Commentary - baltimoresun.com

Obama has it right on birth control

By Rachel Marsden — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

I can't believe that I actually agree with something President Barack Obama has done. Granted, I'm one of those conservatives who has never subscribed to the full-meal-deal checklist, preferring to critically consider whether each of my positions is the most logical and sensible given the available information and my own values. Usually that process results in coming down on the "right" side of things. In this case, though, I somehow find myself in the odd position of agreeing with Mr. Obama and being rather miffed at his opponents.

County Council caving to paranoia

Dan Rodricks — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:57:00 GMT

Four members of the Baltimore County Council want to exempt public bathrooms from anti-discrimination measure

So wait: Are we going to have a genitalia check in Baltimore County before we get to use the restroom at McDonald's? Help me out, somebody. I might be confused — apparently, there's a lot of that going around these days — but I'm pretty sure I read these words in this very newspaper: "If your human anatomy is male, you should go to the [men's] room."

Health exchanges will benefit Maryland families

By Vincent DeMarco — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:13:00 GMT

Competitive insurance marketplace will drive down costs, improve quality

It's no wonder Maryland families are so hard pressed to find good, affordable health insurance — premiums have outpaced earnings, and the field of insurance options is confusing. Even if a family is fortunate enough to have coverage, it's hard to know if what you're paying for is going to be there for you when you need it. That's why our Health Care for All Coalition is so excited about Gov.Martin O'Malley's health care bill (SB 238). By setting up a competitive insurance marketplace for private health insurance, also known as an exchange, this bill will give Marylanders more choice, more control and more peace of mind about their health care.

Black history is American history

By Kaye Wise Whitehead — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:03:47 GMT

Instead of a special month for African-Americans, their stories and everyone else's should be told throughout the year

In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, through his organization, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (later renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History), founded and promoted Negro History Week. He selected February because Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays fell during this month. His desire was for Americans to recognize and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of black people. The response was overwhelming, as black schools, black churches and black and white community leaders around the country rallied behind this call and pushed Negro History Week to the forefront.

The sad spectacle of Obama's super PAC

By Robert B. Reich — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

How many billionaires does it take to buy a presidential election? We're about to find out. The 2012 campaign is likely to be a battle between one group of millionaires and billionaires supporting President Barack Obama and another group supporting his GOP rival.

Erosion of values, not economics, to blame for social dislocation

Marta H. Mossburg — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:02:33 GMT

Marta Mossburg says Charles Murray's theory can be seen at work in Maryland

The solution to every public education problem in Maryland always involves spending more money.

The right to birth control

By Max Romano — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:21:00 GMT

Access to contraception is basic to health care, Hopkins med students say

Each year in Maryland, approximately 75,000 women unintentionally become pregnant. Of those pregnancies, about 36,000 end in abortions and 8,000 end in miscarriages. Additionally, many unintended pregnancies lead to premature births, low birthweight babies and poor maternal health outcomes. Almost all of these unintended pregnancies are preventable with modern contraception, which should be readily available for every American.

An Obama-Santorum matchup would be good for the country

By Kyle Scott — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:15:00 GMT

Obama vs. Santorum is the only contest where real issues would be the focus

Mitt Romney was the inevitable nominee — until he wasn't.

Is the GOP already feeling buyer's remorse?

By Jules Witcover — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

It's not unusual in politics for a party to nominate in haste and repent in leisure. In 2008, many Republicans feared before the election that they had chosen a loser in John McCain, and in 2004 many Democrats felt the same about John Kerry. It's known as buyer's remorse, and in both these cases, the concern was borne out in the outcome.

A towering achievement in Charles Village

Dan Rodricks — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:25:00 GMT

After a decade of hard work on their love nest, Jill Eicher and Ron Tanner enjoy the view

Obviously, the suggestion of a castle is what Baltimore's climbing classes must have found appealing about the towers on Victorian houses — either the detached homes of outer-city neighborhoods and suburbs, or those, like the three-story brownstone Ron Tanner and Jill Eicher renovated, that sit at the power corners of long blocks of rowhouses in Charles Village.

Viola Davis goes natural

By Heather E. Harris — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:21:00 GMT

Photos of the Oscar-nominated actress with untreated hair challenge assumptions about beauty

Oscar nominee Viola Davis is featured on the cover of the February issue of the LA Times Magazine. While the article focuses on her work as an actor, mentor and soon-to-be producer, I think the real story is her hair — her natural hair. In a four-picture spread by photographer Ruvan Afanador, Ms. Davis' radiance is undeniable. With the exception of Whoopi Goldberg, this marks the first time, in recent memory, that an A-list, African-American, Oscar-nominated actress has dared to go "bare," so to speak. The beauty in this bareness is breathtaking, affirming and, might I add, courageous.

Summer jobs for foreigners crowd out Americans

By Jerry Kammer — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:55:00 GMT

State Department program, though well intentioned, is out of control

February may seem a little early to start thinking about summer jobs. But a "cultural exchange" program run by the State Department is already filling jobs in Ocean City and elsewhere — jobs that will not be available when American kids start looking for work.

The GOP race gets messy

By Jonah Goldberg — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:04:00 GMT

OK, I give up.

A first lady in fighting form

Susan Reimer — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Michelle Obama, with her televised push-ups and sack races, is like no presidential wife we've seen before

The first family is America's egalitarian version of royalty (if you are too young to remember the sprawling Kennedy clan), and thanks to our People magazine sensibilities, we know as much about their family life and fashion as the Brits do about Kate and William's.

Sound the retreat, coastal dwellers

By Tom Horton — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Rising tides suggest it's time to step back from the water's edge

Sea level around the Chesapeake Bay is rising. Larger-than-ever storm surges are a certainty. Land is sinking further. The time has come to plan an orderly human retreat from more development along the watershed's low-lying edges.

Turning research into jobs in Maryland

By Wallace Loh — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

UM President Wallace Loh says a modest investment will unlock the employment potential of the state's research universities

About three times each week, an enterprising researcher at theUniversity of Maryland, College Park, takes a step toward patenting an invention. Each year, that results in the creation of about five new high-tech firms, the kinds of businesses often credited with creating good jobs.

What's this obsession with transgender people and bathrooms?

Dan Rodricks — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

It sounds good, like something all of us would want to join: Maryland Citizens for a Responsible Government. But my perusal of the organization's website reveals little more than obsessive concern with transgender people being in society — and having to use, as all of us must at times, public restrooms. The organization suggests that transgender people are just a bunch of perverted, cross-dressing men who want access to women's bathrooms and locker rooms.

Gingrich: Inside look at a paradoxical politician

By Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Bob Ehrlich's take on his one-time colleague, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

One of my favorite activities this primary season is to read the seemingly endless analyses of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The profiles run the gamut from glowing to scathing; just about every Washington pundit has a strong opinion of "Mr. Speaker." Yet, most of the talking heads have not worked with the man or known him very well.

Food stamps are good for us

By Lisa Levenstein and Jennifer Mittelstadt — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Nutrition program helps recipients, helps retailers and boosts the economy, so what's the big deal?

The nation's food stamp program is an essential part of the American safety net. Why? Because people can't be productive — in school, at work or looking for work — if they are hungry and fearful about not having enough food to feed their families.

Hypocrisy and necessity

By Leonard Pitts Jr. — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

"One of the worries we have, obviously, in the next campaign is that there are so many of these so-called super PACs, these independent expenditures that are gonna be out there, there is gonna be just a lot of money floating around and I guarantee a bunch of it's gonna be negative." -- President Barack Obama, in an interview on Super Bowl Sunday.

Fudging the numbers on unemployment

By Cal Thomas — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The Obama administration is touting the latest unemployment numbers released last week by the U.S. Department of Labor as proof its policies are working. But a closer look at the actual number of able-bodied people who are willing to work, but are not, reveals a different picture.

Santorum: the new anti-Romney (for now)

By Jules Witcover — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The latest anybody in what could be called the Anybody But Romney Campaign is former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. However, his low-turnout victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri say more about the Republican coolness to the Massachusetts moderate yearning to be seen as conservative than about the latest anybody.

State needs wind energy to reach its goals

By James S. McGarry — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:00 GMT

Maryland is committed to getting 20% from renewable sources by 2022

Much of the attention paid to Gov.Martin O'Malley's second offshore wind proposal has centered around the cost of building and maintaining an offshore wind farm and its effect on ratepayers. That is a very important discussion, and the governor has his work cut out for him convincing Marylanders that his plan won't unduly increase their monthly electric bills. But it is only part of the story. Inaction on the plan would mean failure to follow through on the state's goal to meet 20 percent of electricity demand with renewable sources by 2022. The offshore wind proposal should be viewed within the context of Maryland's long-term energy growth plan.

Wind energy is clean, but wind energy systems are not

By Alex Pavlak — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:00 GMT

Unreliability of turbines means they must be backed up by polluting energy sources

Last year, Gov.Martin O'Malley proposed to build 500 megawatts of offshore wind. The debate centered around how much this would really cost, and the proposal died. This year, the proposal is to spend a fixed amount of money by capping the amount by which Maryland electric bills can increase. The state would be saying, essentially: Give us a billion dollars so we can build some offshore wind.

Insurance 'prior authorization' wastes time, money

By Gene Ransom — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:00 GMT

Small legislative change could have big effect on cost, quality of health care

At a time when physicians and policymakers alike are being asked to reduce health care costs without sacrificing quality care, it's crucial that we unleash the enormous potential for savings that could come from exciting new advances in health information technology.