Letters To the Editor

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Expand Rail Into S.Md.

Editor's note: The following letter was originally sent to Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).

This letter is to inform you that at the very least, I am very disappointed that the area that I represent, Southern Maryland -- the fastest-growing area in the state -- has not been included in plans for MARC or CSX passenger rail in your multimillion transportation package, according to published reports. While I may be wrong, once again, Southern Maryland seems to have been passed over by your administration.

I worked very hard for you during your campaign for governor and still remain a strong supporter. However, why this area has been passed over for consideration of passenger rail in published reports has me seriously concerned about the priorities of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

We have no representation in your Cabinet and now, other areas of the state are being considered for passenger rail while we are not.

When I campaign every four years for this office, I make it a point to follow through on all of my promises.

In your 2006 campaign brochure -- entitled "Martin O'Malley: A Governor for all of Southern Maryland" -- one of your promises to "Improve Regional Transportation for Southern Maryland" was to "Expand investments in transit to get more drivers off the road."

I trust you will follow through on this promise and reconsider your bold, visionary passenger rail plan to include Southern Maryland.

I look forward to your response.

Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D)

Great Mills

Stop Domestic Violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month -- a time to remember victims who have been hurt or killed by domestic violence, celebrate survivors and increase public awareness of this tragedy that affects so many Americans each year.

The extent and the impact of domestic violence in our society is greater than many people realize. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, domestic violence results in nearly 2 million injuries and 1,300 deaths nationwide every year, and approximately 30 percent of women have experienced intimate-partner violence at some point during their lifetime.

In addition to the direct harm a victim faces, the effect on children who witness violence at home is immense, with more than half of adult victims living in households with children younger than 12, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

A growing trend I have seen in recent years is the need to expand our trauma counseling services at Walden/Sierra to serve more children who witness domestic violence. Additionally, children who grow up witnessing violence are more likely to perpetrate violence in their households as adults, continuing the cycle of violence from one generation to the next.

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I ask residents of Southern Maryland to speak out against domestic violence and come together to stop this tragedy. I also urge anyone in a violent relationship to seek help. At Walden/Sierra, our counselors are available to offer assistance 24 hours a day and provide "Help for Today; Hope for Tomorrow."

Kathleen O'Brien

Director, Walden/Sierra

Leonardtown

Clean Land, Air and Water

We Charles County residents are losing our rights. As human beings, we are entitled to clean land, air and water. Local politicians allow these rights to be threatened constantly by many things: a [comprehensive plan-designated] development district larger than the District of Columbia, a proposed coal-burning power plant [at Indian Head] and a rapidly diminishing water supply.

First, such a large development district [in northern Charles] would alter our environment beyond recognition and destroy the quality of life in Charles County.

Second, there is no such thing as "clean coal." The coal cycle is among the most destructive activities on Earth, placing an unacceptable burden on public health and our environment.

Third, we have known for some time that our water supply is being used faster than it can be replenished, but development is at full throttle with no regard for the future. What direction are our elected officials taking us? Will they worsen an already bad situation by allowing a few to profit at the expense of many, or will they have the courage to take us toward a better and sustainable future? Some things are more important than money.

Kevin Grimes

Nanjemoy

O'Malley's Tax Package

Now that Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) has released the details of the largest tax package in Maryland history, I have a few questions:

Since he is using the tax package to pit Marylanders against one another by class, can we revoke his "One Maryland" credentials?

Does he really think a reduction in the income tax for "working people," which means a one-time refund every year, makes up for the everyday taxes they'll have to pay, such as the higher sales tax, the new sales tax on "luxury" services such as health clubs, real estate services and hair salons, and the gas tax?

Why does he limit "working people" to people who make less than $150,000 in taxable income individually or $200,000 as a family? Aren't people who make more also "working people"?

Does he honestly believe that raising corporate taxes makes the tax system more fair? Who do you think is going to end up paying those higher taxes, the corporations or the people who purchase their goods and services?

Our elected officials say that there is virtually no more waste in the budget to warrant additional cuts. Based on recent reports that $500 million in Thornton education funds were misspent, and the Maryland Economic Development Corp. is $1.9 billion in debt because of failed ventures statewide, are you as skeptical of that claim as I am?

Based on those same reports, do you have faith that the gas tax revenues will actually go to transportation projects or slots revenues to education or any of the money toward whatever programs they say will be funded?

Isn't it ironic that the wealthy liberals in Montgomery County are complaining about the proposed income tax increase for higher-income Marylanders? Where did they think the money for all the government programs they desire was going to come from? Will they really move across the river to Northern Virginia as County Executive Isaiah Leggett suggests?

Would they need $6 million of the money generated by slot machines to help problem gamblers if they weren't putting slot machines in Maryland to begin with?

Will Gov. O'Malley edit the tourism brochures to tout Maryland as having the third-highest marginal tax rate in the country at 9.7 percent? Do you hear the giant sucking sound of businesses and well-off families leaving for Virginia's 5.75 percent marginal rate, West Virginia's 6.5 percent rate or Pennsylvania's 3.07 percent rate?

If Gov. O'Malley had begun the discussion of how to handle the budget deficit last year, we would have had more time to seriously discuss spending priorities. We could have questioned whether the money being spent today is getting the results we intended and made significant adjustments to align spending with income. We could have avoided burdening the people already coping with higher gas prices, rising property tax rates and doubled utility bills. Instead, he spent the $1.5 billion surplus he inherited to buy time, and now time has run out.

Ron Miller

Huntingtown

Miller ran for state Senate last year and is communications director for the Calvert County Republican Central Committee.