Tuesday, March 12, 2013
A new poll released by Goucher College shows that Marylanders see negative effects on local and national economies but not always their own finances.
A majority of Marylanders say they are concerned about the effects of the federal sequester on state and national economies even if they aren't sure it will affect them personally, according a poll released Tuesday afternoon. The poll released by the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College found that 75 percent of those surveyed said the automatic federal spending cuts that went into effect March 1 will negatively impact the state economy while 68 percent said the cuts would hurt the national economy. National Issue, Local Effect Closer to home, only 47 percent of those surveyed said the cuts would negatively impact their own personal finances. Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center, said the …
Monday, January 7, 2013
New evidence of relationship building and compromise that emerged as part of deliberations to avert the fiscal cliff are clearly a positive development that must be replicated throughout Congress.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the various events associated with the opening of the 113th session of Congress. As a guest of Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland's Congressman for the Eighth District, I was able to witness first-hand this biennial tradition. Those representatives and senators who were either re-elected or were selected by the voters of their respective districts for the first time will now begin the challenging task of helping to govern our great nation. Like many others, I hope that the next two-year session of Congress will ultimately prove to be far more productive than the session that just concluded. Looking back, the ineffectiveness of the 112th session of Congress will certainly be seen as legendary, rivaled…
Monday, December 17, 2012
Members of Congress from both parties should seek progress by immediately acting to retain current tax rates for 98 percent of all Americans.
Even with the general elections of 2012 behind us, there is still much doubt in the air with regard to the future course of our federal government. For 2013, citizen advocates for all sorts of causes will be seeking clues to see if the incoming 113th Congress can put years of partisan gridlock behind it and do the people’s work. The first chance for our federal leaders to strike a grand compromise comes with regard to the federal budget. As of the writing of this column, President Barack Obama and leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives are desperately seeking strategies for averting the so-called “fiscal cliff.” As you probably know by now, the “fiscal cliff” refers to the effect of a number of laws which (if unchanged…
Monday, June 25, 2012
Review some of the legislation sponsored by members of the U.S. House of Representatives who serve the Perry Hall area.
Even though we live relatively close to Washington, D.C., I suspect at least some of the work that goes on there remains a mystery to a lot of folks. Perry Hall Patch readers may gain a better understanding of the U.S. House of Representatives by examining some of the legislation that has been introduced by the three elected congressmen who represent portions of Perry Hall: Andy Harris (R, MD-1), Dutch Ruppersberger (D, MD-2) and John Sarbanes (D, MD-3). For each member, I have selected legislation that has been introduced during the current 112th Session of Congress, in which one of our local congressmen is the principal sponsor. I have provided a factual summary for each of the bills listed, without any editorial comment. It should be …
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Republican held to a promise that he would not vote for a plan that excludes a balanced budget amendment.
Maryland 1st District Rep. Andy Harris voted against the historic debt deal passed by the House of Representatives on Monday. In an interview with Patch last week, the Republican congressman said he would not support a plan that did not include a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. “I’m not going to vote for a plan unless it clearly can maintain that triple-A bond rating," Harris said. The vote passed the House by a 269–141 vote. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill Tuesday. “A balanced budget amendment is the only way to make sure the federal government spends what it takes in and lives within its means,” Harris said in an email statement. “Over the past few weeks I have repeatedly voted for reasonable proposals to raise…
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Republican congressman discusses toll increases, redistricting and who he supports in the 2012 presidential race in part two of his interview with Patch.
Harford County citizens should not have to fund roads in District of Columbia suburbs, Rep. Andy Harris said. For Part I of the interview, click here. In Part II of an interview with Patch, the freshman congressman decried toll increases proposed by the Maryland Transportation Authority. “The I-95 and the Hatem Bridge crossing are significant. And both of them, they’re paying for bridges and roads that have paid for themselves already,” Harris said Wednesday. “What I really object to is taking toll money from people in Harford County, or in the case of the eastern shore [who use the Bay Bridge], taking their toll money and spending it on roads in Montgomery and Prince George’s County [for] the Intercounty Connector.” The Republican also …
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The freshman congressman discusses why he believes Democrats are to blame for the debt crisis impasse.
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland's 1st Congressional District said a balanced budget amendment is the “cure” for the nation’s debt crisis dilemma. In an interview with Patch, the freshman Republican congressman said President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats are putting their 2012 election interests ahead of the nation’s financial well-being. “We [Republicans] were the only thing standing between what the president wanted and a downgrade,” Harris said Wednesday. “We have to stand our ground and say, ‘no.' We have to prove to the world that we are, once and for all, going to deal with our spending disorder. Washington has a spending disorder.” Harris said maintaining the U.S. Department of the Treasury's triple-A bond rating should be the No. …
CP
9:32 am on Thursday, March 14, 2013
According to the CBO Obama entitlements and unfunded liabilities will cost 90 trillion! more ›