Economy
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Booze in MoCo: Part 1, How We Buy Alcoholic Beverages
Read more: Booze in MoCo: Part 1, How We Buy Alcoholic BeveragesThis is part 1 in a 4 part series debunking the excuses ABS uses to justify its existence, identify who benefits from this monopoly, and what (if anything) can be done to dismantle it. John and Jerry, residents of Silver Spring, are preparing a small summer wedding and an even smaller reception. They go to…
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It Appears Former Montgomery County Exec Ike Leggett’s $11,000 Taxpayer-Funded Jaunt to Cuba Didn’t Accomplish Much, 7+ Years Later
Read more: It Appears Former Montgomery County Exec Ike Leggett’s $11,000 Taxpayer-Funded Jaunt to Cuba Didn’t Accomplish Much, 7+ Years Later“Never let a crisis go to waste” seems to be the governing ethos of far too many elected politicians in Montgomery County (and nation-wide). That, and “never let a good ol’ taxpayer-funded trip to an exotic locale go to waste”. Now, over seven years on from an eyebrow-raising, taxpayer funded trip (over $11,000 in today’s…
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A Property Tax Hike, But By WSSC? Fitch Ratings Revision for WSSC Shows What Could Be in Store for MoCo Residents
Read more: A Property Tax Hike, But By WSSC? Fitch Ratings Revision for WSSC Shows What Could Be in Store for MoCo ResidentsAre you taxed enough already in Montgomery County? Most people, certainly most homeowners or property owners, would say “yes”. In late May, the Montgomery County Council voted to approve a new fiscal year operating budget, and with it, yet another property tax rate hike. On top of hitting MoCo families and taking more money from their…
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Let’s Bag the Bag Tax
Read more: Let’s Bag the Bag TaxThe English writer Edward Bulwer Lytton said, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” At Clean Slate MoCo, we say, “Taking a percentage is mightier than a Russian T-90 tank (if the Russians still have any).” Let’s apply that principle to the bag tax. Plastic bags are indeed a problem. If I’m eating a take-out…
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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…