Commentary

Despite what you may have heard, the deal negotiated to win the support of coal baron Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), is not a big victory for the climate. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law last week, epitomizes the egregious legislative compromises that plague climate action — and offers key lessons for Maryland legislators. We can celebrate the IRA’s investments in renewable energy while also being clear-eyed about the alarming trade-offs it took to get here. Democratic leadership has achieved green investment at the expense of decades of new pollution. Loopholes in the act encourage “carbon capture,” an unproven, unrealistic technology scheme with a failing track record; fossil fuel-backed hydrogen production; and expanded fossil fuel drilling and fracking on public lands and waters.

Recently, The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board asked the question, “What can be done about Baltimore’s unreliable transit?” (Aug. 11). This week, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council appointed a diverse work group of regional leaders and transportation experts to address a long-standing issue at the heart of that question. The Baltimore region is one of the few large metropolitan areas in the country in which local elected officials are voiceless in the operation or planning of the transit system. The Sun’s editorial rightly framed Baltimore’s transit challenges as the result of state planning and funding decisions. The editorial board is also correct in its assertion that addressing Baltimore’s transit challenges cannot wait for the next governor to take office in 2023.

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?