Maryland's political future is based on the voters of Montgomery County.  Bob Ehrlich has correctly decided that if he wins or comes close to winning in Montgomery County, he will be Governor again.  Maryland's future is based on three voting blocks---Baltimore City, Prince Georges County and Montgomery County.  It is impossible for a Republican to win in Baltimore or Prince Georges due to the Democrat lock on the black vote.  However, a Republican can win Montgomery County due to the diverse number of business owners and highly paid citizens of the county who can decide on issues and not just party.

The unions and the Democrat Party know that Ehrlich can win Montgomery County so they will focus their efforts in this battle ground county.  Firefighters from Baltimore and Prince George's County have been pouring money into Montgomery County council races, adding last-minute support to local union brothers who lost out on large raises this year because of Montgomery's budget squeeze.

Council members Marc Elrich and George Leventhal, both at-large Democrats running for reelection, received the same contributions from firefighter political action committees from outside Montgomery: $2,500 from the Baltimore County firefighters, $2,500 from the Baltimore City firefighters, and $3,000 from Prince George's firefighters.  O'Malley will have the unions spend large amounts of money in Montgomery County in October up to the election.  Unions will be out in force across the county.

Organizers of the PACs said they wanted to support labor-friendly candidates, wherever they are based. Montgomery firefighters -- who made large contributions to those two candidates as well as others -- told their fellow unions whom to support, labor leaders said. This means that these candidates and the unions are NOT business friendly, but want to focus on government jobs and pro-union policies.

"It's part of the MO of firefighters. We support those who support us, period," said Michael Day, president of the Baltimore County Professional Firefighters Association PAC.

Many people in Montgomery say tapping the outside firefighter funds takes advantage of a loophole and undermines state contribution limits. "It's a way to evade the limit on PAC contributions of $6,000," said Council member Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville), who called the contributions "troubling."

"It sounds like sour grapes to me," said John Sparks, president of Montgomery's local firefighters union. "We're not breaking any laws. We're reaching out to all fellow AFL-CIO unions and firefighter unions throughout the state to encourage them to contribute to firefighter-friendly candidates."  Ross Goldstein, deputy administrator of the Maryland Board of Elections, said the contributions are permissible under state law.

The unions want protection and understand that they do not want a Republican governor. "There will be a big push from the public employee unions for pay raises, and tax increases, if necessary, to pay for them," Andrews said. "This is an effort to elect candidates that are most likely to support that if necessary."

Voters in Montgomery County must vote on the issues and must decide if they want more Obamacare, more Obamataxes, and more government.  We must change the direction of the state.

Virginia just elected Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and he is making history by challenging the authority of the federal government.  All states should challenge the federal government when the Congress or Executive Branch imposes unfunded mandates, job-killing policies, or outlandish taxes. Examples of this are the Cap and Trade legislation, health care legislation, mandated unemployment payments, raising the debt ceiling that imposes more taxes, and environmental policies that affect jobs.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli took a gutsy and intelligent step Feb. 17 when he petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its ill-advised "finding" that carbon dioxide creates an endangerment for human health. The endangerment finding would let the EPA battle alleged global warming by regulating emissions of CO2, which of course is the gas that every animal and person exhales with every breath. The finding was ludicrous from the start, and now Mr. Cuccinelli makes a reasonable case that it also was unlawful.

"Attorney General Cuccinelli believes that the EPA acted in an arbitrary and capricious fashion and failed to properly exercise its judgment by relying almost exclusively on reports from the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an arm of the United Nations] in attributing climate change to [human-caused] greenhouse gas emissions," the AG's office explains. "The IPCC is an international body that is not subject to U.S. data quality and transparency standards and the IPCC prepared their reports in total disregard to U.S. Standards."

Since the EPA finding was issued, the IPPC's reports have become subject to scandal on multiple fronts. Those scandals reached a crescendo when a British newspaper, the Daily Mail, reported Feb. 14 that "The academic at the center of the 'Climategate' affair, whose raw data is crucial to the theory of climate change, has admitted that he has trouble 'keeping track' of the information. ... And he said that for the past 15 years there has been no 'statistically significant' warming."

Obviously, if the EPA were relying on bad data like all of the other climate-change fanatics, it ought to reconsider its plans to further strangle our struggling economy with more unnecessary red tape.  Mr. Cuccinelli argues that the EPA failed to meet its responsibility to conduct appropriate cost-benefit analysis, and that the economic harm to American citizens - including Virginians - would outweigh any purported benefits of the new regulations. As the AG put it, "We cannot allow unelected bureaucrats with political agendas to use falsified data to regulate American industry and drive our economy into the ground."

We agree with this challenge to the EPA.  States must challenge the federal government in order to restore fiscal responsibility and policies that are good for the nation since Congress is self-centered on their political careers.

We wish Scott Brown of MA the best of luck tomorrow in his US Senate election.  We are asking the Democrats not to "cheat" and use strong-armed tactics like they did in Philadelphia.  We want a fair election so the voice of the people is heard, not back-room party ballot stuffing tactics.

Both candidates are having the A-Team come into the state on their behalf.  The voters of MA are not only voting for a US Senator, but they are voting on President Obama and his policies.  Many people are fearful of Chicago-style politics and a massive takeover of power by the federal government.  They do not like the government taking control of private businesses, health care, and our national energy resources.  This election will be a protest vote.

Good luck Mr. Brown--hope to see you in Washington, DC.

We taxpaying citizens are fed up with the politicians who keep expanding government, spending recklessly and then ask for more of our hard-earned money.  Government officials at the local, state, and federal levels are acting like fiscal dictators.  They are expanding government services beyond what is intended for their own pork issues, not what is required by the Constitution. 

The energy and displeasure of the millions attending the tea parties across the nation must translate into votes and replace all of the liberal-spending bums at every level of government.  The fiscal conservative movement is alive.  There must be spending and term limits for the US Congress.

From the park fronting the White House to the California coast, tens of thousands of protesters staged anti-tax "tea parties" to mark tax-filing day and attack the Obama administration's spending plans.  President Obama said that he was unaware of the "tea party" protests.  Really?  Yet he is aware of the DHS memo saying that right wing conservatives are a threat to the nation.  How about all of the illegal immigrants who are responsible for murder, ID theft, crime, drugs, gangs, and destroying our schools and medical system?

"We got tired of just talking about it around our kitchen table and thought maybe we should step out and do something," said Susan Fisher, 34, who made the 30-mile trek to the D.C. rally from Woodbine, Md., with her 4-year-old daughter, Audrey. "We've got to make ends meet and we're all cutting back, but the government isn't."

Conservatives touted the tea parties as the beginning of a grass-roots movement that could change the debate on taxes and spending in Washington.  But liberals scoffed at the notion, accusing Republicans activists and conservative media outlets of underwriting and staging the gatherings.  What do they call the marches by illegal immigrants on our streets who wave the Mexican flag?

The tea parties were organized by a grass-roots movement because we are mad at elected officials and the out-of-control spending by the US Congress and the Obama administration.

Montgomery County is tax-hungry again.  This time they want to charge $800 for an individuals who has to use an ambulance.  The Democrat elected County Executive will spend millions on illegal immigrants programs, yet wants to charge citizens for emergency services.
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