Raine1967
Raine1967's JournalJust to refresh MO'M members: About that Rain Tax….
Call me crazy, but I have a strong feeling after seeing the NRA going after O'MAlley for his stance on Gun control, (See here, I am going to make this an OP is it isn't already) someone is going to inevitably come after him about the raine tax (and no, it wasn't a tax on me… 
)
Bookmark it and make this link your friend.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/06/10/bogus-conservative-media-talking-point-martin-o/203935
The "rain tax" is, in fact, a federally mandated levy on pollution caused by storm water run-off, one of the main culprits in the tragic, decades-long environmental degradation of the Chesapeake Bay. Established by state legislation passed in 2012, the tax applies to the state's 10 most heavily populated urban and suburban jurisdictions, places with an abundance of hard surfaces -- parking lots, roads, driveways. In those built-up places, storm water carrying sediment, nutrients, trash and a variety of other pollutants washes into nearby streams and rivers, which drain into the bay. Revenues from the tax are meant to help localities adopt programs and build infrastructure to limit the damage from that runoff in order to protect the body of water.
The Baltimore Sun wrote in a June 2014 editorial that "rain tax" claims are "nonsense" since "Maryland does not tax the rain. It has directed its 10 most populous jurisdictions to raise revenue to pay for stormwater management upgrades that will prevent pollution from choking the Chesapeake Bay, per federal environmental regulations." Washington Post reporter Jenna Johnson wrote in a fact check article that "it's more of a pollution tax than a rain tax."
The nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation called the "rain tax" moniker "blatantly false," stating: "The truth is that we are talking about a fee to reduce pollution from water that washes off hard surfaces and empties into local waterways. Runoff pollution is real--it is responsible for no-swimming advisories and beach closures in local waters, fish consumption advisories, and dead zones in the Bay that can't support aquatic life. It also causes localized flooding and property damage. And in many areas, it is the largest source of pollution."
The misleading "rain tax" talking point has repeatedly been used by Maryland Republicans, especially during Larry Hogan's successful run for Maryland governor. In May, Hogan signed SB 863, the "Rain Tax Mandate Repeal (Watershed Protection and Restoration Programs, Revision), which repeals the requirement that forces local jurisdictions to collect a stormwater remediation fee, and instead authorizes such jurisdictions to do so." The Sun reported that "environmentalists worked to get the proposal from an outright repeal of stormwater fees to the version that passed."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/fact-check-did-maryland-lt-gov-anthony-g-brown-really-tax-the-rain/2014/09/07/4e587672-36bd-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/md-gop-attacks-on-the-rain-tax-ignore-the-risk-of-runoff-pollution-to-the-chesapeake/2014/08/11/de1a45ba-215f-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-06-26/news/bs-ed-hogan-brown-ad-20140626_1_republican-larry-hogan-ad-tax-hikes
http://www.cbf.org/about-cbf/offices-operations/annapolis-md/the-issues/annapolis-maryland/the-issues/stormwater-fee#rain-tax
The Rain Tax is actually a TAX ON POLLUTION.
TITLE OF ARTICLE: Are Presidential Candidates Dodging the Issue of Torture?
This is an encompassing article, and I want to highlight the part I think is pertinent to the *** MO'M group. ***
http://www.ryot.org/are-presidential-candidates-dodging-the-issue-of-torture/941047
But even if you wholeheartedly disagree with me, I still believe you — really, all of us — have the right to know, at the very least, where every candidate stands on the issue.
This is a reasonable request not least because, back in June, the independent publisher Melville House sent every presidential candidate a complimentary copy of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s damning report of the CIA’s torture practices under the previous Bush administration. Melville House did so by telling the recipients: “We hope you’ll read and share these copies with your staff and advisers, and that they will help you clarify your position on the legality, morality, and efficacy of torture.”
As you can guess, the candidate who has spoken out most aggressively against torture is a Democrat. But it’s not who you might think— not Bernie Sanders, not Hillary Clinton. Rather, it’s Martin O’Malley, who has declared the need for a special prosecutor from the Justice Department to investigate US officials who had committed torture. O’Malley insists that “there needs to be some accountability so that this doesn’t happen again.”
Here’s why a direct call for the prosecution of torturers matters greatly. By declining to advocate for such legal actions, we’re announcing our willingness to let bygones be bygones. Without any pursuit of accountability, there’s no guarantee that US officials won’t torture again with complete indemnity.
Even Obama, when pressed about the possibility of litigious measures, has consistently said he wants to look forward rather than backward.
The entire article is really good and delves into much more than our primaries, IT's a pretty radical site, I will make that clear as well.
It ends with:
Yet next time you attend talks by presidential candidates — whether Republican or Democrat — do press them about their positions on torture. We need to know, and the least we can do is ask.
MO'M SUPPORTERS: Regarding the debate tonite:
Martin O'Malley's rapid response team will tweet about tonight's debate using the hashtag #WWOMD, as in "What Would O'Malley Do?"
And this is important:
James Hohmann Verified account
@jameshohmann
National Political Correspondent for The Washington Post || Author of The Daily 202 || Anchor of @PowerPost || Minnesotan ||
Keep an eye out! #WWOMD
O'Malley to call for a voting rights constitutional amendment
Washington (CNN)Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will call for a constitutional amendment "to protect every citizen's right to vote" at a campaign event with black leaders in South Carolina on Tuesday, campaign aides tell CNN.
O'Malley, a Democratic candidate for president, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by arguing at a 20/20 Leaders of America meeting that the only way to protect voting rights against Republican efforts to "suppress the vote" is to guarantee the right with a constitutional amendment.
After the event, O'Malley will send an email to his supporters asking them to stand behind his amendment push.
"Last year, Republican state legislators in 29 states introduced more than 80 restrictive bills to require a photo ID, make voter registration harder, or reduce early voting," O'Malley writes in the email provided to CNN. "We know why they're doing this: because Americans without a photo ID are disproportionately low-income, disabled, minority — and Democratic."
Peacetrain, I am going to say something very unpopular here.
I have said if before, but not here in GDP.
I am a member of the democratic party. I am not ashamed of saying that.
Having said that, there is something that bothers me: While Sanders always caucused with Dems when he was elected to office as a representative and later as a Senator, he was never a part of trying to build and change the infra-structure of the Democratic party to what his vision is. He has always made it clear that he is not a member of the party. HE has even done as far to say that he is not a liberal…
The party has been very happy to have him caucus with us, but…
He has not helped with the legwork in building the party platform.
He is reaping the gains of the party without having contributed to the party as a member. Just to be clear, I am talking about PARTY politics. If anyone wants to know why party partisans are reluctant to say that he is a viable candidate, I think it's because he has never been willing to say he is a Democrat. I respect that — He's not.
Right now, to the best of my knowledge (and his words), he is running as a Democrat because this is his best chance to be elected on a national scale. I think is the first time he has ever run as a Dem — and he still is not an official member of the Democratic party. (I know, in advance — as a resident of Vermont he doesn't have to register in a party).
Sanders wants a political revolution in a party that he never wanted to be a part of. That really bothers me.
That is not a slam, this is a fact.
Considering we have O'Malley, and Clinton — both of which have been life long members of the party I affiliate with; both of which have worked to change and make the platform better, both of which have campaigned to get other Dems elected in local, state and federal elections — I feel a little uneasy about a man that is running for the nomination of the Democratic party that hasn't dome that. He hasn't gone out of his way to be a part of the party that he is asking the nomination for.
My personal preference for the nomination is Martin O'Malley; he has a track record with working across party lines to get things done. I like that. I appreciate that. I want that in a president. I would be fine with Clinton as well — and yes, even Sanders — however the issue I am responding to you about is something that I am honestly saying makes me feel uncomfortable.
His not being a part of helping to build and change the Democratic Party platform will become an issue for people who are Democrats. I agree with almost everything that Bernie stands for; Most Dems do — but he never wanted to be a part of the party I am in. Now he wants my vote. I don't know if I like that.
I know that we have a lot of people here on DU that do not care about party politics. I get that.
I happen to care about party politics because we still have a two party system, Sanders wants to have it both ways right now. If he wins, my concern is what is he going to do to help get other democrats elected in all levels of government? It's not just about the office of President, the way I see it, it is who the candidate can bring along and help get elected.
Right now, as I see it, O'Malley and Clinton have a record of doing just that. I am not seeing where Sanders has helped to build and change the party after all of his years in federal governance.
I am a liberal.
I am a progressive.
I'm a member of the Democratic party and I am looking forward to our primaries.
From the National Journal; O'MG! news.
"I have not been here in about 30 years—make that 32 years," he says. "Back then, I was organizing for a little known senator from Colorado running for president with 1 percent name recognition. His name was Gary Hart." The politically savvy audience smiles, recalling their state's role in turning Hart from a national nonentity into a top contender for the 1984 Democratic nomination. O'Malley beams even brighter: "I know, delusional idea, right?"
But an enduring rule of Iowa politics, the candidate reminds listeners, is that "the inevitable front-runner is always inevitable right up until caucus night." (That would be Hillary.) Rule No. 2: "The challenger who is surging in July is never the candidate who is surging in January." (That would be Bernie.) Here, the governor erupts in laughter. "So, by golly, you'll be glad to know that we are preventing ourselves from surging too early!" (snip)
O'Malley's camp expresses confidence that the Left ultimately will calm down and find its way to their man. "Bernie is going to be useful to us," says Appleby. "He is a stalking horse. I think he is carrying the ideas that Elizabeth Warren has and Martin has, too—a kind of economic populism." But as appealing as Sanders is with his purity and independence and feistiness, says Appleby, "it doesn't seem to me very likely that the Democratic Party is going to nominate a 74-year-old socialist." And when Sanders "collapses," he predicts, "Martin will take up that mantle."
Hyers makes a similar argument. "The first thing we needed was a contest," he tells me. "When I was having this same conversation six months ago, people were like: 'It's no competition. Hillary has got 85 percent of the vote. It's going to be her. Why are you even bothering?' " Now, says Hyers, the media and public are paying attention to this as a real race, which means his guy can get on with step two: "We've got to make our case." Even this second step is facilitated by all the Bernie hubbub, argues Hyers: He notes that, without it, the Hall of Fame Dinner would never have turned into a big cattle call with saturation coverage. As it was, the national media turned out in droves, "and our guy got to shine a little."
I have long felt this way about how his campaign is dealing with Bernie Sanders and how they will go up against CLinton for the nomination.
If anyone wants to go back to the very early posts after the MO'M was created, it was clear to me that the O'MAlley campaign always knew it would be an uphill battle against SoS Clinton. Right now they are keeping on point and waiting for things to settle down.
"the inevitable front-runner is always inevitable right up until caucus night."
O’Malley’s central argument has been heavy on experience rather than visceral populist anger.
I am not here to knock the Senator,or the SoS — but there is something to be said about political campaigns. I understand this strategy. I like what the campaign is doing and how they are approaching the road to a nomination.
Via the National Journal:
But an enduring rule of Iowa politics, the candidate reminds listeners, is that "the inevitable front-runner is always inevitable right up until caucus night." (That would be Hillary.) Rule No. 2: "The challenger who is surging in July is never the candidate who is surging in January." (That would be Bernie.) Here, the governor erupts in laughter. "So, by golly, you'll be glad to know that we are preventing ourselves from surging too early!" (snip)
O'Malley's camp expresses confidence that the Left ultimately will calm down and find its way to their man. "Bernie is going to be useful to us," says Appleby. "He is a stalking horse. I think he is carrying the ideas that Elizabeth Warren has and Martin has, too—a kind of economic populism." But as appealing as Sanders is with his purity and independence and feistiness, says Appleby, "it doesn't seem to me very likely that the Democratic Party is going to nominate a 74-year-old socialist." And when Sanders "collapses," he predicts, "Martin will take up that mantle."
Hyers makes a similar argument. "The first thing we needed was a contest," he tells me. "When I was having this same conversation six months ago, people were like: 'It's no competition. Hillary has got 85 percent of the vote. It's going to be her. Why are you even bothering?' " Now, says Hyers, the media and public are paying attention to this as a real race, which means his guy can get on with step two: "We've got to make our case." Even this second step is facilitated by all the Bernie hubbub, argues Hyers: He notes that, without it, the Hall of Fame Dinner would never have turned into a big cattle call with saturation coverage. As it was, the national media turned out in droves, "and our guy got to shine a little."
(For the record, this is the Martin O'Malley group and it is talking about his campaign strategy.)
I have long felt this way about how the campaign is dealing with Bernie Sanders and how they will go up against CLinton for the nomination.
If anyone wants to go back to the very early posts after this group was created, it was clear to me that this campaign always knew it would be an uphill battle against SoS Clinton. Right now they are keeping on point and waiting for things to settle down.
"the inevitable front-runner is always inevitable right up until caucus night."
O’Malley’s central argument has been heavy on experience rather than visceral populist anger.
I am not here to knock the Senator, but there is something to be said about political campaigns. I understand this strategy. I like what the campaign is doing and how they are approaching the road to a nomination.
It is not enough to feel the O'M, you must *BE* the O'M
Yoga classes may help reduce healthcare costs in Maryland: Narendra Modi to Gov. Martin O’MalleyThis article is from October 2014.
O’Malley had a high level meeting with Modi, where Dr. Rajan Natarajan, Deputy Secretary of State of Maryland, Sushma Swaraj, India’s external affairs minister and Dr. S. Jaishankar, the Indian Ambassador to the United States, were also present.
(snip)
O’Malley discussed Maryland’s Online and Distance Learning program at the University of Maryland University College and Montgomery College, and was keen to have a collaboration with India. Modi mentioned that India is in the process of signing an MOU with the United States to continue to build an international educational dialogue.
They also discussed new GIS technologies used both in India and in Maryland. O’Malley praised Modi’s vision to implement more innovative GIS technologies in India to protect fisheries and monitor forestry industries. The governor also commented that Maryland has adopted some of Indian GIS technologies for accurate mapping. Both leaders explored the opportunities for co-operation in areas such as, Information Technology, cyber security, biotechnology, life sciences and aviation.
Levity aside, I really appreciate that he met with India's prime minister and discussed some pretty important issues. They might not be super sexy issues, but they are important. These issues are important. I appreciate this diplomatic side if O'Malley.
Peace,
Raine
O'MG!!!! Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA 15th) endorsed Martin: (video and story)
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/caucus/2015/07/24/eric-swalwell-millennial-endorsement-martin-omalley/30630681/
Under those conditions, I could barely finish college and go on to law school. I still remember the countless notices from the bursar's office: "This is your last warning, if you do not pay your tuition, you will be dropped from classes."
I and thousands of college students facing similar pressure needed someone who would relieve the burden. Fortunately, Mayor O’Malley became Gov. O’Malley and he kept his word to restore funding of the state's university system and reduce the cost of tuition for students.
Gov. O’Malley expanded education funding even during the height of the recession, and Maryland public schools were ranked No. 1 in the nation five years in a row. I saw first-hand how his accomplishments transformed the state and helped my generation.
Once again, millennials need O'Malley. Forty-one million young Americans are mired in $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, leaving them stuck in financial quicksand and preventing or delaying them from taking the job they want, buying a house and starting a family. Millions more in college and on their way to college face steep tuition costs and dim job prospects upon graduation.
I am confused about what you said earlier in this thread compared to this post.
earlier you said:
that is a fair thing to discuss. I responded. A few other did as well.
This response however, I really do not understand.
I live in Maryland, halfway between Baltimore and DC. However, I hear a LOT of people complaining about how he raised taxes on them. I just tell them to go up to Pennsylvania and drive on their roads, and see how good our Maryland roads are in comparison. I'm an O'Malley fan. But, I'm kind of disappointed that he came out with a plan to help inner cities now, while virtually ignoring them when he was Governor.
O'MAlley has always worked towards helping inner cities. He was one of the very first after 9/11 to ask for more help for first responders.
can I give you some information?
Soul of the City is an innovate study of measuring and tracking the performance and well-being of the world’s cities conducted by the Gallup Organization.?The program allows cities to measure and track the political, economic, and social health of a city based on residents' views as to its performance in providing a positive living-working environment.?Mayors from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States were in attendance.
O'Malley statements begin at about 23:50… He talks about what he was doing as a city mayor to change the general feeling of the residents of Baltimore and when he, as Mayor tried to do to create a better standard of living in the city.
http://www.c-span.org/video/?189268-1/international-conference-mayors-morning
Now I can give you more if you want. if you are saying that he forgot about sites after he became governor, I would suggest that is not true.
Go back an listen to what he said to the Urban League. https://martinomalley.com/speech/national-urban-league/
He raised taxes and Maryland got better. the only people com paining about raisin taxes are republicans, and since you live in Maryland right now, I am sure you are watching and seeing a few outliers popping up as a result of Hogan's plans.
I live over here in NoVa and I listen to the news stations we have in the region.
They way I look at it, he didn't ignore Baltimore when he became Governor. He became Governor of a state.
He had a plan to help Baltimore when he was mayor and after he became governor.
come over to the Martin O'Malley group and read the countless links we have about this.
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Member since: Fri Nov 12, 2004, 01:48 PMNumber of posts: 11,589
