Councilman Disingenuous Concerning Property Rights
The Councilman from District Snee frequently attempts to remind us about "protecting property rights." But one need not have a long memory to recall then-candidate Penman had nothing to say when it came to standing up to illegal and unconstitutional decrees from the governor. The "Sergeant" was AWOL when it was time to defend your right to work, worship, travel, gather, and assemble. The "Sergeant" was out campaigning while avoiding any discussion of the thousands of medical professionals in Maryland who lost their jobs due to their unwillingness to take part in a medical experiment.
Where was Mr. Penman when businesses were being destroyed by the heavy hand of government? He was out campaigning for candidates that had vowed to bring us more of the same, like Kelly Schulz. More mandates, more authoritarian ideas, and more failing policies.
Now the councilman seems to be trying to engage in tactics to distract the voters from his allegiance to the developers who bankrolled and managed his campaign for county council by talking about term limits, and with his continual attacks against the county executive. While Mr. Penman was caving to the left-wing HCPS Superintendent Sean Bulson, the county executive was trying to find money to save the seriously overburdened and crumbling ambulance system in Harford.
If one thinks this is mostly hyperbole, think again. Until recently, well-known developer attorney Joe Snee was prominently listed on Mr. Penman's campaign website as his campaign manager. Snee's name was only recently scrubbed from the site as the community learns of these connections in light of all the unchecked growth in Harford. Armed with this knowledge, many of Mr. Penman's constituents are experiencing a great deal of remorse as they foresee increases in taxes, traffic, and crime resulting from these poorly-planned developments.
Back to term limits... with all the important local issues of the day, if the biggest issue a candidate talks about is term limits- there probably aren't many other reasons to support them. We have term limits already- 2 years for congressmen, 6 years for US Senators, and 4 years for nearly everyone else. More important than term limits is learning who these candidates are BEFORE we elect them. Who is giving them money? Who works for them? What do they believe? What track record do they have of actually standing up for the things they claim to believe? If we don't do this, we will continue to have the same problems. We can't keep voting for people because we recognize their name, or because they have tractors on their signs, or they are handsome, or we attended the same school. We can't keep voting people into office who are selling out our rural charm just because they have cute sheep in their campaign literature and signs, or even because you go to church together. If they are ignorant of the constitution and do not understand that the purpose of government at its core is to protect your rights, then they are unfit for office, regardless of whether or not they are a "nice" person.
Yes, we believe in property rights- we just happen to believe property rights extend to EVERYONE who owns property... not just those who can afford to buy themselves a council critter or three.
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