David Moon: 'Maryland Juice Asks Attorney General Doug Gansler to Address War on Drugs & Marijuana Arrest Disparities'

Source:David Moon talking to Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler.

Source:FreeState Now

"Maryland Juice blogger David Moon asks Attorney General Doug Gansler to address huge racial disparities in marijuana arrest rates at an August 13, 2013 forum in Montgomery County." 

From David Moon

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler had the perfect answer for David Moon's question. And I'm not talking about the perfect answer in the political sense, where a slick politician gives the right answer to help them politically. I'm talking about the perfect answer in the sense Moon asked a solid question about African-Americans getting arrested more often in Maryland for marijuana offenses, than European-Americans. And Gansler's answer was and this is a paraphrase: 

"If African-Americans are being arrested more simply because law enforcement is targeting them because of their race, or they're from low-income communities, then that would be wrong. But if they're being arrested more because they're more of them in possession with illegal narcotics, as opposed to other people, then there's nothing wrong about that in a racial sense." 

Doug Gansler sounding like a public servant, instead of a politician, which is what we need more in Maryland and I'm sure in the rest of the country as well. 

WBAL News: Jennifer Franciotti- ‘Maryland Casino Begins 24-Hour Operation’

Source:WBAL News- a man who was interviewed for this piece.

“Maryland’s largest casino will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” 

From WBAL News 

Legalize gambling is here in the Free State of Maryland and will be a big economic benefit (if its regulated and taxed properly) because of the jobs it will create. And we are talking about good jobs that will allow for people to more than pay for their cost of living in Maryland which is a high cost of living state (for several reasons) but also because of the new tax revenue that it will generate and bring people into the State of Maryland.

All of this new economic and tax revenue is money that Maryland won’t have to try to generate in new taxes. Especially on middle class, hard-working Marylanders who don’t need to pay more in taxes. And Maryland won’t have to raise new taxes on Maryland business’s and those business’s will be able to stay in Maryland and keep those jobs in Maryland and Maryland won’t lose jobs as a result. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

WBAL-TV: Maryland News: Maryland-Live Opens 24 Hours

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/entertainment/Maryland-Live-opens-24-hours/-/9379082/17912776/-/8u62b9/-/index.html?treets=bal&tid=26514163809813&tml=bal_12pm&tmi=bal_12pm_1_10550112272012&ts=H

More freedom of choice as far as what Marylanders can do with their own money in Maryland is coming to the Free State of Maryland.

WBAL News- David Collins- ‘Maryland Senators Say Yes to Tax Hikes, Teacher Pensions’

“Senators approve a package of budget measures to increase income taxes and split teacher pension costs with local governments over four years.” 

From WBAL News 

Maryland had an opportunity, to not only jump-start its economy, but to help pay down its budget deficit by expanding organize gambling in Maryland, by expanding Maryland casinos. But despite having a Democratic Governor and Legislature, they failed to be able to do that back in April. They have a large budget deficit and debt, something Maryland up until the Great Recession hasn’t had to deal with much in recent history.

Maryland had a great opportunity to expand its economy and bring in more business and customers by expanding Maryland casinos, but failed to do that, so what they did instead, was to pass tax hikes. Even though Maryland is already one of the highest taxed states in the union. They decided to try to take more out of an already existing pot, instead of trying to expand that pot, by bringing in more revenue, that they would be able to tax. And use some of that revenue to pay for things like, schools, roads, bridges, law enforcement. Things that most if not all Marylanders care about.

What the State Legislature has decided to do, is to take more out of Marylanders that are already working very hard and who are very productive and expanding their tax burden, while other States are cutting taxes. When what they should be doing is looking to cut costs in an already very large state budget, one of the reasons why our taxes are high.

Maryland should be looking to generate more economic growth, as well as reforming the State Government to make to more efficient. Giving counties more responsibility in running some of the public services. As well as involving the private sector in running some of the public services and making them private, but non-profit community services. Moving more people off of public assistance and into the workforce, through things like job training and job placement.

If you still have to raise taxes, increase taxes on things that people don’t need, like alcohol and tobacco. Not taking more money from people, that they need just to pay for their mortgage to use as an example. Or raising gas taxes to pay for more infrastructure investment, when gas prices are already very high. And when Marylanders who live outside of the Washington-Baltimore region, have to be able to drive to get around. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

IVN: Wes Messamore- ‘Maryland Handgun Ruling a Victory for Second Amendment Supporters’

Source:IVN- The U.S. Congress in black and white. This could be a scene from Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.

Source:FreeState Now 

“There’s never been a better time in America for gun rights advocates. Starting in 2008 with the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Heller decision, continuing through 2010 with the McDonald case, and showing no signs of abating this Monday after the Woollard ruling was filed by a federal court in Maryland: in just a few short years the country has been swept with a wave of unprecedented court decisions that have amounted to nothing less than a revolution for gun rights and jurisprudence surrounding the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” 

From IVN 

Just to be clear: I’m pro-2nd Amendment and I believe that all adults in the United States that are of sound mind and aren’t criminals and are capable of managing guns, then they should be able to do that if they choose to and can afford it. But as long as we know that they are capable of managing the gun or guns they want to purchase and if they are qualified to manage these guns, then they should have the right to do so. 

As a Liberal, I believe in live and let live, that is we have to live together as a society whether we like it or not, we should just let people live their own lives, just as long as we aren’t hurting innocent people with what they are doing. And we aren’t stuck paying for the consequences of their decisions. Then we should let people live their own lives.