Economy
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MoCo’s Incoherent Attempt at Being a Nanny-State, Vice-Supporting Suburban Community
Read more: MoCo’s Incoherent Attempt at Being a Nanny-State, Vice-Supporting Suburban CommunityDid you hear? Recreational marijuana is now available in Maryland! To those “adults” 21-and-over, of course (no chance the legal stuff will find its way to anyone younger in MD, wink wink). And specifically, the skunk, the green, the ganja, the “fire” is now legal and ‘recreational’ in Montgomery County, MD. Yes, nanny-state, neurotic, top-down…
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Exile the Poor, Keep the Golf Courses
Read more: Exile the Poor, Keep the Golf CoursesIn his 1967 speech The Three Evils of Society, Martin Luther King, Jr. accused white civil rights leaders, and whites in general, of promoting “socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor.” His line of argument was compelling, and evoked what today’s free-market activists think about government programs: no matter what that program is,…
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Wanted: Rent-Control Stories
Read more: Wanted: Rent-Control StoriesCouncil Members Mink and Jawando are pushing hard to get rent control passed in Montgomery County. CM Stewart is on board, because she really believes that rent control gives renters a “predictable housing,” an outcome that didn’t happen in Takoma Park. It’s hard to know what the final version will look like, but one thing…
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The Fallacy of the Small Business Narrative
Read more: The Fallacy of the Small Business NarrativeWhen I think of MoCo’s small, home-grown businesses, the first one that comes to my mind (and should come to yours) is Carmen’s Italian Ice. And when I think of Carmen’s, the first flavor that comes to my mind (and should come to yours) is Chocolate Rum Cake. Mercifully, Carmen’s has only two locations (Rockville…
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It’s Literally Theater
Read more: It’s Literally TheaterIn March of 2021 current Council Member Dawn Luedtke was nominated and elected to the Olney Theater Center Board of Directors. And though as of 2023 she is no longer part of the Board of Directors, while campaigning for the County Council, Dawn highlighted the Olney Theater on her campaign website. And her bio on…
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WSSC Office of Inspector General Reporting on In-House Procurement Office Performance Reveals Much to “Be Improved”
Read more: WSSC Office of Inspector General Reporting on In-House Procurement Office Performance Reveals Much to “Be Improved”As we previously posted, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) pretty much always gets what it wants from Montgomery County Council politicians, particularly when it asks for approval on water/sewer rate hikes for the upcoming fiscal year. These rate hikes hit your wallet and mine and increase the cost of living for each and every resident…
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Selective List Promotion Part 2: How Does the “Silver Spring – Rockville – Frederick” Metro Area Stack Up ?
Read more: Selective List Promotion Part 2: How Does the “Silver Spring – Rockville – Frederick” Metro Area Stack Up ?“We’re ranked 100th!” Last month we showed how local Montgomery County politicians love to selectively crow about and promote “best list rankings” from select news sources when these news “orgs” pump up a certain city or area in MoCo. Back then, it was the unincorporated area of Silver Spring, which Fortune Magazine claimed was #3…
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Economic Storm Clouds Are Gathering, But the Montgomery County Council Seems Pre-Occupied with Other (National) Topics
Read more: Economic Storm Clouds Are Gathering, But the Montgomery County Council Seems Pre-Occupied with Other (National) TopicsEconomic storm clouds are gathering for the nation’s economy, and Montgomery County will not be immune to an economic recession. The combination of high debt burdens (consumer, corporate, and government), still too-high inflation, high energy costs and higher interest rates are slowing economic growth to a trickle, and potentially feeding a cycle of yet more…
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The 2024 Budget Vote, When the Reformers Failed Us
Read more: The 2024 Budget Vote, When the Reformers Failed UsAndrew Friedson is by far a more compassionate, thoughtful, and caring member of the County Council than its progressive members, and CM Marilyn Balcombe has earned well deserved credibility as an advocate for a much neglected up-county population. Tragically, when it came to their votes for the 2024 budget, both let us down. Before we…
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MoCo Retiree Healthcare Plan (“Post Employment Benefits”) is Badly Under-Funded
Read more: MoCo Retiree Healthcare Plan (“Post Employment Benefits”) is Badly Under-FundedMontgomery County’s Consolidated Retiree Health Benefits Trust (the fund used to pay out retiree healthcare expenses for former MCPS and Montgomery College employees, among other county retirees) is under-water and has less then 50% of the assets needed to satisfy projected liabilities/claims in the years ahead, per official reporting issued by Montgomery County government and…