Several years ago, even prior to being a homeowner in Montgomery County, Maryland, I came across this article by the fantastic personal finance blogger ‘Financial Samurai’. I majored in economics from the University of Maryland, so I always had an interest in this kind of thing. But even more so then basic economics, personal finance,…
Ten days after revealing his “recommended” fiscal year 2024 budget for Montgomery County, Maryland, that includes big tax hikes via property tax rates, County Executive Marc Elrich is departing for business and “international smart city” representation in Taiwan. Does it reflect someone concerned about County finances? On March 15, 2023, CE Marc Elrich put out a…
Local ABC7 News Affiliate WJLA reporter Nick Minock did some actual investigative journalism yesterday and revealed some pretty stunning facts about the state of our neighbor to the south, Fairfax County, Virginia, and their own local politician’s perks and taxpayer pillaging. Let’s see how Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors stack up to Montgomery County’s Councilmembers…
Some interesting charts that should be considered and debated as Montgomery County pushes for approval of a larger budget, with more spending (and taxing). Labor Force This data is published monthly and is a representation of all persons in the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and older classified as either employed or unemployed. The civilian…
Montgomery County Councilmember (and now Council President) Evan Glass’s former employer, a 501c3 charity called Gandhi Brigade Youth Media or GBYM, has raked in State of Maryland and Montgomery County grants, records show. Gandhi Brigade Youth Media states that its mission is to: create communities where young people build the confidence and media skills to express…
A prominent activist organization across Montgomery County and the state of Maryland is CASA de Maryland. It self-advertises itself as: the foremost immigrant organization in the mid-Atlantic region and a national leader in supporting immigrant families and ensuring that all individuals have the core supports necessary for full participation in society. Now a national immigrant…
The following is a counterpoint to the article entitled, Are Taxpayer Investments in Biotech Companies Too Risky?, published on March 6 2023. Life Science investing is risky. We should scrutinize the wisdom of any public investment into private ventures. And, our elected leaders, if they don’t have experience in this or other areas,…
Montgomery County Has Showered Millions of Taxpayer Dollars on Novavax, Company Recently Warned “Substantial Doubt Exists Regarding Our Ability to Continue as a Going Concern” Last week was a volatile one for Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Novavax, as it saw its stock price decline sharply on the back of a form 10-K filing where the firm added…
A quick update post on our last piece highlighting the (frankly outrageous) County-taxpayer sponsored “Guaranteed Income Program” pilot. We were able to hear back and get answers to some of our direct questions on how the program is being run and what kind of “reporting” taxpayers could expect in the future. The following is lifted…
…..and what went down at the Annual Montgomery County “Friendship Picnic”? Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass (Democrat, At-Large) made some local headlines this week by proposing [via a letter to Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich] a “task force” to “tackle the incidents that he described as “disturbing and frightening.” Per the letter: Council President…