The Politics Hour
Montgomery County looks to end its feud with public employees. D.C. lawmakers bicker over raising taxes on wealthy residents. And Virginia's attorney general argues in court against the new federal health care law. Join us for our weekly review of the politics, policies, and personalities of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Guests
Resident Analyst; NBC 4 reporter; and Columnist for the Current Newspapers
Political Correspondent, Maryland Public Television
President, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994, Municipal and County Government Employees Organization
Communications and Policy Associate, D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute
Related Links
Politics Hour Extra
The Kojo Nnamdi Show (http://88-5.us/l4HdIu): D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute Communications and Policy Associate Elissa Silverman talks about the results of a poll her organization commissioned among District residents which found that the large majority of respondents (70%) said they preferred maintaining services rather than holding down taxes. Silverman invited listeners to view the poll questions and results for themselves on the DCFPI website:
"There's a conscientious strategy being implemented by right-wing zealots in this country to weaken public sector unions," said Gino Renne, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994. Renne disagrees with a Montgomery County judge's ruling last week stipulating that a County Executive is not required to support a budget even if that budget was the result of a collective bargaining agreement and approved by a labor arbitrator. Renne says he believes the judge's decision was flawed:
Comments
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# Montgomery County
I was so surpised to hear the county employees who were willing to see taxes increase. The county often makes Forbes/Fortune lists as one of the top 10 most heavily taxes counties in the US. As a county tax payer, I am shocked at the level of services (heardly what I would call quality...we cannot even provide useful tornado warnings in the county unless you are wired into an iPhone.) I have friends who work in the county and the stories they tell me of waste and abuse is alarming. Yes, the health care benefits are remarkably generous...certainly more generous than anything I encountered in the private sector. But the level of excessive management, for one, and the level of waste is mindboggling. just look at the amount of administrators and Council Members... do we really need that much overhead? There are a great many things that could be done to make the county more efficient, but i RARELY hear these issues brought forward. Mr. Leggett ("can I have one more photo op on the web site") was not even opposed in the last election. I am no Republican, but would welcome candidates from other parties to shake up the "people's republic of Montgomery County". Our taxes are already excessive (don't forget the many additional fees the county adds to any service you use.) and am amazed that more county citizens are not voicing this same level of dissatisfaction.