News and Views
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Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 1—A Must Read
Read more: Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 1—A Must ReadIn 1930, the Soviet newspaper Pravda published an article by Josef Stalin in which he summarized his accomplishments in agricultural policy: The Soviet government’s successes in the sphere of the collective-farm movement are now being spoken of by everyone. Even our enemies are forced to admit that the successes are substantial. And they really are…
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John Locke, Tyranny, and MoCo
Read more: John Locke, Tyranny, and MoCoOne of DC’s architectural treasures is Georgetown’s Riggs Library. Quoting Atlas Obscura, “Riggs has four floors of cast iron walkways laid out around a central light court. Sixteen columns divide the hall into smaller alcoves and two spiral staircases connect walkways.” Trust me, Riggs is one of those spots for which viewing electronic images is…
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Attach Performance Metrics to All Future MCPS Budgets: Our Children’s Education Depends on Our Fiscal Prudence
Read more: Attach Performance Metrics to All Future MCPS Budgets: Our Children’s Education Depends on Our Fiscal PrudenceThe County Council, County Executive, and MCPS are placing its residents in a moral and financial bind. On the table, there appears to be a dialectical dilemma: our children’s future or fiscal prudence. However, an honest discussion regarding fully funding MCPS above and beyond historical trends demands that we resolve the following questions: How can…
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Turning Challenges Into Change: Why Montgomery County Needs MBLI Now More Than Ever
Read more: Turning Challenges Into Change: Why Montgomery County Needs MBLI Now More Than EverStarting something new is never easy—especially when it’s never been done before. As the first and only business-focused public charter school for middle school students in the state of Maryland, The MECCA Business Learning Institute (MBLI) Public Charter School was always destined to be more than just a school. It is a movement—a bold reimagining…
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MoCo Sonnet #1: Hidden Exclusion
Read more: MoCo Sonnet #1: Hidden ExclusionCandidate Glass is a victim Of an alleged Fox News smear They wanted to depict him In an apparent context of jeer He gave a response well spun For with him everyone wins He’s here to fight for everyone For all those in the margins There is one demographic Over which he never…
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Affordable Housing Is Not a Public Benefit
Read more: Affordable Housing Is Not a Public BenefitIn a previous post we introduced Maria, an irresponsible alcoholic parent. Her sister Juanita is fortunately much more responsible. Juanita’s daughter broke a leg during hyperactive cheerleading tryouts, and the orthopædist recommended a waterproof cast. Juanita runs to the medical supply store and sees an item for $200—exactly the amount she budgeted for medical emergencies.…
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Non-Competitive Knowledge Transfer Contracts
Read more: Non-Competitive Knowledge Transfer ContractsThough briefly mentioned in the last article, here we will take a deeper dive into the 5 most expensive of the 13 knowledge transfer contracts that the county currently has in place. Each of these contracts were direct awards to an individual. We have redacted the names of the contract recipients. Person 1 – Awarded…
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Mini DOGE on MoCo Contracts
Read more: Mini DOGE on MoCo ContractsUnder the Montgomery County Code, § 11B-14, the County can award non-competitive contracts. With these contracts, multiple businesses or entities are not required to compete on the price of services. The results of a recent Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request were recently sent to CleanSlate MoCo that outline the 154 non-competitive contracts that the…
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Jawando’s and the Teachers’ Union’s Questionable Morals on Housing Policy
Read more: Jawando’s and the Teachers’ Union’s Questionable Morals on Housing PolicyScenario: Maria’s child is running a 103℉ fever. She rushes the child to the nearest urgent care facility. The receptionist asks for an insurance card and a $100 copay. Maria stalls: if she pays the $100, she won’t have enough money to buy herself beer and cigarettes. Instead, Maria gambles on the child’s recovery and…
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Finally, MoCo can diversify its economic base (and Marc Elrich is helping)
Read more: Finally, MoCo can diversify its economic base (and Marc Elrich is helping)Prior to Trump II, study after study recommended that Montgomery County dilute its reliance on the federal government as a primary employer. For example, in the Sage Policy Group’s 2018 report The Coming Storm: How Years of Economic Underperformance are Catching up with Montgomery County: Between 2006 and 2016, Montgomery County lost 12,511 private sector…