Michael Bell
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Is there empathy anywhere in America for Montgomery County?
Read more: Is there empathy anywhere in America for Montgomery County?Uber drivers are a variegated bunch. Some of them are overworked, some of them have too much free time. Some are chatty, some are sullen. Taking an Uber ride from Denver’s charming Union Station, I scored one of the overworked, chatty ones. “Where are you coming in from?” he asked. “Just outside the Washington, DC…
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At a minimum, developers deserve a “thank you.”
Read more: At a minimum, developers deserve a “thank you.”Mandy enters the Gaithersburg My Organic Market and buys a bunch of fresh, locally sourced broccoli (crowns only). She goes to the cashier, effects payment, then walks up to the on-duty manager and snaps, “You manipulative wheeler-dealer, you should be ashamed!” Next, Mandy drives to Wonderland Books in Bethesda where she picks up the book…
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Council Members’ residents’ KPIs showing alignment
Read more: Council Members’ residents’ KPIs showing alignmentA MoCo Show article from last December reported on the remarkable increase in the county’s bus ridership. “MCDOT’s Ride On system has provided more than 18.5 million rides during the current fiscal year [2024], compared with 15.4 million rides the previous fiscal year.” The article quoted County Executive Marc Elrich’s reaction: “I am pleased to…
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Showing compassion to our unemployed DEI neighbors
Read more: Showing compassion to our unemployed DEI neighborsThe Federal Aviation Administration’s Academy in Oklahoma City trains air traffic controllers for domestic and foreign airspace and is one of America’s premier educational institutions. Anyone can apply, few are accepted, even fewer graduate. As an example of the academy’s tough standards, students are given a blank paper and required to draw the airspace for…
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Who benefits from Jawando’s zoning pause? Wealthy progressives.
Read more: Who benefits from Jawando’s zoning pause? Wealthy progressives.Michael Bell Wealthy progressives have an interesting personality duality: many of them put We Believe yard signs professing concern for the underserved, and simultaneously they struggle with entitlement. I saw this myself as I took a drive around Chevy Chase Section 5 last November. Many of that area’s palatial homes boast yard signs demanding a…
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Board of Education Compensation: Part 2—Nobody needs a full-time BoE
Read more: Board of Education Compensation: Part 2—Nobody needs a full-time BoEIn part 1 of this series we reviewed the historical narrative for granting full-time pay to MCPS Board of Education members. The overarching theme for the pay increase is that the board members are doing full-time work for part-time pay. Here is a map of the counties in the DC region. The ones shaded in…
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Board of Education Compensation: Part 1—At MCPS, friends don’t let friends make less than $124,000
Read more: Board of Education Compensation: Part 1—At MCPS, friends don’t let friends make less than $124,000MoCo delegates Lorig Charkoudian and Joel Vogel have introduced MC 7-25, which provides for the following: a) MCPS Board of Education members get pay raises to $124,000/year starting December 2026 from the current $25,000/year (BoE president gets $10,000 more); b) the student member of the board is entitled to 80% of that $124,000 to be…
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Once again, Reardon Sullivan provides a dose of inspiration
Read more: Once again, Reardon Sullivan provides a dose of inspirationOur county’s elected, appointed, and shadow governments are almost entirely progressive—in the entitled and coercive form of the doctrine. Reforms that are badly needed (job creation, zoning, school choice, voting reform, taxation, etc.) are blocked in favor of imbecilic laws to protect us from unnecessarily paying an extra $68/year at the gas pump. Activists in…
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CM Friedson, please stop paving the streets in Chevy Chase Section 5
Read more: CM Friedson, please stop paving the streets in Chevy Chase Section 5I’ve written quite a few posts on the need for zoning reform as a way of reducing the cost of housing. In this matter I hold CMs Friedson and Balcombe in high regard for their efforts in promoting zoning reform. Driving down Connecticut Avenue on the western border of Section Five in the Town of…
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CM Stewart wants to be kind, bold, and resist? She needs to write for Clean Slate MoCo!
Read more: CM Stewart wants to be kind, bold, and resist? She needs to write for Clean Slate MoCo!The electoral earthquake we all felt November 5 has had its predictable reactions. Personally, I’m not overly charmed by the degree of vindication we see in some (certainly not all) pro-Trump channels. After all, the GOP victors must be gracious to their opponents, and they certainly must avoid the hubris and dismissiveness the progressives have…