News and Views
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Alternatives to the MCPS Model of Educational Resource Allocation
Read more: Alternatives to the MCPS Model of Educational Resource AllocationGiven the results of last month’s Board of Education primaries, in which incumbents or union endorsees (and also Brenda Diaz!) won the top spots, some in the opposition have come to the conclusion that getting the best education for our students is no longer possible through MCPS. People are already talking about “school choice” or…
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CleanSlate MoCo Spotlight: Local Opponents of Prosperity & Individual Choice – (New) State Senator Sara Love (District 16)
Read more: CleanSlate MoCo Spotlight: Local Opponents of Prosperity & Individual Choice – (New) State Senator Sara Love (District 16)Occupation: A newly crowned (by an “electorate” of 25 or so political club insiders) Maryland State Senator, representing MoCo’s 16th District Affiliations: Maryland Democratic Party. Member, serving on the Environment & Transportation Committee and two of its subcommittees, the Motor Vehicle & Transportation Subcommittee, which Love also chairs, and the Environment Subcommittee. In May of 2022, ahead of the U.S.…
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The Democratic BoE primaries: Part 2—Ranked Choice Voting
Read more: The Democratic BoE primaries: Part 2—Ranked Choice VotingThe outcome of the 2024 Democratic BoE primaries gives us a real-world view into how things could have been different under ranked choice voting (RCV). The rules of these BoE elections are extremely manipulative. The two top vote getters in each “district” face off in the general elections. That is nonsense, because everyone votes for…
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Which is a worse way to fund a campaign: self-financing or no-financing?
Read more: Which is a worse way to fund a campaign: self-financing or no-financing?Some political activists criticize David Trone and his recent Senate primary campaign because he attempted to buy his victory with his own money. That’s a fair complaint. Michael Bloomberg, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tom Steyer, Steve Forbes, and H. Ross Perot are also on the list of wealthy candidates financing their own sometimes successful but more often…
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The Democratic BoE primaries: Part 1—the At-Large Voter Dilution
Read more: The Democratic BoE primaries: Part 1—the At-Large Voter DilutionThe most popular piece I wrote on Clean Slate MoCo is MCPS Board of Education: MoCo’s most illegitimate governing body. That article explains how the BoE’s multi-member, at-large elections are a glaring civil rights violation, because a small demographic elects all of the winners. There aren’t a lot of these entitled and aggressive voters, but…
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OIG: Where Talented Investigators Do a Mediocre Job
Read more: OIG: Where Talented Investigators Do a Mediocre JobClean Slate MoCo and other opposition outlets hold paramount the responsibility and accountability for the county’s elected, appointed, and shadow leadership. Not everyone is comfortable taking the opposition outlets seriously, and for them there is the county’s Office of the Inspector General. The OIG is tasked with the following (source): Review the effectiveness and efficiency…
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Four Years Ago, Elrich Claimed He Wanted to Improve the Reputation of the County Among Businesses. Now, He’s All the Way in China Trying to Recruit.
Read more: Four Years Ago, Elrich Claimed He Wanted to Improve the Reputation of the County Among Businesses. Now, He’s All the Way in China Trying to Recruit.What a difference four years makes. January 15, 2020 – Marc Elrich delivers a “State of the County” address to employees of the sprawling Montgomery County government and spends a minute bemoaning how Montgomery County has “not a good reputation” regarding business. CE Elrich claims (direct quote) he wants “Montgomery County residents telling other Montgomery County…
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You Pay, They Party (Part 2) – MoCo Delegate Wilkins Enjoys a Fun Time at Preakness (Cost to Taxpayers TBD)
Read more: You Pay, They Party (Part 2) – MoCo Delegate Wilkins Enjoys a Fun Time at Preakness (Cost to Taxpayers TBD)The 149th running of the Preakness Stakes occurred this past Saturday and of course the state’s machine political establishment used the occasion to flaunt their wealth and “status” to the rest of us hoi polloi, as well as the nation. Per The Baltimore Sun’s coverage of the events surrounding a five-minute horse race, a good…
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JOBS: Spending money where it’s needed least
Read more: JOBS: Spending money where it’s needed leastCouncil Member Andrew Friedson, the closest thing we have to a moderate and reformer on the County Council, recently introduced his JOBS (Jobs, Opportunities and Business Support) initiative. According to the press release, there are three components to JOBS: $10 million for job creation, offering $10,000 per employee paid $100,000 or more ($12,000 if in…
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MCEA and Laura Stewart Reveal Ideaology
Read more: MCEA and Laura Stewart Reveal IdeaologyAs early voting continues in MoCo the MCEA union representatives and their endorsed candidates are camping out at popular polling locations handing out the Apple Ballot, strong arming voters to pull the lever for them, and generally creating the perception that they are a consensus choice. At least one candidate has reported that he has…