Economy
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MoCo’s Socialism Is for the Rich: Part 1—The $10 COVID Tests
Read more: MoCo’s Socialism Is for the Rich: Part 1—The $10 COVID TestsAn astonishing fact has very recently come to my attention: a COVID test costs $10 at CVS. (That would be for one BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test; sophisticated consumers, a skill set that continuously eludes me, can bulk purchase two such tests for $19.00.) Fully four years after the first signs of a worldwide pandemic…
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Itineraries and Travel Cost for Taiwan, India and Vietnam Trips
Read more: Itineraries and Travel Cost for Taiwan, India and Vietnam TripsThe following was submitted by a reader that wished to remain anonymous. In March of 2023 County Executive Marc Elrich traveled to Taiwan with a Montgomery County Delegation that included Council Member Fani-Gonzalez. As reported by mymcm, he was invited to speak at the 2023 Smart City Summit and Expo and decided to use the…
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Distribution of the Property Tax Burden
Read more: Distribution of the Property Tax BurdenProperty taxes are always a painful subject. So painful that when your partner comes in late at night after a 60-minute commute, you may not want to open with, “DoorDash is delivering our two Philadelphia sushi rolls, and we have to pay $6,500 by September 1.” Regardless, with courage and valor, we must face the…
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HB1300: Part 4—Your Remedies are to Move or Vote Libertarian
Read more: HB1300: Part 4—Your Remedies are to Move or Vote LibertarianIn Part 1 of this series we described the background to removing deed restrictions, in Part 2 we described some of the immediate impacts on existing property owners, and in Part 3 we exposed who is responsible for the circumstances leading up to this legislation. In this final post we discuss what options remain for…
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HB1300: Part 3—Origins and Accountability
Read more: HB1300: Part 3—Origins and AccountabilityIn Part 1 of this series we described the nature of deed restrictions, and in Part 2 we described some of the immediate impacts of unilaterally removing those restrictions. In this post we discuss the conditions leading to HB1300 came to be, and who is responsible for those conditions. Recall that HB1300 voids restrictions appearing…
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CASA Misspent Federal Funds Per Audit; Prince William County, VA Supervisors Show Spine, Revoke More Then $1 Million Grant
Read more: CASA Misspent Federal Funds Per Audit; Prince William County, VA Supervisors Show Spine, Revoke More Then $1 Million GrantWe have written extensively about CASA in the past and how it hoovers up large amounts of Maryland taxpayer money. The self-acclaimed “foremost immigrant organization in the mid-Atlantic region and a national leader in supporting immigrant families” is also very politically active in MoCo, and due to this activism it ran into a public relations nightmare…
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HB1300: Part 2—Implications of Canceling Restrictions
Read more: HB1300: Part 2—Implications of Canceling RestrictionsIn Part 1 of this series we described the background and potential extent of HB1300 and its intent to void restrictions on multi-family housing. In this part we’ll describe some implications of this legislation, one of which was articulated by a resident of Olney to an Annapolis delegate (redacted). “I am writing this note to…
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HB1300: Part 1—Deeds, Restrictions, and Covenants
Read more: HB1300: Part 1—Deeds, Restrictions, and CovenantsA deed is a set of conditions that are part of a sale of real estate. The buyer undertakes to uphold the deed’s restrictions, covenants, and agreements. As the property moves from owner to owner, the conditions of the deed survive. The purpose of some deed restrictions is to provide predictability to buyers of the…