pension and welfare

Governor-elect Larry Hogan's desire to cut taxes is complicated by projected deficits, but he never suggested the effort would be quick or easy.

Those who perceive a declining nation should start pointing the finger at themselves

Democrats have run the economy (and everything else) into the ground

The Democrats have led the country astray; vote them out.

A group of investors plans to buy real estate firm Cassidy Turley and combine it with DTZ Holdings, creating a global real estate network, Cassidy Turley said Monday. The Cassidy Turley brand launched in 2010, roughly two years after four groups, including former Baltimore-based Colliers Pinkard, joined to create a larger real estate network.

Federal consumer spending data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show Baltimore-area residents spent an average of $154 annually on books, newspapers, magazines and other pleasure reading — about 45 percent more than the $106 national average. That's just a tiny fraction of area expenditures, but it's consistent with the profile of the wealthy, middle-aged average consumer revealed in the BLS data. And it's one sign of the ways the Baltimore region is different.

Pitifully ill-informed arguments against 'lazy retirees'

Animal Welfare League of Frederick County's fourth annual K9's in the Vines event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at Linganore Winecellars in Mount Airy.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan told residents of a retirement community Tuesday night that he wants to eliminate all state income taxes on retirement income before the end of his administration.

The City of Annapolis is suing dozens of its retired police officers and firefighters in federal court, the latest tactic in a decade-long legal battle over changes to retiree pensions.

Larry Hogan is right to propose exempting police pensions from state income tax.

Pension fight shows city can't be trusted to honor its commitments

Union tried to negotiate pension dispute but the mayor wasn't interested

What Baltimore did to its police and fire pensions is a crime.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan's proposal to exempt police pensions from Maryland income tax is a mistake.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has broken her contract with city police and fire employees.

Running parking garages is not a core function of government, so Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake's plan to sell off city-owned garages would be an encouraging step toward shedding non-essential city assets and investing in more important priorities for the city's residents and long-term fiscal health.

Baltimore's retroactive changes to police and fire pension benefits may be legal, but it's still wrong.

Baltimore's police and fire unions should recognize that a settlement over pension issues, not more litigation, is in their members' best interest.

An alternative response to child safety and welfare issues

If the fire service begins to go in the same direction as the ambulance service did, there will have to be wholesale re-thinking of the financial arrangement the county has with the system.

This month, Baltimore confirmed its desire to replace its waterfront volleyball courts with a park-topped parking lot. How many cities want to turn their highly-popular waterfront area into a parking lot, removing a key discriminator between themselves and other cities trying to recruit young professionals and spending $32 million to do it?

Harford County government and the county's volunteer fire and EMS companies are discussing proposed changes to a county-funded retirement program for the volunteer firemen, including lowering age of eligibility to receive benefits.

When it comes to welfare, Paul Ryan gets two things right — expand the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and don't use reforms as a means to cut federal spending

Tax breaks for veterans unfair to other retirees

Meet Cyndi Hutchins, Bank of America Merrill Lynch's director of financial gerontology – one of the country's first in such a position at a financial management firm.

While Maryland's Department of Human Resources, certain advocates, and a clot of consultants and evaluators celebrate the state's move to an Alternative Response system of handling child abuse cases, they are missing — or worse, disregarding — simple documented truths that should shake any reasonable person's confidence.

Over and over, society struggles when we succumb to our weaknesses

Double-dipping public employees

What are likely to be the final bond ratings of the Gov. Martin O'Malley's term offer a validation of his fiscal policies.

Baltimore's police and fire unions are fighting a new proposal from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to privatize part of the pensions of new employees — a move union officials argue will make it harder to recruit and retain the best young officers.

Howard County's teacher's union is making unrealistic demands in contract negotiations.

Baltimore is changing the way it handles cases of alleged child abuse and neglect — part of a broad social-services strategy that has been touted by Maryland officials but abandoned in some other states.

On Friday, I and 2,000 of my co-workers at Johns Hopkins Hospital were scheduled to go on strike for the second time in two months. It's not a step we wanted to take, but one we thought we had to take. But late yesterday, we agreed to a one-week cooling off period at Gov. Martin O'Malley's request. We hope the time will make a difference.Johns Hopkins Hospital and strike 1199SEIU Ronald Peterson

The Sun endorses in the Anne Arundel county executive primary and other races.

Five of the seven seats on the Anne Arundel County Council have contested primaries this year.

Fixing the broken system for financing retirement requires leadership at local and national level