Thursday, October 31, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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Commentary

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Rodricks: Coming out of pandemic, U.S. needs to champion public service and the common good

Two things that seem unrelated — the senseless and brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine and the problems that hit the medical examiner’s office in Baltimore — prompt me to revisit a subject I have raised before: The need to call Americans to public service. We don’t do it nearly enough. What’s more, the pandemic showed that too many Americans neither appreciate nor work for the common good in a way that, however exaggerated, once seemed innate to the national character. We need to talk about it more.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Penny wise and pound foolish: Suspending the gas tax may sound good, but it’s a bad idea

In a rare display of like-minded thinking across the aisle, politicians on both the left and right are calling for cuts or suspensions to their state’s gas tax or the federal government’s. It’s happening in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin and right here in Maryland. In fact, this week our state is set to become among the first in the country to officially pause collection of its gas tax for 30 days in the wake of rising prices at the pump.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Maryland PIRG: State Should Hold Special Elections to Fill Vacancies in the Legislature

Our democracy works best when everyone has a voice and everyone is represented. Voting for our local, state and federal representatives is fundamental to this vision, and is step one in a civically-engaged electorate and responsive government. But today, Maryland’s system for filling empty legislative seats is simply un-democratic. Currently, approximately one in five Maryland state legislators were initially appointed rather than elected by the voters — appointed by a small group of political insiders to fill seats left empty by retirements, deaths or other reasons.

Plymyer: Character counts, especially in Baltimore’s chief prosecutor

Character counts, especially in a city’s chief prosecutor. Nothing makes that clearer than the controversial decision by Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to try Keith Davis Jr. for the fifth time on the same charge of murdering a Pimlico security guard, despite two prior mistrials and two overturned convictions in the weak case against Mr. Davis. The recent attempt by her office to get the trial, scheduled for May, moved out of the city only adds to the questionable nature of her decision.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Baltimore County Needs Red Maple Place

Baltimore County has a critical need for affordable housing, which has been stymied by local opposition and a volunteer administrative board that has been allowed to compromise, stall and often kill projects like Red Maple Place based on a misread of county design guidelines. For Baltimore County to meet the benchmarks established by the 2016 Conciliation Agreement with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, decisions to prevent Red Maple – and other developments – from moving forward must be reversed.

Maryland Climate Corps bills needed for sustainable state future

In Maryland, we urgently need a Climate Corps, an ongoing employment program to hire local people to mitigate the effects of climate change on our communities. As a high schooler, I am acutely aware of how climate change will limit my future choices in life. I have been fighting for such a corps, as one of the leaders of Sunrise Movement Baltimore, since it was proposed on a national scale in 2021. In a letter to the editor last year, I wrote about how a Climate Corps program would benefit young people like me.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Opinion: These Maryland bills would help protect renters and prevent displacement

Zoning reform and building more housing are important strategies for turning around the region’s housing crisis. But while building is necessary for an affordable future, it’s not sufficient. Renter protections also play a key role in halting displacement and fostering housing stability. As Maryland’s General Assembly enters its final 30 days in session for 2022, more than two dozen bills have been proposed that would help renter households. Some of these bills mirror recommendations from the American Bar Association’s recent call for reform of residential eviction procedures.

Bret Stephens: Ukrainian courage gives West time to set new rules for a new world

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is being described as the end of the post-Cold War era. This isn’t quite accurate. Since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, we’ve seen three different eras. Each of them lasted about a decade. There were the End of History years of the 1990s, when Washington thought the main task of foreign policy was to usher the world into a more democratic, free-market, rules-based order.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Grinsteinner: Clarifying the Role of PSAOs Will Improve Patient Care in Maryland

Just over a month ago, Governor Larry Hogan delivered his last State of the State address. Now, the legislature is hard at work in Annapolis hearing and crafting legislation to continue moving Maryland forward. Top of mind for most Maryland residents—and frankly, many people nationwide—is lawmakers’ ability and commitment to strengthening our healthcare industry. For years, people have struggled with confusion and increasing costs, particularly the price of prescription medications. The pandemic only made things worse. Maryland lawmakers were right to seek prescription drug transparency during the 2020 legislative session by passing HB 978. With such a complex prescription drug marketplace, few really understand how prescription medications are priced.

Lee-Wilson: Helping save community pharmacies

In recent years, the burdens of operating a small community pharmacy have grown. We have seen this play out across the country, as many established, small business pharmacies that have served their communities faithfully for decades have been forced to shutter their doors. In fact, from 2003 to 2018, more than 1,200 of the nation’s 7,624 independent, rural pharmacies closed— jeopardizing access to reliable, quality care for millions of patients across the country and throughout Maryland.

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