http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/28/AR2007032802320.html
According to the Post, when our council chair, Camille Exum, objected to the bill, Del. Dereck Davis took offense. I wrote Del. Davis, told him that I was offended by his remarks, and strongly protested the proposed tax increase. We exchanged several messages, and I sent a copy of my final reply to Del. Niemann, who did not answer.
This episode demonstrates the arrogance of our all-Democratic state-level elected officials who feel that, without any Republican opposition, they can disregard the clear will of the voters and ram a tax increase down our throats, as they did with the appointed school board and accompanying "education" phone tax that was eventually used for non-education purposes.
It also shows the continued gullibility of Prince George's County voters who claim to oppose higher taxes, but keep electing such people and refuse to send any effective anti-tax voices to Annapolis.
In my opinion, we'd be much better of with a two-party delegation that had at least a handful of opposition-party members to blow the whistle on the members who would rather raise taxes than manage existing resources effectively.
As it is, you can be certain that these folks will be back next year, if not in a special session, to raise the sales tax, the income tax, the property tax, and the gas tax, and any other taxes or fees they can think of. There is nobody to stop them because the voters of Prince George's County refused to elect, or even seriously consider, any real anti-tax candidates in the last election.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Last minute attempt to usurp property tax cap! Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:12:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Educationdoctors@aol.com To: Educationdoctors@aol.com
Dear All:
As usual, watchdogs like me find myself with eight days to go to the end of the General Assembly session, exposing what members of Prince George’s County State Delegation attempts to do to the people. Well, this year is no different.
While I believe that we need to keep Prince George’s Community Hospital opened for all of the social reasons I could justify, I do not believe that our state legislators should resolve the financial problems by voiding the voter impose property tax cap to bail out a private company â€" Dimensions Healthcare System. I am not going to reinvent the wheel, Mr. Art Turner did an excellent job in capturing the essence of why I am sending this email.
Delegate Barbara Frush, the chair of our Delegation and Delegate Doyle Niemann (Cheverly), is pushing HB510 â€" a bill that would bail out Prince George’s County Hospital by eliminating the voter imposed tax referendum on privately own property known as TRIM â€" by asking property owners to give money to a private company that appears to have miss-managed a bunch of money. And, it appears that if Delegate Frush and Doyle Niemann can get the rest of Prince George’s Delegation to agree, the rest of the House of Delegate members will agree and if that happens, the bill will surely pass the House â€" with less than eight days to go!
But, I hear members of our Senate Delegation do not agree with the House Delegation. However, we have to let Delegate Barbara Frush, Doyle Niemann and the rest of our delegation know we disagree with their agenda and they need find another way to pay to keep the hospital opened. Below is an email sent by Arthur Turner and attached is his written testimony â€" opposing HB510. Do not be fooled by unions and other reps â€" they can find money from other sources to keep the hospital opened, it does not have to be raising our property taxes, which we capped.
Think about this. Why are we protecting the interest of a private firm with tax dollars? Why does our delegation continue to under mind the people that keep voting for them? Read Mr. Turner’s testimony. I am sure you will have plenty more questions to ask our delegation.
After you have completed your reading assignment, please take a few more minutes and send the Prince George’s House Delegation an email reminding them you are watching and will remember their vote when it counts. As usual, thanks for standing ready.
PS: Visit my web site to see what bills I support and oppose. Feel free to perform some last minute advocacy. The last day of the session is slated for April 10th â€" that is if they can pass a budget!
http://www.princegeorgeshousedelegation.com/contact/index.html
Send emails to
Barbara Frush barbara_frush@house.state.md.us Doyle Niemann doyle_niemann@house.state.md.us
CC: House
melony_griffith@house.state.md.us,joseph_vallario@house.state.md.us,dereck_davis@house.state.md.us,james_proctor@house.state.md.us,marvin_holmes@house.state.md.us,rosetta_parker@house.state.md.us,joanne_benson@house.state.md.us,tawanna_gaines@house.state.md.us,veronica_turner@house.state.md.us,james_hubbard@house.state.md.us,anne_healey@house.state.md.us,michael_vaughn@house.state.md.us,pauline_menes@h ouse.state.md.us,victor_ramirez@house.state.md.us,carolyn_howard@house.state.md.us, ben.barnes@house.state.md.us, joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us, gerron.levi@house.state.md.us, justin.ross@house.state.md.us, aisha.braveboy@house.state.md.us , kris.valderrama@house.state.md.us , jay.walker@house.state.md.us, jolene.ivey@house.state.md.us
Senators
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Sent from Arthur Turner â€" member of the Democrat Central Committee
Attached, please find my testimony before the Maryland State Senate's Budget & Taxation Committee March 28th. House Bill 510 is very important and I am prayerful that the Senate will vote against this Bill. Please let your Senator know that they should vote against the bill!!!!
Shamefully, you should know that fear tactics are being used by proponents of the bill to urge the senators to vote for it. One Delegate (Doyle Nieman) actually said something like, you should vote for this bill or the hospital will close. If it closes, the people in Prince George's County could be coming to a hospital in your district. What does that mean and what was the intent of such a comment? From all that I have talked to or heard from, all felt that the comment was insensitive and charged with stereotypical nonsensical venom! SHAMEFUL!!
Read attached!!!
Maryland's Education Doctor - Be empowered - learn it and share it!
http://www.zaleeharris.com
I found some other interesting news about Delegate Frush. Below is an email sent to Senator Rosepepe, Ben Barnes, and Joseline Pena-Melnyk. She is falsly accusing the Laurel Boys and Girls Club of illegal activity to excuse her incompetance as a delegate. Below her email is a response from the club's president.
ReplyDelete-----Original Message-----
From: delegate61@hotmail.com
Sent: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 12:50:10 -0400
To: senator.rosapepe@inbox.com, jcrosapepe@yahoo.com, benbarnes44@hotmail.com, joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us
Subject: RE: FW: Laurel Boys and Girls Club
There were several issues with the bonding of the LBGC. First the committee
was surprised by the "Gaithersburg" boy who testified on behalf of the club.
I think the city also offered to testify but the club refused. We each
got something for our district. I got the armory. Ben got the dam and
joseline got the Museum. The College Park BGC received money from a
different fund. However, I never heard from the LBGC requesting support.
The money is not automatic. I also believe the Committee was aware of the
illegal involvement in the recent election. barbara
President's Response
April 20, 2007
Delegate Barbara Frush
Maryland 21st District
Dear Mrs. Frush,
Although I applaud your efforts for securing funding for the City of Laurel, we take issue with many of your statements in your email release of April 20, 2007. We must tell you we find the misstatements insulting, not only to the youth of Laurel Boys and Girls Club, but to the entire 18,000 members and 2,500 volunteers of the Prince George’s County Boys and Girls Club.
Your email apparently attempts to justify your failure to secure funding for the Club, which has received funding from the State of Maryland for the last 3 years. Given the number of inaccuracies contained in that email, the recipients have been left with no accurate explanation of the motivations for the omission.
You specifically stated, “I also believe the Committee was aware of the illegal involvement in the recent election as to insinuate that the club not only was involved in illegal activity and this alone is the reason the club did not receive funding.” The Club was not and has never, during my tenure or to my knowledge previously, been involved in illegal activities. We request, given the seriousness of the charge you have leveled, the absence of supporting facts for that statement, and the weight that statements from a person in your position carry, that you retract the allegation. If similar statements were in fact made in the legislature, we would request in addition that appropriate measures be taken to minimize the effects of those misstatements on the Club's reputation.
You also stated “the committee was surprised by the Gaithersburg boy who testified on behalf of the club”. The name of the boy to whom you referred is Jibri Woods, an eleven-year-old spokesperson for the club. He is currently a member of the Laurel Boys and Girls Club and has participated in football and summer camp. Jibri just recently moved to Gaithersburg, due to parents’ jobs, and is now in the process of moving back to Laurel. We assume your reference to the “Gaithersburg boy” was an attempt to insinuate that the Club serves many youth who reside out of the area (and, by implication, that it does not deserve funding that should go to serve area youth); nothing could be farther from the truth.
You further stated, “I think the City also offered to testify but the Club refused.” This statement is, again, far from the truth; in fact, the Club is now working in partnership with the City of Laurel and has been for a number of years. It is true that the City of Laurel and the leadership of the Club have not always agreed, but they have both always looked at the big picture, our children and this community. We believe that the City leadership will be quite disappointed with the failure of the district’s State elected officials to secure funding for the Club, because it appreciates the many services and benefits the Club provides to City residents.
You also mentioned that College Park Boys and Girls Club received funding from a different fund; we’d like you to explain why the source of that funding, whatever it might have been, was not available to our Club.
You also stated that you never heard from LBGC requesting support. The Club’s Executive Director, Patrick Reed, has made available to me several emails in which your email address is listed as a recipient, demonstrating that you were aware of the Club’s need for funding through the bond bill.
In my opinion, your negative and incorrect email release has damaged the reputation of the Laurel Boys and Girls Club and hurt our children. Our goal is to keep the children off the streets and into our wholesome programs.
Your motto is “Serving the People”, but there was no discernable attempt to fulfill that pledge in your email release. I urge you to issue another email correcting the false statements regarding the activities of the Laurel Boys and Girls Club.
Sincerely,
Levet G. Brown
President
Cc: Joseph Warren, Executive Director Prince George’s County Boys and Girls Club,
Presidents, Prince George’s County Boys and Girls Club, City of Laurel Mayor
Craig Moe, Ben Barnes, Senator Jim Rossapepe, Prince George’s County Council
County Executive Jack Johnson. Laurel Boys and Girls Club Member Data Base.