Freestate

Control of the U.S. Senate now turns on the two run-off races being held in Georgia on January 5.   Democratic hopes about “packing” the U.S. Supreme Court with additional justices are at stake in these elections. Under Georgia’s election law, when no candidate receives an outright majority of over 50%, a second run-off election is…

When A Single Vote Matters The “conventional wisdom” of what many people think they “know” will happen turns out to be completely wrong. Beware of those who claim to be sure how elections will turn out Here’s a flashback: On November 4, 2014, based on averages of polling results from multiple polls, Anthony Brown led…

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby attracted scrutiny earlier this year because of a Maryland State Ethics Commission report on her travels.  Baltimore’s top prosecutor took 23 out-of-town trips sponsored by nonprofits and other groups over two years.  She benefitted personally from over $30,000 in airfare, hotel rooms, and per-diem payments.[i] Mosby’s frequent traveling companions…

The U.S. Census Bureau announced in September that median household income in 2019 had increased 6.8% from 2018. Median household income was $68,703. Adjusted for inflation, this reflects one of the most robust annual increases to date. The poverty rate in 2019 had decreased 1.3 percentage points to 10.5%. Since 2014, the rate has fallen…

Usually repeated legal scrapes with both regulators and law enforcement effectively disqualifies a candidate from public office.  Not so with David Trone, Maryland’s Congressional district six representative.  Twenty-eight years ago, David Trone faced 23 criminal counts, including nine counts of tampering with public records, four counts of criminal solicitation, four counts of operating a corrupt…

Picture the look of a deer caught in headlights. That captures the response of many Maryland educators and local officials to Governor Hogan’s announcement authorizing Maryland public schools for in-person instruction. The president of the association representing Maryland’s superintendents, Talbot County Superintendent Kelly Griffith, claimed that schools had “no advance warning” of the Governor’s announcement.…

Discussion about COVID-19 policy rarely seems to go very far before the word “Science” is invoked reverentially.  By implication, further discussion is no longer warranted. Yet, science is in a constant state of flux. Today’s “settled science” can be reversed tomorrow once new data becomes available.  New data tests old theories and previously “settled” conclusions…