Mark Lautman
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Glass is the Spoiler, but Who is the Winner?
Read more: Glass is the Spoiler, but Who is the Winner?Let’s step back four years when the world was just as it is today only a shade less violent and bigoted. There were three serious candidates for the office of county executive on the Democratic primary ballot: Marc Elrich, David Blair, and Hans Riemer. Elrich “won” the plurality vote by 32 votes. At the time…
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Back-Door Deals and Glass Houses
Read more: Back-Door Deals and Glass HousesIn 1732, an eternal artifact of American culture appeared: Poor Richard’s Almanack by Richard Saunders, otherwise known as Benjamin Franklin. Franklin published the almanac in annual editions for the following 25 years. Among other things the almanac contains wit and wisdom that today’s readers, circumscribed by wireless gadgets and threatening robots, still find relevant. Some…
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Small Business Donates Big to Stop The Spend
Read more: Small Business Donates Big to Stop The SpendHow can you tell if someone is successful? Employees are successful when they show up, do their work well, and can be counted on. Physicians are successful when their patients recover. Attorneys are successful when they consistently deliver results for their clients. Politicians are successful when they improve the lives of the people they represent.…
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Stop the Spend – A Non-Partisan Initiative
Read more: Stop the Spend – A Non-Partisan InitiativeStop the Spend is an initiative to constrain the growth of county spending to the rate of inflation. We are currently collecting signatures to have our initiative appear on the November ballot. A few weeks ago a group of us from Stop the Spend were out gathering signatures. One resident asked me, “Are you a…
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Tax the Rich and the Underserved Pay the Price
Read more: Tax the Rich and the Underserved Pay the PriceIf you were standing on a cliff watching others jump to their deaths, would you follow? Common sense says no. Yet Montgomery County is poised to do exactly that, repeating policies that have already failed elsewhere. This year’s proposed 5.5% expansion of the county budget comes with a steep cost: a 6.3¢ per $100 increase…
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Is There Such a Thing as Good Public Debt?
Read more: Is There Such a Thing as Good Public Debt?There is no such thing as a “bad” doughnut. Go to the beloved Donut King in Kensington and try to find one. In contrast, there is definitely a difference between good and bad public debt. In a recent meeting at Poolesville’s city hall, Council Member Will Jawando promoted the possibility of the county taking out…
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No Kings. No Dictators. Just Us the Vote Diluters.
Read more: No Kings. No Dictators. Just Us the Vote Diluters.Samantha never once committed larceny. She routinely writes Twitter posts denouncing the crime and anyone who commits it. Julie committed larceny once, was apprehended, did 60 days in jail, and is fully reformed. She openly denounces the crime and its perpetrators, but from a position of repentance. She can (and should) serve as a mentor…
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Could Ranked Choice Voting Elect a local Zohran Mamdani?
Read more: Could Ranked Choice Voting Elect a local Zohran Mamdani?IslamoLeftists love him. Traditional Democrats fear him. Republicans, liberals, and the middle class are packing their suitcases. He’s more handsome than Tom Cruise. Zohran Mamdani looks poised to become New York’s next mayor, and he apparently wants to turn the city into the Uganda his father left. Could the same outcome occur in Montgomery County…
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Drew Morrison’s Resume and Candidacy
Read more: Drew Morrison’s Resume and CandidacyDrew Morrison recently announced his candidacy for the MoCo Council District 1 seat being vacated by Andrew Friedson, who is term-limited and running for County Executive. On their face, Mr. Morrison’s credentials and experience seem impressive, but there is a notable lack of specifics to his claims of accomplishments. This may be indicative of underlying…
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MoCo’s store owner with the most infectious smile—Interview with Nick Gardner of Choice Wine and Beer
Read more: MoCo’s store owner with the most infectious smile—Interview with Nick Gardner of Choice Wine and BeerChoice Wine and Beer is on the second floor of the Wheaton Mall, adjacent to Costco. Co-owner Nick Gardner arguably has the most enchanting smile in all of Montgomery County. He sat down with me for 40 minutes giving an extremely positive view of his store and the county’s wine and beer industry. What’s the…