fun to go to the Y-M-C-A
The YMCA is providing free day care, wellness programs and counseling services to members of the military.
The details: The YMCA and the U.S. Department of Defense joined forces to provide free six-month memberships to families of deployed service members, in addition to a membership for the three months before deployment and the three months after. The Y of Central Maryland has provided this service to more than 500 families so far.
OUTRAGE: Can I get some support here?
WHO: The Maryland Child Support Enforcement Administration
WHAT: The administration lets deadbeat parents evade child support. It even allowed hundreds of parents behind on child support to keep their lottery winnings by not reporting the names of more than 600 of them to the Maryland Lottery, which would have diverted the payments.
WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: The losers in all of this are the state’s children. As of August 2007, unpaid child support in the state was $1.57 billion. That’s $1.57 billion worth of food and clothing that children aren’t getting.
WHERE TO VENT: dhr.state.md.us/csea/
Can’t we all be friends?
Maryland, which used to be the 24th most friendly state to businesses, dropped to the 45th most friendly, according to a Tax Foundation study.
The details: The state treasury needs tax dollars from businesses and their employees to erase the budget deficit. But if businesses don’t want to expand in the state or come to Maryland, we can expect even higher taxes — save for a miracle of reduced spending in Annapolis.
Spying on the sisters
Two nuns entered into a database of possible terrorists by state police could be a sign of a larger problem.
The details: The Dominican sisters were entered into a database of possible terrorists, as were many other Maryland activists. The difference between the nuns and the rest of the activists? They say they didn’t participate in any protests during the time they were entered.
Penny pinching pains
Now is not the time to complain about losing taxpayer dollars
The details: No one wants to lose their funding, but with Maryland’s current debt situation and the state of our economy, we’re all facing tough times. Just as Gov. Martin O’Malley shouldn’t complain about the cuts, neither should special interest groups. The state needs to focus on paying for its core responsibilities.
Just drop it
Alan Beier, a former teacher charged with child sex abuse, is pushing for his charges to be dropped because his case was delayed.
The details: The state mis-filed its charges against Beier, but that doesn’t mean he should be able to walk without a trial. No one should be given a pass on those charges without a day (or more) in court.
Archbishop enemies
Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin O’Brien and the Vatican are attempting to silence a woman who says she receives messages from the Virgin Mary.
The details: The fact that O’Brien is warning Gianna Sullivan not to talk about the apparitions anywhere in Maryland is bogus. She’s under no obligation to listen to him. There’s nothing stopping him from ignoring her and asking his parishioners to do the same, but that’s no earthly (or heavenly) reason for him to tell her to stay off of his turf.
“There were winners and many losers in each meltdown, as there are already today. But the driver of information technology finally pulled the economy out of a recession and back into a new growth phase when the financial markets had cleared–as they will in our current crisis.” Louis Galambos, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University, writing in Forbes in September.
