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Commentary

Frank DeFilippo: Politics Is About Connectivity, And Biden’s Speech Made Contact
May 4, 2021 -

It’s great to once again have a president who can read. Comparisons suck, to roughly paraphrase Shakespeare. President Biden is no Barack Obama, nor does he need to be. The salient point is that neither is he a Donald Trump, which is important in the battle for literacy in the nation. We learn by example and experience. Trump was no role model.

Read More: Maryland Matters
As Anne Arundel moves to police body cameras, policy and training will be key
May 4, 2021 -

As we welcome the 91st recruit class of the Anne Arundel County Police Department into our community, the sweeping police reform legislation that recently passed in the General Assembly will change how police interact with the public across the state of Maryland. As new recruits start field training, they will be taught under new guidelines that emphasize renewed police accountability. In practice, the sweeping reforms will not be so difficult for new recruits because it will be all they know. On the other hand, durable and sustainable change will be difficult to maintain as police veterans may struggle and find the sweeping reforms particularly challenging.

Read More: Capital Gazette
And now, some budget fundamentals. Are taxes going up in Anne Arundel?
May 4, 2021 -

As the Anne Arundel County Council begins weeks-long deliberation of the $1.876 million budget County Executive Steuart Pittman has proposed, there is bound to be some confusion about what constitutes a tax increase. Some of this is political; there already are three declared or possible Republican candidates for county executive. But much of it has to do with the complicated nature of public sector finance and the unique history of taxes in this county.

Read More: Capital Gazette
This is how we help kids failing school because of the pandemic
May 3, 2021 -

School systems throughout Maryland, and the country for that matter, face a daunting task over the coming months to get students who have fallen behind during the pandemic back on the learning track. Failing grades have tripled in some cases amid virtual learning and the stress COVID-19 has put on students and their families. Students of all backgrounds are struggling, but especially those who faced challenges before the pandemic. But this is not the time to hold students back a grade, punishing them for the extraordinary crisis we find ourselves in, through no fault of our own.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Want to end the pandemic? Pay people to get vaccinated
April 30, 2021 -

When I received my first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine last December, nobody paid me to roll up my sleeve. Yet, as vaccination efforts approach an expected tipping point, at which the amount of available vaccine exceeds the number of willing recipients, with the rate of vaccination far below the threshold required for herd immunity, paying people to take their shots likely offers our society’s best chance at stemming the pandemic. Private employers — including American Airlines, Marriott and Dollar General, have already taken the lead in this regard — but payouts are generally low: an extra day off or a few hours pay.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Our Say: As vaccinations plateau, work to spread vaccines must get creative
April 29, 2021 -

Two private schools in Anne Arundel County have shown the path forward on achieving COVID-19 vaccination goals. Indian Creek and St. Mary’s schools, both working with Soleil Pharmacy in Glen Burnie, set up their vaccination clinics on school grounds for students, staff, alumni and families. A few hundred doses were distributed, and more clinics are planned.

Read More: Capital Gazette
Lewis: In an Unusual Year, Democrats Still Delivered Results
April 29, 2021 -

It’s been an unusual, difficult year for all of us. But despite the atypical times, this year’s legislative session went as it usually does, with Democrats in the Maryland General Assembly overriding Gov. Larry Hogan’s vetoes to deliver results for our state. The unusual year compounded high expectations coming into the 2021 session; Maryland faced intertwined economic, public health and racial justice crises that required immediate action.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Revamping the Social Security Administration: Small changes would make a big impact
April 29, 2021 -

With the change in presidential administrations, some are demanding that President Biden fire the current Commissioner, Andrew Saul, of the Social Security Administration (SSA), appointed by President Donald Trump. Under current law, Commissioner Saul may stay in office through the end of his term (another four years), although a recent Supreme Court decision does put the law around independent agencies into constitutional question. Legal and political issues aside, what is, as a matter of good public policy, the correct governance and political structure for this massive, critical federal agency, with considerable decision-making authority and policy responsibility?

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Close up of electric lamp against black background
What do 42% of drivers do on the JFX? Hint: It’s not safe
April 28, 2021 -

Last spring, city workers placed a data collection camera at the 41st Street overpass on the southbound lane of the Jones Falls Expressway for one week. What they discovered was stunning — although perhaps not to anyone who has driven the highway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 360,984 vehicles traveling along the highway between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., 151,897, or 42%, were going at least 12 miles per hour above the posted 50 mph speed. The top speed recorded: a mind-blowing 173 mph, which is fast even by NASCAR racing standards.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Anne Arundel students wield rare power to pick a voting school board member. They should respect it.
April 28, 2021 -

Once again, Anne Arundel County students are about to choose a student member of the school board. As the other seats moved from appointed to elected on the Board of Education, the choice for student member — known by the unlovely but widely used acronym SMOB — is voted on by representatives from student councils and then appointed by the governor. For a student, it is a position of immense responsibility and considerable power.

Read More: Capital Gazette

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