Candidates for MCDCC

There are 2 vacancies on MCDCC, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, the group that is in charge of the Democratic Party in our county. One vacancy is for District 20 and the other is At-Large, meaning anyone in MoCo can run for it. There are 8 At-Large positions on MCDCC and 2 for each of the 8 legislative districts.

Vacancies in MCDCC are filled by vote of the remaining members, and the vote to fill these vacancies is scheduled for June 9 at 7:30pm at the MCDCC headquarters in Kensington.

So far, as far as I have seen there are 3 active Democrats who have publicly declared that they would like to fill the MCDCC At Large vacancy. They are Tony Puca, Hamza Khan, and Dave Kunes. In my opinion all of them are excellent candidates who could help the MoCo Democratic Party.

Maryland Loses the Wynne Case in the U.S. Supreme Court

Today the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the "Wynne" case. The decision will cost Maryland and its counties hundreds of millions of dollars now and long into the future. It is a fiscal disaster for the state and counties.

Maryland has a State tax on income and also a County tax on income. When some of that income comes from money earned by Maryland residents outside the State, Maryland gives the taxpayers a credit on the State tax but not the County tax. The Supreme Court ruled today that this is unconstitutional, a violation of the "negative" or "dormant" Commerce Clause of the federal Constitution.

The basic reason is that, according to the Supreme Court's majority opinion today, the federal Constitution prohibits states from taxing residents in a way that impedes interstate commerce. Maryland's tax scheme made it more economical to earn money in-state rather than out-of-state, and the Court would not allow that.

This decision is estimated to cost Maryland about $200 million in refunds for taxes collected unconstitutionally in the past, and over $40 per year from now on. Montgomery County is estimated to lose about $115 in refunds and about $24 million per year in the future. These are huge losses, and it might make a raise in property taxes unavoidable.

The Supreme Court decision was 5-4, but with an unusual mix, unlike the usual liberals vs. conservatives. The majority opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito and it was joined by Chief Justice Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer (!), and Sonia Sotomeyer (!). The main dissent, which would have helped Maryland, was written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and was joined in by Antonin Scalia (!) and Elena Kagen.

Maryland's Primary Date in 2016 is Now Officially April 23

Today the Governor signed legislation that officially changes the date of next year's primary election in Maryland to Tuesday, April 26, 2016. 

This means the date for candidates to file to be on the primary election ballot will be Wednesday, February 3, 2016.

A Very Interesting Day: NOW, Van Hollen - Edwards Debate, Newseum Commemoration of 50 Years Since the Voting Rights Act

Today there were some very interesting activites.

First, the Maryland Chapter of NOW (National Organization for Women) held its annual meeting. There was a report about work on bills in the Maryland General Assembly this session and then election of new officers. It was a good meeting.

Then Maryland NOW held what was probably the first debate between candidates for the Maryland seat in the U.S. Senate, Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards. It was very interesting. 

Things got a little nasty at one point when Edwards said, as she had before but not with Van Hollen sitting close by, that she would protect Social Security while Van Hollen had been willing to compromise on it in Congress. Van Hollen replied that he had always protected Social Security and gave details to prove his point.

This evening, at the Newseum there was a program put on by Moment magazine and the Newseum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The moderator was Steve Roberts and the panel included Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, former Congressman Barney Frank, Julian Bond, and others. 

They talked about memories of their roles in the Civil Rights movement in the early 1960's and concluded with a moving statement by Julian Bond about what the right to vote meant to freed slaves in the 1800's and what it means today. As a result of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court the ability of Americans to vote is more difficult rather than less so, and this is the opposite of what we should be seeking.

The Newseum and Moment magazine did a terrific job.