The Costs and Benefits of Real ID

The Department of Homeland Security establishes 18 separate benchmarks that need to be met in order to be compliant with the Real ID act.  To date, Maryland has met less than half of those benchmarks.    The state is now grappling with the issue of meeting the remaining benchmarks — including verification of legal immigration status — despite the expense of doing so.

And the expenses are significant.  First, the budgetary costs.  Are these in the budget? How much are they estimated to run?  DHS estimates the costs to average $78 per state — so you can assume it will cost Maryland at least $150 million.

There are also security costs.  Implementation of Real ID will surely lead to a loss of security.  Forming a national database that lists all the private information of license-holders, is like putting all your money in one box.  Sophisticated (and maybe not-so-sophisticated) hackers will have a ready-made avenue for identity theft.  In that respect, Real ID represents a tremendous security threat.  Identity theft is already a widespread problem, and Real ID would make it worse.

Then there are costs to physical safety:  Already, 30-50% of non-native applicants for Maryland drivers’ licenses are being rejected by the MVA, because of insufficient documentation of residence.  The General Assembly is currently considering, independent of Real ID, six separate bills to require proof of federal immigration status for drivers.   What will happen if Real ID is put into effect, and even more drivers are rejected?

It’s not likely that they will just quit their jobs and plop down on the couch at home.  Rather, it’s likely that they will just drive anyway.  This means that they become kind of a black market on the highway.  They will avoid police, maybe decline insurance, and become kind of an underground, below-the-radar fleet.  Unlicensed drivers mean it’s harder for police to track them down in the event of an accident, and it is harder to hold them accountable.  The overall effect is reduced highway safety.

And what are the benefits of implementing Real ID?  Maybe you could say that all the costs are worthwhile, if it reduces the threat of terrorism.  Right.   Somehow, I just can’t imagine Mohammed Atta calling up Osama bin Laden to report, “Uh, sorry chief, we have to scrap the whole operation because I couldn’t get driver’s license from the MVA.”

“Maybe We Can Build Our Own Racetrack”

Magna Entertainment, which owns the Maryland Jockey Club, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  The Jockey Club owns not only Laurel Race Track and Pimlico Race track, but also the rights to the Preakness itself.

If they go under, they will sell their assets, including the Preakness, which might then be moved out of state.  But Senate President Mike Miller won’t let that happen.

Once again, he’s floating the idea of the State building its own “super track” for racing in Baltimore.  He would have the state purchase the rights to the Preakness from Magna, and run the Preakness at the state-owned track.  He also said it might be necessary for the state of Maryland to skip over Pimlico, and build its own racetrack.

What’s the thinking here?  That the state can do a better job, and make money where Magna failed?  “Well, those people don’t know how to run a racetrack.  But Mike Miller surely does.”    More likely, the thought is that the business will still run in the red, but the taxpayers can pick up the slack.

Does this make sense to anybody? (As much as the US government placing itself as the guarantor of automotive warranties, I suppose.)

Miller, by the way,  has his office in the Mike Miller Senate Office Building — yes, it’s named after him.  I wonder how many State office buildings are named after living office holders — and how many of those are politicians who are still serving in office.  That has to be some kind of a record, outside of small Third World countries with imperious dictators.  Apparently, that’s not enough.

I think he’s envisioning the “Miller Preakness Stakes” at the “Mike Miller Race Track” now.  And Imperial Government continues to gain power.

Please Protect Us From Our Protectors

Unanimity scares me.  Matters that are agreed upon without dissent usually reflect (a) populist passion, (b) a lack of thoughtfulness, or (c) the blindingly obvious.  The state Senate recently passed a bill 43-0, and I’m glad to see it’s in category (c).   It’s pretty unusual, to say the least, to have a bill co-sponsored by Senators Alex Mooney and Jamie Raskin.

The bill requires any “law enforcement agency that maintains a SWAT team” (how many are there, for crying out loud?!) to report on activation and deployment of those teams to the Governor’s Office on Crime Control.   The reports are to include information on the number of arrests made, type of property seized, whether forcible entry was made, whether a SWAT team officer discharged a weapon, and whether a person or domestic animal was injured or killed in the raid.  That office, in turn, is to produce an annual analysis and summary of the use of SWAT teams in the state.

This, of course, is in response to the mistaken raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo last year.    As he described it,

“My government blew through my doors and killed my dogs.  They thought we were drug dealers, and we were treated as such. I don’t think they really ever considered that we weren’t.”
Calvo described a chaotic scene, in which he — wearing only underwear and socks — and his mother-in-law were handcuffed and interrogated for hours. They were surrounded by the dogs’ carcasses and pools of the dogs’ blood, Calvo said.

The raid, it turns out, was entirely a mistake.  I suppose it takes a politician or other celebrity to be victimized before action is taken.  In defense of the SWAT team, Sgt. Ellis of the Sheriff’s office countered,  “We’re not in the habit of going to homes and shooting peoples’ dogs,” Ellis said. “If we were, there would be a lot more dead dogs around the county.”

These kind of paramilitary raids are growing throughout the country, and they represent a fundamental attitude of “We’re the government, and you don’t matter.”   Here’s a link to a local movement to address the problem at Make Maryland Great.

And here’s a map to the website of Radley Balko at the Cato Institute, who documents the horrors nationwide.  This bill is a good start, but only a start.  The police need to be brought under control, with firm regulation– before more people (and pets) are needlessly killed.

Buy American clause for Montgomery

Councilman Marc Elrich is circulating a draft “Buy American” requirement for MoCO expenditures under the federal stimulus package.   The specifics are not public, but the analogous requirements suggested for the federal law indicated that “all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods” used in the project must have been produced in the U.S.

In other words, if any part of the materials used in roadbuilding, construction projects, or other stimulus spending came from Canada or overseas, the project would have to be put on hold until an American supplier was found.  Likely at higher cost (else what would be the point of using the supplies to begin with?).  So the end result of such a resolution would be to delay spending and increase the costs.

On the other hand, considering how politically connected vendors tend to be rewarded with these funds, and considering the damage to the economy from increasing the federal debt and paying for useless white elephant projects, maybe delaying the spending — indefinitely — might not be such a bad idea.  I think another rider should be considered:  All stimulus spending has to include some amount of goods or services from Jupiter.

I’m Sorry, But…

County Executive Ike Leggett yesterday announced his projected budget for fiscal year 2010 (which begins July 1).  This budget is a 2% increase over last year, which is relatively restrained.  Nevertheless, one has to ask: Why is it higher than last year at all?  If revenues are so low, why isn’t the County Executive proposing a budget that spends *less* than last year?

The press release notes that the budget provides no cost-of-living increases for those county employees who are fortunate enough to keep their jobs.  However, the budget projects that at least 234 employees will lose their jobs.

It’s never a good time to get laid off; this is a particularly lousy time for it.  But let’s be sure we understand why this is happening.  The county is facing a tremendous gap between what it spends and what revenues are coming in.  The shortfall will increase next year by another $250 million.

The reason for this is a continual pattern of profligate spending by the county government.  In each of the past ten years, the government budget has increased by nearly 7%. Over the past five years, the average increase has been closer to 7.2%.   (Okay, readers:  how many of you consistently increase your spending 6-8% every year?)

The County Council and Executive have had no brake on their spending.  No thought was given to fiscal restraint, concern for the taxpayers, or even the possibility that sky-high tax revenues might not continue forever.  The philosophy was: If you’ve got it, spend it.  And if you don’t got it, spend it anyway.  This is just the chickens coming home to roost.

Subsidizing the Horsey Set

The state has already spent nearly $700,000 to build the Woodstock Equestrian Center near Beallsville.

Now the county is planning to add more funds.  This coming Tuesday (March 10), the County Council will seek approval to add funding for the project.  The County Planning Board has requested a special appropriation of an additional $750,000 to pay for an outdoor riding ring, terraced seating, a storage area for jumps and maintenance equipment. A “special appropriation” means they can appropriate this with reduced oversight and procedure.  Why?  Because, as the funding request notes, “The County Council declares that this action is necessary to act without delay in the public interest.”

Whenever you hear someone citing “the public interest”, it’s time to reach for your wallet. What’s the “public interest” here? The county cites “recreational opportunities”.  Recreation — for whom?  We’re not talking about playground basketball here.  Riding horses is an expensive hobby, undertaken by folks with a lot of disposable income.   Those who benefit from the center should be paying for it – not the taxpayers. But this is a typical MoCo ploy;  taking money from taxpayers to subsidize the leisure of the rich. I note that some of the funding will come from a state “Community Parks and Playgrounds Grant.”  Somehow, I don’t think the intent of that grant was to provide a playground for wealthy horse owners.

The county justifies the expenditure thus: “A fully developed equestrian center expands the economic impact of the equestrian industry in both the State and County. The equestrian industry contributes in both direct and indirect ways to a majority of Montgomery County’s agricultural income.”   As many have noted, including this blog, we already subsidize the equestrian industry with millions of state dollars annually.  That’s wrong, and more money shouldn’t be taken from taxpayers to subsidize the industry, no matter how much political pull they have.

Extraterrestrial Panhandling

I hope the president’s budget will feature a hefty increase in appropriations for NASA.  Because pretty soon there’ll be no one left on this planet to borrow money from.

Trying to Help Small Business

Well, that’s what the county is calling it. I’d call it “easing the heavy hand of the county squashing business”, but, hey — we can quibble about names. The point is, it’s a good idea, and especially helpful in this sluggish economy.

County Executive Isiah Leggett is putting forth a program to reduce the burden that county government places on businesses. Among the good ideas:

• Delaying the implementation date for new legislation and regulations that impose “substantial economic impact” on businesses. These would be held off for a year and a half.

• Allowing a delay in paying impact taxes and permitting taxes, for up to a year.

• Allowing a delay in the expiration of certain building and construction permits.

Most promising is a commitment to examine the anticipated consequences of legislative and regulatory changes. These analyses – which are the norm for federal regulations — would assess the impacts both on the regulated entities and on the County government. That’s a really smart idea, which should be standard practice for all levels of government.

Carnival of Maryland — No. 52

The Carnival features a wide look around what bloggers in and about Maryland are writing.   The infamous Berwyn Heights raid, the Chesapeake Polar Bear Plunge, tuition freezes, and the usual stunning photos from the Ridger.

Cracking Down on the Vegetable Menace

Preadolescents in the area must be hoarse from cheering. It seems that MoCo health inspectors are raiding farmers’ markets, and shutting down vegetable vendors who are – gasp! – giving out samples.

“A whole tomato or cucumber is fine, we don’t regulate that or have fees associated with that,” said Clark Beil, a senior county administrator of licensure and regulatory services.

“But if they slice up those tomatoes and cucumbers and offer samples, that is different, now you’re food service and we have to treat you differently.”