From the office of Del. Kathy Szeliga:
Dear Friends,
Legislature reduces taxes, cuts budget, signs bill to protect Transportation Trust Fund and goes home for the 2011 Legislative Session…….
APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!
Unfortunately, taxes are going up, the budget has not been cut, special funds from all kinds of sources have been raided. Fortunately, we will be finished with the legislative session on April 11.
Primary Election Day Changed to Protect Our Military Voters:
HB 671, Federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act Compliance, passed out of the House of Delegates earlier this week unanimously.
In order to make sure that our military service men and women serving our country abroad have time to get their ballots returned in time, the gubernatorial primary election day had to be changed.
The presidential primary is being changed after it was moved up for the 2008 election. Recent rules adopted by the national parties require Maryland to move the presidential primary after April 1.
Presidential Elections – 1st Tuesday in April
Gubernatorial Elections -Last Tuesday in June
That means that April 3, 2012, just one short year away, we will be voting in the next presidential primary election!
The gubernatorial primary election will be held on June 24, 2014.
This was an important change to be sure that the military vote gets counted.
Fooling Taxpayers on April 1st!
How do you fool the taxpayers in 3 easy steps?
1. Raise fees and assessments and pretend like they are not “taxes.”
Here is a recap of the money coming out of your pocket later this year:
– Car tax – Car titling fees increased from $50 to $100
– Land tax – Land recording fees increased from $20 to $40
– Baby tax – Birth certificate fees increased from $12 to $24
– Health Care tax – Hospital assessments increased 2.5%
– Granny tax – Nursing home assessments raised to 5.5% (was 2% in 2009)
– Construction tax – 2% tax on IWIF worker’s compensation insurance
2. Get someone else to introduce a NEW TAX:
ALCOHOL TAX PASSES SENATE! Earlier this week, the Senate passed a bill to increase taxes on alcohol. It will increase 1% per year ramping up 3% to impose a total of 9% sales tax on alcohol in Maryland on July 1, 2013.
The alcohol tax has moved out of the Senate by a vote of 27 – 19.
You can find the details on this bill as well as the vote from the Senate by going here:
Senate Bill 994
I cannot support raising the alcohol tax to 9%. This legislation has the potential of putting Maryland liquor stores near the Delaware boarder out of business! Delaware has NO sales tax while Maryland will have 9% sales tax on liquor.
We should never promote policies that will put small business out of business in Maryland. I’m voting no.
3. Hidden taxes on teachers and state employees:
As part of the pension reform measures to address the looming $35 Billion pension deficit, state employees and teachers will be required to put in an additional 2% from their wages into the pension system (5% – 7%).
The Governor will be taking that extra 2% contribution from state employees and teachers and putting it in the General Fund for at least 2 years! I call this a tax on teachers and state workers.
Because the Teachers Union and State Employees Union blindly support this current governor (Teachers Union endorsed him before there was even a Republican in the race), I’m sure there will be no complaining or nashing of teeth over this policy. After all, this Governor is giving state employees a $750 bonus and a guaranteed 3% and then 2% COLA over the next two years.
Gender Identity Update
HB 235, Human Relations – Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity – Antidiscrimination, passed out of the House of Delegates with a vote of 86-52.
This bill would include transsexuals (people who have had “sex-change” surgery), transvestites (cross-dressers) in the Anti-discrimination list for housing, employment and other things.
I voted against this bill but we could not stop it from passing. I was shocked at the number of delegates who spoke in favor of this bill on the House floor and said that men who dress like women are “normal.”
Fortunately, I do not think this bill will get out of the Senate. I hear the measure is dead for the year.
Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana legislation has been around the Maryland legislature for a number of years. This year’s bill, HB 291, would have established marijuana as a schedule II controlled substance. During the bill hearing, Dr. Sharfstein, MD, Maryland’s Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene, expressed reservations and concerns about moving this legislation along without first doing a thorough study of the issue. Although the bill had a lot of cosponsors, others came to Annapolis to express reservations and concerns as well.
In response to the bill hearing, the entire bill was stricken and converted into a task force/work group bill. It did pass out of the House of Delegates on March 26 by a vote of 106-28. I voted against this bill to show my deep reservations about legalizing marijuana.
The United States is the world leader in medical and pharmacological research. The FDA oversees the development and advancement of drugs to ensure patient safety and drug reliability. There are companies now in the process of developing marijuana based pharmaceuticals. If the objective of advancing marijuana is for medical purposes, I fully support marijuana reaching the market through the excellent system we’ve already established. After all, pharmaceutical companies could make a lot of money developing marijuana if it is truly for medical purposes. However, I believe this is about more than using marijuana for medical purposes.
I don’t think we will know the final outcome of medical marijuana until next week. I’ll keep you updated…
Thanks for your continued support and encouragement. I am humbled and honored to be representing you and your family in Annapolis.
Kathy Szeliga
Maryland House of Delegates
Del. Szeliga has nightmares about men in dresses…
What woman wouldn’t have nightmare about it? A man dressed like a woman in the ladies rest room? Come on.
I dont think she does. God says no to men in dresses. If that is the way He wanted us, perhaps Adam would have been a little confused in the garden. He wasnt. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of what was going on there. Why would the bill and others like it have a chance of passing? Because people are disobedient.
I didn’t realize there was a passage in the Bible saying “Men Shalt Not Wear Dresses.”
In any case, it’s perfectly normal for men to wear dressed…at the Bush River Book Store….
Now that’s a fine place for you to hang out at. I’m surprised you admitted it.
I didn’t say anything about hanging out there. Just drive by it sometime and look at the cars in parking lot and the quality individuals hanging around on the steps.
I have several friends in the HCSO and have heard stories about what it’s like in that place…
I wouldn’t go in there unless I was wearing one of those suits they wear on base when testing chemical agents…you’d probably get crabs, chlamydia, gonorrhea, Hepatitis, HIV, and some as yet unnamed STD just from walking in there.
Rob would know!
Isnt there somthing in the bible about not laying down with a man?
Leviticus 18:22….Thou shall not lay with mankind, as with womankind.
Its a matter of faith…but its there.
Go Dagger !!!!
So what does that have to do with men wearing dresses?
I agree that men wearing dresses in western society is not normal (well, except for Halloween, I guess), but claiming it’s forbidden by the Bible is a crock (and wouldn’t apply to any non-Christians anyway.)
There doesnt have to be a passage in the bible that says anything about men wearing dresses for someone who reads the bible to figure out what God wants.
Men in dresses . . . come on Annapolis, there are more important things to do in this state. This is another reason for term limits and an affirmative action plan for members of the House and Senate: No more than 1/3 lawyers; 1/3 business people, and 1/3 from the population who are home makers or come from some other profession. The trial lawyers see $$$$ in discrimination suits. How distracting will it be for young students having a male teacher dressed as a woman. I don’t think this legislature can get any more rediculous . . . or maybe they can. See Maryland, when you vote in liberal democrats you get fruit cakes representing you. I would like to know if any of Harford’s representatives voted for this bill . . .
I agree. Kathy, please follow up with a listing of those that voted for this legislation. Then let them defend it before the voters at the next election.
I think we should have elections for the MD General Assembly every two years. If it is good enough for Congress it should be good enough for State level politicians. That way the voters can keep their feet to the fire and be more easily removed if they are not doing what we what them to do. Perfect example – Kratavil and Harris. And if Harris does not follow his constituent’s wishes then he will also be out after just two years.
This is a perfect example of liberalism having gone too far and trying to shove their distorted views down everyone’s throat. Everyone should be concerned about the possibility of cross-dressing teachers being in the classroom, with parents, students, and school officials not being able to do anything about it.
Oh, heaven forbid. A man dressed as a woman. The arrogance of people on this site never ceases to amaze me.
Now…tell me about how YOU feel about religious displays at christmass. Somhow I get the impression you dont want religon shoved down your throat and are against them. Am I correct? If so isnt this the same as shoving alternate lifestyles down our most impressionable?
Go Dagger !
Nope. I have no problem with Christmas displays, etc. But I also don’t have a problem with Jewish traditions, Muslim, etc. They should all be allowed to celebrate as they wish. It’s called religious TOLERANCE. Just like I don’t care if a man wants to dress up as a woman. Is it my personal choice? No, it’s not. But who the hell am I to infringe on someone else? We’ve lost a great deal of perspective in the country and it’s very unfortunate.
Clay – If god doesn’t like them, let him/her deal with that, not some group of pompus elected officials..why should they or anyone else be treated different from another legal citizen in this state ?
Once again we take away rights of american citizens based on perception of certain people. Del Szeliga, I hope that one day I get to the chance to be on the giving side of what you need, and I hope that you are wearing pink shoes..because I really don’t like pink shoes, and I would really like to treat you like you are treating people !
Frank, what type of dress do you wear?
The reason elected officials have to act is because every unGodly group does act, and they act to put their agenda everywhere.
I agree with Del. Szeligia that if we are going to ask teachers and state employees to kick in 2% more on their pension (which is fair) that the money should actually go to the pension system and not the general fund!
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE GOVT,S “KICK IN” COMES FROM. By kicking in 2% the money the govt kicks in from the general fund goes back to the general fund. Its all from the general fund.
The lack of understanding never fails to astound me.
Go Dagger !
The pension fund is an actual seperate item like social security.
Yes the pension fund is…but where does that money come from? I cannot recall getting a separate tax bill for money to be put into the pension fund.
Go Dagger !
The money comes from the paychecks of the employees. It is then invested. The state has borrowed from it on more then one occasion!