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After the Revolutionary War our state, like many others, split itself geographically. The eastern counties consisted of large farms and plantations that grew mainly tobacco and other grains. There were many slaves with some free blacks but the region, unlike the southern counties, wanted to end its geographical isolation from the rest of the state and so they became swing counties during state votes.
The northern and western counties consisted largely of small farms that grew grains and fruit with few slaves. Most of the free blacks in the state lived in towns and cities in these counties. Also, almost every factory and school was located in this region which included Baltimore.
The southern region was just like the “deep south” in that tobacco was the “king” crop and almost every farm was a plantation. There was very little to no industry and the population mix was 55% white and 45% black (slaves). There were no free blacks due to the whites’ suspicion of a slave revolt.
Politically speaking the Democratic Party was popular in the northern and western part of the state while the Whigs held the majority in the southern part. Control of the House of Delegates and a slim majority of the State Senate were also held by the Whigs. The Democrats goal was to redistrict the state.
It is important to note that at this time (pre-Civil War) these two parties were not the same as they are today. The Democratic Party believed in using national power in foreign affairs when the national interest was at stake but held to a hands off policy when it came to social issues. The Party at this time believed in the responsibility of the individual States and their local governments to deal with their own problems.
The Whigs believed that Congress should have control over the executive Branch of our government and pushed a platform of modernization and economic protectionism. The party split and eventually ended on the question of the expansion of slavery to the new territories with those against going to form the new Republican Party.
With all that being said the states House of Delegates brought a vote to the floor for the Constitutional Convention of 1850 and surprisingly it was passed with the help of the delegates of the eastern counties. The political breakdown at the time was: Whig delegates 25 southern, 19 eastern and 11 northern and western; Democrat delegates 3 southern, 17 eastern and 28 northern and western.
The first issue was to change the number of representatives from 78 to 73; this was passed by the democrats and a few Whigs. The next step was to change the states Senatorial distribution to 1 for each county and 1 for Baltimore. This helped the southern and eastern sections because they had 14 counties combined while the north and west only had 8 including Baltimore. This issue was also passed.
The convention ended and the redistricting plan was put up for a popular vote in the state. The vote broke down along regional lines with all 6 southern counties voting no, 6 of the 8 eastern counties voting yes and all 7 counties in the north and west plus Baltimore voting yes. The Whig party would never control the state government again.
Now you might ask “what the hell does all this have to do with the question at hand?” Well it serves as a basis of understanding of where we come from as a state and why our laws are the way they are. After the Civil War we are all aware of how the modern political parties, due mainly to the issue of States Rights, evolved into what they are today; which was to basically switch platforms. Our state, however, retained a great deal of its regional identity. The eastern and southern regions, which were slave counties, became a stronghold for “States Rights” while the northern and eastern regions, which were free counties, believe in the power of the Federal Government. Also, the majority of the states population lives in the northern and western counties of the state.
Laws have been passed throughout the history of Maryland following these regional/party lines. Such “Liberal “ legislation as stiff gun controls, weak first offense marijuana laws, strict motorist and gambling laws, high insurance mandates, restrictive home schooling laws and harsh eminent domain laws are all what are considered part of the Democratic Party’s platform. As far as victimless crime arrest rates, I don’t believe there are such things as victimless crimes and the disallowing of civil unions I believe goes back to Maryland’s provincial past along with some of our counties antiquated liquor laws and will be overturned in time.
I remember in grade school we learned that Maryland was described as “The United Stares in miniature”. This description is true politically as well as geographically. As a political entity Maryland has always been a blue state and its laws will follow accordingly. Just remember to stay politically aware and active within your own communities and changes can come, even to Maryland.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 2.9 / 414 )The past month has proven to be very enlightening to me concerning the true nature of the Obama administration and its philosophy. Throughout the entire campaign, then candidate Obama promised change; change from the status quo in Washington politics, change from partisanship and even change from the old liberal, Democratic agenda to a new day in American politics. Well let’s see if anything has really changed and if it has, has it been change for the better.
Candidate Obama promised change in the form of governmental transparency. Bills would be posted on-line prior to being voted on so the people could view them. Bills would be fully discussed and bi-partisan support would be sought.
Pork Barrel spending would not be tolerated by either side of the aisle. Then only weeks into the administrations’ life the Stimulus Package arrives and all of the promises that were made go flying out the window. Not only was the single largest spending bill in American history not posted but it was pushed to a vote so quickly that not a single Congressman or Senator had the opportunity to read the thing in its entirety. President Obama stated that the Bill had to be handled in this manner due to the urgency of the countries economic situation and that we needed to get the money out there to not only save businesses and jobs but to actually create jobs. Well, months later only a small fraction of the money allocated and promised has been has been disbursed, unemployment has risen above the amount President Obama stated it would rise if the government didn’t pass the Stimulus Bill and we have come to understand that the number given as jobs that would be saved is a complete fabrication and that there was never a way to calculate or verify the number in the first place.
Candidate Obama promised social change which would come in the form of Universal Health Care which the administration is currently attempting to push through Congress in much the same manner as the Stimulus Package. While universal healthcare is a nice idea it is hardly new. Just take a serious look at our European neighbors. Why is it do you think that any of them that can afford it come to the United States for medical care? President Obama is swearing up and down that if this Bill is passed that nothing will change for those who already have healthcare insurance. He is swearing that his bill will not create a one payer system and that he has no intention of putting insurance companies out of business. He is swearing that it will not create longer waiting times for doctors’ appointments or increase the practice of prescribing drugs first and waiting months for tests and operations. And, most importantly, he is swearing that it will only increase our nation’s deficit by $1.3 trillion.
As far as the way the practice of medicine will change in this country please take some time and look into healthcare in countries with socialized medicine. On the other counts the President has publicly stated that if he could start our nation’s healthcare system from scratch he would have a one payer system and that payer would be the Government. The mere act of actually passing the Universal Health Care bill would result in a one payer system, more commonly known as Socialized Medicine. This would put anyone in the insurance business out of work and eliminate one of the nation’s largest businesses much like GM and Chrysler. The question then needs to be asked; why do we spend billions to save one and spend trillions to put the other out of business? And, finally, the $1.3 trillion amount is only for the first 1/3 of the plan. By the time this is all over the total price tag will be, conservatively speaking, closer to $4 trillion that will go against our deficit.
Candidate Obama promised that his new administration would take on the nation’s ills and cure them. His administration has taken on what it perceives to be the nation’s ills and it will cure them by taking control of them. GM, Chrysler, Wall Street firms, Insurance, Banking and Mortgage firms. President Obama with speech after speech states that he does not want Washington to be in the business of Business but by his actions he shows us a completely different philosophy and that is my true concern for America. The Government does not create wealth. The Government cannot, through legislation, create anything but “feel good” jobs that are never permanent. The Government has proven it is incapable of running any type of profitable operation; take for example the Post Office. And, finally, the Obama administration is creating more governmental Czars than Imperial Russia, and in so doing is creating an expanded bureaucracy of unelected officials that will only answer to him and not the people as was intended by our founding fathers.
Candidate Obama promised a new dawn on our nation’s foreign policies and the attitude we will take when dealing with our global neighbors. Let us ignore the Apology World Tour and all the mea culpas given on foreign soil by an American President. Let us forget for a moment the way the administration has embraced the United Nations new “tougher” sanctions against North Korea which as an example include the fact that we can stop any North Korean vessel if we suspect it may be caring weapons or weapons technology but we cannot board it unless North Korea gives us permission. Let us put aside this “new” stance we are taking with the Israeli government in pushing for a sovereign Palestinian homeland; even though this has been on the table since there was a modern Arab-Israeli conflict and the only reason it has not come to pass is that the Palestinians have refused to guarantee the sovereignty and safety of Israel. Instead, let us look at the strong and noble way we are dealing with the political situation in Iran. President Obama has given what can only be referred to as the most weak and non-committal support for the people of Iran and their struggle for a free election; which is, by the way, the corner stone of a free society. We, as a nation should be supporting the Iranian peoples struggle by declaring its importance and decrying the violence against them by an oppressive regime from the highest mountain tops. We have instead given only the most mealy-mouthed support imaginable and I say shame on the Administration and shame on us, the people, for allowing this response. Now I know what all you liberals are saying about now; “I suppose you want to invade Iran now like we did Iraq”. That is not what I am saying at all; I am merely saying we have a responsibility to any people around the world who are trying to grasp a little freedom to at least let them know in no uncertain terms that we support them and that the United States will bring political pressure to bear against any oppressive regime who attempts to crush it’s people into submission. It is also interesting to note that only after increased public criticism has the President come out with a marginally stronger statement.
This Administration has once again brought to light that campaign promises are like pickup lines; they are designed for one thing only and when they get it you no longer matter. But I do not only blame the President, no, I blame the American voting public who did not see the truth that was so obviously staring them in the face the entire campaign. Candidate Obama’s voting record foretold all this administration planned for the country as did his own writings, speeches and voting record. We the people just didn’t care to look past the gloss and hype and now we will reap the consequences of higher unemployment, inflation and a recession if this spending goes unchecked. We are now all living proof of “Let the buyer beware”. President Obama and his followers have shown themselves to be the quintessential Liberal administration. They believe that bigger government, more spending, increased social programs and higher taxes are the cure for what they believe ails America. The only change from the old liberal line is in the scope of this administration’s vision. President Obama wants to permanently alter what we have come to know as the United States of America and all the principles it was founded on. While I am sure there are many who agree with this vision now I am not so sure they will be thrilled with the end product. I, for one, am not hopeful at all.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3.1 / 423 )Memorial Day weekend is a time in our country to celebrate all our servicemen and women; fallen, retired, active and historic. We do this in our churches, at our war memorials, on our main streets and in our backyards and those are good. A country and its people should never forget the sacrifices made by its young men and women to keep it safe, secure its freedom and defend its sovereignty. There have been countless movies made and books written both glorifying and demonizing war and those who take part in them, and that is also good. What is not good is to forget the man who is ultimately responsible for making the decision to put our American youth in harms way, the President, and the burden he and he alone must bear.
The President of the United States holds the title of Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces and as such is the nations top soldier whether he actually served a day in uniform or not. No one other than the men who have sat behind the desk in the Oval Office can imagine the terrible burden it must be to sign the document to send even one soldier into war and possibly end their lives. It is impossible for the rest of us to comprehend the pain a President must feel when the first flag draped coffins are returned home and know he was responsible. It is equally impossible to believe that any President in our history has ever done so lightly or without great deliberation as to what is best for his and our country. Time and time alone are their ultimate judges. Historians will and have gone over every word spoken, every document written and every picture taken for every President alive and dead and for all those to come. Mistakes have been made in every war but historically those mistakes were in the politization of said war or in the actual prosecution of the war.
We are all human; especially Presidents, politicians and generals, and as such, let us all lay our biases aside, at least for this one weekend a year and remember our fellow Americans with kindness, grace and humility. Remember who we are as a nation and what we fight for, Freedom. Remember to thank our Armed Forces and our Presidents for those freedoms we enjoy and strive to earn those freedoms in our everyday lives.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3.1 / 442 )Watching the news daily I have had to wonder "How long will this Carrie Prejean story go on"? Unfortunately, the answer came to me while watching the Sunday Today Show. It will last as long as Donald Trump can squeeze out the last drop of publicity from this sham of a news item.
For anyone who might not know; Donald Trump, the Marilyn Chambers of self-promotion, is the owner of the Miss USA Pageant. Carrie Prejean is the winner of Miss California and runner up to Miss USA. Miss Prejean was asked a question concerning the passage of a bill recognizing gay marriage and the answer she gave; that she personally, believed that marriage should be between a man and a woman is when all hell broke loose. The question was written and asked by openly gay celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and when he did not receive the answer he wanted has proceeded to insult, vilify and try to destroy Miss Prejean in the media. Those are just the basics; the story gets much more interesting the deeper you delve.
Enter Shanna Moakler; Miss USA 1995, who is a spokesperson for the pageant. She has condemned Miss Prejean for answering the question honestly. Ms. Moakler and Perez Hilton's main arguments seem to be that the contestants in the pageant are required to represent all Americans and by stating what 70% of Americans believe Miss Prejean is not being inclusive. What they do not seem to understand is that; first of all we live in the United States of America (hence the name of the pageant) and everyone is permitted to have their own opinions. Secondly, that Miss Prejean started her answer by stating just those sentiments and how happy she was to live in such a country. Thirdly, she also started her answer by apologizing to anyone she might offend. And, finally if the pageant is so concerned about the contestants giving offensive answers then why were the judges permitted to asked loaded and potentially offensive questions?
The second argument being brought out is, by my count, 2 “semi” nude modeling photographs Miss Prejean had professionally taken when she was 17 years old. Now a couple of things about this seem disingenuous; firstly the photos show less of her body than when she and all the other contestants paraded for the swimsuit part of the competition. Second, the current Miss Rhode Island posed topless for Maxim magazine and there are no repercussions for her. Thirdly, it seems that Miss Prejean had breast augmentation surgery for the contest but guess what, the pageant paid for the surgery. Finally, Ms. Moakler was the 2001 Playboy Playmate of the Month at which time I think she had to pose totally nude. Is the pageant concerned about the ethics and morals of its contestants? Why don’t they look at their spokespersons? What kind of message is Ms. Maokler sending? And what about it’s judges? What kind of message is being sent by having a judge like Perez Hilton? Mr. Hiltons claim to fame is as a nasty, insulting, self-promoting blogger who spends his day criticizing celebrities (he could not have chosen an easier target). I suppose the old adage is still true “those who can do and those who can’t criticize”.
But, I digress; let us get back to Donald Trump. “The Donald” could have stopped this media crucifixion almost immediately but he saw an opportunity for incredible amounts of publicity. I mean how often are we still talking about the Miss USA pageant weeks after its conclusion? Not very often I would dare say. But is a young woman’s reputation really worth the cost? And where are groups like NOW, the National Organization for Women? Is Miss Prejean not a woman anymore because of her beliefs? Is she and millions of other women in this country not worth your defense? Maybe you should rename your organization to NOWALAYBWWB (the National Organization of Women As Long As You Believe What We Believe). It is a bit long so I will let you work on that at your leisure. I have also been hearing that there is a large number in the gay and lesbian community who do not agree with the treatment of Miss Prejean. Where are you? Do you really want the likes of Perez Hilton and Shanna Moakler to be the faces of your struggle? Guess what? By your silence that is exactly what has happened.
Mr. Trump will be going on National television on Tuesday to render his verdict on the future of Miss Prejean as it pertains to the Miss USA contest. At that time we will see what the pompous, pouting prince of publicity seekers is made of, I am hopeful it is sturdier stuff than his “hair” but I won’t be holding my breath. Whatever the outcome Miss Prejean can be proud that she stood firm and voiced her convictions and did not succumb to the media and activist pressure. She has shown much more tolerance and grace than those who purport to preach tolerance, but have shown that it is only tolerance to those who believe as they do.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3.2 / 440 )It has recently been brought to my attention that personal political views are being espoused as fact in high school classrooms and this is very troubling to me and I hope to you. Being the son of a pair of teachers I am quite aware that these professionals are human and, as such, have a right to their own opinions and beliefs. Being an American citizen affords you these rights; but, you have a higher calling as an educator and molder of young minds to present the facts in an unbiased manner. Please understand that I am not saying that you shouldn’t present all sides of a subject; to the contrary, all sides should always be presented. In doing this you stimulate discussion and critical thinking which should be the goal of all educators. But please, please, please don’t present personal views as fact without historical backup.
Allow me to present an example. When studying the American Presidents; our 39th president, Mr. Jimmy Carter, was exhibited as being a much maligned figure in history and our 40th president, Mr. Ronald Reagan, as an over-rated figure. Now, personal opinion aside, the facts are the facts.
Fact #1: When Pres. Carter was in office the “Misery Index” (combining the rates of inflation and unemployment to create a barometer of the economy) was at an all time high of 21.98% which was up from 12.68% under Pres. Nixon. His last year as president the inflation rate was at 12.5% and unemployment rose 7.2%. Just as an example at the end of Pres. G.W. Bush’s presidency the inflation rate was only 8.83%. And. Finally, during Pres. Carters’ administration the prime rate went from 7% to 20% and the home mortgage rate rose to 18%.
Fact #2: Pres. Carter presided over a steady decline in American influence around the world. He atrophied the U.S. military by severe cuts in spending and through the lack of support to the Shah of Iran, a longtime American ally, permitted the Iranian Revolution by religious extremists who jailed our American diplomats. And, just to add insult to injury, presided over one of the greatest U.S. military embarrassments of the 20th century; the botched rescue attempt of said diplomats. If presidents can receive the credit for American snipers shooting pirates then they can take the responsibility for the failures as well.
Fact #3: The Carter Administration’s attempts at Mid East peace were equally shambolic. While he brought both parties to the “Peace Table” he coerced concessions from Israel in his effort to gain “peace” while asking for and receiving nothing in return from Arafat and the Palestinians other than the “promise” of a cease fire of rockets and suicide bombings of Israeli civilians. In essence Carter befriended known terrorist organizations, recognized as such by the U.S., Israel and the European Union, who in their own Charter stipulate “to hasten the judgment day by murdering all Jews”. Needless to say the rockets and bombers did not stop.
Fact #4: President Carter created the Department of Energy and the Department of Education starting the spending hundreds of billions of dollars on two of what have become the most underachieving and least innovative government bureaus in all of Washington, and that is saying something. They were created to “secure and diversify energy supplies” and to “improve the quality of and to innovate public education”. How has that worked out for us?
President Jimmy Carter rode into the White House with an overwhelming Congressional majority (61 Senators and 292 House Members) which was much larger than President Obama. Four years later he was essentially ridden out of town on a rail with the resounding electorate vote of 44 out of 50 states. At a later time we can examine the similarities of President Carter’s economic, domestic and world views and those of our current President but right now I wonder, “In what way are President Carter and his administration maligned”? The facts are the facts so, again, I ask you as educators to absolutely present all sides fairly and keep your personal opinions to an absolute minimum. Let our children come to their own conclusions through your direction in debate and research.
ocdevilsadvocate
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( 3.2 / 463 )
