Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Message from Lt. Governor Brown
Today, this week, this month and every month, we honor the courage and sacrifice of our nation's veterans. The men and women who have served with honor and dignity in our name have defended our freedoms throughout every chapter of our history. This year, in the days after the tragedy at Fort Hood, Veterans Day is a solemn moment of remembrance. Words fail us during these times and we turn to prayer and seek comfort in the strength from one another.
While we mourn the fallen and offer our thoughts and prayers to their families, it is important that we also pay tribute to those veterans among us. Yesterday, I had the great privilege to join veterans from a "Century of Service" at the War Memorial Plaza in downtown Baltimore as we unveiled a new public outreach campaign to raise awareness about the many services available to our veterans and their families. That announcement is one of many veterans-related events Governor O'Malley, Mrs. O'Malley and I have and will participate in this week.
On Monday, I participated in the annual MCVET Veterans Day ceremony in Baltimore, joined veterans of World War II and the Korean War in Montgomery County for a ceremony honoring the service of our Greatest Generation and spent time with some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. Today, I will take part in the Seat Pleasant Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony, bring greetings at the University of Maryland Veterans Day Ceremony and attend the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89 Veterans Day Celebration.
Governor O'Malley and Mrs. O'Malley will kick off the Guard and Reserve Institute Training this morning in Timonium. Later in the morning, Governor O'Malley and Mrs. O'Malley will join Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy Grasmick and Brigadier General James A. Adkins to launch a letter writing campaign thanking veterans, service members and military families for their sacrifice and service to our country.
We all hope you join our efforts and honor those who have served in your name. Time and again, our veterans have answered our call. This Veterans Day, let us answer theirs.
Best regards,
Anthony Brown
Lt. Governor
Colonel, U.S. Army Reserves
While we mourn the fallen and offer our thoughts and prayers to their families, it is important that we also pay tribute to those veterans among us. Yesterday, I had the great privilege to join veterans from a "Century of Service" at the War Memorial Plaza in downtown Baltimore as we unveiled a new public outreach campaign to raise awareness about the many services available to our veterans and their families. That announcement is one of many veterans-related events Governor O'Malley, Mrs. O'Malley and I have and will participate in this week.
On Monday, I participated in the annual MCVET Veterans Day ceremony in Baltimore, joined veterans of World War II and the Korean War in Montgomery County for a ceremony honoring the service of our Greatest Generation and spent time with some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. Today, I will take part in the Seat Pleasant Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony, bring greetings at the University of Maryland Veterans Day Ceremony and attend the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89 Veterans Day Celebration.
Governor O'Malley and Mrs. O'Malley will kick off the Guard and Reserve Institute Training this morning in Timonium. Later in the morning, Governor O'Malley and Mrs. O'Malley will join Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nancy Grasmick and Brigadier General James A. Adkins to launch a letter writing campaign thanking veterans, service members and military families for their sacrifice and service to our country.
We all hope you join our efforts and honor those who have served in your name. Time and again, our veterans have answered our call. This Veterans Day, let us answer theirs.
Best regards,
Anthony Brown
Lt. Governor
Colonel, U.S. Army Reserves
A Message from the Governor: Honoring our Veterans
This week as we recognize Veterans Day, we pause to honor those brave soldiers who have defended our nation throughout history. Tomorrow, I'll share the holiday first with area educators who will be receiving training on the unique needs of military children, particularly those whose parents are deployed on active duty. Later, I'll join my wife Katie where she will accept letters of gratitude from over 300 students to be sent to military veterans and their families as part of "Operation Appreciation." Students from around the state will write letters of appreciation to our nation's veterans.
Our nation is built upon the generations of brave men and women who squared their shoulders against the forces of fear and tyranny so that we could continue to enjoy the blessings of this nation and our way of life.
Just as these veterans have always been there for us – through times of turmoil and tranquility, through famine, flood and war – we as a people are committed to being there for them. Last year, we signed into law legislation that ensures that Maryland's veterans receive the reintegration services they deserve. In addition to providing crisis services and better behavioral benefits for our veterans, this legislation helps those veterans obtain access to mental health services upon their return home from deployment.
Currently, more than 370 troops from Maryland remain active in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are husbands and wives, parents and friends. To those currently serving, and to the veterans of America: Thank you.
Martin O'Malley
Governor
Our nation is built upon the generations of brave men and women who squared their shoulders against the forces of fear and tyranny so that we could continue to enjoy the blessings of this nation and our way of life.
Just as these veterans have always been there for us – through times of turmoil and tranquility, through famine, flood and war – we as a people are committed to being there for them. Last year, we signed into law legislation that ensures that Maryland's veterans receive the reintegration services they deserve. In addition to providing crisis services and better behavioral benefits for our veterans, this legislation helps those veterans obtain access to mental health services upon their return home from deployment.
Currently, more than 370 troops from Maryland remain active in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are husbands and wives, parents and friends. To those currently serving, and to the veterans of America: Thank you.
Martin O'Malley
Governor
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sen. Mikulski Announces $2 Million to Extend Broadband in Maryland
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today announced Maryland has been awarded a $2 million grant through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning.
“Forty years ago, interstate highways were crucial for economic growth in our rural areas, now it’s the information superhighway. Expanding broadband in Maryland means economic development, jobs growth and innovation whether you are a small business, a school, a major employer or a NASA Center,” Senator Mikulski said.
NTIA has awarded the Maryland Broadband Cooperative Inc. (MDBC) approximately $1.5 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Maryland, bringing the total grant award to approximately $2 million.
The data will be displayed in NTIA’s national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them.
“Forty years ago, interstate highways were crucial for economic growth in our rural areas, now it’s the information superhighway. Expanding broadband in Maryland means economic development, jobs growth and innovation whether you are a small business, a school, a major employer or a NASA Center,” Senator Mikulski said.
NTIA has awarded the Maryland Broadband Cooperative Inc. (MDBC) approximately $1.5 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Maryland, bringing the total grant award to approximately $2 million.
The data will be displayed in NTIA’s national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them.
Policy over Politics: Op-Ed from Congressman Kratovil
The discussion of health care reform has been one of the most partisan and heated public debates our country has seen in years. As a freshman lawmaker, it has certainly been an eye-opening experience. What has struck me the most, however, wasn’t the anger and unruliness that grabbed so many headlines during August, but rather the number of people I would encounter who believed that I should commit to voting one way or the other before even knowing what would be included or excluded from the legislation. This was perhaps the only aspect of the health care debate that was truly bipartisan; I heard from many Republicans who demanded that I oppose any health care reform package, regardless of its contents, while some Democrats have told me I had a duty to unquestioningly support the bill simply because it was a priority for my party’s leadership.
It’s unfortunate that this debate – on one of the most important challenges facing our nation today – has been reduced to such a black-or-white oversimplification. The need for reform is clear: Without reform, premiums and out-of-pocket expenses continue to rise rapidly for both middle class families and employers. But the pathway for achieving reform is far more complex. The goals of reform must be two-fold: expanding coverage and reducing long-term costs by significantly slowing the rate of health care inflation. This health care reform debate offers us a historic opportunity, but passing a bill that does not truly achieve these goals would waste this historic moment.
Since the introduction of H.R. 3200 in July, I have voiced a number of concerns about the legislation. Chief among these were the bill’s failure to curb long-term costs, it’s potential to increase the deficit, and its inadequate protections for small employers, which I fear may have an adverse impact on job creation. Following the August recess, I also led a group of my fellow freshman in sending a letter to House Leadership urging them to include additional reform proposals in this bill, such as allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines and promoting policies to reduce medical errors, lawsuits, and medical malpractice rates.
While the revised H.R. 3962 made progress toward these goals, I am not convinced that the final bill is a fiscally sustainable approach to reforming health care. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicates that the bill does not reduce long-term health care costs, and that it drastically increases federal health care spending in the near-term and long-term. Furthermore, while the bill is projected to decrease the deficit over the first 10 years, the CBO said this reduction is largely due to the removal of a $210 billion provision to correct the formula by which doctors are paid under Medicare. That “Doc Fix” language was moved into a companion bill, which Congress will consider later this month. Taken together, these bills will increase the deficit substantially in the years ahead.
To be successful, health care reform must both expand coverage and reduce long-term costs. Unfortunately, this health care reform legislation will significantly increase long-term spending, is unlikely to reduce the deficit, and even costs several hundred billion dollars more than the $900 billion target for which President Obama has advocated. As the debate moves to the Senate, both parties would be well advised to dial back the propaganda, put down the talking points, and focus instead on the substance of legislation before them. I’m hopeful that a better bill is still possible, one that more effectively bends the cost curve while going further to protect small businesses, increase competition, and decrease the deficit. If and when a bill does come back from the Senate, it will be policy, not politics, that will determine my support.
It’s unfortunate that this debate – on one of the most important challenges facing our nation today – has been reduced to such a black-or-white oversimplification. The need for reform is clear: Without reform, premiums and out-of-pocket expenses continue to rise rapidly for both middle class families and employers. But the pathway for achieving reform is far more complex. The goals of reform must be two-fold: expanding coverage and reducing long-term costs by significantly slowing the rate of health care inflation. This health care reform debate offers us a historic opportunity, but passing a bill that does not truly achieve these goals would waste this historic moment.
Since the introduction of H.R. 3200 in July, I have voiced a number of concerns about the legislation. Chief among these were the bill’s failure to curb long-term costs, it’s potential to increase the deficit, and its inadequate protections for small employers, which I fear may have an adverse impact on job creation. Following the August recess, I also led a group of my fellow freshman in sending a letter to House Leadership urging them to include additional reform proposals in this bill, such as allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines and promoting policies to reduce medical errors, lawsuits, and medical malpractice rates.
While the revised H.R. 3962 made progress toward these goals, I am not convinced that the final bill is a fiscally sustainable approach to reforming health care. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicates that the bill does not reduce long-term health care costs, and that it drastically increases federal health care spending in the near-term and long-term. Furthermore, while the bill is projected to decrease the deficit over the first 10 years, the CBO said this reduction is largely due to the removal of a $210 billion provision to correct the formula by which doctors are paid under Medicare. That “Doc Fix” language was moved into a companion bill, which Congress will consider later this month. Taken together, these bills will increase the deficit substantially in the years ahead.
To be successful, health care reform must both expand coverage and reduce long-term costs. Unfortunately, this health care reform legislation will significantly increase long-term spending, is unlikely to reduce the deficit, and even costs several hundred billion dollars more than the $900 billion target for which President Obama has advocated. As the debate moves to the Senate, both parties would be well advised to dial back the propaganda, put down the talking points, and focus instead on the substance of legislation before them. I’m hopeful that a better bill is still possible, one that more effectively bends the cost curve while going further to protect small businesses, increase competition, and decrease the deficit. If and when a bill does come back from the Senate, it will be policy, not politics, that will determine my support.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
SALISBURY MAYOR JIM IRETON MAKES STATEMENT REGARDING RECENTLY FILED LITIGATION
Mayor James Ireton, Jr., made a statement earlier this afternoon regarding recently filed litigation against the City of Salisbury.
Mayor Ireton stated, “The City of Salisbury Charter and Employee Handbook clearly states the grievance process, and that process applies to all city employees, including Allan Webster. This lawsuit is a distraction from solving the serious problem of crime that we have in Salisbury and is an attempt to subvert our City Charter. It is a distraction to our citizens and our police officers on the street.
That being said, I will direct City Attorney Paul Wilbur to move to dismiss this frivolous lawsuit immediately. While Part One crimes are up 11% so far this year, it is farfetched to believe it is possible to serve and protect the same citizens you are suing.
All City of Salisbury employees and department heads follow the rules laid out for them in the City Charter and Employee handbook; they agree to these rules and regulations while employed. It is unacceptable and unlawful for one employee to decide to write the rules over in order to suit one’s self.”
Mayor Ireton stated, “The City of Salisbury Charter and Employee Handbook clearly states the grievance process, and that process applies to all city employees, including Allan Webster. This lawsuit is a distraction from solving the serious problem of crime that we have in Salisbury and is an attempt to subvert our City Charter. It is a distraction to our citizens and our police officers on the street.
That being said, I will direct City Attorney Paul Wilbur to move to dismiss this frivolous lawsuit immediately. While Part One crimes are up 11% so far this year, it is farfetched to believe it is possible to serve and protect the same citizens you are suing.
All City of Salisbury employees and department heads follow the rules laid out for them in the City Charter and Employee handbook; they agree to these rules and regulations while employed. It is unacceptable and unlawful for one employee to decide to write the rules over in order to suit one’s self.”
Governor O'Malley named Governor of the Year
Dear Wicomico County Democratic Club,
We've got some exciting news that I wanted to share with you: Gov. O'Malley has been named "2009 Governor of the Year" by Governing magazine.
Citing his "data-driven approach to policy and administration," Governing singled out Gov. O'Malley for "bringing no-nonsense, statistics-based performance measurement to his state, producing a better-informed, better-managed government."
I hope you're as proud as I am that Gov. O'Malley has, with your support, made Maryland a model of smart, 21st-century governing tactics.
Can he count on your continued support to keep up his work to make Maryland a leading example of smart government — with real-world results that benefit all of us?
Contribute to Gov. O'Malley's campaign now:
http://www.martinomalley.com/SmartGoverning
As Governing notes, states around the country are struggling through tough times — and Gov. O'Malley is helping to prove that "strong, smart leadership is possible in the most difficult of circumstances."
When resources are scarce, it's more important than ever that they're used as efficiently as possible.
With programs like BayStat and StateStat, Gov. O'Malley has ensured that resources don't go to waste on projects that don't work, and that taxpayers' dollars are put to use where they will do the most good.
He's accomplished it by making sure that agencies are coordinating with each other, that their leaders are held accountable for their work, and that data is used to assess progress toward goals.
By re-imagining how Maryland's government is run, Governing writes, Gov. O'Malley has shown that states "can improve performance by measuring what they do and relentlessly monitoring their progress."
Gov. O'Malley will continue to put his unique vision to work for Maryland in the years to come — if we give him the support he needs to do it.
Support the O'Malley/Brown campaign with a donation now:
http://www.martinomalley.com/SmartGoverning
Thank you,
Tom Russell
Campaign Manager
O'Malley/Brown Campaign
We've got some exciting news that I wanted to share with you: Gov. O'Malley has been named "2009 Governor of the Year" by Governing magazine.
Citing his "data-driven approach to policy and administration," Governing singled out Gov. O'Malley for "bringing no-nonsense, statistics-based performance measurement to his state, producing a better-informed, better-managed government."
I hope you're as proud as I am that Gov. O'Malley has, with your support, made Maryland a model of smart, 21st-century governing tactics.
Can he count on your continued support to keep up his work to make Maryland a leading example of smart government — with real-world results that benefit all of us?
Contribute to Gov. O'Malley's campaign now:
http://www.martinomalley.com/SmartGoverning
As Governing notes, states around the country are struggling through tough times — and Gov. O'Malley is helping to prove that "strong, smart leadership is possible in the most difficult of circumstances."
When resources are scarce, it's more important than ever that they're used as efficiently as possible.
With programs like BayStat and StateStat, Gov. O'Malley has ensured that resources don't go to waste on projects that don't work, and that taxpayers' dollars are put to use where they will do the most good.
He's accomplished it by making sure that agencies are coordinating with each other, that their leaders are held accountable for their work, and that data is used to assess progress toward goals.
By re-imagining how Maryland's government is run, Governing writes, Gov. O'Malley has shown that states "can improve performance by measuring what they do and relentlessly monitoring their progress."
Gov. O'Malley will continue to put his unique vision to work for Maryland in the years to come — if we give him the support he needs to do it.
Support the O'Malley/Brown campaign with a donation now:
http://www.martinomalley.com/SmartGoverning
Thank you,
Tom Russell
Campaign Manager
O'Malley/Brown Campaign
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