Del. Boteler,
I'm sorry I wasn't able to complete the survey, but here are some of my thoughts on the issues mentioned:
Marriage:
I support same-sex marriage and I'm from a Christian backgrond. Most issues against same-sex marriage seem to either be due to religion or fear; fear in the downfall of morals, the well-being of children, etc. Christian behavior isn't meant to be legislated, if it were then charity would be incentivized and there would be laws proposed against anger, lust, etc. Picking and choosing which beliefs to legislate doesn't seem proper. With regards to fear, morals can't be legislated. Government can make someone not do something, but they cannot change people's hearts and beliefs. If our community is worried about the degradation of the America family then maybe there should be some legislation against divorce or single parenting, neither of which should happen.
2nd Amendment:
I read a recent opinion piece in the NY Times about gun control should be done in regards to public health, similar to children's toys. The original intent of the 2nd amendment was to allow people to overthrow the government if necessary. The idea of overthrowing the US Armed Forces, National Guard, and police forces without tyrannous soldiers is absurd in today's age. I am unaware of any large scale effort to violently overthrow the government, but for such an effort to be effective all gun control should be banned and people should have access to rocket launchers, machine guns, armor-piercing rounds, hazardous chemicals, etc. I use hyperbole.
Gun control should be considered in light of hunting, public recreation, and public health. Hunting should be protected as a definite. Limitations on public recreation and enjoyment should be limited. But, public health is one of the greatest concerns of the nation and one of the greatest roles of government. In light of the Arizona incident, the issue of high capacity magazines, window of hand purchase, and gun access for people with poor mental health have been addressed. High capacity magazines: not appropriate for hunting (one or two well-placed shot is all that is necessary for a kill, multiple shots are not in the nature of a fair, humane hunt); are fun for recreation at ranges; very dangerous for criminals. The weight of these issues should be fairly balanced, instead of not considering the issue at all.
Window for hand gun purchase?
I've heard mention a 28-day waiting period between purchase and gun reception and limitations on handgun sales to 1 per month. I don't see any effect on a hunter who's planned out his season. Some people might want to purchase more handguns during sale periods, but they would likely get around this by paying friends to purchase guns for themselves. But, the gun trafficking issue has the biggest weight because of the possible reduction in access to weapons. If this is only enforced in a couple states, then of course, it will not be effective whatsoever, but as a piece of national legislation there are international impacts.
Weapons for people with poor mental health?
For the well-being of the person owning the weapon and others within their vicinity, mental health history should be considered in weapons purchases. This is for the benefit of all parties. I have no background in mental health, so I have no idea the details of such a policy.
Health reform:
If people don't want to pay for other's health care, then they shouldn't have health insurance. The point of health insurance is to spread part of the cost amongst many people, minus the company's earnings. People's opinion in District 8 sounds like "I don't want to spend so much on health insurance, I think that criminals and lack of competition make my rates higher." Criminals are an easy scapegoat, they did something wrong and shouldn't have access to basic healthcare. Unless laws for selective and priority health services are passed, the easy access to health care in emergency rooms will remain high, which is great for individual's health, but not for the community's wallets.
There's been a recent movement In LA to end homelessness because of the moral prerogative, but, more importantly to taxpayers, to reduce costs to the government. In LA, the per capita hospital and social services costs of the homeless are staggeringly greater than those with housing. As of January 2007 Baltimore has 3,000 homeless, much less than LA's 90,000. But, the number of people in MD who use the emergency room as primary care is very high and a burden to medical expenses in direct cost and indirect cost from more advanced health problems. The same might be said about overuse of expensive diagnostic equipment.
How do people want to incentivize competition between companies? Interstate insurance purchases should be allowed. In many areas health insurance companies are monopolies or duopolies. Health insurance companies had an antitrust exemption, which was removed last winter separate from the Health Care Bill. One easy way to introduce national competition would be a national public health insurance option, but this was removed from the Health Care Bill.
Gaming:
Supporting local gaming will keep gamblers in-state instead of traveling to other regions to gamble. But, people will still travel to Vegas and Atlantic City unless there are plans to make venues as extravagant. Gaming should have to support gambling-related state services: addiction counseling, debt issues, etc. I've heard of many elderly people spending large portions of their social security check on the lottery and other forms of gambling. I don't know how this can be banned, but state-benefits should not be able to pay for gambling (I believe this is already a law (?), but I'm just adding my support).
Gas Tax:
Funding to support new industry and to retain old industry in MD should be encouraged. This could also be supported through a broader carbon tax. There could be a closer connection made between a carbon tax and bay restoration- supporting the prosperity of local business in the long term.
Immigration:
A very touchy subject. There is a great need for large-scale immigration reform at the national level. Better monitoring of borders is a public health and well-being issue mainly because of the illegal activity: drugs, weapons, human trafficking (besides solely trying to enter the country and work), etc. There is no consensus for even basic issues: what should be the status of 11 million illegal (as of 2008) immigrants currently in America? That's a large amount of tax revenue if they are legalized. If illegals shouldn't become naturalized citizens then they should be deported because they are illegal citizens. Or the issue can be ignored- the status quo. Realistically, complete deportation is impossible- police are outnumbered 15:1. I'm in favor of legalization, which will give illegals a chance to integrate into society. Fear and language isolation are big factors limiting integration.
Red light cameras cause short sections of deceleration and slow traffic, effective for controlling speeds in the vicinity of the speed camera. Somewhere in Europe (UK?), I heard of speed cameras that time your travel through a section to determine your velocity and ticket you if you are over the average. This would be an effective means of controlling traffic for a long stretch without dramatic changes in speed. But, I'm sure people wouldn't like this system because they would be forced to drive slower or face a fine.
My personal interests?
Making pseudoephedrine containing medications (i.e. Sudafed, Aleve D, Advil Cold and Sinus, Claritin D) available only by prescription. The reason is because these medications are used to produce methamphetamine. Oregon and Mississippi have recently adopted such legislation and have seen great decreases in meth production. In 2005 Oregon police found 192 meth labs, but only 10 in 2009. In 2009, Mexico banned pseudoephedrine so the meth from Mexico has greatly declined, but the rates in America have increased. This won't impact consumers who have a primary physician, but it will decrease some tax and store revenue- but with the great ambition of eliminating meth production in MD. Yes, meth will still enter from local states especially with MD having short borders, but ideally this will become more popular as the positive results keep accruing. Instant verification via industry support computers is an option, but "smurfers" (those purchasing for meth labs) will use multiple IDs. Reviews on prescription-only sudafed and industry-backed online databases: Stateline and NYTimes Op-ed
Developing sustainable, green industries. But, not just a mouthful of buzz words. The excess nutrients that cause eutrophication of the bay can first be processed with anaerobic digesters to create biogas (natural gas from renewable sources) that produces heat, electricity, and revenue for farmers. Algae blooms in the bay can be harvested in a similar manner. Anaerobic digesters can be added to wastewater facilities prior to activated sludge systems for biogas generation.
Legislation/lawsuits should be pursued against PA permits for hydraulic fracturing in floodplains of the Chesapeak Bay without requiring appropriate environmental analysis- because of the Haliburton Amendment in the 2005 Energy Bill which exempted fluids used in hydraulic fracturing operations for natural gas from the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and CERCLA. During flooding events, the wastes at these sites would end up reaching the Chesapeake Bay and would greatly impact the Bay's restoration.
Long-term growth in MD must be considered. How to spur non-service sector jobs. Building a Wal-Mart/Lowe's complex at 25th Street Station, a vote in late Nov by the city council, creates low paying jobs where local citizens support the economic growth of foreign producers. This has occurred at an alarming rate over the past two decades and the loss of many American blue collar jobs are a result. But, these skilled workers have much to provide MD and America. MD's water system is aging and in need of repair/replacement. There are hundreds of abandoned homes in Baltimore, many of which catch fire- encourage people to develop means of using the land to better the communities and economies.
Well, I think that's all for now. I ended up taking much longer than anticipated. I hope some of these thoughts are helpful in the current legislative session.
Take care,
Mike German
----------------------
A Message From:
Delegate Joe Boteler
“Your Independent Voice in Annapolis”
We would like to thank all of those that participated in the 2011 survey. Because of the overwhelming number of responses, we can only provide a general idea of the results that were gathered.
Some of the biggest concerns that District 8 constituents have involves budget/ spending, jobs/economic development, health care, and immigration. It was expressed by some that wasteful government programs should be cut and that the government should not get in the way of business innovation. Many believe that Obamacare should be repealed and that illegal immigrants should not reap the benefits that legal citizens and residents have, such as in-state tuition. In addition, constituents expressed that Maryland should end its status as a sanctuary state.
A brief summary of answers regarding more specific matters can be found below:
Marriage: Most people in District 8 oppose same sex marriage. However, some supporters are in favor of civil unions in which couples should be allowed to get the same government benefits as those that are married.
2nd Amendment: Most people in District 8 oppose more gun control. Some believe that Maryland should become a “shall carry” state and that law-abiding citizens should be allowed to protect themselves against criminals. Gun laws that are already in place should be better implemented and fewer lenient sentences should be handed out.
Health Reform: Almost all the people in District 8 believe that the national health care reform should be repealed. Opponents of the reform want to promote competition so that prices can be more affordable. They also do not want to be paying for other people’s health care, especially for those that would abuse the system, such as criminals.
Gaming: Those that had an opinion were split on the issue of allowing table games. Many did not have an opinion on the issue. Supporters of table games believe that if we do not compete with neighboring states, casinos will go out of business. The state of Maryland would then have less funding for certain projects such as education programs. However, the state should not depend on gambling to meet its budgets.
Gas Tax: Most of the constituents do not want a higher gas tax to pay for transportation expenses. Opponents of the tax believe that gas prices are already high enough and would like to also do what they can to have all taxes reduced. However, those in favor of a gas tax would support one as long as it is being used for transportation projects and not used to reduce the overall state deficit or used for other projects.
Immigration: Almost all constituents support the passage of a bill like Arizona’s to enforce federal law regarding illegal immigration. Supporters also would like to involve the armed forces in deporting all illegal immigrants. Others believe that more of an effort should be made to get immigrants to go through the process of becoming legal citizens.
Pensions: Those that responded were split on a proposal that would require local governments to pay for the cost of teacher retirement. Opponents of proposal would like to see the current pension system fixed instead so that that state would not go bankrupt. They also do not want to have to pay higher property taxes to pay for these pensions, especially if teachers do not contribute to a Roth or 401k.
Other topics that were addressed included the following issues:
· Taking measures to help clean up the environment and better protect the Chesapeake Bay.· Extending local, state, and national ballots to all military personnel, as they help protect our right to vote.
· Having health insurance cover services, support, and therapy with health conditions such as autism. Early intervention can help these individuals be more independent and rely less on society, especially later in life.
· Getting rid of red light and speeding cameras and preventing the installation of new ones.
· Ending housing discrimination. If a person is able to afford a home, they should be able to buy, sell, or live wherever they want to.
· Increasing support of education programs that teaches the importance of agriculture to the economy. There should also be more of an effort to preserve farms.
We would like to again thank those that took that time to participate in the survey. Because of the positive response, we hope to continue using surveys and finding other ways to help engage the community in the policy-making process. Please feel free to address any further concerns or questions with us at Joseph.Boteler@house.state.md.us .
Sincerely,
No comments:
Post a Comment