Most Americans once believed “a public office was a public trust”. Perhaps they still do.

Now, a “trust me” style of so-called leadership such as that was demonstrated  recently by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, seems to be The message. The same Mrs. Clinton, who has waited years to be President of the United States. Just “trust me” should not be the primary component of the philosophy and message of a potential leader of the United States. Winning the Democratic primary, for President of the  United States is not, nor should it be, a coronation. Especially, a possible Hillary Clinton coronation.

Clinton fatigue may have set in earlier. However, it is now front and center of political debate. Once again, the former Secretary of State has brought to the forefront the long-standing habit of “Clinton privilege”. They play by the rules they set, not the rules by which all Americans are expected to abide. This is not a good trait for a potential President of the United States. Can Americans trust someone who will essentially treat Americas as stupid, as did a Harvard professor regarding Obama care? This appears to be a mantra for the elites in this country today.

The Clintons have been exceedingly controversial since arriving on the American political in the twenty century. Perhaps, Clinton fatigue is even affecting Mrs. Clinton. After having been in controversial and demanding public life for so many years, perhaps the potential, presumed nominee of the Democratic s, is herself, feeling that another race for the  brass ring is not the best use of her future. This could be a reality as Hillary looks

This could be a reality as Hillary looks  back at the past few years of lucrative speaking engagements, book deals, and international travel. The demands of the American presidency are much more grueling.

Perhaps, of more importance are the questions of how would Mrs. Clinton govern? Whatever  her ideological drive, she has not yet enunciated any new major policy directions for 2016 and beyond. Only, “just trust me”. This nation is a different place than when she ran for the United States Senate. The only elective office she ever held before becoming the Secretary of State. The continuing spread, danger and viciousness of Islamic terrorism, the potential nuclear threat from Iran and the deteriorating situations in Iraq and

Afghanistan will require new solutions and directions than those propounded previously by Mrs. Clinton. And, let us not forget, she was involved in many of the decisions, made on these issues, in the recent  past. 2016 could well be an election where new faces, new ideas, and fresh approaches are the  best options to offer the American electorate.

Could we be seeing the beginning of the end of another Clinton campaign? Perhaps not, but the prelaunch pad has not been smooth, and the controversy lingers on.

Then, there is the press. Perhaps their rapture with the Clintons has diminished. Perhaps they will now begin to report the news rather than cover up, sandbag and continue the free passes  issued to the Clintons in the past.

Many factors have certainly changed in American politics. It has often been said that a few weeks or months is a lifetime in politics. So they still are, especially in the twenty-first century.

Now, for the current issue of the Clinton emails, the server and the redacted documents, should you believe those stories, call me; I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

You can donate your profits to the Clinton Foundation.

Keeping a promise is a hallmark trait of any politician. Governor Hogan has moved swiftly and decisively in keeping his campaign vow to address the phosphate (chicken manure) issue which is critical to the state economy, and indeed a way of life, especially on the Eastern Shore.

The Governor has, in just a month in office, announced revised regulations which appear acceptable to both agricultural interests and environmental advocates. Apparently, compromise works.

The Governor has also just announced his plan to attack the serious problem of heroin use and distribution, in Maryland. Local officials all over the state have informed the Governor that this issue has become a major problem in their jurisdictions.

On the Eastern Shore, it appears that Route 301 has become a major drug trafficking route. Due to its location, this highway is a major thoroughfare where local dealers purchase their supplies from large metropolitan dealers for redistribution and sale in a number of towns and counties on the Eastern Shore.

The chicken litter or phosphate problem has arisen due to the use of chicken litter as fertilizer for Eastern Shore fields. For years, this has been a significant problem since regulations primarily concerning potential hazards to the Chesapeake Bay from ground runoff were promulgated just as the O’Malley administration was winding down.

During the recent campaign and gubernatorial election, now Governor Hogan made this issue one of the main planks of his platform. His halting of the implementation of the rules proposed by the former Governor and Annapolis bureaucrats was a first step to making changes to the onerous regulations foisted on the farmers of the Eastern Shore.

More recently, Governor Hogan announced amended regulations which seem less burdensome and acceptable.

As perhaps expected, the state’s largest newspaper is presuming to tell the agriculture community what is best for them, chastising the Governor for not going far enough in his proposed changes to the PMT rules.

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Both Maryland’s new Governor and the voters of Maryland have great expectations of this year’s general assembly. Will the Hogan administration and the heavily Democratic legislature be able to get along and work for those things that all Marylanders wish to accomplish? Can divided government work in the “Old Line State”?

These questions are on the minds of Maryland voters who obviously voted for change, fiscal restraint and reduced regulations during the 2014 gubernatorial campaign. These voters still have great expectations as the General Assembly is now gearing up for serious debates and votes on many important issues. The may be well over three thousand bills introduced in the 2015 General Assembly.

Larry Hogan, the new Republican Governor, has made it clear for the initial campaign day to inauguration day, that taxes must be cut, state expenses brought under control, and an improved business atmosphere developed. Considering the legacy of the O’Malley administration, these large tasks to undertake. From the Eastern Shore, through Baltimore City, central Maryland and western Maryland, there are vital issues to be decided by this year’s legislature.

The Eastern Shore is seriously concerned about the chicken manure issue. Many Marylanders are not happy with the “rain Tax” Baltimore City has concerns about continued funding for education and transportation. In western Maryland, the fracking issue has economic implications for that part of the state. Most all of the major issues in Annapolis have an economic impact and an already fiscally challenged state. As on the national level, Republicans will have their work cut out for them work cut out for them in finding ways to instill fiscal discipline and at the same time create new, adequately paying jobs.

It appears increasingly obvious that the issue of terrorism and the attacks on Islamic terrorists are certainly on citizen’s minds  and may, shortly, replace and economics as the foremost concern of Americans. We have seen this recently with the hacking of TV station WBOC, in Salisbury. Islamic terrorists messages were left. It appears the computer systems of Maryland state agencies have also been compromised. Many components of private individual’s personal data, belonging to Maryland citizens are involved here. Perhaps the legislature, this year, will have to look at technology and cyberspace issues. Not a pleasant thought, but certainly pertinent. It appears that no area of the nation is exempt from the terrorism menace.

It appears that the initial recommendations made by Governor Hogan, in his initial budget, would make several structural changes, with lasting implications. This austerity budget addresses several of the primary campaign promises made by Governor Hogan, in his bid for the state’s highest office.

Of particular interest to the Eastern Shore is the $11 million reduction in the budget of the Maryland Agriculture and Resource Corporation. This agency assists farmers get financing to enter and remain in the agricultural business. This cut, acting as a cap for financing this entity would remain in effect until 2024. Using the concept of capping spending is a mechanism utilized by the new Governor throughout the presentation of next year’s budget that begins July 1st.

The constitution of the state of Maryland requires a balanced budget. Hogan’s approach to the budget is a different one than that of his predecessor. The type of budget Hogan is presenting with its capping recommendations and long range effects will certainly receive close examination by the General Assembly. Advocacy groups and lobbyists will again abound in Annapolis.

Great expectations, by the Governor, and the citizens of Maryland. Let the legislative games begin.

Round Christmas, all is usually quiet around the nation’s capital and our State capitol, Annapolis. Decorations of the season abound, and shoppers scurry about as they have for generations.

Turning to the Nation’s capitol, Washington is always beautiful in initiating the wonders of the winter. With Congress gone, it is even cooler in Washington, D.C., with no hot air emanating from Capitol Hill.

Perhaps this is our time of climate change. Certainly, the new, 114th Congress will no dearth of important issues to address. The XL pipeline, tax reform, immigration, the attempt by the President to open relations’ between the U.S. and Cuba, hacking of U.S. corporations’ by foreign entities, the ongoing unrest between the Ukraine and Russia, the weak economies plaguing European countries to name a few. Additionally, the Russian economy appears to be struggling due in part to the U.S

The recent assassination of two New York City police officers casts a pall over that city and indeed the nation this Christmas. This type of lawlessness cannot be condoned for any reason, period. Our democracy is under attack when these sort of heinous crimes are committed anywhere in America. There is no logic for such actions and no justification.

Race relations in this country are certainly not perfect. The justice system is also not perfect. However, the rule of law must prevail as it is the centerpiece of the fabric of the nation.

This situation is certainly one which has become prevalent this year, round Christmas. Let’s hope that the New Year will bring
calm and reason to a festering situation which ended in tragedy and sadness.

This Christmas finds the world with several pockets of chaos and turmoil. Let’s hope that world leaders will find agreement and improved communications, worldwide.

Round Christmas, let’s stop the demonization of the police throughout the nation. They represent the thin line between anarchy and democracy. Any organization is not perfect. However, without the authorities and our criminal justice system, this nation would not have survived throughout the
generations.

Round Christmas, many organizations and their volunteers demonstrate the best in America. Organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, Toys for Tots and others serve millions of American citizens in many ways and diverse places.

These traditions and demonstrations of selfless service trump any demonstrations of unrest and disaffection. America is a better nation than often reported or discussed in the mass media. Round Christmas, random acts of kindness, neighborly efforts and community festivities light up America.

Happy Holidays.

Voices are spoken. Important voices. Voices such as the president of the United States, the governor of Missouri, the mayor of Ferguson, religious leaders and community leaders. These voices are often neither heard nor heeded by joyriding teens, professional agitators, and criminals looting local business establishments. What must the civilized world think of the United States?

The United States has always stood for the rule of law and the right of free speech. The right of free speech without vandalism, looting, and total disrespect for law enforcement. The right of assembly and free speech does not include the burning of and destruction of private and public property. In America, it never has, and we hope it never will.

As frustrating as the unfolding scene in Ferguson was, the intensity, method, and lack of professionalism on the part of the news media was indeed significantly flawed. When do reporters become biased commentators? When do entire networks, both left and right leaning, have a right to totally distort a news story into a circus? That is not good journalism; it is a travesty.

The American jurisprudence system may not be perfect; however, deriving its basic concepts from English law, and refining the precepts over centuries, it has become the envy of the world, and one which emerging nations seek to emulate.

In The Common Law, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. wrote, “The first requirement of a sound body of law is, that it should correspond with the actual feelings and demands of the community, whether right or wrong.”

Neither race, religion, ethnicity nor sexual persuasion can be allowed to determine legally what is right or wrong in the eyes of the law. Any such deviation serves only to help destroy our democracy.

The determination of the grand jury in Ferguson was a legal decision by community citizens, based on a preponderance of the evidence, sworn testimony, and solid forensic evidence. Whether we agree or disagree with their conclusion, the inappropriate actions of some should not be tolerated.

While there can be legitimate debate about the decision, there cannot and must not be destruction, violence, mayhem, and lawlessness resulting from the grand jury decision in Ferguson or any other place in United States. This is not who we are as a nation.

The destruction of local businesses, especially before the holiday shopping season, causes unnecessary economic pain, the loss of jobs, and the task of trying to rebuild businesses and lives. Those who loot and destroy should be made to help rebuild.

Demonstrations and protests in other distant parts of America should not be tied to a local incident that had nothing to do with jobs, wages, and work hours. These incidents again portray an America in dislocation and disarray.

The current dislocation in the United States includes domestic issues, national security issues, military strength issues, and foreign policy. In this country voices of reason, voices of conciliation, voices of authority, and voices of the future need to be heard and not fall on the ears of a dislocated minority. These voices should no longer be futile voices.

Yes, Virginia, there is still a Santa Claus. And, yes, folks, there truly are still reasonable Republicans. In an important way, the recent off-year election demonstrates this fact. The centrist Republican learned lessons from the 2010 elections where several very right wing candidates won primary elections, but went on to lose the general election. This included candidates who were really unacceptable to the U.S. Senate, such as the candidate who said she engaged in occult rituals and believed in witches. This year the Republicans picked well-qualified, reasonable candidates to represent the party. These candidates ran on realistic policies that resonated with voters around the nation.

Republicans gained elected officials at all levels, including local, state, and national. This “wave election” was indeed a change in the voting patterns of citizens throughout America.
Years ago, Maryland did elect reasonable Republicans such as Rogers C. B. Morton, Charles “Mac” Mathias, Marjorie Holt, John Glen Beall, James Glen Beall, Helen Delich Bentley, Connie Morella, and Larry Hogan, Sr. These reasonable Republicans with diverse views understood that there was room for them under the “big tent” of the Republican party. That tent still exists, though perhaps somewhat changed in philosophy and composition.

The basic tenets of the Republican Party remain smaller government, reasonable taxes, an adequately prepared military of appropriate size, a realistic and strong foreign policy, civil rights and opportunity for all Americans, and the basic freedoms enumerated by our forefathers in the Constitution. It was President Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, who said, “The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do for themselves in their separate and individual capacities.” This understanding of political reality still is reflected in the philosophy and policies of the Republican Party.

Change has eventually come to the two national parties as time and generations pass. The Democratic Party’s base has shifted as demographics, world events, and issues, real and politically manufactured, have changed. This past election will give rise to schisms in the Democratic Party as it decides its direction regarding the left and centrist components of the party. These changes will certainly affect the battle to become the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in 2016. One of these Democrats many have been “anointed,” but has not yet been nominated.

When observing current national politics, there are many factors to consider. Even in elections prior to the election of George W. Bush, foreign threats such as Isis, the civil war in Syria, the rise of China, and the Ebola threat were not yet issues of international significance. In addition, the domestic issues of a slowly improving economy, legal immigration, Ukraine and eastern Europe, quality education, the need to improve our transportation infrastructure, becoming totally energy independent, and national security must be addressed by the incoming 116th Congress. The interaction between the current administration and that new Congress will be interesting and perhaps problematic.

America has become a diverse and complicated nation. The new Congress and the next president will be faced with equally diverse issues and complicated matters domestically as well as internationally. Not especially a new challenge for our national government, but more complicated and unsettling, like the Cold War with its years of threats and concerns was.

Let’s hope that reasonable Republicans and reasonable Democrats can actually find “common ground” to get about the people’s business by actually solving problems.

The United States again needs to be a “shining city on a hill,” the strong and recognized leader of the free world, the defender of freedom and human rights, the military and economic power of which no other nation can belittle, underestimate, nor destroy.

The 2014 off-year elections produced more than expected victories for the Republican Party.

Both at the national and state levels, Republicans experienced gains that have not been seen since the 1920’s. Control of the United States Senate was perhaps, the most significant result of the election. As projected, Republicans gained seats in the House of Representatives. One of the surprise results of November 4 was the winning of the governorship of Maryland by Larry Hogan

Hogan’s message resonated with Maryland voters who obviously did not want another season of taxing and spending in Annapolis. The low turnout of voters, while helpful to Hogan, was disappointing. Hogan will have his hands full dealing with a significant majority Democratic legislature; however, all members of the Maryland legislature will be up for election in four years. Let’s hope they remember the message the majority of Maryland voters sent to Annapolis this year.

At the national level, Republicans will have working majorities in both houses of Congress. This should pave the way for more action on important issues in the Senate with the new majority leader and Republican control of Senate Committees. Perhaps even the logjam of legislation, created by former majority leader, Harry Reid, will be dealt with. Perhaps the Senate will return to being a more deliberative, legislative body. The Republicans were not the party of “No” when the outgoing majority leader would not call up House passed bills for a Senate floor vote. Change is coming, beginning January third.

At present, there is much “happy talk” regarding bipartisan and cooperation in Washington. This attitude may not last very long, especially since the 2016 presidential campaign has now begun in earnest. One might wager that the 2016 candidates will come from the ranks of current and past state governors. Hillary Clinton was really hurt with the recent national election. As with the governor’s race in Maryland, being tied to the current administration is not always the best credential when running for elective office.

The new Republican Congress will seek to deal with such issues as the Keystone XL pipeline, immigration reform, tax reform, improving the economy, the Ebola response, the sudden rise of ISIS and other priority issues of importance to the American people.

Former President Ronald Reagan said, “ I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandants would have looked like if Moses had run them through Congress. ”Perhaps the effectiveness and productiveness of the Congress will improve when the new Congress convenes in January. Their stature and reputation have nowhere to go but up. Perhaps the new Republican Congress will make serious efforts to stop and roll back many of the onerous regulations impeding industries and especially small businesses throughout the United States. Their efforts would be most helpful to the still fitful national economy. Governor-elect Hogan will have the same challenge in Maryland, where overzealous regulations and high taxes have been seriously hurting businesses and citizens. Many have voted “with their feet” and left Maryland. Come January, our government will change significantly at the state and national levels. It will be up to the American electorate to watch the progress of these governmental entities to see if promises are kept, changes made, regulations rolled back, and the future interests of the American people addressed in a cooperative and bipartisan manner. After all, that is what the voters this year said in a loud and clear voice.

If ISIS, the mess in Iraq, and the problems in the Ukraine are not enough, the relatively new crisis with the advent and spread of Ebola, serves to make complex crisis even more complex and frustrating. It adds to the existing anxiety of the American people.

Like several other national events, the Ebola situation appears to have been handled with errors, miscommunications and confusion by several agencies of the national government. This is a public health problem which all governmental components need to get right.

In many ways, with the Ebola mess, common sense seems to have taken a holiday. Common sense seems to dictate that the United States establish a travel ban period for air travel arriving d from the three West African nations from which the majority of Ebola cases come. Such a temporary ban of ninety days to six months would allow the African nations the opportunity to more effectively deal with the crisis in their midst and the United States to handle any cases present and continue to implement protocols and procedures. Certainly, cargo planes can continue to serve the needs of the affected countries on the African continent.

Here in the United States there are several measures that can be implemented to deal with this public health situation. Since perception is any important part of dealing with such an issue as Ebola, it would be most appropriate to have a Surgeon General to act as the face of the federal government and the definitive spokesman in this matter. At present, there is no Surgeon General for the United States.

As with the so called coalition to deal with ISIS, where is the international community in the battle against Ebola? Yes, the United States, as in many issues, needs to take effective leadership in such as issue as Ebola. The U.S. has the expertise resources and trained personnel needed to help stop this very deadly virus in its tracks. Where is the international community?

One of the basic functions of government along with defense and security is that of assuring the public health of the nation. The United States, above all, must protect the health, safety and well being of all Americans. Indeed, it can be argued that there is a constitutional responsibility so to do. The Ebola threat is not the fault of either the Republican or Democratic parties. It is an American problem. How this crisis is managed by the President and the Congress is indeed a matter for public scrutiny and concern. The appointment of an “Ebola Czar”, a political Washington operative, with no public health experience is disappointing.

Up to now there has been too much tumult in the matter of Ebola. The government and the press have a responsibility to provide accurate information, facts and appropriate assurances. The press, with their 24/7  news cycle has particular responsibility to simply report accurate facts, not to editorialize in news pieces and assist the public health officials in informing the American public of the status of the progress being made in the serious Ebola battle.

We are the United States of America; we have the capacity to lead and be a key player in the fight against Ebola. The record of history should reflect that not one American citizen was lost to Ebola. Seize the day, Mr. President. Ebola has no time constraints.