‘Vanishing’ Is Excellent
Editor:
I am an outsider but have been coming to Ocean City since the 1940s. Originally from Catonsville but moved to Jersey in the early 1950s. I kept coming to Ocean City in the 1960s, missed the 1970s but came back in 1980 to many changes.
I have many memories of Ocean City. To name a few — Coastal Highway as two lanes, the ferry to Assateague and many more.
The book Vanishing Ocean City brought back many memories of old downtown where I still stay and still ride the merry go round at Trimper’s. The book is an excellent history of Ocean City. Some of my memories are in the book.
For those of you are new to Ocean City, a little history goes a long way. If you are looking for a Christmas present, this is it. Hopefully, Mr. Mann will do another book, although it would be hard to top this one.
Richard Miller
Morristown, N.J.
Youth Survey Inappropriate
Editor:
I recently learned of the “Youth Tobacco and Risk Behavior Survey”, which is required to be given to all Maryland middle and high school students. The survey is administered through the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene pursuant to legislation passed in 2005 (Education Code 7-420). It is highly intrusive and asks incredibly inappropriate questions, especially considering that the students taking the survey can be as young as 11 years old.
The original purpose of the survey was mainly to find out if students were smoking and engaging in other risky behaviors such as not wearing bike helmets or seat belts, but it has expanded over time, and the following are some of the questions now being asked:
53. How old were you when you had sexual intercourse for the first time? Multiple choice answers include “8 years old or younger”, “9 years old or younger”, etc. Think about that. If an 8 or 9 year old has engaged in sexual intercourse, a crime has occurred. Since the survey is anonymous, how in the world will authorities deal with this? Are they going to assume the child is lying, or are they going to try to find out which child has been raped or are they just going to ignore it?
54. With how many people have you ever had sexual intercourse? Again, if an 11 or 12 year old has engaged in sexual intercourse even one time, there is something seriously wrong. This child is horribly at risk and the parents need to know about it. But, again, the survey is anonymous.
The questions regarding drug use are also alarming, and, in the opinion of some, awaken a curiosity that is better left alone. The survey can be found at http://phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/ohpetup/Documents/2014-Middle-School-YTRBS.pdf
I have spoken to many people and find that most parents are unaware of the survey because the law requires only “passive parental consent,” which means, if you don’t object, then your child will be required to take the it. And how are parents notified? An “opt-out” form (which does not include a copy of the survey) goes home with the child where it may sit in the bottom of a book bag for weeks. Or it may never leave the school at all. If the form is not returned, the child takes the survey, and the parents may never know that their 11, 12 or 13 year old was confronted with questions such as these.
There has to be a better way. The child should not be the messenger.
If you are concerned, as I am, please contact your Board of Education and attend meetings of the school board.
Carol Frazier
Berlin
Dinner Supporters Recognized
Editor:
I would like to thank the Ocean City Community for another great Thanksgiving dinner. This was the 35th free Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Ocean City Baptist Church (OCBC). Every year it amazes me how OCBC and the community come together to make this event possible.
This year we had 125 volunteers who helped serve over 600 meals to police, fire, business, and several who joined our family for dinner. All who attended enjoyed turkey and gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, sauerkraut, bread, pumpkin pie, apple pie, cookies, and cranberry sauce. This dinner has become a tradition for the Ocean City Community and I enjoy watching people get fed physically and spiritually.
I am very thankful to be the pastor of a caring and generous church that serves in a generous and loving community. Below is a list of several business who donated time, money, and supplies that made this event possible.
Thank you for being a part of God’s greater plan in this world.
Humphreys Foundation, Inc., St. Paul’s By The Sea Episcopal Church. Chef Paul DeHuarte and Ristorante Antipasti, D3Corp, Headlines, LLC, Centerplate at Roland Powell Convention Center, Ocean City Shark Tournament, Commander Hotel, BJ’s on the Water, Joan Jenkins Foundation, Taylor Bank, Crack of Dawn Bakery, Wonderland Day Care, Ocean City Elks Lodge #2645, Seaside Christian Academy and the Bank of Ocean City
Sean Davis
Ocean City
(The writer is the pastor of the Ocean City Baptist Church.)
Government, Public Goods
Editor:
The citizens, both voters and taxpayers, of Ocean City are often told that they will lose services if the government doesn’t collect: 1. plumbing fixture charges, 2. water bills, 3. city tax on cable service bills, 4. excessive property taxes [up 50% after inflation in the last ten years], 5. excessive parking meter fees, 6. room taxes, and 7. other licenses and fees (like energy code and noise ordinance requirements) that add to our cost of living. This raises the question of “what government actions are truly public goods?”
Only if a clear majority of the taxpayers and voters desire the service and accept the cost can any service be considered a “public good.” What should be considered public goods for our seaside resort are bridges, bulkheads, gutters, roads, storm drains, sewers, sidewalks, trash pickup, water lines and beach replenishment. The vast majority of taxpayers and voters agree that government should provide these goods, therefore they are public goods. However, when a minority of citizens determines that government should spend on a project then call it a public good or service, the tax expense becomes coercive theft against the majority. Madison warned about this in Federalist Paper No. 10. If scarce resources are taken from the majority by the political class to pander to a minority, the services are not truly public. These alleged public services should be reversed and money should be returned to the rightful owners, the citizens.
Actions have been taken by this Mayor and a series of Councils to fund; 1. boat ramps, 2. $5M purchase of Laws property (mayor’s friend) by city, 3. An airport, 4. A golf course, 5. a performing arts center, 6. $1 million in EMT payments to West Ocean City, 7. empty buses in the winter that cost $2.2 million, 8. over $6 million a year in advertising with no evident benefit, 9. Excessive year-round salaries for 3-5 months of business and 10. over 100 full-time police in the dead of winter.
All this while the city strains to pay in declining home values and vacancies. Are these really public goods? I don’t think so. When voters are asked if they want these services the answer may be yes. When voters are asked if they want to pay for these services, the answer is a resounding no. These services and others pander to minorities while foisting a great unwanted expense on the majority. These special interest projects cannot be viewed as true public services, for there never was a majority that consented to incurring their cost.
For the new council, OC Taxpayers for Social Justice suggest the following: 1. Transition over the next six months to one or two meetings a month instead of two a week. 2. Instruct the bureaucracy to limit reports to at most 10 pages as opposed to 150 pages or more twice a week. Save the staff hours and trees. 3. Stop spending on false “public” goods and deferring needed repairs on real public goods. 4, Reduce excessive salaries and expenses to address a three to five month high season, not a set of year-round tasks. 5. Make provisions to pay down debt. 6. Finally, sunset 10% of all ordinances every year.
The council has averaged 25 ordinances a year for 50 years and it doesn’t even keep track of what was passed six months ago. Guess what? Ocean City was fine 50 years ago. A reduction in senseless regulation would greatly reduce the work load on government and the costs borne by taxpayers. We need smart governance, not over-regulation.
The decline of over $40 dollars a barrel in gasoline will stimulate consumption over the next year or so. This gives us a brief window to get our house in order and reverse the decline in property values and residents by making the needed structural changes. We have a lot of work to do and a brief time to do it in. Please don’t blow this opportunity.
Tony Christ
Ocean City