WCRC meeting – April 2007

We had a pretty good meeting tonight as we got to listen to my State Senator, Lowell Stoltzfus, discuss the goings-on in Annapolis in the just-completed General Assembly session. Instead of doing the club business first, we pushed the old and new business to the end of the agenda to expand the time available for Sen. Stoltzfus to speak and answer questions.

So after saying the Lord’s Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and getting a good treasurer’s report, Lowell got to say his piece. He called this session “negative” because of some of the financial aspects of what the Democrats in control passed:

  • The $1 billion surplus left over from the Ehrlich administration was spent, down to the bare minimum required for keeping Maryland’s AAA bond rating. Yet the state did nothing about its upcoming deficit.
  • He related about asking a question whether the living wage would add to the state deficit, but was told that they “didn’t know.” It was passed anyway.
  • After being such a huge issue in last fall’s election, scarcely a word was breathed about solving the problems caused by high utility rates.
  • Stoltzfus also noted that the once common practice of extended debate had vanished. What once took just 16 votes to sustain now can be overrode by limiting debate on issues in advance to as little as 15 minutes.

The Senator also talked a little bit about an alternative he raised to help with the oncoming deficit. In essence, it didn’t stop the growth of most programs but slowed it down – for example, K-12 school spending increases by 8% a year instead of 12%, spending on community colleges would jump 10% annually instead of 15%, and the tuition freeze would be eliminated. All told, this would’ve totaled $531 million in savings just this coming budget year, plus the savings in out years. Obviously, the spending-happy Democrats in Annapolis would have none of this. Instead, Stoltzfus noted that Governor O’Malley is the first governor he’s worked with that didn’t do something right away to work on budget problems that were inherited – while the solutions differed, Governors Schaefer, Glendening, and Ehrlich all tackled their budget problems when they took office.

There were a few good things that happened though.

  • The GOP-sponsored “Jessica’s Law” was passed, so child sex offenders aren’t paroled prior to serving their minimum sentence.
  • There was more funding for cover crops in the budget, which helps agriculture locally.
  • Also under the ag banner, Stoltzfus noted that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation was showing more willingness to work with agricultural interests on solving the bay’s pollution problems. He also told us that the nitrogen levels coming from the Eastern Shore into Chesapeake Bay had dropped 27%, the most of any area in the watershed.
  • A Working Waterfront Commission study was started to find common ground between watermen who depend on bay access for a living and the interests of development.

Lowell then took several questions from the 30 or so who attended tonight’s meeting.

In discussing ethanol and its impact on area farmers, Stoltzfus noted that it was a mixed bag. Obviously, corn farmers including himself like the higher prices (he noted that in less than a year the price of a bushel of corn had jumped from $2.27 to over $4.00) but on the feed side the increase will lead to big hikes in costs for the poultry and beef industries.

There was another interesting query about state “pork”. The senator told us that this year’s capital budget statewide was about $800 million. Of that total, $20 million is reserved for legislative initiatives. So each district fights for their slice of that pie. And Lowell said that he was conflicted about that – on the one hand, it goes against his grain to spend this extra state money on items in the 38th District, but if we don’t get it, someone in another part of the state will be happy to grab it. He noted that one budget during the Ehrlich years did not have any money for legislative initiatives and he was quite happy about that fact back when it occurred.

In other questions, Lowell thought that there was little chance of that the state would try again to lift county revenue caps, was relatively pleased about the paper trail being passed for voting, and spoke about fighting “hard” for the Holly Center (a local state-run care facility for mentally disabled individuals), but running into a large lobby that’s attempting to squeeze the state out of caregiving for these afflicted individuals.

I asked a couple questions about his voting for the statewide smoking ban for restaurants and the “Clean Cars Act”. It was surprising to me, but on the smoking bill he said that the feedback he got from restaurants actually favored the ban. Basically, they thought having a smoking section actually put them at a competitive disadvantage. I did note that the restaurants had the right to change themselves, but apparently they wanted the force of law to do so.

He made a good point about the “Clean Cars Act”, saying that his vote had nothing to do with the carbon dioxide emissions but with the nitrogen that cars emit. Some of the blame that farmers get for polluting the bay with nitrogen, he continued, actually should be placed on auto emissions. And he added that none of the lobbyists against the bill could provide him with hard numbers on the pricing impact. I countered that the added price (whatever it was) would discourage car buying to some degree and also that the market could flee to Delaware.

So Lowell made valid points; however, I still disagree with his stances. Given more time, I’m sure this would’ve been a fun debate. Lowell didn’t figure he’d get away without answering a question or two about what could be perceived as anti-business votes, so I didn’t disappoint him!

With the Senator concluding his remarks, we did get a report about the club’s revamped website that should be up this week, and heard from county chair Dr. John Bartkovich, who spoke mainly about the upcoming Lincoln Day Dinner (featuring Sen. Stoltzfus as a speaker.) It would be a step in getting our party together and beginning to think positively again – we need to “get over November.” Also, there’s a vacancy in the County Central Committee and we’re looking for a replacement.

Finally, we solicited input from the members on revising the club’s by-laws some more and got a note from successful Salisbury City Council candidate Louise Smith thanking the club for our help in her bid.

Because the fourth Monday in May happens to be Memorial Day, our next meeting doesn’t occur until June 25. It might be a strictly business meeting but I have an idea that could bear discussion for that gathering – I’ll keep it close to my vest for now. It’s sort of like those end-of-season cliffhangers, you’ll have to come in June to find out what it is (unless you’re a club officer.)

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

2 thoughts on “WCRC meeting – April 2007”

  1. I hope you and your cohorts will join in thanking Louweasel Smith for the big tax rate cap boost that she is pushing for Barrie — let’s call a special meeting because otherwise it’s too hot not to cool down about her traitorous act, not to mention her deceitful campaign promise not to allow any tax increase.

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