Commentary

Paraphernalia decriminalization — a bill repealing the prohibition of items associated with drug use — passed in both houses of the Maryland General Assembly. Knowing it wasn’t easy to win enough favorable votes, this triumph evoked pride in our legislative process. Thoroughly researched and well-presented, the persuasive facts carried the day. My spirits soared — the greater good had prevailed! Until that is, Gov. Larry Hogan, despite the support of our legislators and the Maryland State Medical Society, vetoed the bill.

Chronic kidney disease is an often-overlooked public health crisis that affects an estimated 37 million Americans, 15% of the adult population, and is one of the top 10 leading causes of death. It’s most often caused by long-term diabetes and high blood pressure, but another significant cause is that of a genetic disease: Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), which affects an estimated 600,000 Americans — including me. PKD came about in my family as a spontaneous mutation in my mother, who then passed it to me.

The announcement by Gov. Larry Hogan that he will end the federal subsidies for unemployment disproportionately affects women and people of color. According to Oxfam America, women in Maryland make up 35% of workers making $15 per hour or less. The percentages for people of color are even more daunting with 51.5% of Hispanics, 37.7% of Black people, and 30.5% of Asian people making $15 per hour or less. Compare that to only 27.6% of white people earning $15 per hour or less.

Two decades ago, infectious disease experts warned that our country was uniquely vulnerable to epidemics because, unlike every other affluent nation, the United States has millions of residents without health insurance. Many who lack health coverage cannot afford to seek medical attention, even if they feel sick. A highly contagious virus “left undetected” because a person chose to forego care could “spread to family, neighbors, and other contacts,” making health insurance gaps “a risk to the nation’s health.”

When John Hammond, the former Annapolis alderman and longtime budget officer for Anne Arundel County, first raised the subject of merging city and county services a few months back, he predicted it would a big factor in this fall’s city elections. Alderman Sheila Finlayson, long an advocate for city employees, may have just put a huge crimp in that forecast. Monday night, after a marathon City Council session, a majority of aldermen and alderwomen voted to approve Mayor Gavin Buckley’s $152 million budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

A mentor of mine once explained to me his theory of what kinds of people get involved in politics in Our Great American Democracy. His opinion was that there were three types of personalities who got involved in politics. The first is perhaps the most admirable. That would be the person who feels strongly about a particular cause or issue such as civil rights, war and peace, the environment, education, etc.