Maryland threatens the sanctity of divorce

Inspiration plus perspiration equals success

Next week, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans (www.horatioalger.org) will celebrate its 65th anniversary. I confess I did not know of its existence until I read their ad in an airline magazine. I am familiar with Horatio Alger, the man...

Is it in Santorum's best interest to drop out?

If this year's competition for the Republican presidential nomination were a real horserace rather than a figurative one, Mitt Romneywould be rounding the backstretch and heading for home. Only if he suffers the political equivalent of throwing a shoe or breaking a leg in the homestretch is he...

One magic moment

The threat of lightning brought a public address directive to leave the ever-dampening seating bowl, and we had all taken refuge in the concourses of Oriole Park to wait out the rain delay. Red Sox fans were ubiquitous, each wearing some form of team logo, along with the smug visage that accompanies...

Today's 'Mad Men': No secretary, no office

To peer back in time via AMC's hit show "Mad Men" is like gazing into an old GAF Viewmaster. The advertising world it nostalgically depicts, often referred to as the "creative revolution," is frozen in a Purgatorial time warp. Each cultural meme of the show — from the Brylcreemed hair to the...

Immigration reform left an orphan

If the Obama administration proceeds to electoral doom, blame rests on its surrender to its financiers and campaign organizers: Wall Street and public employee and construction unions. A Democratic administration in control of Congress which for two years left hedge fund managers' "carried interest"...

Romney's Russia remarks and the dangers of dumbing down

Last week, Mitt Romney described Russia as America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe," prompting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to respond: "I think it's somewhat dated to be looking backwards instead of being realistic about where we agree, where we don't agree."

Legislature misses chance to end death penalty

I have spent a lot of my life waiting.

Obama turns his back on abused children

President Barack Obama's recent decision to zero out funding for the Victims of Child Abuse (VOCA) Act in the fiscal 2013 budget shows profound disregard for America's children. Since 1994, each U.S. president — no matter his political party — has appropriated money for VOCA every year.

Was key to Arundel mess 'in the bag'?

The modern age of Maryland political corruption ranges from the early 1970s and the epic and repugnant crimes of Spiro T. Agnew in Baltimore County to the creepy and nutty (and pending) misconduct charges against John Leopold in Anne Arundel County.

The most lopsided recovery on record

Luxury retailers are smiling. So are the owners of high-end restaurants, sellers of upscale cars, vacation planners, financial advisers, and personal coaches. For them and their customers and clients, the recession is over. The recovery is now full speed.

Preserving our past: Ownership isn't the issue

What is the future for Baltimore's city-owned historic properties?

The sabotage strategy for containing Iran

Not long ago, an astute reader noted that it has been nearly two years since I wrote in a column that "most experts now estimate that Iran needs about 18 months to complete a nuclear device and a missile to carry it."

The Supreme Court should be televised

Nothing has focused as much attention on the Supreme Court since the 2000 Florida election recount case as last week's arguments over the constitutionality of President Obama's health care act. The outcome, expected this summer, will hang ominously over this year's presidential campaign until then,...

Razing the JFX, lowering O's expectations

The Orioles have new orange and black banners along Russell Street and Pratt Street, and aren't they pretty, and aren't they grand, and shouldn't we be grateful? The banners proclaim "20 Years," and we're all supposed to understand and appreciate what that means — two decades since the...

Obama's choice: Higher gas prices, weaker economy

Campaigning for office, President Barack Obama promised to do something about high gas prices, but now he is denying he can do much about what Americans pay to drive. He is too modest.

The wrong fix for Medicare

Medicare is in desperate need of reform. Program costs are spiraling out of control and threatening to bankrupt the country. Here in Maryland, on average, each Medicare enrollee costs about $11,400 per year — that's a thousand dollars higher than the national average.

The driving force behind high gas prices: me

Gasoline prices continue to climb, and the Republican presidential candidates would have us believe that this is the direct result of President Barack Obama's energy policies.

For 6th District Republicans, the gerrymander blues

As Tuesday's congressional primary approaches, Western Maryland Democrats, longing for a change in representation, have reason to be optimistic. Republicans, on the other hand, have reason to sing the blues.

What does Ruth Bader Ginsburg mean by 'conservative'?

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburglikes the Indian Healthcare Improvement Act and other ingredients of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare." Why, she asked toward the end of three days of hearings, shouldn't the court keep the good stuff in Obamacare and just dump...

Academic redshirting: Give them a little more time

I am a proud product of the Baltimore City public school system. My high school years at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute prepared me exceptionally well for the rigorous academic studies that led to a career in medicine, health policy and economics, and now higher education.

Obamacare at the Supreme Court: What's broccoli got to do with it?

I interviewed Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer last year, and — let me put it this way — I can't think of anyone less qualified to replace Rush Limbaugh as a radio talk show host. Thoughtful, wise, a little dry and measured in his words, Justice Breyer seemed to be everything...

Health care reform: good for business

Last week, theU.S. Supreme Courtheard six hours of oral arguments for and against the constitutionality of the new health care law. As a small business owner, I am not a constitutional scholar, but I can definitively say this: the Affordable Care Act is cutting my health care costs and helping my...

These banned words are ...

Warning: This column contains language some readers may find unsuitable for children. Parental guidance is suggested.

Obama unleashed

Politicians and presidents of both parties have occasionally suffered from open-mic syndrome, saying something when they thought the microphone was turned off they wished had not been made public.

Mark Farley Grant: freedom but not exoneration

When Renee Hutchins, the University of Maryland law professor, got her client on the phone Thursday afternoon and told him the news — that the governor was going to commute his life sentence — Mark Farley Grant was "largely speechless and completely stunned."

Slots brinkmanship

There's no question that the National Harbor development in Prince George's Countyhas the potential to be an extremely successful casino site. It already has an upscale mix of restaurants and hotels, and it boasts an excellent location on the Potomac River just outside of Washington, D.C., and...

A fight in the 6th

Things haven't gone quite according to plan in the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District. Maryland's leading Democrats figured they had drawn new boundaries that would allow a rising star in the state Senate to move up to Congress. Republicans figured that the incumbent, 85-year-old Roscoe...

The GOP came to Maryland

Maryland's historically low turnout in Tuesday's presidential primaries is largely being blamed on the lack of a contest on the Democratic side. After all, the drawn-out fight between Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul doesn't stir most voters in deep blue Maryland. But...

Annapolis to-do list

The General Assembly adjourns Monday at midnight, but that deadline tends to focus minds in Annapolis, and much can still be accomplished in the hours that remain. The biggest debate of 2012 ¿ same-sex marriage ¿ was resolved relatively early in the session, and the state budget appears well on...

O'Malley should call a gas tax special session

Imagine that next week the price of a gallon of gasoline in Maryland went up a nickel or so. This shouldn't be too difficult a stretch the way gasoline prices have been rising in recent months. It may go up two cents or six, or it may stay about the same.

Obama and judicial review

Conservatives took great relish this week in attacking President Barack Obama for some ill-considered observations regarding the Supreme Court and its role in reviewing the administration's health care reform law. One would think that the nation's highest court had never been criticized before...

Camden Yards at 20

When the Orioles open their season Friday, it's a safe bet that while many in attendance will be rooting for the home team (and some for the visitors, alas), all will appreciate the venue. Oriole...

Veto the city elections bill

One of the main reasons Baltimore MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakeprovided for her effort to move the city's primary elections from their current off-year schedule to the presidential election cycle was the idea that it would help boost turnout. The idea, which has been floating around Baltimore and...

The Senate's casino giveaway

A bill allowing table games at Maryland's five casino sites and creating a sixth in Prince George's Countypassed the Senate last week and arrived in the House of Delegates with some momentum in advance of a hearing today. It has the backing of Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker —...

Teare must go

We are far from learning all the facts about Anne Arundel County Police Chief Col. James E. Teare Sr.'s involvement, if any, in the alleged misconduct described in the indictment against County Executive John Leopold. But we do know enough to have serious questions about what he knew and when, and...

Romney's tipping point

Maryland's Republican voters, long marginalized in the selection of the president, may have contributed to the tipping point in the long and unpredictable GOP nominating process. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the Old Line State easily, along with neighboring Washington, D.C. That was...

State v. local government

There is a certain reliable pattern to each Maryland General Assembly session: The House and Senate will be at odds, 90 days worth of legislating will be condensed to about three weeks, and most bills of substance will be deferred or delayed. It's also predictable that at some point, local...

The right help for low-income students

The Maryland General Assembly is currently considering legislation that would require school districts across the state to spend millions of dollars a year on private tutors for students in their lowest-performing schools — regardless of whether the tutoring actually helps kids achieve more in...

Power of the petition

The drive to throw out Maryland's new congressional district maps by petitioning them to referendum is, in all likelihood, something of a futile gesture. Even if the opponents can muster the necessary signatures — battling in the process referendum fatigue from parallel efforts on same-sex...

A better wind bill

For all its risks and potential costs, Gov. Martin O'Malley's unsuccessful 2011 bill to facilitate the construction of offshore wind turbines near Ocean City would have benefited the state — and its electricity customers — through...