July 2009 – Page 2

Frank’s response – and where it could lead

As I mentioned yesterday I got Congressman Frank Kratovil’s response to my phone call urging him to vote no on “cap and tax”. It will make for a long post but I’m going to refute a number of points he made and try to predict his excuse for voting to nationalize health care while I’m at it. While he may have signed the “Blue Dog” letter that only committed him to voting against the bill as it was and we have no idea what 300-page amendment could be thrown in at the last second to appease him.

So here goes. Instead of blockquoting, his letter will be in italics.

Thank you for contacting my office to share your thoughts on H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act. There’s no question this is one of the most significant pieces of legislation that Congress will consider this year, and so I appreciate you taking the time to convey your opinion on this important issue.

Indeed, it is quite significant, so it’s disappointing that the bill was rushed through the House so quickly. Luckily the Senate has yet to take it up. Another significant piece of legislation will be health care “reform” (read: nationalization) and the Obama Administration is rushing that through full bore too.

Every year the United States spends hundreds of billions of dollars on foreign oil, with much of that money going to hostile or unfriendly governments. This addiction to foreign oil has put our energy security in the hands of dictators. Meanwhile, our dependence on fossil fuels has led to rising utility bills year after year and has blocked the development of innovative technologies needed to diversify our energy supply. Gas prices are fluctuating wildly, American manufacturers are falling behind the rest of the world, and big energy companies continue to post record profits at the expense of families and small businesses. It is clear that the status quo is not working.

The point is correct but you’re advocating the wrong solutions here. We spend hundreds of billions on foreign oil because the federal government, through regulations and restrictions on where drilling may take place, has made it more profitable for energy companies to go elsewhere for supply. Yet there is nothing blocking the development of innovative energy solutions except market forces which the government should stay away from. Nor should it be the concern of the federal government whether oil companies make record profits because those profits are plowed back into the business.

If you change a few words you could make this paragraph talk about health care too since certainly Frank thinks that status quo isn’t working either.

When I ran for Congress, I promised that among my top priorities would be reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, reducing gas prices, increasing investments in domestic renewable energy, protecting the Chesapeake Bay, and fighting to get our farmers the resources needed to thrive on the Eastern Shore. In thoroughly reviewing the American Clean Energy and Security Act, it became clear to me that a vote against ACES would have been a betrayal of those promises. This bill offers a balanced, comprehensive plan for ending our reliance on foreign oil and spurring innovation, investment, and job creation here at home. Furthermore, numerous changes were made to the bill to specifically address the concerns of farmers, including an amendment I authored that will make Maryland farmers eligible for approximately $1 billion in incentives for environmentally sound practices. After years of struggling with the costs of the failed status quo, ACES gives us an opportunity to move in a new direction, and so I voted with a bipartisan majority to support passage of H.R. 2454.

This is why there’s such an outcry among conservatives like me about 8 Republicans voting for the bill – it provides that “bipartisan” fig leaf for Frank’s vote. Further, this is the second instance of citing a “failed” staus quo, one which really wasn’t failing. But the new direction he voted in favor of only leads to higher energy prices and more government – witness the $1 billion carrot to Maryland farmers for particular practices. If this were a truly “balanced” bill, though, it would have made things easier for oil and natural gas exploration and taken the restrictions off areas deemed untouchable by the federal government.

Similarly, Frank only says he’s against the health care bill as it was introduced. What remains to be seen is the incentive placed into that bill to curry his favor. Methinks it won’t take much.

I understand that ratepayers, small businesses, and farmers have a number of questions and concerns about the impact this legislation may have. Like you, my own family has been faced with rising energy costs over the past several years, and I share the concern of what additional costs would mean to families and businesses here in the First District. It’s important to remember that ACES will have a varied impact on different regions of the country based on the existing state laws and the current energy portfolio of those regions. For that reason, I thought it was important in reviewing the bill to set aside the national rhetoric and the partisan talking points to look objectively at the impact that the bill will have here in Maryland.

This is key to his argument, as he talks in the next several paragraphs about Maryland’s state restrictions being stricter than the proposed federal law. But two wrongs do not make a right.

As is often the case, legitimate arguments against his position are reduced to “partisan talking points”. Similarly, the onerous federal requirements for health insurance which will eventually force people into a government insurance program is just a “talking point”.

Opponents of a cap-and-trade regulatory system need to remember that we already have cap-and-trade here in Maryland. Maryland has been part of a regional cap-and-trade initiative since 2007, which has generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue to the state to fund consumer rebates and energy conservation programs. In fact, Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal – a 25% reduction by 2020 – is already tougher than the 17% reduction goal called for in ACES. For this and other reasons, any rate impacts in Maryland will be considerably less than the impacts in other regions of the country. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that nationwide, the American Clean Energy and Security Act will increase costs for the average family by about $15 per month before efficiency savings are factored in. However, here in Maryland, another study projects that the ACES bill will actually save families $8 per month when efficiency savings and state-specific factors are considered.

I don’t know which study Frank cites regarding the $8 per month savings, but I can tell you the CBO study’s key flaw is that it doesn’t take into account the massive GDP loss and its effect on the mythical “average” family.

Moreover, Maryland has high electrical rates because the utilities need to recoup their costs from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The state uses much of its RGGI proceeds to assist low-income families with weatherizing their homes and defraying their utility costs – in essence, a transfer of capital which keeps a select few bureaucrats in Annapolis busy but raises costs for the rest of us. Now imagine this program times 50 because similar measures are included within Waxman-Markey.

Trust me, some wealth transfer program will be included in the health care provisions. There’s already reports of hammering the “rich” with yet another tax to pay for health care and certainly Frank will be drooling at the chance to soak them once again.

I know that there are many nightmare scenarios being thrown around regarding the costs of this legislation. I’ve heard the claims that this bill is a massive energy tax, or that it could increase costs for families by thousands of dollars a year, or that it would require homeowners to make expensive upgrades and pay for an energy audit before being allowed to sell their homes. To be blunt, these claims are simply not true. The American Clean Energy and Security Act does not increase taxes whatsoever. It does not require any sort of energy audit for existing homes, and the efficiency standards included in the bill apply only to new construction. Furthermore, the claims about the costs to families and small businesses are simply unfounded. The ACES legislation sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars worth of free emissions allowances to allow utility companies to provide direct rebates and cost reductions to customers. Tens of billions of dollars more will be directed to provide additional savings for low- and moderate-income families. Given these unprecedented cost-saving measures, and the fact that Maryland is already ahead of the curve on the deployment of clean energy technologies, it is projected that the bill may end up saving Maryland ratepayers on a monthly basis.

While the bill doesn’t overtly raise taxes, it acts the same as a tax because expenditures for the average household increase. And while Frank is technically right about not requiring an energy audit for existing homes, Section 204 of the bill spells out conditions where labeling would be required:

In adopting the model labeling program established under this section, a State shall seek to ensure that labeled information be made accessible to the public in a manner so that owners, lenders, tenants, occupants, or other relevant parties can utilize it. Such accessibility may be accomplished through–

(A) preparation, and public disclosure of the label through filing with tax and title records at the time of–

(i) a building audit conducted with support from Federal or State funds;

(ii) a building energy-efficiency retrofit conducted in response to such an audit;

(iii) a final inspection of major renovations or additions made to a building in accordance with a building permit issued by a local government entity;

(iv) a sale that is recorded for title and tax purposes consistent with paragraph (8);

(v) a new lien recorded on the property for more than a set percentage of the assessed value of the property, if that lien reflects public financial assistance for energy-related improvements to that building; or

(vi) a change in ownership or operation of the building for purposes of utility billing; or

(B) other appropriate means.

Basically, those who have energy-inefficient houses which would require more than they’re worth to comply are stuck. And it sounds like an energy audit requirement to me. The rest of the paragraph simply dictates the wealth transfer I spoke of earlier.

The next several paragraphs demonstrate where Frank was bought off to vote for the Waxman-Markey bill.

In addition to the concerns of ratepayers and small businesses, another major factor I considered in reviewing this bill was the impact it would have on Maryland’s farmers. It is important to point out that farmers will not have their emissions regulated by this bill, and will be completely exempted from the emissions caps. Furthermore, as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I worked closely with Chairman Collin Peterson to address many of the concerns the agricultural community had raised about earlier drafts of H.R. 2454. Thanks to our efforts, a number of amendments were made to the final bill to make it a better deal for farmers, including:

The bill’s agricultural and forestry offset program will be run by U.S. Department of Agriculture, instead of by the Environmental Protection Agency. Chairman Peterson successfully argued that the USDA better understands the economics of farming and is therefore more likely to provide the flexibility farmers need to benefit from these programs.

A portion of the emission allowances will be provided for free to the nation’s rural electrical cooperatives, like the Choptank Electrical Cooperative on the Eastern Shore, which will enable these co-ops to provide direct rate relief to rural customers.

The definition of “biomass” in the bill was adjusted to give agricultural and forestry entities a greater ability to participate in the offset programs and receive valuable offset credits.

Even with these changes to the bill, I only decided to support ACES after its authors accepted an amendment I offered that set aside an additional $1 billion of emissions allowances for farmers, like many in Maryland, who would otherwise be prohibited from receiving credit for their environmental practices. This amendment, along with the increased demand for biofuels that will result from this bill, will open up considerable new revenue streams for Maryland farmers.

Collectively, these changes to the bill enjoyed broad support from the agricultural community and were endorsed by organizations including the American Corn Growers Association, the American Farmland Trust, the American Farm Bureau Association, the American Soybean Association, Dairy Farmers of America, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Biodiesel Board, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Cotton Council, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Farmers Union, the National Milk Producers Federation, the National Pork Producers Council, and the United Egg Producers.

While I understand that some of these organizations continued to oppose final passage of the bill even after the inclusion of the supported amendments, it is important to remember that the costs to farmers, small businesses, and family ratepayers will likely be far greater if Congress fails to act. The U.S. Supreme Court has already confirmed the EPA’s authority and obligation to proceed with its own regulatory program if Congress fails to act, an option that would wipe out all of the concessions and amendments secured for ratepayers and farmers.

It’s also noteworthy that many agricultural groups still were against Waxman-Markey even with their concerns addressed. They understood better than Frank did the negative impacts this will have on the family farm. Perhaps the corporate farm will thrive but the additional regulations sure to come will be a deeper headache for those farmers on the Shore.

I wonder how many providers Frank will listen to when he votes to nationalize health care?

By breaking our reliance on foreign oil and creating real incentives for American businesses, entrepreneurs, and farmers, the American Clean Energy and Security Act presents an incredible opportunity to spur innovation and create new green jobs. In 2007, Maryland already had 1,145 businesses working in the clean energy sector, which collectively generated more than 12,900 green jobs and attracted nearly $324 million in private investment capital. Right here in the First District, there are already a number of small businesses who are poised to reap the benefits of this bill, from solar equipment dealers and installers to geothermal energy contractors and wind power consultants. Additional entrepreneurs will also now have incentives to enter the market, creating private jobs and new economic opportunities. It is estimated that the American Clean Energy and Security Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act could generate roughly $150 billion in clean energy investments each year for the next decade, creating as many as 1.7 million jobs nationally and 26,600 here in Maryland.

All this is pure speculation, and given the track record lately of federal government predictions I predict net job losses as manufacturers and providers of “traditional” energy sources send jobs overseas to avoid the tolls placed by H.R. 2454. Government “incentives” last only as long as Fedzilla wants them to and there are ALWAYS strings attached, so buyer beware.

What “incentives” will there be for businesses to keep private health insurance when the government (who doesn’t have to make a profit) steps in?

When it comes to our nation’s energy policy, the status quo is simply not working. We can no longer afford to ship hundreds of billions of dollars overseas each year, while leaving our economic and national security in the hands of dictators. The American Clean Energy and Security Act will finally move us in a new direction by spurring investment in clean, homegrown technologies like wind, solar, and biofuels, while taking extraordinary steps to protect ratepayers and famers. After thoroughly reviewing the bill and listening to the concerns and questions of constituents on both sides of the debate, I believe that the American Clean Energy and Security Act is a balanced, thoughtful approach to ending our reliance on foreign oil and investing in America’s clean energy future.

Again, the straw man of the “status quo” is placed in play here. ACES is not “balanced” and, with 300 pages placed into the bill late in the process, I’m dubious on the “thoughtful” part as well.

Please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future regarding issues that concern you. I also encourage you to visit my website in order to stay informed on the issues I’m working on in Congress. I believe that continuous communication with the residents of the First District is essential to helping me be an effective advocate for you in Congress, and I thank you again for taking the time to chare (sic) your thoughts with me.

P.S. I’ve been hearing from a number of constituents who are very concerned by some of the myths circulating about the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Let me be very direct: This bill does not increase taxes, it does not add to the federal deficit, and it does not require a home energy audit before you can sell your home. These claims are simply false.

In order to help you separate the myths from the facts, I have enclosed a short document that outlines some of the misconceptions about the bill. I hope this helps you better understand the truth about this important legislation, and I encourage you to share this information with friends or neighbors who are similarly concerned by the incorrect information being circulated about this bill.

That has many of the same arguments as the remainder of the letter.

Frank M. Kratovil, Jr.
Member of Congress

Not after 2010 if I can help it. We can do MUCH better.

We will probably go through the same charade on the health care bill, as I will contact Frank to urge his “no” vote and he’ll bow to the special interests who are writing the bill and say “yes” anyway. I give that a 90% chance of occurring.

There is always the law of unintended consequences to contend with whenever government tries to solve a problem the free market has a pretty good handle on. Those lead to yet more government intervention in order to create a “fix” for the problems begat by the original law.

Having gas prices shoot up to $4.00 a gallon made everyone good and mad at the oil companies and may have provided some additional impetus for this legislation. But you’ll notice gas prices went down about as quickly as they went up because the market corrected itself.

If the government and overzealous regulators got out of the markets for electricity, natural gas, and other energy sources we may find that prices will fluctuate but eventually return to true value. (This is why we have to have subsidies for certain energy sources and methods – the price point is otherwise unmarketable.)

Unfortunately that same “fix” Waxman-Markey creates in the energy field will be coming soon to health care – unless we stop it now. I only give Frank a 10% chance of voting the right way (as opposed to nil for our Senators) so it’s a chance we’ll have to take, at least until we can correct things in the next election.

The anti-Pelura push, continued

My plan today was to dissect Frank Kratovil’s recent response to me on his “cap and tax” vote in Congress a couple weeks back, but instead I bring you this.

At the moment, Jim Pelura remains as the Chair of the Maryland Republican Party despite having a 20-10 “no confidence” vote against him Saturday. What’s noteworthy about that vote, however, is that the counties (including Wicomico) provided all ten of his supporting votes, going 14-10 against Pelura. On a strict basis that would not be a 2/3 majority required to remove him but obviously members of each Central Committee would be free to make their decision if and when a special state convention is called. (This would require twenty days’ notice so the earliest such a convention could occur would be mid-August.)

My cohort Dave Parker brought up an excellent point in an e-mail to members yesterday afternoon. It does an excellent job of summarizing one of two points I’d like to make here.

Unless the Party HQ is bugged, somebody (and possibly three somebodies) in the room had to have leaked confidential Party information to the press! Or can somebody advance another explanation?

We were in executive session. We were REPEATEDLY admonished to avoid talking to the press because everything we did was strictly confidential! Yet somebody who couldn’t keep from betraying the Party immediately broke ranks with the rest of us.

I’m becoming more and more convinced that the Maryland GOP is fast becoming a circular firing squad. This anti-Pelura push is going to dominate the headlines and even become the sidebar whenever a good Republican candidate tries to get into a local or statewide race.

Back on Wednesday I was told by Charles Lollar that he would announce his intentions this week and I’m presuming he’ll toss his hat into the Governor’s race. Here’s a very solid candidate from the GOP – business background, a small amount of political experience yet not enough to be considered an insider, military veteran, nice family, and a financial watchdog who I would guess is going to make that a campaign plank. (Don’t tell anyone but he’s a minority too.)

But instead of that being the totality of the story you can bet that there will be some mention of the “troubled” Maryland GOP, with its “embattled” leader, Jim Pelura.

I have a question for those reading my post today. Can you name the head of the Maryland Democratic Party? I’m sure I could look it up and I seem to recall he’s fairly new because their last leader left before his term was up. But no one noticed because it’s not something the leading (liberal-leaning) news outlets made a big deal of. On the other hand, any internal fissure in the GOP is big news around Maryland!

The Democrats may have their own rifts and I’ve been told by Page Elmore that when the Democrat caucus in Annapolis gets together there’s plenty of wailing and gnashing of teeth. But when push comes to shove their team goes by the saying that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis made famous: “Just win, baby.”

Has Jim Pelura made mistakes? Certainly, but anyone else placed in his position would too.

And it’s why I brought up my original posting plan at the top. The two people who head our state and our nation have also made mistakes – unfortunately those are bigger and much more costly, particularly to our wallet and our freedom.

Neither Governor O’Malley nor President Obama are leading in a manner that is taxpayer-friendly but seemingly the only other people (besides me) connected with the Maryland GOP who are bringing this point up are at party headquarters; meanwhile a large number of the elected officials are apparently more interested in cutting deals for themselves or trying to fetch whatever is left to them by the Democrats as they bulldoze their way through another term of dominance.

It was pretty much a given that we on the conservative side weren’t going to get a whole lot of financial help from the Maryland Republican Party. Since the GOP has little pull in Annapolis (or Washington, for that matter) the special interests who thrive on shifting power their way weren’t going to open their wallets to us. It’s going to be up to our candidates to work hard and use their message to fundraise, as it should be.

The Pelura controversy is an unwelcome sideshow at a time when GOP candidates need to be making news by proposing great alternative ideas to the Democrats’ ancient “tax-and-spend” playbook and we in the grassroots need to be choosing which candidates we’ll back and fighting the true enemies we can depose in 2010 – Martin O’Malley, Barbara Mikulski, Frank Kratovil and his other six Democrat cohorts who “represent” Maryland in the House of Representatives, and a host of other local and state officials who stand in the way of limited, Constitutional government.

By attacking Pelura some in the Maryland Republican Party provide just the distraction needed for those Democrats, named and unnamed, to continue their mismanagement and plunder. Let’s get back to focusing on them and let Jim Pelura finish his term in peace.

NIMBY vs. MAPP

While I did my main post on the Tawes Crab Bake Friday, an intriguing subplot I saved for today was the pitting of two major political players against one another. No, I’m not taking about the Republicans vs. the Democrats, I’m talking about utility vs. environmentalists.

In this case the controversy has arisen over the Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway – a proposed high-voltage electrical line which would eventually connect Virginia to Delaware, running under Chesapeake Bay and across the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

On one side, we have Delmarva Power, who rented a tent to tell its side of the story.

Delmarva Power explained the need for the Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway with this three-panel display at the Tawes Crab and Clam Bake last week. Their claim is that they need this line to assure continued reliability.

It’s become necessary for Delmarva Power to do so because of the heavy lobbying weight a group such as the Maryland League of Conservation Voters has.

This was the first time I'd noticed the LCV at the Tawes event - most likely they found out Delmarva Power would have a presence. The chart in the background summarizes possible pathways for MAPP.

One of the many items available at the LCV table was a button stating “Muskrats Against MAPP”. I walked it over to the Delmarva Power booth where they commented something along the lines of being fine that a muskrat is against it, because muskrats don’t need air conditioning or Internet access. But we do.

Perhaps it’s a somewhat cavalier attitude, but here are the facts.

It’s been 25 years since the last major interstate transmission line was built in the mid-Atlantic region. Needless to say, demand has gone up significantly in that period and we’re approaching a point (perhaps as soon as 2011 according to an estimate by PJM, who operates the transmission grid in this region) where rolling blackouts could occur because of overdemand.

The Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway would supplement the lone high-voltage transmission line coming into our region. At the moment much of our electricity comes through Delaware and if something happened to that line we on the Eastern Shore (being at the end of the line) would be in a world of hurt. As it stands, the MAPP isn’t due to come online until 2014, leaving us in a possible hole for three years pending any delays.

The battle is coming down to allowing the high-voltage line to cross 27 miles of Dorchester County and 8 miles of Wicomico County here in Maryland. Some of it would run adjacent to existing lines or other rights-of-way but there are property owners who can decide MAPP’s fate and these heavyweights are putting vast amounts of money and effort into this fight to sway owners into allowing or denying MAPP access through their property.

Delmarva Power does come to this fight at a disadvantage. Naturally people aren’t generally pleased with the utility as electric rates continually increase and consumers eventually bear the brunt of the cost. Moreover, groups such as the League of Conservation Voters already have a slick public relations and marketing arm which works to “educate” people to their point of view. Here’s one case in point:

I didn't pick up a 'Citizen's Guide to Activism' - perhaps I should have - but the fact the League of Conservation Voters offers one proves they're serious about stopping growth at any cost.

Other items at the LCV table I scooped up were their 2009 General Assembly Scorecard and a “Mid-Term Report Card” on Governor O’Malley. Glancing through them, it’s obvious their idea of proper legislation and my idea of good government are about 180 degrees out of phase. Those who achieved an LCV score of 100% are generally those on my “Reasons To Adopt Recall” list for the monoblogue Accountability Project. I guess the LCV cherishes freedom for wildlife more than freedom for themselves.

There were a few of these stickers lying around Tawes as well. I haven't seen too much that was smart about the O'Malley Administration's push for green, because the only things which seem to be growing in Maryland are the tax burden, unemployment rate, and size of government.

Adding insult to injury, there was also this sign at the LCV booth.

Just remember who's in favor of 'cap and tax' when you see their stance on other issues.

You can bet I’ll have more to say about this next week because I received a response from Frank Kratovil’s office regarding his vote for Waxman-Markey!

Needless to say, the Left tries to paint Republicans as the party of “no”. I happen to think they don’t say it enough in certain situations; regardless, here we have a situation where it’s the radical fringe environmentalists who are saying no to progress.

Bear in mind that even clean energy needs to be transported from place to place – a project like the proposed Bluewater Wind farm in the waters off Delaware won’t do much good out there since no one makes an extension cord that long. We have to move that electricity to where it’s needed, like my dining room where I write this.

One weakness Delmarva Power has is that they produce no electricity themselves. While I feel it would be to their advantage to do so, that’s not a decision which would be viable in the near future as building new plants takes time and acquiring existing ones may be too pricey. Given these limitations, MAPP seems like the best compromise solution for the money – money that would eventually come from our pockets anyway.

In a choice between the radical green ideal of bringing growth to a standstill and building infrastructure for progress, you can bet I’m all for progress.

Tawes Crab and Clam Bake 2009 in pictures and text

It may take me longer to compile the photos and captions than the actual length of time the event was actually held, but here goes. There will be 25 photos here but I’m saving a few I took for a post later this weekend.

The sign says it all.

Certainly the Crisfield event is known for drawing hot and cold running politicians. But 33 years ago there was another purpose for its beginning and it became known for great food, like some of these beauties:

A box of what the Tawes event was best known for before the politicians found it in the mid-1980's.

The melons and onion rings were pretty good, too. This year's watermelon crop seems to be quite flavorful.

And you can’t enjoy crabs without something to break them apart, nor is beer quite the same in a plastic cup. Those in the know also bring a small cardboard box cut to resemble a shallow pan to hold all the food (as for the crabs above) – forget plates because you won’t find any!

Thousands of promotional mugs and mallets await claiming and usage as the festival gets underway.

The other purpose for Tawes’ being was promotion of local businesses and tourism. Anytime you can get in the neighborhood of 5,000 people to the small waterfront town of Crisfield it’s a mini-boom for local businesses and a chance to advertise their wares, as the following several pictures aptly point out.

This event can be considered the Super Bowl for pushing economic development in mostly rural Somerset County, so it's natural they would have a presence at Tawes.

Somerset County's tourism bureau had a smaller presence and pushed maritime pursuits such as fishing.

If there were an award for creative use of watermens' equipment as fencing, this is the sure winner. Do you think crabs prefer yellow, red, or black?

Hebron Savings Bank is an annual presence at the affair, but I'm hopeful their accounting procedures are better than their spellchecking. Neat sign but grinning needs another 'n'.

Then you have those who don't mind hand-lettering to convey their message. Haven't been to Bistro 54 yet to check if that is really how they roll.

And judging by the size and spread I saw within this tent, the lobbying business isn’t hurting either.

Ironically, this Franchot supporter shared the large tent with the Republican parties from Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.

Even the unions were represented. I wonder if they bargain this as a day off?

What surprised me most is that this tent wasn't much closer to the Democrats' tent. Maybe they like to spread out.

And of course the politicians were out in force. That’s what the Tawes event has become synonymous with and this year didn’t disappoint. But the event also draws other interesting people – where else can you see Miss Maryland USA?

Miss Maryland USA was certainly a photogenic attraction.

The media also covers this event like the seagulls which inevitably are drawn to the free food. These guys are the local media but we also get coverage from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Compiling that interview footage for Channel 47 looks like work. Being a member of the pajamas media, I wonder if they too got to eat while they were there?

While 2009 is considered an “off” year, there were candidates already laying the groundwork to compete in a primary still 14 months off.

In my travels about the Somers Cove Marina grounds I didn’t cross paths with Governor O’Malley (although he was there – see my postscript), but I did catch two who are out to unseat him, Mike Pappas and Charles Lollar.

GOP hopeful for governor Mike Pappas (center, in gray shirt) had a number of supporters clad in campaign T-shirts circulating throughout the event in an effort to build his name recognition.

His formal announcement comes next week, but Charles Lollar (pictured on the left with his lovely wife Rosha) also made an effort to introduce himself and gain supporters.

The other key statewide race comes for the U.S. Senate seat. Jim Rutledge, who as I noted a couple weeks ago had suspended his campaign, is now back in. (His re-entry is also noted on a comment to that post.) But he wasn’t in Crisfield, just his supporters who brought this literature:

I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it a snub, but Jim Rutledge missing this event could be considered a tactical error on the lower Shore.

Another U.S. Senate contender who drove down from Queen Anne’s County to push his campaign was Eric Wargotz.

Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Eric Wargotz (left) poses with local Americans for Prosperity co-leader Julie Brewington. Maybe she's going to be on the ballot in her own right?

As you work down the chain to more local races, it’s noteworthy that our federal representation couldn’t attend because of their business. So none of the trioka of Congressman Frank Kratovil, Senator Barbara Mikulski, or Senator Ben Cardin could make it. That left the field open to Wargotz above and District 1 Congressional hopeful Andy Harris, pictured below.

He ran and barely lost in 2008, but Andy Harris (pictured on left) is trying again for 2010. Here he speaks with a couple voters.

As is always the case, the local representatives of both parties had their base of operations. The Republicans from Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties combined their efforts and had a large tent in the center of activity.

Republicans held court in their usual spot in the center of activity, festooning their tent with a number of banners.

This little sign taped to the GOP tent was my favorite though.

I'm all for it - how about you?

As usual the Democrats tucked themselves away in a corner, which became crowded with their supporters.

The Democrats placed their tent along the water - maybe they get a better breeze. You may notice the guy in the blue AFSCME shirt in the center - they were far from the only union represented at and around the Democrats' tent.

One loyal Democrat relaxing because he’s fresh off an election and secure for four years was Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton.

Enjoying the day by the Democrats' tent with a couple friends is Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton (right).

Some observers may argue he’s secure in his House of Delegates seat, but District 38B Delegate and former Ocean City mayor Jim Mathias still worked the Crisfield crowd – perhaps with sights on a higher office?

Delegate Jim Mathias (right) speaks to attendees at the Tawes Crab and Clam Bake. The talk is that Mathias may want to move up to the Maryland Senate, which would place Crisfield in his district.

One who would like to bump Mathias (or fellow Democrat Norm Conway) out of a House of Delegates seat is 2006 candidate Michael James, who’s trying again in 2010.

Republican District 38B candidate Michael James (left) talks crime with members of the Marylend Chiefs of Police Association.

Nor did the politics stop at the gate. My friends representing Americans for Prosperity set up shop just outside the event, catching many of those who came in with their message of limited government.

AFP members Nick Loffer (left) and Joe Collins (right) set up the AFP tent outside the gates of the Tawes event. Wonder how Julie Brewington drew the inside gig while they stayed outside?

As I said at the top, I have more pictures from Tawes which cover a political battle that’s not going to be fought at the ballot box but instead pits two old Eastern Shore foes – those in favor of progress against the NIMBY crowd. That will come on Sunday.

If you were at Tawes I hope this relives your enjoyment. Even though I’m not one who likes crabs I still enjoy covering the event and look forward to it each summer. One refreshing change this year was the weather, which was cooler and less humid than usual – so bet on a lot of humidity and (definitely) hot air at Tawes 2010.

Postscript: Julie Brewington passed along this photo of her and Governor O’Malley. She was handing him a Patients First flyer, which hopefully he took to heart (although I doubt it.)

Just to prove Governor O'Malley was at the Tawes Crab and Clam Bake, Julie Brewington passed along this picture. The Governor is on the left.

Look for him to be in full campaign mode next year.

Shorebird of the Week – July 16, 2009

Brandon Cooney may look a little baby-faced but he's been all business on the hill lately.

This photo comes from Brandon Cooney's last bad outing - June 19 against Hagerstown. Since then he's been all but unhittable and racked up 4 of his team-leading 14 saves.

While some teams have to cling to a closer-by-committee system, you’ll find most good teams depend on one guy to preserve the lead in the ninth inning. Brandon Cooney is the choice for Shorebirds manager Orlando Gomez and this week’s SotW has been lights-out in the second half of the season, including his 14th save last night against Lexington.

Since the South Atlantic League’s All-Star break, Brandon has made 8 appearances and allowed but 2 hits in 8 1/3 innings, fanning seven. It translates to an absurdly low 0.24 WHIP during the stretch (compared to a league average of about 1.25) – in short, of late the game’s over when he comes in.

Cooney struggled early in the season, posting a 7.88 ERA and allowing 6 of his 13 walks for the campaign in April. Since then the numbers have improved markedly and overall Brandon has a 2-3 record and 2.78 ERA in 31 appearances covering 35 2/3 innings. Opposing batters are hitting .211 against Cooney for the year.

Brandon, who was picked in the 30th round of the the 2007 draft out of Florida Atlantic University, truly didn’t thrive as a pitcher in the pro ranks until becoming Aberdeen’s closer last season. He had 10 saves in 28 appearances there and is on pace to double that total this year with his first full-season club this year.

If he can stay healthy and improve as the season wears on at each of his future professional stops there’s no reason that Cooney (who turns 24 in early August) can’t be racking up saves in Baltimore someday. The SAL opposition will be happy to see him go.

Another voice on health care

Because I’m in Crisfield stuffing myself on fried clams as we speak (I just don’t care for crabs – they must be an acquired taste) I’m going to put up another opinion that’s somewhat as libertarian as mine. Ah, the joy of being able to prewrite posts!

A lot of what Congressman Paul says makes sense, although I’m not keen on his idea of tinkering with the tax code aside from the medical savings accounts.

To me, Paul’s key point is that we’ve brought our system to a point where, because government money is perceived as free, a number of corporate interests do their best at rent-seeking by lobbying to have regulations written in a way which suits them at the expense of smaller providers, like your personal physician.

My take on healthcare is radically simple – get the federal government out of it.* I’m not keen on the state being in the field either but that’s closer to their Tenth Amendment right so that’s a battle best fought in Annapolis later.

Regardless, the solution of a single-payer system (the one Obama really wants, he’s just not saying it in so many words) is no solution because, instead of fate picking winners and losers, he puts the federal government in charge. I’ll take my chances on fate, thank you!

* As part of what we pledge to those who serve in our military we should keep a skeletal VA health system, but it could be done in such a manner that their costs are covered by the government in private facilities (perhaps through vouchers) should the veteran so choose to do so.

Accountability on both ends

As most of you know, I have the radical idea that people should know just how their legislators voted on issues of interest before they go to decide on those legislators’ electoral fates. Unfortunately, we only get that chance every 2 to 4 years.

However, job performance is something the rest of us are graded on with much greater frequency. For most jobs, doing the task means having at least a nodding familiarity with proper procedures, codes, and regulations (many of which were put into place by those same legislators) lest the project be done improperly, putting yourself at risk and leaving the company open to liability or other loss.

I’m already pretty skeptical about our Congressional representatives being familiar with our Constitution (a.k.a. the rules of the road) but I really question their effectiveness and fidelity to the job when they can’t even be bothered to read the legislation placed in front of them. Nowhere was this more apparent than the recent passage of the Waxman-Markey “cap and tax” bill, where 300 pages were dumped into the bill at 3 a.m. the day of the vote – a vote conveniently scheduled on a day when Congress was scheduled to beat it out of town on recess.

While it’s not been given as much press as the TEA Party movement, a quiet effort has also been put forth to compel Congress to slow down a little and digest those items they are asked to consider. With the far-reaching consequences of some bills (like Waxman-Markey), the rush to get them passed seems inappropriate – that is, unless the alacrity to get the legislation through was a response to the opposition sure to gather. Better get it passed before some people change their mind.

It’s a lament brought up by a recent post by Marc Scribner on the openmarket.org blog. And while he brings up the attempt by the Let Freedom Ring organization to have Congress actually read any health care legislation Pelosi and company deem worthy of a vote, an online petition called “Pledge to Read”, I’m also aware of another group who’s carrying the water on this called the Sunlight Foundation, on a site called Read the Bill.

Even Congress has gotten into the act in a bipartisan manner – that is, if you believe this bill (H. Res. 554) has any hope of passage.

However, perhaps a better question to ask is why there would even need to be such restrictions on how Congress proceeds? My thought on this has been that Congress should take just as much time considering what laws to take OFF the books as they do dreaming new ones up. While we’re at it, I also believe in term limits and that most new legislation which involves expenditure should have a sunset date of 10 years before reauthorization.

It’s this blizzard of new legislation combined with the thought processes of geniuses in a thousand different government bureaus and agencies that makes Fedzilla such an onerous player in our society. And to whose benefit does all this gobbledygook accrue? I don’t think it’s doing me any favors and I’m betting you feel the same way.

Unfortunately, it’s a war of attrition for those of us who are “soldiers” in the fight for lesser government and what the opponents count on is that we’ll grow weary of the fight. We can see just who is on our side once it’s revealed who signed the “Pledge to Read” later in August and how many other cosponsors jump onto H. Res. 554 – how hard will they spar with San Fran Nan for its passage? My fear is that it will be nowhere near enough to make a difference.

Has the stimulus done its job?

I thought about this when I saw a sign along U.S. 13 a couple weeks back:
Yeah, this stimulus lasted what? A month, maybe? I think it was in the pipeline before the brilliant idea of slapping this sign up was hatched. Oh, that's right - we 'saved' a couple jobs by making them put up inane signs like this.

What struck me as odd is that the particular repaving job lasted, oh, maybe 2 weeks. I’ll grant there’s other work being done along that highway in Maryland but I don’t know if the jobs are connected. Regardless, knowing the amount of time it actually takes to get these jobs underway I’m under the impression that the project would have been done anyway regardless of whether the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed or not.

Supporters of the ARRA tend to use the specious argument which claims “had we done nothing things would have been worse.” I don’t happen to believe that is true but we can’t wave a magic wand and just make the so-called “stimulus” disappear. However, one thing which does seem to be disappearing are a number of jobs as the unemployment rate continues to edge higher.

Like the fate of a canary in a coal mine, the prospects for job growth are alarmingly miserable. A recent Business Week report by Moira Herbst points out that the average workweek is at its shortest – 33 hours – since this data recording began in 1964. The reason for pessimism is that employers tend to demand overtime from existing employees before hiring new ones. In this situation, employers are cutting hours rather than laying off workers, but the loss of income trickles back through the economy and creates still more underemployment or outright job losses.

Last week, the Republicans released a video that reminded Americans that they too had a plan:

The upshot of the GOP plan was that it would have put money back into the economy by allowing those who earn it and invest in their businesses to keep more of it. This differs from the Obama approach which dictated that government knows how to redistribute income best by giving small “tax breaks” to those who normally don’t earn enough to pay taxes in the first place.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the liberal Obama approach is that it will eventually penalize those who create the jobs – small businessmen and entrepreneurs. After all, the money to pay for the “stimulus” has to come from SOMEONE and don’t forget Obama told Joe Wurzelbacher (a.k.a. “Joe the Plumber”) that he was out to “spread the wealth around.” So far he seems to have spread it well to feckless bureaucrats, bloated state budgets, and his biggest supporters at ACORN.

I think that little figure with the shovel on the U.S. 13 resurfacing sign shows it best – Obama and his minions are shoveling something. That something more resembles the waste products from the numerous chicken farms in the area, though.

The anti-Pelura push

By now most who follow Maryland politics know that there’s a push to have state Republican Party chairman Dr. James Pelura resign his office due to questionable personnel moves. If they haven’t found that out then they must not read the state’s major newspapers, which have gleefully reported the news in their print editions or blogs.

While it may not have been on the scale of the “Saturday Night Massacre”, the firing of Executive Director Justin Ready and resignation of events coordinator April Rose shortly afterward do raise questions as to reasoning, particularly as the MDGOP is in a stretch of events designed to build awareness and let Maryland voters know that we are the best alternative to the tax-and-spend policies of the Democrats. (Included in that is a scheduled upcoming event locally at the Delmarva Shorebirds game July 31st.)

Certainly I feel that a more detailed explanation of the Ready firing is warranted and Pelura has called a meeting of the Republican Party’s Executive Committee, ostensibly to give this accounting. However, there is an undercurrent to this whole affair that’s not been spoken about much, and it has to do with another power struggle within the Maryland Republican Party. This power struggle has less to do with the titular head of the state GOP and more to do with who really controls it.

Much as having President Bush serve (for better or worse) as the face of the Republican Party nationally during his term in office, the Maryland Republican Party during the 2002-2006 term was essentially under the control of Governor Robert Ehrlich. It was rarified air for the state party, who hadn’t been in control of the governor’s chair since the days of Spiro Agnew, and those heady times allowed the Republican Party here in Maryland to exert a little bit of sway over the political process, despite the fact that Democrats still held a massive advantage in the state’s General Assembly.

After Ehrlich’s disappointing defeat in 2006, the party split into three warring factions. These factions had been held together by having Ehrlich in Government House, but once Martin O’Malley won power the gloves were off.

On one side you had the Ehrlich holdovers who wished to control the MDGOP apparatus and prepare for his certain return in 2010. (We’re still waiting to find out whether the former Governor craves an O’Malley rematch or would rather move back to Washington as a United States Senator.) It’s no stretch to wonder if the Ehrlich camp is more interested in helping the GOP or in his political career enhancement – while the former Governor remains popular among Republicans he hasn’t taken much of a lead in building the party as a whole and has remained silent thus far through this most recent episode.

Secondly, you have the Republicans in the General Assembly. After Ehrlich’s defeat they became the de facto leaders of the party at the state level and many have been at odds with Chairman Pelura since day one. Obviously they’re frustrated by their lack of power in Annapolis and perceive Dr. Pelura as not being helpful to their prospects in 2010 – particularly the legislators take offense to Jim’s criticism of some of their votes, most notably on the budget. Having seen the voting record of many in the GOP caucus on key issues I would also caution them to look in the mirror before shifting blame to a party chairman and ask themselves if they are contributing the the party’s success or kidding themselves into thinking they’re enhancing their own re-election prospects by kowtowing to the majority.

The third side of this triangle is representative of the party’s rank-and-file grassroots. This group is comprised out of the hundreds of Central Committee members who function as the local eyes and ears of the Maryland GOP, and it was their vote which elected Jim Pelura in the first place. For the record, I voted for Pelura’s opponent in 2006 but to me Jim has proven to be a relatively effective Chairman given the financial situation and anti-Republican climate he inherited. Perhaps the alternative may have been better but we’re not going to find out at this late date.

But while I portray the Central Committees as one side of a three-sided skirmish over the direction and prospects of the Maryland GOP going forward, in reality they are the most fractured of the sides because the other two factions have their representatives on both the Central Committees and the party’s Executive Committee, which is drawn mainly (but not exclusively) from the Chairmen of each of Maryland’s 24 local Central Committees, representing Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City. Also included on the Executive Committee are three Vice-Chairs as well as a secretary, treasurer, the National Commiteeman and National Committeewoman from Maryland, and representatives from selected Republican ancilliary groups such as the Maryland Young Republicans and Maryland Federation of Republican Women, among others. (Editor’s note: not all of these people and groups receive a vote according to state by-laws. Voting positions go to the Party Chair, three Vice-Chairs, National Committeeman, National Committeewoman, the 24 County Chairmen, and the MFRW.)

Now that I’ve gone through the players, this tale leads to a back story which I also feel is key to this push to oust Chairman Pelura.

Continue reading “The anti-Pelura push”

Lower Shore AFP chapter goes uptown

Last Tuesday the Greater Salisbury Building became the meeting place for about 35 activists who wish to steer political discourse on the Lower Shore as part of Americans for Prosperity.

To begin, however, we took a short detour to learn a little bit about the hosts at the Greater Salisbury Committee and how the building, a former bank, became the home for a number of nonprofit groups. While AFP won’t be moving in anytime soon it was nice to be able to use their room for our meeting.

Joe Collins (left) and Julie Brewington (right) are the pair who have driven the nascent Lower Shore AFP group since its inception and who run the meetings, including Tuesday's.

Joe Collins spoke first, reminding those who were new to AFP that the “Constitution must remain the supreme law of the land” and that “fiscal conservatism is the way to prosperity.” He also let us know that the TEA Party movement locally was “gaining momentum.” After exhorting us to get into active engagement, he passed out something very near and dear to my heart.

I’ve never thought of myself as a “warrior” or an “educator” but that what Joe described me as and more as he distributed a booklet form of my 2009 monoblogue Accountability Project. I’ve never seen it in print before so I didn’t realize it turns out to be 17 pages (!) between descriptive text and the actual charts. So I briefly told the group about the thought behind the Project and why I went into it. I also let them know I’m considering something similar for the Maryland and Delaware Congressional delegations – that task would by necessity be ongoing since Congress meets essentially year-round.

After going through my work, Joe described a little of what Julie Brewington would be discussing – her “political awakening” at the most recent Wicomico County Council meeting.

But first Julie wanted to mention a cause she was partial to, as a National Rifle Association chapter is “building” here on the Eastern Shore. It was one of many “small victories” a movement like ours needs to start with and can achieve.

One small victory she and others were seeking with the help of AFP was getting the County Council meetings moved from their usual 10 a.m. Tuesday morning slot to a more public-friendly evening time. After asking to speak at the last meeting and writing a letter to make the request formal, she described her morning at the County Council gathering and noted that one Council member, District 5’s Joe Holloway, has advocated a similar idea since becoming a Council member.

Nor do all of the meetings have to be in the evening. It seemed that the consensus of those attending was that a fair compromise could be gained – perhaps every other or every third meeting could be an evening meeting. Apparently it’s been tried before, though, with little success.

For a next step, Julie encouraged those who could to attend the next County Council meeting, which will be on July 21st at 10 a.m. In the meantime, the Daily Times has developed an interest in the topic and there’s a story on the subject upcoming (it could be in today’s edition as I haven’t seen it.)

Nick Loffer treaded some familiar ground as he again went over some basics on writing letters to the editor, and on communications for our cause in general. Since many of the attendees were first-timers it was a good refresher course.

For me, the more interesting item from Nick was finding out that there will be an upcoming health care forum locally featuring Dr. Michael Gloth, who is an author and medical director at several Maryland geriatric facilities, including the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. While the date and time is still pending, it sounds like an event that could be worth attending for a perspective not given in the mainstream media.

Other upcoming events on the AFP agenda include the Tawes Crab and Clam Bake this coming Wednesday, the aforementioned Wicomico County Council meeting, and possibly arranging transportation for the September 12th TEA Party in Washington, D.C. It’s an ambitious agenda but we have enough motivated people to do so – in fact, we had a volunteer who’s continuing the agenda item of writing good letters to the editor as I speak. We can look forward to many more cogent letters espousing the view that the proper role of government is a limited one.

The date and location of the next AFP meeting has not been set, but there’s a pretty good chance I’ll find out and pass it along somehow in the days to come.

Response to comment #102393

Recently the young lady who writes as “Final Frontier” had this to say about an earlier comment in my post announcing the July 4th TEA Party:

That’s easy–you don’t want big government, right? No socialized medicine (take away Granny’s Medicaid immediately!). Those football teams? Paid for by my tax dollars. We need to get rid of them right away so “big government” doesn’t start calling the plays, literally. Why should we all pay for the highways when we don’t all use them? I say privatize them. After all, the roads the elite media use in the north tend to be more costly due to bad weather. Privatize the police and let capitalism determine which towns have officers and which do not. If we cannot trust the government to educate our kids, why on earth would we trust them to defend us? Privatize the military. Outsource it. After all, veterans get a lot of socialized medicine–it really is a drain on our society. Don’t let some Muslim non-American President tell us we should provide the same health care for average Americans that elected officials get! That is not the American way! The rich and the elite deserve to get all of the breaks, and the poor should just quietly go about their business and continue to vote aaginst (sic) their self-interest.

I’m as much for using hyperbole to make a point as the next guy, but she WAY oversimplifies the argument for limited government. And, FF, the argument is for LIMITED government. To have no government would be anarchy and no one I know in the TEA Party movement is seriously in favor of that.

I don’t recall you being at the TEA Party and having the opportunity to pick up one of those nice pocket-sized copies of the Constitution I took the picture of. (If you were, why didn’t you say hello?) I keep a similar one which also features the Declaration of Independence on my desk (which came to me courtesy of the Patriot Post newsletter – that’s my shameless plug for them.) Anyway, what those patriots who attended the TEA Party and wish to reverse the course that President Obama and Congress seem to be taking us on want is a return to a government that follows what the Constitution says it’s supposed to do, particularly in the Ninth and Tenth Amendments:

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Moreover, Congress is limited in what it’s supposed to do – refer to Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. “Cap and Tax” and nationalizing health care REALLY bend that “general Welfare” part, in my humble opinion.

But her argument is most specious when it gets down to legitimate functions of local government, such as roads, drainage, and public safety. These are but a few of the numerous functions that we as a society ask our government to accomplish and it’s their place to do so, whether as ensrined by the state or federal Constitution or as accepted local custom, like maintaining a county road. There are legitimate uses for the tax dollars we provide, and we expect those we elect to be wise and careful stewards of OUR money. To us, that definition doesn’t include enriching themselves or those who contribute money to political causes expecting a quid pro quo through steering government works their way or by rent-seeking.

This problem tends to arise when government moves from those “public good” items into areas best left alone or to the private sector. We accept some intrusions onto our rights for the common good but not those we feel are excessive (such as cap-and-trade, socialized medicine, gun grabbing, or eminent domain abuse), particularly when those intrusions only serve to sate the thirst of those who lust for power – at least for a brief moment. It’s like they’re alcoholics, as that dose only lasts for a short period before the craving returns.

I understand how humor can make a point; truth be told I’m not really big on the amount some colleges and universities spend on athletics either. But when it’s her thought that the TEA Party movement exists just so “the rich and elite…get all the breaks” she completely misses the point and reveals the class envy so rampant among those on her political side. In many cases, it’s those “rich and elite” who abuse the proper role government has in order to enrich themselves.

We don’t elect Congressmen and Presidents to become the “rich and elite” – we elect them to represent our interests and spend OUR tax dollars wisely on legitimate functions of the federal government. It’s our opinion that those who were installed in the last election aren’t doing so and they should either straighten up or be relieved of their duty at the next opportunity.

Shorebird of the Week – July 9, 2009

It's not where we've come to expect to see Brendan Monaghan - usually he's on the receiving end of pitches. But in two mop-up appearances as a relief pitcher Monaghan is unscored upon, even without breaking 80 on the radar gun. This was his first pitching appearance back on July 1st.
Brendan Monaghan batting in an April game against the Hagerstown Suns.

One way to punch a ticket to the Show is to expand your versatility in the field. This season Brendan Monaghan has played behind the plate, spelled Kyle Hudson in left field, and become the go-to guy when it’s time to save the bullpen. On Tuesday Brendan made his second such appearance in the Shorebirds’ 9-0 loss at Kannapolis, pitching a scoreless eighth inning. While he’s allowed one hit and walked 3 batters in 2 2/3 innings, he’s at least kept the opposition off the scoreboard.

However, Brendan is normally called upon to serve behind the plate and does so on a regular basis, generally splitting time with fellow backstop Luis Bernardo. It’s the second tour of duty for Monaghan with the Shorebirds – in 2008 he hit .197 in 47 games. This year the average is slightly better as Brendan is batting .217 in 24 games (he missed significant time due to injury.) Despite the fact he’s 13-for-60 on the season, he’s knocked in 14 runs so his outs have been productive as well.

A New Jersey native, Brendan played college ball at St. John’s University but never received a call in the 2007 draft. But good-hitting catchers are generally in demand so his .307 career average for the Red Storm was enough to make the Orioles interested in him. At 24 years of age, Brendan may be looking at his final chance for advancement so getting playing time anywhere he can is to his advantage – even if it’s mop-up duty on the mound.