Commentary

I am a special education teacher for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. I used to love my job. I build kids’ confidence along with their skills, help them through some of life’s toughest challenges, and have some of the most amazing colleagues and administrators anyone in the profession could ask for. I consider myself well-paid when it comes to the teaching field, and for that I am grateful.

It was a sunny day last week when it finally happened, the thing Jay had left his small, conservative hometown in the South to avoid — hate. He came here to be his full self. But it was the pink mask and Birkenstock sandals the man singled out as he verbally assaulted the 31-year-old on the Yellow Line last week, using slurs targeting gay people, ranting about monkeypox and advancing into Jay’s personal space as the train stopped in a tunnel.

We are in a transition phase regarding policing in America. Throughout the history of policing, much of the citizen and officer contact has been by way of face-to-face interactions requiring both a citizen willing to concede to the authority of an officer and a police officer who is willing to engage. Due to public sentiments concerning policing, overall fewer citizens are applying to be police officers; some estimates claim, of those who do apply, only about 2% are ultimately able to enter the ranks.

At the end of the day, when the kids finally gave up on drawing chalk art in the alley and the never-ending barbecue under the shade trees had no more takers, and the boom boom-boom of the music settled down, Sonia Eaddy started slowly for the edge of the grass with mic in hand. She was hard to read: Was she tired? Was she struck with stage fright?

After the FBI searched Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida — an extraordinary event in the history of the United States — the former president and his allies immediately began to howl that Mr. Trump was being persecuted. Mr. Trump issued a statement that said his “beautiful home” was “currently under siege, raided and occupied” and “nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before.” Left out of this victimhood framing was that this wasn’t so much an action but a reaction — a reaction to a president corrupt on a level this country has never seen before.

Much attention is given, perhaps rightly so, to the dramatic moments of 21st century life when people are rescued from certain death. A police officer nabs a shooter, a firefighter pulls a victim from a fire, a Coast Guard helicopter pulls up passengers from a capsized boat in stormy seas. They can be stirring scenes captured on video. And then there are the “miracles” of modern medicine when lives are saved — or at least greatly enhanced — by everything from new vaccines and therapies to miracle drugs and futuristic prosthetics. Kudos to the scientists.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 600,000 people in Maryland quit their jobs in 2021 as part of the “great resignation.” As a result, local businesses have struggled to rehire workers as many are now looking for more flexibility, as well as better pay and benefits. However, in this highly competitive job market, there may be a glimmer of hope in the form of the SECURE 2.0 Act making its way through Congress. The law aims to expand automatic enrollment in retirement plans. For example, the SECURE 2.0 Act would require employers with 401(k) or 403(b) plans to automatically enroll all new, eligible employees at a 3 percent contribution rate. This rate would also increase annually by 1 percent until it reaches at least 10 percent.