Commentary

Marylanders should be proud of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. But if it is to achieve equal educational opportunity for all our schoolchildren, its design must be strengthened. At the past session of the General Assembly about $580 million was added to Blueprint funding. A lot of money to be sure, but these funds did not add one penny to the funding that the Blueprint already promised. Alarming funding gaps remain, as I’ll explain later.

If you pay attention to local government, you are undoubtedly following budget deliberations this time of year. For the rest of you, well, your lack of interest is understandable. Too many numbers and not enough pictures. Money drives policy, though, and local government budgets are a form of pure power. Control the purse, control a community’s destiny.

It’s anticipated that average mobile data usage per smartphone will increase 17% per year in North America through 2029 as more people rely on their smartphones for entertainment, work and school. But whether Montgomery County residents enjoy the benefits of increased connectivity will depend on having the right communications infrastructure in place.

The tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore caused six deaths and upended the lives of countless workers who lost jobs due to the closure of the Port of Baltimore. Thanks to efforts by federal, state and local officials, these workers are getting support to help them get by.

Nobody asked me, but Baltimoreans who complained week after week about squeegee crews might want to look around. The boys and young men who clean car windshields at busy intersections are not as visible as they once were, and that’s owing in large measure to the work of the Squeegee Collaborative, convened by Mayor Brandon Scott, to get squeegee guys off the streets, into jobs or back in school.

Every day should be Mother’s Day. In 2023, I wrote a gift guide tailored to single mothers like myself who don’t have anyone living in their house that’s allowed to reach for high shelves or have their own credit. The list included stuff like brunch I didn’t have to cook, or universal childcare that would make it easier for parents without partners — or for anyone, really.

No one knows who came up with the phrase, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Virgil? Samuel Johnson? Muhammad? It especially applies to public policies that appear beneficial at first glance, but turn out to be anything but.