Economy
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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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Does Andrew really care about your wallet?
Read more: Does Andrew really care about your wallet?After nearly 8 years of saddling MoCo residents with increased taxes and higher costs of living, a pending announcement to run for County Executive has Andrew Friedson pivoting to “care about the financial burden of living in Montgomery County.” Marc Elrich released his proposed budget this year, once again asking taxpayers to agree to have…
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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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Evan Glass Turns Financial Advisor
Read more: Evan Glass Turns Financial AdvisorOn March 5, Evan Glass sent a letter, using his official designation, to the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plan. In the letter he says that Elon Musk has created the potential for widespread economic disruption in Montgomery County. Which on the surface is interesting in that what has actually caused the…
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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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Petition to Change Gas Leaf Blower Law
Read more: Petition to Change Gas Leaf Blower LawA new petition has been created on Change.org to gather community support for an Amendment to the MoC0 Gas Leaf Blower Ban. In addition to reports from private businesses expressing the need to reduce the size of their workforce to accommodate the cost of this ban, there are also growing reports from HOAs and neighborhood…
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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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Maryland / MoCo’s Tax Base is Heavily Reliant on Federal Jobs; So Why Not Open Up the Economy and Diversify?
Read more: Maryland / MoCo’s Tax Base is Heavily Reliant on Federal Jobs; So Why Not Open Up the Economy and Diversify?Maryland politicians are sweating hard about what could happen in January, 2025 when President-elect Donald Trump assumes office as the 47th President of the United States. Headlines like the following by Caley Shannon and Andrea Duran, writing for SoMDNews.com, have been common: Some of this would appear to be click-bait and perhaps, unwarranted fear-mongering. Successive U.S.…
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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 Albornoz’s legislation shows progressives cannot deliver solutions
Read more: CM Albornoz’s legislation shows progressives cannot deliver solutionsThe Surgery Center of Oklahoma is an absolutely amazing medical facility. Founded in 1997, this hospital takes no insurance. Everything is cash on the barrel. How much cash on the barrel? Go to their menu of surgery prices and click on the body part that ails you most. Gall bladder removal with biopsy: $7,556. Appendectomy:…