May 2008 – Page 4 – monoblogue

A tournament with few winners

This was just too good to pass up. The folks at PolitickerMD obviously know that this is a pretty slow time for political doings in the state so to promote discussion (and of course readership) they have inaugurated their first Maryland’s Smartest Legislator tournament.

With regions being named after great Maryland legislators of the past (or so they claim), the writers of PolitickerMD selected 32 of those they considered the most intelligent that Maryland’s General Assembly has to offer and placed them against each other in a single-elimination voting contest that will run with elimination rounds until a final on May 16th. Of course, my first objection is that there’s only 7 Republicans among the field of 32; I pretty much think that if you’re talking about intelligence as far as common sense then the field should be fully from the GOP. Additionally, the lone Eastern Shore representative in the field is State Senator E.J. Pipkin (State Senator Harris is also in the field as a #1 seed.)

Is it gimmicky? Of course it is. But as I noted earlier we’re in a slow political period and I’ll be interested to see how my choices do like anyone else who participates. It may just be enough to end the lower Eastern Shore’s three-month stranglehold on the “most influential political blog” title.

Speaking of that title, while I took Bud the Blogger to task yesterday about his recent post attempting to tie Senator Harris to the inflated prices we suffer from at the gas pump, I do agree somewhat more with his assessment on the BNN Influence Index as well as with many of those who commented. As I noted there, if it were solely based on readership and political content then blogs like The Hedgehog Report or O’Malley Watch would score highly each and every week; frankly I’m surprised those two underperform as they do. Neither aspires primarily to a local audience like other highly ranked sites do.

So whether PolitickerMD is going to increase its BNN ranking over the next couple weeks by running their contest remains to be seen, but it is an interesting diversion for a time when political news is reasonably slow.

Mighty Newt: would his ideas save the day?

Each week, I get an e-mail from Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions website. Yesterday he briefly discussed two recent GOP Congressional losses in supposedly “safe” seats and warned of a “catastrophic” election this fall if the GOP didn’t adopt some of what he considered “real change that can restore the GOP brand.”

Sometimes I think Newt gets a little too federal-government-happy in his solutions, but I thought they were worth discussion this afternoon:

Repeal the gas tax for the summer, and pay for the repeal by cutting domestic discretionary spending so that the transportation infrastructure trust fund would not be hurt. At a time when, according to The Hill newspaper, Senator Clinton is asking for $2.3 billion in earmarks, it should be possible for Republicans to establish a “government spending versus your pocketbook” fight over cutting the gas tax that would resonate with most Americans. Lower taxes and less government spending should be a battle cry most taxpayers and all conservatives could rally behind.
Redirect the oil being put into the national petroleum reserve onto the open market. That oil would lower the price of gasoline an extra 5 to 6 cents per gallon, and its sale would lower the deficit.
Introduce a “more energy at lower cost with less environmental damage and greater national security bill” as a replacement for the Warner-Lieberman “tax and trade” bill which is coming to the floor of the Senate in the next few weeks (see my newsletter next week for an outline of a solid pro-economy, pro-national security, pro-environment energy bill). When the American people realize how much the current energy prices are actually a “politicians’ energy crisis” they will demand real change in our policies.
Establish an earmark moratorium for one year and pledge to uphold the presidential veto of bills with earmarks through the end of 2009. The American people are fed up with politicians spending their money. They currently believe both parties are equally bad. This is a real opportunity to show the difference.
Overhaul the census and cut its budget radically. The recent announcement that the Census Bureau could not build an effective hand-held computer for $1.3 billion and is turning instead to 600,000 temporary workers to do a paper and pencil census in 2010 is an opportunity to slash its budget, shrink its bureaucracy, and turn to entrepreneurial internet-based companies to build an information-age census. This is an absurdity that cries out for bold, decisive reform (see my YouTube video “FedEx versus federal bureaucracy” for an example of what I mean).
Implement a space-based, GPS-style air traffic control system. The problems of the Federal Aviation Administration are symptoms of a union-dominated bureaucracy resisting change. If we implemented a space-based GPS-style air traffic system we would get 40% more air travel with one-half the bureaucrats. The union has stopped 200,000,000 passengers from enjoying more reliable air travel to protect 7,000 obsolete jobs. This real change would allow the millions of frustrated travelers to have champions in congress trying to help them get places better, safer, faster.
Declare English the official language of government. This real change is supported by 87% of the American people including a majority of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Latinos. It is an issue of national unity that brings Americans together in a red, white, and blue majority.
Protect the workers’ right to a secret ballot. The vast majority (around 81%) of Americans believe that American workers have a right to have a secret ballot election before they are forced to join a union. Last year the House Democrats passed a bill that would strip American workers of the secret ballot. A new bill should be introduced reaffirming that right, and it should be brought up again and again until marginal Democrats are forced to vote with the American people against the union power structure.
Remind Americans that judges matter. Senate Republicans should mount an ongoing fight (including a filibuster of other activities if necessary) to get the American people to realize that liberals want to block all current judicial appointments in order to maximize the number of left wing radical judges they can appoint if they win the White House. This issue has three advantages. It reminds people that judges matter and that a leftwing radical Supreme Court would be bad for the values of most (70 to 90 percent, depending on the issue) Americans. It shows the Democrats are not engaged in fair play. It arouses the activism of those who have been disappointed by Republicans and have forgotten how bad a liberal Democratic Presidency would be.

The only one of the nine I might raise some objection to is number 2, but it depends on what the amount needed in reserve is deemed to be against how much we actually have. Perhaps we can cut the daily amount in half. The rest seem like common sense, although I’ll withhold judgement on number 3 until I see the plan.

It’s food for thought as you munch on lunch. Would adopting Newt’s ideas save the day for the Republican Party?

Is Bud the Blogger anti-growth?

I know my Red Maryland cohort Bud the Blogger happens to be one of those mavericks who supports the Democrat Frank Kratovil in the First District race, and if that’s how he feels more power to him. I think he’s completely off base with that particular opinion, but some people come around sooner or later – hopefully he’ll be one.

However, his post yesterday regarding Andy Harris and the Club For Growth went a little over the top in its reach. When Bud makes the conclusion he does, I have to question where he’s coming from:

District 1 needs a leader that represents our interests. No one wants to hear a bunch of organizational spin when we’re forced to choose between gas for the car and food on the table. Over the next six months, the democrats, independents and even the republicans of this district need to send a loud message showing we’re tired of getting hosed. Make no mistake folks, a vote for Andy Harris means an endorsement of higher gas prices. Ready for $4 a gallon, anyone?

Unfortunately for Bud, the party that his choice belongs to shares a lot of the blame for people having to make the choice between gas in the car and food on the table, and certainly the Club For Growth is not interested in politicians who promise more regulation of corporations and restrictions on what oil companies can and cannot do in order to secure more product. If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself what the Club For Growth stands for. I happen to be a member myself, and even though I don’t agree with everything they advocate, overall I think the CFG has the right idea.

It’s disappointing to me that Bud has piled on to the anti-capitalist view that oil companies make too much money from a product that they don’t really dictate the price of – after all, did anyone feel sorry for the oil companies when oil was $15 a barrel and the resulting hard times hit a number of areas that depended on that industry?

As to why gas prices are so expensive, I go into my thoughts on the topic here but I think having Andy Harris in Congress would do more to address the root causes of the problem than having a Democrat who would likely toe the party line, one where oil companies are ripe for taxing because they supposedly make too much money. Then the taxes confiscated from oil companies would go to support non-marketworthy boondoggles in the so-called renewable energy field.

If you’re curious about where Frank Kratovil stands on the energy issue, so was I. And while I could find nothing on the topic from his website, fortunately I managed to snag one of his leaflets from the Democrats’ table at the Salisbury Festival (yes, once in awhile Democrats are useful for something). Here’s what the leaflet has to say:

I will work for an energy policy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil and promotes cleaner energy and smarter technology that creates American jobs and lowers energy costs.

Aside from the boilerplate quality of the solution that is offered, I’d like to point out that we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil by drilling for domestic supplies and building more refineries, something we haven’t managed in over thirty years. Perhaps Frank would support this idea President Bush proposed 3 years ago as one solution to the refinery issue? Certainly those ideas would work, but I don’t think that’s what Mr. Kratovil means.

Further, it seems to me that having nuclear power rather than coal-burning plants to provide our electricity is also a viable option, with natural-gas fired power plants as a backup source for peak usage and periods when nuclear plants are shut down for scheduled maintenance. Having lived in an area that was serviced by nuclear power, I’m not worried about what some fear regarding waste or accidents. Unfortunately, I believe what Frank is referring to are those unproven technologies that government tries to foist upon us by market-busting subsidies like tax breaks and outright adoption of restrictions that enrich favored companies.

So while Bud is trying to be shrewd and tie Andy Harris into the price we pay at the pump while trying to tar the monetary contributions that the Club For Growth has bundled for his campaign with that same brush, the truth is that if you really support $4 a gallon gasoline you’ll touch the screen next to Frank Kratovil’s name. After all, it’s his Democrat party’s would-be standardbearers who are on record as wanting to punish the oil companies for “excess” profits, conveniently forgetting the thousands of Americans those companies employ – many of whom belong to the unions who support that party – and the millions who own a stake in those companies (including me, and maybe even Bud) who expect oil companies to provide a return on investment.

Am I happy to pay $40 for a tank of gas? Of course not. But I’m still voting for Andy Harris because I think he’ll work to find a more equitable solution to the issue than simply sticking it to oil companies. After all, companies never pay business taxes – consumers do when they’re passed on as part of the cost of doing business.

Crossposted on Red Maryland.

They claim it’s Orwellian…

In a continuing postmortem to the recent General Assembly session, I received a tagteam effort from Delegates Anothony O’Donnell and Christopher Shank regarding the “millionaire’s tax” that replaced the dreaded “tech tax.” (And as always thanks to Carrie Simons-Sparrow for passing this along to me.) The pair make some good points:

Recent coverage of the repeal of the computer services tax in Maryland is reminiscent of George Orwell’s book 1984. Some of the same legislators who argued strenuously in favor of the tax during the legislative special session, are now hailed as heroes of the repeal effort. As a few issues have been confused and distorted, we would like to take this opportunity to clarify some facts from our perspective.

The expansion of the Maryland sales tax to include computer services was first enacted during the November 2007 Special Session. It was added to the already historic tax increases in, literally, the dark of night in a Senate committee, with no discussion or input from the public or members of the industry. This game of tax hokey pokey had been going on for several days, as various industries were in, and then out. Ultimately, the tech services industry became the loser in this game. At that time, the Republican Caucus argued on the floor of the House of Delegates how damaging this tax would be to the burgeoning tech industry in Maryland, and to the state’s economy. We also pointed out the singular unfairness of the process that led to this tax’s inclusion in the package being strenuously pushed by Governor O’Malley and the Democrat leadership.

We offered an amendment to strip the tech tax from the package, which failed. The General Assembly went on to pass the largest tax increase in Maryland history. Once again, the Republican members argued and voted against these taxes, proposing as an alternative, specific reductions in the rate of growth in spending to address the looming deficit.

(snip)

Governor O’Malley and the Democratic leadership chose to ignore all of the alternatives presented by the Republican caucus, and, after finally succumbing to public pressure, replaced the tech tax with another tax, this time the so-called “millionaire’s tax”. This backfilling was entirely unnecessary. As the Republican membership has pointed out multiple times over the past months, Maryland does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem.

(snip)

The increased income tax is likely to have an equally damaging effect on Maryland’s economy. Many of the individuals who qualify for this increased tax are actually small businesses who file as a Subchapter S corporations, so once again a tax has been imposed which will damage small business.

The recent experience of California serves as a cautionary tale of the type of impact this new tax will have. When California imposed such a high-income tax several years ago, 5,000 of the state’s 25,000 highest income earners left the state. By depending on such a narrow sector of the tax base, for so much of their revenue, California quickly went into a $7 billion deficit, largely attributable to the new tax. Just like the tech tax, this new burden provides a disincentive for these high income families to reside in Maryland, and contribute to our state’s economy as well as to the state coffers. Clearly, the decision of a few of these highest income earners to leave Maryland in search of greener pastures would have a huge impact on our State’s finances, which are already unstable.

Actually, I think many people, wealthy or not, are fleeing California because it’s being overrun by illegal immigrants but that’s a post for another day. Regarding the new tax on wealthy Marylanders, the Delegates could have also pointed out that almost any new tax fails to bring in the revenue that the beancounters with the rose-colored glasses who inhabit government cheerfully predict will roll in once the tax is placed into effect. This is especially true when the target is narrow, such as smokers, purveyors of alcoholic beverages, or millionaires. All of them can vote with their feet and find a better deal someplace else.

I have one counterpoint to their post, however. Yes, a majority of Republicans in the General Assembly consider themselves fiscal conservatives. Unfortunately, only 7 Republicans in the Senate and 31 of the Republicans in the House of Delegates stood strong against the O’Malley budget. If we can’t even place a united front against the bloated budget that is being sent, what use is putting up an alternative? Yeah, I’m sure that some of the GOP people (unfortunately the list includes both local State Senators and Delegate Elmore) will claim that there’s something in it for their region or pet cause that they placed there, but if we’re going to be principled we have to sometimes just say “no way.” The Maryland GOP isn’t going to get anywhere if they roll over like Fido when there’s a Milk-Bone in master’s hand, even if they do present alternatives.

Yeah, we’ll see how well this post goes over this weekend. So I’m hardline – deal with it.

Crossposted on Red Maryland.

Apologies are in order

In the next few weeks, I’m going to upgrade to WordPress version 2.5; my target date is over Memorial Day weekend so monoblogue may be out of service during that time.

In the meantime, some motherf—er has written a program that defeats my word verification so I’m being besieged by spam comments about online poker, blackjack, casinos, etc. Today I came home to find 1400+ in my moderation queue, so if you commented legitimately and it ended up in my spam queue to be deleted, I apologize. I’m not sifting through all those comments. There were two legitimate ones that were in the proper queue and they made it through.

To that end, I’m temporarily requiring registration to comment again. Since I’m going to upgrade in the next few weeks, hopefully I can simultaneously find a different word verification program that is a little more spam-proof – if I’m real lucky it will work with my current version so I can get back to normal with comments. So bear with me as I attempt to stem the tide of crap I have to deal with.

It’s one of those days I’d love to have a worm program that runs to the source of these spam comments and just trashes that computer. Something tells me that there’s a thousand other folks out there who use the same word verification program as I who are dealing with this too.

Later tonight I’ll actually have a brief political post – I just turned on the computer after getting home and taking my regular walk and was chagrined to find the ever-expanding spam comment queue. So pardon my indulgence.

Late edit: I’ve found a plug-in that’s supposed to be compatible up to WordPress 2.5.1 (the latest version) so when I return from my meeting tonight I’ll see how it worked! If it cuts down my spam I’ll eliminate the requirement for registration.

Update 2: I have lifted the restrictions as the new program worked! It’s called WP-SpamFree version 1.8 and if you have a WordPress blog you can get it here. I even chipped in a bit to help them out.

Another level of archi-hell

Anyone who makes a habit of reading monoblogue knows just how I feel about an organization I belong to, the American Institute of Architects. While they originally were an advocacy group to advance the profession, in the last decade or so it seems they’ve become more of a quasi-governmental bureaucracy with their support of mandatory continuing education for architects – naturally they decide which courses qualify and many times require a fee to pick up those necessary credit hours – and bombarding the membership with a push toward “sustainable” architecture in response to perceived manmade climate change. More energy efficiency is great but not by government fiat, nor do I believe in damning the cost in order to make a building “cradle to cradle” sustainable. Economic payback has to play a role – must be that capitalist in me. Has anyone ever had their LEED AP designation pulled? I might be the first.

Recently I found a blogger who questions another aspect of the profession. On a blogsite called Quiet Observations From Archi-Hell, “The Silent Observer” recounted his thoughts on modern suburbia vs. the New Urbanism instilled on students in architectral schools. A few excerpts:

I’ll be called a traitor. I’ll be laughed out of all respectable architecture circles. But I have to admit it. Having spent nearly a week visiting friends in the vast land of suburbia known as southern California, I could see myself living there. Yeah, I just said that.

Admittedly, this particular suburb of SoCal was only 20 minutes from the beach. And the sun was out nearly every day. For this New York City dweller, having come via London, the blinding yellow sun was like teasing a child with an ice cream cone after feeding them steamed broccoli. It was a bit of luxury, a break from a streak of ho-hum life. And you just want more. We’ll gloss over the fact that I was playing around for nearly a week without work. That would make any place seem appealing, I imagine.

More than the lack of responsibility, though, may have been the sense of overwhelming ease…

(snip)

Fact is, for a large portion of the population, (suburbia) is the lifestyle they are seeking. Architects, quite often it seems, willfully ignore this. We chase the glitzy, the adventurous, the sexy, the new, Maybe it gets back to being told, over and over again, to “think outside the box”. We are attracted to the idea that the status quo needs improvement, change, a radical shift in ideology, and of course we are. That’s how we justify the existence of our profession…

(snip)

(Suburban) homes are what many dream of. These are the places people hope to call home, imagine coming back to each and every night. These are the buildings people are willing to put their hard earned money towards. That says something to me. It says that these developers, for better or worse, understand the world better than I do. It reminds me that, for many, perhaps a majority, this is the lifestyle they want to live. Not the sleek, glassy living that our profession so often highlights, promotes. We vilify what the majority aspires to. That is a huge disconnect. (Emphasis mine.)

Does that not sound like the so-called progressive movement at large? They claim, “we know what’s best for you” when people know what they want.

Let’s face it: in American culture, bigger has always been better and each generation wants the best for the next one. Further, while I do not have a large house or Jeep Grand Cherokee sitting in my driveway, I’m not going to begrudge my friends and neighbors their personal choice to have them because it’s what they wanted. (I’m not thrilled about bailing them out for making poor lifestyle choices either, but that’s a subject for another day.)

Unfortunately, elitist architects (you know, the ones who grace the coffeetable magazines like Architectural Record and inhabit the leadership positions at the AIA) seem to think that communal living like that found in urban Europe should be what Americans aspire to as well, and we’re not that way. It’s a little late to change decades of thinking, so the shortcut desired by those on their side is to force us to do with less through excessive regulation, courtesy of the dollars confiscated from our wallet.

While my fellow blogger in “archi-hell” may not have traveled in the same direction, I think he (or she) and I reached the same understanding on what makes our culture unique, different, and inspiring for billions across the globe.

Windfall tax increases

On Friday, I got this e-mail in my box but since it was the end of the week and I had my posts for the weekend already planned, I decided to wait until this evening to address the issue. Besides, it was too nice of a weekend to think a whole lot about politics.

Today, Barack Obama announced that he will impose a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected president. His proposal comes at a time when Maryland’s working families are paying more for gas than ever before. Hillary Clinton has also announced support for a windfall profits tax. Maryland Republican Party Chairman James Pelura reacted with disbelief at Barack Obama’s proposal.

“The latest tax hike plans from both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are just more of the same flawed fiscal policies that are making it harder for Maryland’s families to balance their checkbooks every month,” charged Chairman Pelura. “It also shows a troubling lack of understanding about how our supply and demand economy works.”

“Raising taxes on the oil companies will just mean higher prices at the pump. Worse, it will hinder exploration for new sources of oil as well as the search for alternatives to burning fossil fuels,” Pelura said. “Since taking control of Congress, the Democrats have consistently advocated tax increases as the solution to every problem under the sun. And like Governor Martin O’Malley here in Maryland, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will not deviate from that script.”

“The two Democratic candidates’ latest proposals underscore what is at stake in this election. Taxpayers desperately need a break and should keep more of the money they earn.”

While I’m not a huge fan of that bit of pandering to “working familes” by any stretch of the imagination, the point remains that both Obama and Clinton continue the tired old liberal idea of punishing achievers, just like Martin O’Malley did here in Maryland with the new millionaires’ tax that replaced the sales tax on computer services.

Despite what you may read in the mainstream media, American oil companies are not the enemy because they do not set the price of the raw product – the market does. While many factors impact the price of oil, three of them stick out in my mind as being the main culprits behind $3.50 per gallon gas:

Much of the world’s oil production is regulated by a cartel that we are not a member of, OPEC.
The dollar is extremely weak against a number of major currencies and because the price of oil is set in dollars that are worth less than other monetary units, it takes more of them to gain an equal purchasing power.
With little incentive to drill and explore domestically because many prime areas are off limits to production, oil companies have no choice but to pay the price for the product and pass on that cost to consumers. Remember, these companies are trying to make a profit because it’s what their shareholders (including me) demand, a good return on investment.

I also want to address the idea of a gas tax holiday that John McCain proposed (and was echoed by Congressional candidate Andy Harris.) The big outcry that Democrats make against this idea is that it will take away funds for highway maintenance. While that may be true to some extent, I think there’s a way to cut highway costs as well because if memory serves me, highway construction is covered under prevailing wage legislation and that so-called prevailing wage is simply what Big Labor says it is – the rate has little to do with the actual job market. Billions could be saved because the cost of labor is a huge part of the price of construction.

And while maybe it will only save pennies a day to the average taxpayer (as Barack Obama and his cronies whined), to those in the transportation industry, particularly smaller independent truckers, a tax holiday could mean the difference between staying afloat or going bankrupt.

But I think this would only be effective at the federal level. I’m not quite as sure Senator Harris’s idea of a gas tax holiday for Maryland would be quite as effective because retailers could stop collecting the full 23.5 -24.25 cent tax (depending on fuel type) but only drop prices to, say, a 10 or 15 cent difference between states and pocket the rest as a little extra profit. Of course, if adjoining states did the same then the full effect may be felt, which makes the federal idea more sensible.

On the whole, while I’m not really pleased about paying $40 for a tank of gas, the folks that are to blame are not the ones who would be the target of a windfall profits tax but the ones who place onerous restrictions on drilling and refining oil in this country. Perhaps our pump prices would have never made it this high if more oil came from our own native sources – but it’s not too late to start extracting our supply to serve future generations, at least until a better and no more costly alternative is found.

In the meantime, since a lot of us are doing without because of high energy costs perhaps it’s time the federal government felt the pain like we do and actually prioritize its spending to allow less need for revenue such as the gasoline tax.

Send a blogger to Minneapolis

This is what I sent out yesterday for the consideration of state Central Committee members. After all, my snail mail has been full over the last two weeks with solicitations for my support; I just chose to do mine in a medium I’m comfortable with (and can afford, since sending 200-plus snail mails could cost about $100.)

Greetings to all,

My name is Michael Swartz and I’m a member of Wicomico County’s Republican Central Committee here in Salisbury. I’m writing you today to ask for your support this coming Saturday as I seek the position of Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis this September.

Over the last couple weeks I’ve been the recipient of a number of e-mails and snail mail pieces extolling the virtues of a number of other candidates for all the posts we’ll vote on next week. However, I have one thing that they do not have: at the moment, my political website, monoblogue, is rated as the most influential political blog in Maryland by BlogNetNews.com. With a number of well-read contenders from both the left and the right, it’s tough to make it to the top – yet I’ve been there twice in the last three weeks.

And while I’ve been in this political game for awhile, I’ve found over the years that my talent lies in writing persuasively in favor of issues and candidates I support. It is for this reason I’d like to go to the convention as an Alternate Delegate, to provide an up-close and differing view to that which the mainstream (or “drive-by”) media will certainly provide to its audience. If you’re not familiar with my website, you’ll find that I’m not shy about expressing my opinion on issues like the Long War, immigration, the green movement, or the lunacy we see each spring from our General Assembly as common sense goes by the wayside. You’ll also see that candidates come by my support honestly based on the issues.

As it turns out, I’m not part of the slate put together by some in the Maryland GOP. Having seen this type of top-down elitism from the Republican Party in my native Ohio, you can be sure I had my thoughts on that issue too. Certainly those on the slate have the right to make their case, but I applaud Chairman Pelura for refraining to dictate who should be elected and allowing the grassroots activists from across Maryland – including those areas which actually elect Republicans such as my adopted Eastern Shore and those out in the far reaches of western Maryland – a chance to make their decision as to who represents the Free State in Minneapolis.

Some have said that running against the establishment is a hopeless cause, but I believe those who are Republicans are also those who are best at judging one on their merits. If you feel that my unique qualifications are what our state needs at the upcoming convention, I’ll appreciate your support next week. Regardless, win or lose, I don’t plan on stopping my quest to “push the country in the RIGHT direction.”

Sincerely,

Michael Swartz

Wicomico County Republican Central Committee

Since I sent this out yesterday, the rankings changed a little bit but the ideas are the same. I’d like to bring that little bit more of a reinventionist influence to the proceedings, making my argument that as a nation we need to return to our roots in the Constitution and limited government, despite our presumptive nominee’s ideas that sometimes suggest otherwise.

Later this evening I’ll have my input on something else the Maryland GOP had to say.

Weekend of local rock volume 14

As promised (and requested by at least one commentor), here’s a wrapup of last weekend’s Salisbury Festival on a musical note (a clever pun if I do say so myself.)

There were two bands that played the Block Party on Friday night and alternated sets. First up was the Permilla Project:

The Permilla Project played first a week ago Friday night at the Salisbury Festival.

This band struck me as heavily jazz-influenced. I’d heard their name before but this was the first time I’ve seen them play – granted I wasn’t giving them my full attention because I was walking around talking to folks and taking pictures on both sides of the river. I also found out that I was acquainted with one of their players on a professional basis.

The Permilla Project plays quite a bit locally and I’ll be adding a link from my site to theirs so you can check for yourself. In the meantime, they have a CD out, as did the other attraction, local musician Wes Davis. Davis was the one with his own merchandise table:

Wes Davis had some friends to drum up sales of his CD. At right is Pete of the Permilla Project.

I also have him to thank for the hat I got. And while Wes played mostly classic rock cover tunes on this occasion, I know he does his own music for other shows. He also seems to be making a living on doing local festivals because he’s in the lineup for the upcoming Delmarva Chicken Festival in June. Below is a picture of the multitalented Davis and his band.

Not only does Wes Davis play the keyboard as he did in this shot, but he can handle a guitar too. I just didn't get a good shot of him doing so.

That was the entertainment on Friday night. Come Saturday morning I had a busy day planned moving between two stages. Leading off my proceedings was another young group who’s no stranger to outdoor Salisbury shows, Boats to Tangier.

Boats to Tangier was the first of several bands I caught on Saturday at the Salisbury Festival. They're a band that defies categories but is still enjoyable.

Hands down, Boats to Tangier is the toughest band for me to classify among the locals. They’re not heavy, but they’re not pop-rock either. Maybe it’s because they have a keyboard-driven sound much more than most bands I’m used to, but still I enjoy the show when I see them. Who knows, it could even be the accordion:

Yes, she's playing an accordion. But it worked with the song, so I have no complaints.

This evening Boats to Tangier is playing in downtown Salisbury again, I believe to coincide with a new CD release of theirs (geez, I just bought the last one!) Check out their site, I link to it.

Another band that is playing an event locally was next in line. Meet Red No Blue:

Red No Blue played a set of alternative rock covers. If it was on the radio in the last decade, they probably played it.

While judging by the set they’re primarily a cover band, Red No Blue played a number of songs in the alternative rock and pop vein that the growing crowd was getting into. But their next show will be for a good cause – they’ll be part of the entertainment at the Courageous Christopher fundraiser the afternoon of May 17th.

I was a little bit perturbed at whoever laid out the published schedule because I’d have liked to see more of these guys, and by the times I was given I would have. Someone jumped Death By Sunday up the bill so I only caught one of their songs, barely long enough to get this pic.

Death by Sunday played at the Salisbury Festival on Saturday. Too bad I really didn't get to enjoy it.

They just put out a CD themselves, but by the time I came back to pick one up after grabbing a quick lunch they’d already left. (I didn’t want to make them break a big bill.) I’m sure somewhere down the road I’ll see them again.

The last two acts I saw that afternoon sort of intersperced themselves at will. Paul Lewis and Matthew King are friends and were quite pleased about playing back-to-back – so much so that they did several songs with each other (as you’ll see in one picture.) So I set the photos up with Lewis first and King last, which was how they were originally ordered.

Veteran local musician Paul Lewis playing his solo guitar set Saturday at the Salisbury Festival.

Paul Lewis (left) is joined by his friend Matthew King (right) as both played Saturday at the Salisbury Festival.

Matthew King doing his solo thing last Saturday at the Salisbury Festival. While obviously you can't hear what he was playing, I think this was a song off his band's upcoming CD.

You could tell they enjoyed playing together and hopefully they got a little face time on Channel 47 because one of their cameramen was taking shots during the show. If not, they got some time here. While I like to see bands moreso than individual performers, these guys are both pretty talented. One person who was watching Lewis turned and told me that “this guy should be on American Idol.” I’m assuming he’s implying those who are really aren’t that talented?

I keep doing these posts because a) I really like the local music scene, and b) these folks are pretty talented (or in the case of younger groups, working on becoming so) and it’s a shame more people don’t realize it. Every time I hear some heretofore unknown but pedestrian group from some other area of the country that already has umpteen famous bands (to use past examples, think Seattle in the ’90’s or Los Angeles in the ’80’s) I wonder when the musical talent scouts will come down here to check our scene out. Of all the groups I’ve seen, there just has to be some who have what it takes to make themselves famous and share the enjoyment I’ve been happy to receive over the last three years.

Drill and save the planet

Farmers grow corn. Corn feeds animals and people, or at least it used to. Now it feeds your SUV and a lot of people are starving.

But there’s alternatives, as blogger Hans Bader notes at the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Openmarket blog:

In the American Spectator, Iain Murray notes that ethanol production has caused “food shortages and massive increases in food prices around the world. There have been food riots in Indonesia, Mexico, Egypt, and most recently, Haiti — where the poor have been reduced to eating cakes made with bleach and are on the verge of bringing the government down. Even in America, some grocery stores have begun to institute a form of rationing. Meanwhile, massive tracts of rainforest are being cleared in Indonesia to produce biodiesel, threatening the orangutan and other magnificent animals with extinction. In Brazil, the growth of sugar cultivation for ethanol is forcing food producers into the Amazon.”

By contrast, one of the Audubon Society’s chief bird sanctuaries (the Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana), has 37 oil wells on site, and has produced natural gas for 50 years without harming the environment. Drilling for oil hasn’t harmed the birds a bit. But ethanol production causes environmental destruction, mass hunger, starvation, and rioting worldwide.

Disclosure: like many Americans, I have a retirement plan (both a 401(K) and an IRA). Like most retirement plans, it contains mutual funds. And most of those mutual funds own some stock in oil companies. So when politicians demand that the government impose a “windfall profits tax” on oil companies, what they are really trying to do is take money from my retirement plan — and your retirement plan, too, if you have one. That’s not going to encourage exploration for new sources of oil, or reduce our dependence on foreign oil. (Emphasis mine.)

He’s right on the money, because Hans and I agree on the point of getting our own supply. It was nice to get the fact about the Louisiana wells, particularly in the wake of incidents like the Exxon Valdez in Alaska. So let’s get out and drill!

Shorebird of the Week – May 1, 2008

Tony Butler up close on a chilly day. Tony Butler standing tall on the hill in a recent start.

It’s not often that minor league players are traded, but when they are you can bet it’s because the organization that receives them thought quite highly of their potential. So it is with this week’s Shorebird of the Week, Tony Butler.

Butler was one of the players picked up from the Seattle Mariners in the trade which sent out former Oriole (and Shorebird) Eric Bedard. While Bedard just recently returned from the disabled list for his new team, Tony has been a stopper on the mound for Delmarva since the season began and pitched 6 innings of shutout ball last night while fanning nine. Unfortunately, he got a no-decision when the game was tied in the seventh but nevertheless the Shorebirds won a 2-1 thriller made possible in part by Tony’s solid mound performance.

It’s an oddity in pitching that good performance isn’t always rewarded and so-so efforts get wins. Tony picked up his only victory on the season in a rough start at West Virginia but stands with a 1-1 record and 3.41 ERA. More importantly, the nine strikeouts last night give him 24 on the young season against just 4 walks. While batters have collected 30 hits off Butler in 29 innings pitched, the low walk total gives him a solid 1.17 WHIP.

Last season Tony pitched for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Midwest League. The Mariners’ farm club there is roughly comparable to ours, so doing well in what amounts to his second tour of duty at this level will probably earn him a reasonably fast promotion to Frederick. With Wisconsin Tony was 4-7 with a 4.75 ERA in 20 games, 18 of them starts. So far in 2008 Butler’s done quite a bit better with his command because in 2007 he walked 46 batters in 85 1/3 innings, and at only 20 years of age the 6′-7″ lefty and Mariners’ third pick in the 2006 draft out of Oak Creek HS in Wisconsin can be groomed into an imposing figure on the mound for the Orioles someday. Perhaps then they’ll be asking, “Eric who?”

By the way, I actually had a suggestion from Shorebirds GM Chris Bitters for a different player as SotW, so the word is spreading. That person was also worthy of selection but I decided on Butler because Tony may not be around all that long if he continues to pitch well.

“Carnival of Caring” day with the Shorebirds

Continuing my recent trend of Thursday afternoon Shorebirds news, this came to my attention and certainly is worth yours as well:

Your Delmarva Shorebirds and the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore are teaming up to present the Delmarva Community a “Carnival of Caring Day” on Sunday, May 4th. The day will revolve around a 2:05 p.m. Shorebirds game and will feature over 15 non-profit organizations and other community partners, who will be set up around the ballpark with information booths, each offering unique games and prizes for kids of all ages to play and win. Expect to see face painters, ring toss, carousel rides, a moon bounce, live radio remotes with the Q105 Q Bear, the Froggy 99.9 Frog, Max 92.5 and Cat Country prize wheels where you can win t-shirts and CD’s, the Comcast Wheel of Fortune and more. The first 200 fans to visit the Cat Country table will receive 2008 NASCAR Schedule Posters!

The goal of the event is to generate community awareness and support for our local non-profit organizations so they can better serve those in need in our Delmarva Community and we can all lend a hand in making our Eastern Shore a healthier and happier place to live. Doors open at noon with tickets to the game available at the box office for $6. Fundraiser tickets that go to support these organizations can be purchased through the Shorebirds by contacting them at (410) 219-3112 ext. 144 or you can print off a ticket order form online at www.theshorebirds.com. $3 from each ticket purchased this way will go to benefit the United Way. Fundraiser tickets must be purchased in advance of May 4th.

“The Delmarva Shorebirds are an amazing partner and are truly committed to helping our local United Way make a difference in our community. The Carnival of Caring Day is a wonderful way to bring all United Way member agencies together and highlight the many great things we are doing for people in need on the Lower Shore.” – Aaron Reid, Director of Donor Relations – United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore.

Participating agencies in the event are…

United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore

Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Delmarva Boy Scouts

Coastal Hospice

Delmarva Community Services

Diakonia

Dove Pointe

Easter Seals

Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts

Life Crisis Center

Helping Hands

M.A.C., Inc.

Maryland Food Bank

American Red Cross – Lower Shore

Worcester Youth/Family Counseling Services

As a special treat for the game, the Maryland Food Bank and Food Lion have teamed up to offer Macaroni Noise Makers. Visit your local Food Lion and purchase the Food Lion brand of Macaroni, bring it to the game with you and shake it up to make some noise for your Home Town Team and then donate the box of macaroni to the Maryland Food Bank as you exit the stadium.

The United Way “Carnival of Caring Day” takes place Sunday, May 4th at Perdue Stadium. Gates open at noon with the game beginning at 2:05 p.m. Tickets are on sale now, starting as low as $6! To order yours and support the United Way call 410-219-3112 or visit www.theshorebirds.com.

I really don’t have a whole lot to add to that except – see you there! Tonight will feature yet another Shorebird of the Week.