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Snow or No, Bay Weekly’s a Go

Dear Bay Weekly:

Congratulations on getting Bay Weekly out this week. And to think [husband] Charlie had doubts.

Movies, Yes!

Dear Bay Weekly:

My answer to the “Editor’s Note” question [Movie reviews, Jan. 28]:

Yes. I use the Bay Weekly movie review feature and show time listing (for Bow Tie Cinemas) every week. This is one of the main reasons that I pick-up your publication. Thanks.

–Jane E. via email

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A Dozen Pretty Good Revenue Options

Dear Bay Weekly:

Wile Gov. Martin O’Malley regales the General Assembly with Education Week’s rating Maryland schools best in the nation, some in the General Assembly want to lose the accolade by letting state colleges raise tuition, county councils deadletter Maintenance of Effort — the granite under school funding; and State School Superintendent Nancy Grasmick persecute teachers instead of bad parents (for a pot of federal cash).

We should ask our senators and representative to raise revenue in other ways, too:

1. Decriminalize and tax marijuana. It blights too many young lives with a drug charge.

2. Allow more speed cameras at intersections as a boon to revenue-starved counties. Too many Marylanders drive like bats out of hell. Too many are also tailgaters.

3. Give less state aid to counties with low piggyback income tax rates, below .0290 percent.

4. Pass a Fat and Salt Tax, a hefty levy on unhealthy fast foods. Let ’em eat salads.

5. Raise the Tobacco Tax a dollar a pack. Great Depression II is a great time to quit.

6. Raise the Beer Tax (not raised since the 1970s) and the Hard Booze Tax (not raised since the 1950s). Students are more important than political liquor buddies.

7. Pass the Tanning Tax, a hefty levy paid by the fools who want to die of skin cancer.

8. Pass the Guzzler Tax, a hefty levy on new vehicles that don’t get at least 20mpg.

9. Pass the Diamond Tax. We can at least tax if not ban this bloody business in Africa.

10. Pass the Foreclosure Tax, a hefty levy paid by banks when taking away people’s homes.

11. Pass the Minimum Corporate Income Tax and a higher one of firms mean to their employees.

12. Tax campaign contributions to Maryland politicians by U.S. corporations at 25 percent; by foreign corporations at 50 percent; and by friendly foreign governments at 75 percent. Send, untaxed, contributions by unfriendly governments straight to the Republican National Committee.

Legislators, read a little history, maybe about coffee being controversial in the 18th century German states: Some of the princes banned it; others allowed it; the smart ones taxed it.

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