The countdown has started. In about 100 days, starting Oct. 1, millions of families across the nation will have an opportunity to enroll in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA),...
As it turns out, we are "one" Maryland, as Gov. Martin O'Malley likes to say — one Maryland under surveillance by thousands of people who live and work in this state.
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Who is the face of American liberalism? Who is the face of American conservatism?
For us aging Vietnam War protesters, the secret domestic surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden, a young former CIA contractor, is like a bad flashback.
On most days in landlord-tenant court in Baltimore City District Court, the only issue is: "Did you pay your rent?" If not, you are on the street. No defense is allowed, such as "I was sick and lost time from work," "My benefit check did not arrive," or even, "We have no hot water and there is...
When they left me outside my freshman dorm in the fall of 2009, my parents told me I could do anything. It was a wonderful compliment, a sign of confidence that made me feel just a little less guilty for the substantial investment they were making for me in a private liberal arts education.
The contradictions at the heart of the Obama presidency are finally out in the open. As a result, a man who came into office hell-bent on restoring faith in government is on the verge of inspiring a libertarian revival.
Conservative Republicans in our nation's capital have managed to accomplish something they only dreamed of when tea partiers streamed into Congress at the start of 2011. They've basically shut down Congress. Their refusal to compromise is working just as they hoped: No jobs agenda. No budget. No...
The Senate this week begins debate on the proposed immigration reform bill. If this bill becomes law, there is one likely outcome for low-skilled Maryland workers: disaster.
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman shook up Maryland's 2014 gubernatorial race by announcing they will run as a ticket for the Democratic nomination in 2014. Politically and electorally, it's a shrewd and gutsy move.
A few days ago, yet another article appeared in The Baltimore Sun about Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and his contract that will pay him more than $20 million per year for the next six years. That's a total of over $120 million.
First lady Michelle Obama has shown us all how to deal with the nastiness that has infected American politics: do not indulge it.
Women guarding menPart of the reason the Baltimore City Detention Center corruption scandal has gotten so much attention is the salaciousness of the allegations. The inmate charged as the kingpin of the corruption ring is accused of impregnating no fewer than four correctional officers, leading many to question... |
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Building middle-class BaltimoreIn passing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's budget Monday night, City Council members said they hoped the whole thing would be more or less a wash for Baltimore residents. Property taxes are going down, but new fees are coming to pay for stormwater pollution mitigation, and new taxes will hit... |
Another laurel for Md. schoolsA new report showing Maryland schools now lead the nation in efforts to boost student achievement levels has vindicated the commitment the state made more than a decade ago to adequately fund education and adopt smart policy choices that return the biggest bang for the buck. The study by Education... |
Can we trust Iran's new president?The strong showing by the most moderate of the six presidential candidates who were allowed to run in Iran's national elections last week is a sign that the Iranian people — if not the conservative clerics who have final say on policy matters — are ready for a change. The Obama... |
The mayor and the lobbyistBased on what we know so far, there does not appear to be anything illegal about the way Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has carried on her friendship with City Hall's top lobbyist, Lisa Harris Jones. Strictly speaking, there may not be anything unethical about it either. But it is certainly unwise.... |
Shad run is down to a crawlYou would probably have to over the age of 50 to remember when late May and early June meant shad in Maryland. In those days, the spawning season for American shad and river herring brought young and old to the banks of Maryland tributaries to catch their share of fish once so bountiful that they... |
DJS' slippery slope at Silver OakThe state Board of Public Works' vote Wednesday to allow the privately operated Silver Oak Academy juvenile treatment center in Carroll County to double in capacity is regrettable not only because it violates the state's own policy of limiting such facilities to no more than 48 beds but because it... |
Arming Syria's rebelsHaving determined that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad has used chemical weapons against his opponents in the country's bloody two-year civil war, the Obama administration is now reportedly preparing to send lethal military aid to rebel forces battling the regime. Mr. Obama said... |
Rocky Gap II?Henceforth, let there by a rule that nothing can be compared to Maryland's failed investment at Rocky Gap, located just outside Cumberland in Western Maryland, except for Rocky Gap and perhaps any other $55 million white elephant loss that comes along. We know Rocky Gap. Rocky Gap is an acquaintance... |
