Second Opinion - baltimoresun.com

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.

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.

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.

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?

Obama administration assaults press freedom

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:50:00 EDT

Our view: In gathering two months of AP phone records, federal prosecutors have brazenly and wrongly run over First Amendment

In Washington, as in any seat of power, most acts of folly begin with hubris. Government leaders, elected or appointed, usually don't intend to do the wrong thing, to overstep or cause harm, but they become so convinced, so certain of their purpose, that they are blinded by their pride.

Baltimore's new downtown

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:27:00 EDT

Our view: Harbor East's boom does not detract from the viability of the central business district

Harbor East is moving farther east with baker-cum-developer John Paterakis Sr.'s announcement Friday that he will break ground this summer on a new, mega-Whole Foods and later on a new residential/retail building across Central Avenue from the glittering mini-city he has almost single handedly built during the last 15 years. Things are bustling in that corner of the city, what with the planned construction of a new headquarters office tower for Exelon Corp. and a variety of other smaller scale residential, retail, office and hotel developments nearby. Mr. Paterakis is even talking up the possibility of adding more stories atop the Four Seasons hotel that opened on the waterfront less than two years ago. When it comes to Baltimore development, this stretch of land between the Inner Harbor and Fells Point seems like the place to be.

Taxing the tea party

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:22:00 EDT

Our view: Internal Revenue Service workers had no business targeting tea party groups for extra scrutiny in determining their tax-exempt status

Loyal readers of this page are likely aware that we have not been great supporters of the tea party movement. Too often, we have found those anti-tax crusaders who call themselves tea party patriots are simply rebranded John Birch Society members of an earlier time with all the extremist anti-civil rights, anti-immigration, and anti-United Nations rhetoric that comes with it.

School reform 2.0

Sun, 12 May 2013 08:00:00 EDT

Our view: The mission should not just be to find another Alonso but to recruit someone who can address the challenges the departing CEO left behind

With city schools CEO Andrés Alonso's announcement last week that he is stepping down at the end of this school year, Baltimore finds itself in the market for a new leader who can continue and expand upon the reforms he instituted. Whoever succeeds Mr. Alonso will have a hard act to follow, and finding a replacement who possesses the right combination of leadership, management and interpersonal skills won't be easy. That's why the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners must insist on conducting a thorough, nationwide search for the city's next schools CEO and resist pressures from some city leaders to short-circuit the process by rushing to name a successor.