Showing posts with label Maryland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maryland. Show all posts

Sunday, December 20, 2015

The view from under the Maryland bus. By Kevin E. Dayhoff Dec. 20, 2015

The view from under the Maryland bus. By Kevin E. Dayhoff Dec. 20, 2015

I spent time this afternoon with several of the police officers, known as the “Baltimore Six,” and their families, as part of efforts to help brighten their Christmas holiday.

By Kevin E. Dayhoff Dec. 20, 2015

Maryland Troopers Association Lodge #20 Chaplain

The views expressed here are not only correct but they are my views and mine alone – and the views of my upbringing – and my mother’s but I take full responsibility for my views. And please note that I take great pride in respecting the points of views of others who respect mine.

I spent time this afternoon with several of the police officers, known as the “Baltimore Six,” and their families, as part of efforts to help brighten their Christmas holiday.

This was the first time I had the opportunity to meet any of them in person. I met fine individuals and wonderful families. My heart – our hearts go out for them at this difficult time.

I guess that my many years of serving as an appointed and an elected official, as well as five-years as a chaplain for the Westminster Fire Department and Maryland Troopers Association Lodge #20, and 12-years as a newspaper reporter gives me a certain insight into the character of individuals.

I have been told by other police officers and public officials that have known some or all of the six Baltimore police officers; that these men and women in uniform have the hearts of dedicated public servants, who have worked tirelessly under very difficult circumstances to protect and serve.

In return, because it was politically expedient, certain public officials have thrown these men and woman under a bus in order to enhance their careers and cover-up their short-comings and inadequacies – and years of failed public policies and political leadership.

These officers and their families are our neighbors, friends, and part of our greater blue family.

They are all on a long journey. As sad as their current circumstances, today they were measured, thoughtful, reflective, but nevertheless upbeat, not only because they exuded a depth of character and personal integrity, but because they have been humbled by the incredible support they have received from the community.

I guess we have not been reading about the support they have received from the community because it does not meet with a pre-determined media narrative.  

They will need more of our help in the future – and I may quietly reach-out and ask for your support.

We help these individuals because it is the right thing to do.

We help, simply because for those of us who have served the public in Maryland for years – it is only by the grace of God that it could just as easily be you or me under the Maryland bus.

All of us who served in appointed or elected office in Maryland or have served the public in Maryland know all too well that in Maryland you do not have to do anything wrong to wake-up one morning a scape-goat and thrown under a bus because it is convenient for a powerful individual of powerful organization or institution or simply good politics.

(I faced it just the other day when a powerful institution wanted to throw me under a bus. I was just doing my job as a volunteer. They saw that as a perceived threat. Fortunately the men and woman of the fire company stood behind me.)

Today, any one of us can be the victim of a news media account that is factual but does not tell the truth. Or the current pre-occupation with lies, damn lies and videotape.

In the race to the bottom that is Maryland, there is an unscrupulous political element that does not care about the welfare of individuals and families if it does not meet with their political narrative or quest for power.

In Maryland, no one has any immunity from being squished like a bug, just for doing your job, or standing-up for the right thing or standing-up to corrupt powerful individuals and institutions that wish to sweep its short-comings under the rug, with the explicit help of the Maryland elite-ruling class.

Always remember, that in the end; without public safety you cannot have a community.

It is at time like this that I recall the words of the German clergyman, Pastor Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

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Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: 
Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com

My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/


See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson: “That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!” - See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf
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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Maryland ranked one of the ten worst states for retirement in the universe


Maryland ranked one of the ten worst states for retirement in the universe

10 worst states for retirement By Chris Kahn • Bankrate.com

Not dated – Retrieved February 10, 2015

Retirement » 10 Worst States For Retirement

Follow us: @Bankrate on Twitter | Bankrate on Facebook


It's hard to be flexible on a fixed income. That's why some of America's prettiest, most vibrant locations are also some of the toughest on retirees.

They're usually more expensive, for example, with higher rents and more expensive restaurants. Tax rates also tend to be higher in urban areas. They also may not be as safe.

With that in mind, Bankrate ranked each state based on a variety of factors that everyone should consider before making a move into -- or out of -- their home state. They include a specialized cost-of-living index for retirees, crime statistics, tax rates and comprehensive weather data that factor in sunshine and humidity. Also new this year: Bankrate beefed up its ranking for health care quality, and consulted an extensive survey called the Gallup-Healthways' Well-Being Index. The index gauges the level of satisfaction residents report about their surroundings.

The states that fell to the bottom of our list still have a lot to offer. In fact, many are home to the top tourism destinations in the world. The problem, in the end, is that choosing a good place to retire isn't as easy as picking a vacation spot. Costs matter more. The local culture and infrastructure also matter.

Here, in descending order, are 10 of the lowest-ranking states for retirees based on our criteria.


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The primary knock on Maryland is that it's more expensive to live there than in many other states. The cost of living for retirees is especially high, and residents pay one of the highest tax rates in the country.
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff

Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net


Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
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