Wicomico County Republican Club meeting - October 2009

By Michael Swartz | 10/27/09

We didn't have our anticipated speaker, who had to bail out at the last minute due to unforseen circumstances, but two fill-in speakers backed up with a fill-in secretary (me) made this month's WCRC meeting work nonetheless. As usual we had the Lord's Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and various reports. Club president Marc Kilmer announced two upcoming events: the November WCRC meeting will be held on the 23rd of November with the speaker being... read more »

Senator DeMint to Introduce Constitutional Amendment on Term Limits

By Michael Swartz | 10/23/09

I've said this for a long time, but Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina wants to make it a reality. From the latest edition of his "Freedomcast" (h/t NetRightNation): Hello again. I'm Senator Jim DeMint, and this is Freedomcast for October 22, 2009. You know, the longer I stay in Washington, the more I have come to realize that the problem in the federal government isn't just the people... it's the process. The system itself... read more »

Hope we don't need matching funds!

By Michael Swartz | 10/22/09

Got this the other day from the fine folks who run my county government. County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr. announced (Tuesday) that the county has received $407,928 in grant monies from the Neighborhood Conservation Initiative. The funds are for buyers of foreclosed properties to make down payments, cover closing costs and perform necessary repairs. (snip) Mr. Pollitt also announced that the county has received $256,775 in grant... read more »

So what will cap-and-trade cost you?

By Michael Swartz | 10/21/09

Reading my online update of the Washington Times this morning, they had a story by Amanda DeBard about a new group using the new media to get their word out. Happy to oblige. The piece details the Cost of Energy Information Project, whose website features a calculator which will predict how much your energy costs will rise should the cap-and-tax bill pass. (Hint: it's probably more than the cost of a postage stamp per day. Mine was $853 a... read more »

Ignorance, arrogance, or control? Or all three?

By Michael Swartz | 10/20/09

Thanks to an alert Facebook user, I found out that Eastern Shore Delegate Michael Smigiel blasted Delmarva Power for scheduling three public hearings without letting the public know the hearings were for a proposed rate increase. He noted his surprise that the TEA Partiers and other groups clamoring for accountability weren't out in force due to the deception, and he also stated: I meet with folks from the eastern shore on a daily... read more »

Does Frank mean what he says?

By Michael Swartz | 10/13/09

I got an interesting e-mail today from the office of our plurality Congressman, talking about health care and the factors he was weighing before making a final voting decision. I'm not going to reprint the whole thing as one excerpt should suffice: In order to get my vote, any health care reform bill must protect and expand patient choice, rein in skyrocketing costs for consumers and businesses, and break down the barriers that prevent... read more »

Momentum Can Right the GOP Ship

By Michael Swartz | 10/12/09

Often I hear and see political observers make the comment, "there isn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties." Alas, many is the time they are correct - as an example the federal government has grown under administrations from both parties at an ever-increasing pace, to the detriment of freedom-loving Americans. Some Americans have awoken from their political slumber to demand changes to the system. To use the old... read more »

One-sixth of a loaf

By Michael Swartz | 10/06/09

When I went to the Wicomico County Council meeting today, I was sort of expecting the County Council to approve having one meeting per month in the evening. Unfortunately, the body decided on a half-hearted compromise of just one evening meeting per quarter, a move which is bound to be more confusing than the original approach. Five of the six Council members voting on the amended resolution supported the compromise offered by... read more »

McDermott hosts successful fundraiser

By Michael Swartz | 10/05/09

A passing shower Saturday afternoon didn't deter a large crowd from coming to Snow Hill and kicking off the campaign for Mike McDermott's District 38B House of Delegates campaign. Mike greeted each newcomer at the entrance, and as the afternoon went on he kept pretty busy doing that. Once the rain went by and people were settled in, they enjoyed some good food and fellowship. Mike announced he had sold 300 tickets for the event and the... read more »

Wicomico County Republican Club meeting - September 2009

By Michael Swartz | 09/29/09

This month's meeting seemed to have a little different vibe. Part of it was the absence of WCRC president Marc Kilmer for family reasons, but some of it was the fact many of us had just seen each other over the weekend. However, the meeting began as we've been doing of late with the Lord's Prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and minutes from August's meeting. We did find out the Crab Feast was a financial success, with 230 tickets sold and a profit... read more »