Letters to the Editor -- Diplomacy, Baltimore County, John McCain

Mayor Dixon must be doing a terrible job if this is the drop out rate for Balto. students. Didn't O'Malley say how he improved the school system and didn't need any assistance from the State Government (except of course for money) and especially Governor Erhlich. Well, folks someone is lying (either Dixon or O'Malley) and I place my bet on O'Malley as the liar. His track records makes me want to bet on him. In any event, residents of Balto. City please keep voting Democrat .... you see what their efforts have done for the drop out rate. Oh, yes ..... I forgot, it is the Republican and Governor Erhlich's fault, right Mr. O'Malley?

"The very survival of our city as a functional entity is at stake."

Uh...too late.

"A Sun headline on Wednesday read "Oil chiefs take no blame on prices: Executives tell Congress big profits are in line with other industries" (April 2).
My reply to those executives is: Two wrongs don't make a right."

Ms Gronau...

Are you really that ignorant?

In a capitalistic society, profit is the driving motivation.

I don't know about you...perhaps you live in a cave, eat tree leaves, and walk 20 miles both ways in the snow to get to work. For the rest of us, oil, like it or not, is the life blood of our civilization. It heats our houses, fuels our transportation, and is a major ingredient for most everything.

Since you apparently haven't been able to overcome the disadvantages of your government education, let me simply point out that there's a huge difference between a profit margin and gross profit, as there is between gross profit and net profit. If somehow, there's an true intellectual curiosity within you, Google those terms and see if you can try to understand them.

Let me point out something further, Ms Gronau. Oil companies are publicly held businesses. Google that, then you might understand how profit flows back to shareholders, who are largely those of us who can't depend upon that failed liberal experiment called "Social Security."

You want to know something else? Google the word "fiduciary." The law requires these companies to make profit.

Do these executives make obscene salaries? From where you and I sit, probably. But the compensation is set by a board of directors who answer, curiously, to those same shareholders dependent on the company to make a profit.

Socialism doesn't work, Ms Gronau. Even China is deep into capitalism. Venezuela has oil to support their model, but even that will last only so long before the people revolt at the prospect of no food on the table.

Great article Douger, glad you know how to refer people to Google, must be a genius.

So you are saying that it is fine for Oil Co.s to be making record Profits of $40 Billion a year because they have a stronghold on America as a whole? There is no need for them to be charging the Citizens, yes that includes their shareholders, these absurd prices. I bet most shareholders, who do not vote on a CEOs salary, would prefer lower oil prices over a slightly higher ROI. In the long run even they are losing unless they own atleast say 1,000 shares.

But you are right, it is in the Constitution that these Co.'s can make whatever they can at the cost of society, so go big oil, make that money and overcharge the US citizens because we need what you got.

Marc Raim's letter is right on the mark. Seeing the potential of Baltimore's inner city youth going to waste is, pardon my understatement, JUST SIMPLY TRAGIC. I really wish all of us can work together to get to the root of the problem in order to make at least a more admirable attempt to solve it. The only observation I can make at this time is that most of the poverty-stricken African-American population is greatly lacking a stable family structure.

With most of the parents laready out of the equation, and the stdents now having to pass state mandated exams to graduate, don't look for the situation to improve, any time soon.

Besides, since when do you need a diploma to sell drugs?

"Great article Douger, glad you know how to refer people to Google, must be a genius."

We're talking liberals, Bill. In this format, I can't draw pictures, and there's a word count limit on posts.

There's another reason to refer people to Google, Bill. That's the diversity of available information. You'll find hate capitalism stuff that suits you and Ms. Granau, alongside the stuff that adults can understand.

"So you are saying that it is fine for Oil Co.s to be making record Profits of $40 Billion a year because they have a stronghold on America as a whole?"

Question, Bill, actually two...what is the oil companies profit MARGIN now, and how has it changed since oil was $12 a barrel? You do understand profit MARGIN, right Bill?

Another question, Bill...do you think oil is easier to find and process now, or when it was $12 a barrel?

One more question, Bill. I know I'm overheating you, but bear with me. Do you know anything about market forces, Bill?

I'm not fond of the price of a gallon of gas either, Bill. I think it rather sucks.

But I'm willing to let the market correct itself rather than the government.

You see, Bill...whenever the government meddles in markets, historically the result is not pretty.

One of the reasons for the price increase is that the environmental extremists keep on preventing new refineries and exploration for new sources of oil. If supply cannot keep up with demand you always have increased prices.

As a presidential candidate, Texas Gov. George W. Bush described himself as a "compassionate conservative," only to become a defender of torture.

I'm not sure what your definition of 'torture' is, but whatever Homeland Security is doing apparently works. The U.S. has NOT been attacked in 7.5 years. Let's see what happens IF Obama gets in and removes 'torture'.

As long as LIBERALS are running the public education system in this country we are going to continue to suffer these failure rates. Instead of subjects we will never use after "graduation" (and I use that term loosely), how about courses in the stock market, capitalism, mortgage rates, etc.? Things that would REALLY PREPARE US for LIFE in the greatest Capitalist country ever. Eh?

Dave wrote:

Mayor Dixon must be doing a terrible job if this is the drop out rate for Balto. students. Didn't O'Malley say how he improved the school system and didn't need any assistance from the State Government (except of course for money) and especially Governor Erhlich. Well, folks someone is lying (either Dixon or O'Malley) and I place my bet on O'Malley as the liar. His track records makes me want to bet on him. In any event, residents of Balto. City please keep voting Democrat .... you see what their efforts have done for the drop out rate. Oh, yes ..... I forgot, it is the Republican and Governor Erhlich's fault, right Mr. O'Malley?

I am most definitely NOT an O'Malley fan...so it pains me to defend him. For the last 11 years (ever since the City-State "partnership"), the City government has had very little to do with the school system. The school system is no longer a department within the City government...the rise and fall of the school system rests with the local Board.

SJR, it's ashame that Baltimore City has the largest amount of money per student of any school system in the state yet the has the smallest amount of money actually trickle down to their education vs. what's spent on North Ave. If the City-State "partnership" has little to do with their education then how do they consume so much of the budget?

I say disband the North Ave. bureaucracy and pass the monies down to the local schools and let the schools and parents of the students decide how to best spend the money.

To fix this problem once and for all Baltimore and the rest of the country need to look at the families of those who drop out. Not doing so is like treating an abcess tooth by gargling with salt water. It's topical in terms of applying this money and time and effort to a student in a school setting instead of going to the heart of the matter. If the parents at home insist on school attendence then it will be so. If it is a single parent family then the chances of success in school are comensuartely reduced. This is about the family unit and learning which begins at home.

I am frankly beside myself with contempt for a school system that has been approachin gthe problem like idiots for fear of upsetting Baltimore's hard core 'parents'. And in particular one sub culture embracing the thug life and rampaging anywhere they have a chance.

If fathers are at home then children will be in school as it has been for the last zillion years. Fix the families or fix the absentee fathers - which ever is easier. We can't have these black men getting away with sperm donation and then fleeing into the night never to be seen again. How this was ever tolerated by anyone or any group or party is beyond comprehension and is deeply evil and diabolical at it's root. I smell a Democratic 'program' with endless funding requirements and dropping graduation rates.

Vox is right. This isn't a statewide or national problem. This is a problem of large mostly easter n cities inhabitied by blacks. This issue is about black parenting (oxy moron- non sequitir?) and the lack there of.

This is about black failure and it needs to be pointed out again and again in order for it to stick. Not doing so and hand wringing just brings more failure.

So let's cast blame where it belongs and humiliate these 'parents' into making their children attend school. If they do not them jail these parents for a week or two and then see how many kids fail to show up!

This is great. We finally can say that the blacks refuse to sell out to the white man by getting an education. Simply arm everyone who drops out the minute they leave the school system. help them kill each other so i don't have to pay $120,000 a year to house them in an 8 by 10 cell. My comments are aimed at the stupid black adults who continue to foster the attitude that getting an education and working for a living id the wrong thing. trust me when i tell you that being stupid and a criminal is no way to go thru life.

SJR,
You are correct. However, O'Malley consistently ignored the failings of the city-state partnership and made no effort to end it despite the fact that he was in the position to do so especially now. O'Malley has made no effort to improve public education during his entire time in public office. He chooses to focus on crime instead. He has proven to be a colossal failure on the issues of crime and public safety for his entire time in public office including now.

The dropout rate is a symptom of the greater problem, just like trash, crime and violence are are symptoms of this problem.

It is shame that Maryland is wondering how do we fill all the jobs coming our way with qualified workers, while there are 1000's of people living in the city off of tax dollars and unemployed. The jobs are here if people just get the skills.

You give the child a choice. Do you want to stay in school to the end, or do you want to quit. You are 16 you decide.
I think that the state and federal leaders have to determine what an adult is. is it 16, 18, 21.
And the children who are dropping out, well where do they go from there? Get a job? GED? selling it on the streets? What? oh yes. On the DOLE! Where is the self respect and pride in a job well done, even if well done is passing with the minimum. finish the job in which you start school is the last best days of your young lives. Real life is not as glamourous as thye make it on tv and movies. Real life is Wal-mart and K-mart and sales with coupons and ground beef. REal life is clothes that were fresh 3 seasons ago,that still fit well,but are not the newest best.
Drops out mostly tend to get into trouble. But then again the children who reeally do not want to be in school make it uncomfortable and tough for those who really do want to be there.

I'm posting in reply to the trans-fat ban fiasco. The woman who wrote in is a lobbyist named Julie Greenstein who works for the Center for $cience in the Public Intere$t. She's about as much of a scientist as professor gadget and she doesn't seem to be much of a mathematician, either! I know who she is because the CSPI is known for smear campaigns against various members of the food and restaurant industry whom they see as an enemy. It's a hobby of mine to watchdog this organization who takes our civil liberties into their own hands. They tend to turn these matters into a pro-wrestling smack-talk style media frenzy by attacking the characters of those people who they disagree with. She made an awfully condescending little remark in her letter to the editor stating that "if the bakery has been using these recipes for generations then the bakery must have had a lab in the back because trans fats weren't used until after ww2." Alright Julie, grab a pen and paper. Maybe a calculator if need be. WW2 was over 60 years ago. 60 years encompasses several generations, so your attack on the characters of the bakery staff interviewed make you about as transparent as ghost paper. As far as the rest of the rest of the CSPI goes... Ever since their kind left the caves they've been nothing but trouble! Please don't buy what this woman is selling. It's worse for you than a cheese danish!

Oh, and one more thing that I might have left out...
"Happily, Baltimore's sensible law gives bakers such as Louis Sahlender and Sharon Hoehn Hooper a year and a half to rediscover the culinary traditions of their forebears.

Plenty of their colleagues in Baltimore bakeries never lost them in the first place."

Uhm... Yeah... What bakeries are you talking about that don't use trans fats? Names? Is it Ye Olde Flatbread Shoppe?

So what is it that you think pre ww2 american bakers used? tallow, lard and butter. Certain vegetable oils. You can't use tallow, butter, and oils for everything though. It just doesn't work. They had to use lard. Yes, lard. I'm sure the CSPI is just crazy about using lard, which has the same consistency as your argument.

Yeah. It's bad for you. So is driving with a cell phone, bungee jumping, television, unprotected sex, alcohol, rock n roll, jazz, rap, biting your nails, not wearing safety goggles when mowing the lawn, bb guns, motorcycles, will & grace, tanning, pork, etc. Thank you for bringing us just one step closer to a safer, better, more exciting world with infinate life choices.

Gonna have to agree with that last one. I've seen what happens when you bake with these substitutes. It just doesn't work.

I did a google search on CSPI and you're right. I'm just afraid that they might show up at Edelweiss on Harford Road in Jackboots and brown shirts...

... For our own good!