Our View - baltimoresun.com

The cost of BGE reliability

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:03:25 EDT

Our view: The public is, rightly, demanding more investment in the electrical grid, but now we need to develop a consensus about how to pay for it

Baltimore Gas & Electric certainly isn't likely to win any popularity contests. It secured a rate increase from the Public Service Commission in February — its second in the last three years — and turned around and filed a request for another one on Friday. And at the same time, the utility is asking the PSC for what may be unprecedented in Maryland: a surcharge on customers' monthly bills to pay for improvements to the electrical grid in advance.

GOP can't help overreaching on Obama scandals

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:54:00 EDT

Our view: With authentic scandals dropped in their laps, Congressional Republicans reveal an over-the-top eagerness to pin the rap on Obama

Well, that didn't take long.

Tom Perez and the 'nuclear option'

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:00:00 EDT

Our view: If a qualified cabinet nominee can't get a vote, more filibuster reform will be necessary

Republicans accuse Thomas E. Perez, President Barack Obama's nominee for labor secretary, of twisting the legal process in three cases in St. Paul, Minn., to suit his political purposes. But it is they who are twisting the Senate's role to "advise and consent" on presidential nominees for their own political ends, and in so doing they have smeared the reputation of a talented public servant and damaged the institution in which they serve. Mr. Perez made it out of committee on a party-line vote Thursday, but Republicans are still suggesting they may try to block his nomination on the Senate floor. If they are unwilling to allow an up-or-down vote on Mr. Perez's confirmation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should do what he should have done four months ago and enact real and substantial filibuster reform, whether Republicans like it or not.

MARC gets a boost

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:00:00 EDT

Our view: There's only one thing wrong with spending $100 million more on Maryland's commuter rail service — it's not enough

Last week presented the sort of opportunity that elected officials crave. As Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the gas tax increase into law, he announced a slew of new Maryland transportation projects — $1.2 billion in all — that can now move forward to relieve congestion, make roads safer and stimulate economic development.

Tough love for Coppin

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:00 EDT

Our view: A report to the university system regents makes clear that Coppin State needs to overhaul its academics, admissions and administration if it is to fulfill its mission

Coppin State University is a mess, and the problems go well beyond its abysmal six-year graduation rate of 15 percent. A report to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents by a committee assigned to study the school in the wake of former President Reginald Avery's departure found massive mismanagement, inefficiency and indifference. The state puts more resources per student into Coppin than any other institution in the university system, and it gets the least return. That's bad for the taxpayers, but it's worse for the students whose dreams of advancement go unfulfilled. Big changes are clearly needed.

Smith Island denial

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:27:00 EDT

Our view: Somerset County's choice to refuse voluntary buyouts reflects fierce pride in a community but a poor grasp of climate change realities

Even the most jaded observer must acknowledge there's something admirable about the desire of so many living on Smith Island to see their community survive and prosper. Residents of this marshy (and shrinking in both population and real estate) archipelago on the lower Eastern Shore have had to overcome much in recent years, particularly as their chief means of livelihood, harvesting the seafood bounty of the Chesapeake Bay, has declined.

The newest thing in Maryland horse racing: optimism

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:27:00 EDT

Our view: The sport of kings is not without its challenges, but as the Preakness approaches, Maryland's racing industry is more stable and confident than it's been in years.

The Kentucky Derby winner and oddsmakers' favorite for the Preakness Stakes isn't exactly a Maryland horse, but he's close — Orb is partially owned by a Baltimore County businessman, and his sire spent some time in Harford County. Attendance at Saturday's races might or might not set an all-time record, but it's bound to be close — top-flight music acts, it seems, are a bigger draw than BYOB debauchery. The weather may not be perfect, but it will be close — the latest forecast is for a high of 72 but with a slight chance of showers. And it may not be the governor presenting the trophy to the winner — he has a family obligation — but it'll be close. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown will be filling in. All in all, Saturday has the potential to be about as good a Preakness day as you'll see.

Alcohol and traffic deaths

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:42:00 EDT

Our view: Whether states follow NTSB's recommendation to drop blood alcohol limit to .05 or not, more must be done to address 10,000 annual fatalities

The entire undergraduate student bodies of the Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Naval Academy combined. The population of Bel Air, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. The average attendance at a Hershey Bears hockey game (the highest in the AHL).

Maryland's model for gun regulation

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:54:00 EDT

Our view: The bill Gov. O'Malley will sign tomorrow will make the state a national leader in balancing the rights of law-abiding gun owners with the need to keep our communities safe

Tomorrow, Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to sign into law the most comprehensive gun control legislation Maryland has seen in at least 25 years, a bill that will not only help guard against a mass shooting incident, like December's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but will also help fight the day-to-day violence that plagues Baltimore and other communities. The bill has become doubly important with the failure — at least for the moment — of attempts to tighten gun laws on the federal level, both because it will make Marylanders safer and because it can serve as a model for other states as they seek ways to address gun violence.

Baltimore's noble but flawed hiring bill

Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00 EDT

Our view: Mayor Rawlings-Blake should veto Council President Young's local hiring bill, which is of dubious legality and effectiveness

On the face of it, City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young's local hiring bill sounds eminently reasonable. When Baltimore spends its residents' tax dollars, why shouldn't it do so in a way that supports hiring city residents, particularly considering the high rate of unemployment here? That common-sense appeal, perhaps, explains why the measure got preliminary approval on a unanimous vote Monday night. Indeed, it sounds like such a good idea that one might wonder: Why doesn't every city and county do the same thing?