Great-aunt Crabby Speaks Out
By Sharon Dorsey

On Uncle Tim, with whom she is most pleased.

If you want to be cynically numerical, a majority of Americans are women; a plurality of Americans are white. Now, we have one of each, and that can’t be bad, right?
But, in real world terms, save for about the 30% of the populace devoted to weird, most voters are totes pro-normal. and (D)s have hit the exacta.
Our ticket is perfectly balanced with bright, engaged and optimistic candidates, whose life experiences reflect the American experience in ways that Trump and JD – or whatever he calls himself these days – never can. Both are sixtyish, exactly next gen from the current (R) front runner. Neither inherited $400m from their old man, then went on to piss it away and subsequently tank a series of other businesses. Both have been in public service vs grift for profit throughout their careers. Neither of them regard their country as a ‘third world shithole’, spouting apocalyptic doom while kissing the ass of their tyrant benefactors. Kamala prosecuted child abusers; Tim taught social studies and coached football. Whose America do you visualize?
It is inconceivable to me that any citizen, particularly someone young facing a future, would choose to embrace the dystopian hellscape depicted by the (R)s. Y’all have one of the most normal, relatable and forward-thinking tickets I’ve seen in my lifetime. Do what it takes to right the ship of state and make America JOYOUS again

Religious Freedom means Separation of Church and State

Wherein your great-aunt Crabby weighs in on faith and the Founders…
Back in the day, in order to preserve domestic tranquility, there were several topics which were not to be raised in polite society, among them politics, religion and what you paid for your stuff. Also, we used to pray that no one had a Polaroid (Google it) handy when we were being our worst selves. 

Times having changed, no topic is verboten and folks even record their own jackass moves, then post them for global consumption…go figure…

Still, I have no clue where any of you fall on the spiritual spectrum, from disengaged to devout, nor is it any of my business- or the government’s, which is why some recent political trends are so horrifying.

The MAGA movement (dare I say cult?) has hoovered up all manner of denominations: fundamentalists, evangelicals, Dominionist Catholics (now we’re talking at least half of the Supreme Court) and their common thread is a fervent desire to redefine America as an autocratic theocracy. 

Hopefully, by now y’all have heard that the migrants who came to the (already inhabited) shores of our continent were fleeing such an arrangement. Indeed, our founding documents took special care to note that their newly-created democracy would neither prescribe nor prohibit religious beliefs, thus establishing a permanent separation of church and state. The 18th century version of ‘you do you’.

We currently have a major Presidential candidate, perhaps the least virtuous or ‘godly’ in our nation’s history, who is cynically exploiting true believers, courting their votes and taking their money. At a recent rally, he added a new slogan to his snake-oil show…
“Make America Pray Again”.
That’s not how any of this works; that’s not how America works. 
Voting third party or ‘noping out’ will not protect us from this existential threat to our heritage of freedom. You have the right to your own faith. Vote to defend it.

Stand up for Reproductive Freedom

Your great-aunt Crabby’s position has evolved on many issues over the decades. Alas,
this is not one of them. The segment of the population capable of bearing & birthing
children (a majority, btw, since 1946!) must have the freedom to choose if and when
they do. Period (pun intended). Full stop.
For those of us now in our ‘golden years’ (really??), this ain’t our first rodeo. Indeed,
many of us are possibly here because our own mothers did not have that choice.
Mercifully, with the advent of the pill and SCOTUS decision in Roe v. Wade, our
generation was afforded the opportunity to determine our own futures. That has made
an enormous difference, not only in our own lives, but in American society as a whole.
We want nothing less for you.
Make no mistake about it – the Dobbs decision is just an appetizer. You’ve seen how
rapidly states have run amok, not just setting a time limit on abortions, but banning them
outright and threatening everyone from your Ob/Gyn doctor to you and your Uber driver
with incarceration. Next up on the agenda, the ‘morning after pill’, birth control in
general, and even in-vitro fertilization, which exposes the true motive behind this
madness.
On one hand, they’re forcing you to give birth against your will; on the other, they’re
preventing you from conceiving when you choose. No, it doesn’t make sense, unless…
the whole point of this exercise is to rob all women of their agency and autonomy.
This shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but it is. In order to even begin to fight back, it will
take Democrats (yeah, REAL ones) up and down the ticket, from Biden/Harris right
through state and local races. Only with a significant majority in Congress, state
legislatures and – importantly- all levels of the elected judiciary can we even hope to
avoid the dystopian future Republicans have planned for YOUR futures. Please vote
soberly, wisely and in your own self-interest. We’ve been there, done that and have your
backs.

Religious Freedom means Separation of Church and State
Wherein your great-aunt Crabby weighs in on faith and the Founders…
Back in the day, in order to preserve domestic tranquility, there were several topics
which were not to be raised in polite society, among them politics, religion and what you
paid for your stuff. Also, we used to pray that no one had a Polaroid (Google it) handy
when we were being our worst selves. 
Times having changed, no topic is verboten and folks even record their own jackass
moves, then post them for global consumption…go figure…

Still, I have no clue where any of you fall on the spiritual spectrum, from disengaged to
devout, nor is it any of my business- or the government’s, which is why some recent
political trends are so horrifying.
The MAGA movement (dare I say cult?) has hoovered up all manner of denominations:
fundamentalists, evangelicals, Dominionist Catholics (now we’re talking at least half of
the Supreme Court) and their common thread is a fervent desire to redefine America as
an autocratic theocracy. 
Hopefully, by now y’all have heard that the migrants who came to the (already
inhabited) shores of our continent were fleeing such an arrangement. Indeed, our
founding documents took special care to note that their newly-created democracy would
neither prescribe nor prohibit religious beliefs, thus establishing a permanent separation
of church and state. The 18th century version of ‘you do you’.
We currently have a major Presidential candidate, perhaps the least virtuous or ‘godly’
in our nation’s history, who is cynically exploiting true believers, courting their votes and
taking their money. At a recent rally, he added a new slogan to his snake-oil show…
“Make America Pray Again”.
That’s not how any of this works; that’s not how America works. 
Voting third party or ‘noping out’ will not protect us from this existential threat to our
heritage of freedom. You have the right to your own faith. Vote to defend it.

Student Protests
Your great-aunt Crabby’s head is about to explode. Just had my carotids checked, so
it’s likely not a stroke – probably just the news, which is so familiar, it’s painful. Will not
weigh in with my take on international current affairs, as that is not the point. What you
must know is that, at your age, I witnessed this scenario firsthand. It ended with more
years of war and Richard Nixon as the booby prize.
I moved into my first Baltimore apartment the day Martin Luther King was shot and the
city descended into chaos. Shortly thereafter, the father of today’s third-party antihero
was murdered during his presidential primary campaign. Campuses across the nation
had erupted into bedlam, and college administrators didn’t have a clue how to deal with
the situation. Sound familiar? But wait…
 There were two main differences.
First, the protesting students were primarily on the same side, against the
Vietnam War,  the establishment, and ‘the Man’ in general.
 Secondly, most of them couldn’t vote. [Not until after I’d turned 21 did 18 year
olds gain the right to vote (and drink) in MD, and I’ll confess to being rather
pissed about both.]
Nonetheless, their tuition-paying parents could, which brought us Tricky Dick and an
extension of our far-East war…not to mention, the first President in modern times who

committed indictable offenses in office and dodged the bullet when his successor,
Gerald Ford, pardoned him. The 1968 election deal was essentially sealed when the
Democratic Convention, held that year in Chicago (ahem…), was overshadowed by the
confrontations between protesters and police out in the streets. Here’s where a heads-
up is in order.
Young people lawfully expressing their views on pressing issues are to be lauded.
However, cynical opportunists will inevitably infiltrate their ranks, in order to lay the
DISorder at the feet of the (D)s, blame Joe Biden for the unrest, and usher in our new
theocratic autocracy under the aegis of narcissistic sociopath, Donald Trump. It worked
in 1968 and the playbook is the same today, with the added threat of a manic (and well-
armed) cult in service to the Orange Menace.
In your own self-interest, vote blue, no matter who, up and down the ballot. We can sort
out the other issues when the country is in safe, sane hands.

…on your summer assignments.
Okay, young people. Time’s a-wastin’ and things are getting cray. The zillionaires are
locking in their permanent tax breaks and the “Drill, Baby, Drill!” fossil fuel fanboys are
buying themselves sweet relief from commonsense climate change regulations. The
party of ‘small-government conservatives’ wants to monitor & track women’s fertility.
Think Biden can’t keep Bibi in check? Israel’s far-right ruling class names new illegal
settlements after Donald Trump. If you’re disappointed with the status quo, you’ll be
gobsmacked by what lies ahead…and it’s no secret, if you’ll only pay attention.
Yeah, it’s summer, and far be it from me to harsh your vibe. What I’m asking of you will
take, perhaps, a week -total – and will change the trajectory of our nation’s future…
FOREVER. Have broken it down into how much time is involved for each project:
*Coupla days of internet research – Bone up on “Project 2025”, the manifesto whereby
the right openly outlines their plans for America’s future and, trust me, it’s grim. At nearly
900 pages, the document as found on Heritage Foundation’s site is TL:DR but, starting
with Wikipedia & Google, you can get the gist of what they have in mind for us. None of
this, btw, comes from the addled brain of Donald Trump, who is, perhaps, the most
profoundly ignorant American to ever occupy the White House. These plans for a
dystopian hellscape come from the ‘think tank’ brigade, who’ve been honing their plans
to rewrite what defines our nation since long before Reagan. It’s horrifying & very real.
*Weekend beach read – If non-fiction is your thing, Rachel Maddow’s “Prequel” takes
you back to the last time fascists and their friends made a run at democracy. If you
prefer a novel, “It Can’t Happen Here” (Sinclair Lewis, 1935) feels as though you’re
perusing the news from the past eight years. It’s a gripping and prescient read.
*Stormy night Netflix & Chill- This one will blow you away. “A Face in the Crowd”(1957)
features Andy Griffith (yes, Opie’s Dad!) as a very familiar media star who finds he has
a particular gift for fleecing the rubes, and decides to run with it. Entire cast is
remarkable and the tale couldn’t be more timely. If only the MAGAts would watch it…

*Just take one day – to formulate your plan to vote (D) for every opening on the ballot,
and convince the more rational among your social circle to do likewise. 
See? I’m not asking much. A week out of your months’ long vacation could change the
tide of the rest of this century. We are, indeed, the change we are looking for.
Have fun, stay safe and don’t forget the sunscreen. ❤️Your great-aunt Crabby
Title???
…although it’s summer, and you were promised there would be no math.
Let’s look at the US Congress by the numbers.
Each state gets House representation based on its population. Each state
also gets two Senators, regardless of its population. IOW, when you look at
the Senate with precisely 100 votes on any issue, the votes of Senators
Barrasso & Lummis (Rs-WY) and Butler & Padilla (Ds-CA) each have equal
weight in determining the laws that will effect all of us. Thing is, John and
Cynthia represent 584,000 constituents, whereas Laphonza and Alex carry
the load for 39 million constituents. Thus, when the makeup of the Senate
gets tipped to the (R) side, their will can prevail over that of the populace. 
Add to this inequity the ‘one weird trick’ the Senate has employed for years,
known as the ‘filibuster’ (google at Pew Research) and it’s no surprise nothing
gets done.
With the retirement this year of veteran MD (D) Ben Cardin, our state has a
rare open seat in the Senate. The numbers, currently, are a bit precarious.
There are 47 actual (D)s, four ‘Independents’ who usually caucus with them,
and 49 hard-core (R)s. If a vote should end up 50-50, incumbent VP/Pres. of
the Senate Kamala Harris is, so far, the tie-breaker. In November, this is all up
for grabs.
(D)s were early to the party, tapping an accomplished, talented, qualified
nominee in the person of Anglela Alsobrooks; it appears that (R)s may be
fronting Larry Hogan, whose claim to fame was his stint as MD’s Governor
during the COVID crisis. Back then, in the ‘before days’, he was highly critical
of then-President (now convicted felon),
Donald Trump. Today, despite the trash talk between them, Trump
ENDORSED Hogan.
Know why? Because, as profoundly ignorant of history, law, business, and
God knows, the Bible, Trump might be, the man can count. To Implement
Project 2025 and the Christofascist vision he has for our nation, he’ll need a
majority in both houses of Congress. A vote for Hogan will make that happen.
Great-aunt Crabby goes back a long way, but cannot recall when MD voters
played a more important role in national politics. Double-check your voter
registration. Chat up your family and friends on the issues that will impact our
future. Above all, VOTE BLUE!

Republicans Need to Remember History

By Sharon Dorsey

It is nearly incomprehensible to me that today’s Republican party could not only overlook, but actually support, the insidious influence Russia’s current top dog, Putin, is having on our electorate, yet self-identify as the “America First” crowd.

Clearly, they do not remember history!

I’m an old…not quite Trump/Biden old, but close. As we all know, it’s our parents who scold, but our grands who teach us through their gentle (if sometimes repetitive) life lessons, based on experiences permanently embedded in their psyches.

Take, for example, the plaintive wail of air raid sirens that directed us under our desks or into windowless hallways to duck and cover against the possible onslaught of nuclear warheads sent by our global rival, Russia – then known as the USSR. I mean, they weren’t just talking smack. They – and we – were still exploding H-bombs above and below ground to “test” and display our capabilities. Their top dog back in the day, Nikita Khrushchev, had gone to the United Nations, pounded his (literal) shoe on the podium, and declared, “We will bury you!”. Shortly thereafter, he moved Russian nuclear weapons into Cuba (with the full acquiescence of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro) just 90 miles off the coast of Key West. This, of course, could not stand, but it’s hard to describe my existential dread when, as a HS sophomore, I sat with Mom and watched JFK (yeah, the real one) address the nation and tell Nikita the missiles must go-or else!
Mercifully, Kennedy’s steadfastness won the day, but that night only reinforced the nuclear holocaust nightmares I’d had since fourth grade which, oddly, linger to this day.

When I was a kid, the Russians were rolling into Hungary & Czechoslovakia; in your teens, they’re pulling the same stunt in Ukraine. The times may have changed, but their goals have not. What has changed is that one of our nation’s major parties is, for reasons I cannot fathom, sleeping with the enemy. Keep that in mind when choosing your path forward as an active responsible citizen.

Funding for the Blueprint

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is clearly not an unfunded mandate. It is fully funded through
2026 and there is a commitment from the state to fund it for all 10 years.
Commissioner Eric Fiori (Dist. 3), in the January 12th article, Commissioners look to challenges in
’23, said while discussing the Blueprint:
“We don’t have a number yet, but it’ll be a substantial burden on the budget … As a more rural
county that funds our schools significantly on the backs of our local taxpayers and state
dollars, it’s a large concern and a one-size-fits-all package…”
If you “don’t have a number yet,” how can you possibly claim that it will be a “burden?”
According to the administration, in the current year (FY23), Worcester is already receiving
approximately $2.5 million in Blueprint related funding. Included in this total is $936,033 to support the
all day pre-k programs, $779,493 in Concentration of Poverty grants and $360,077 to help support
costs related to providing services to our Special Education students. We will in all likelihood receive
at least that amount for the upcoming budget.
The annual funding requirement for local counties is the same as it always has been: meeting
Maintenance of Effort. This is a statute written to ensure that counties don’t balance their budgets or
keep taxes low by cutting education spending. MOE is mandated by the state and is part of
existing education funding law. 
Counties are required to maintain a minimum annual appropriation to the Local Education Agency
(school system) budget that is the greater of either
1) the local share of the foundation program or
2) the per pupil amount provided in the previous year.
Most counties including Worcester, have historically contributed funds in excess of their required
foundation amount. If we do need additional money to meet maintenance of effort, we could easily
raise this money by increasing our local tax rate (the lowest in the state). Local officials set the rates,
which range between 2.25% and 3.20% for the current tax year. Wicomico County, a poorer county
has a rate of 3.2% while Worcester County’s rate is only 2.25%.
The State’s role in funding education is to make sure that every child in Maryland receives a quality
education regardless of their zip code. Since counties use property taxes to fund the local share,
they have very different abilities to fund their schools. The wealth of a county should not determine
the quality of each child’s education. Therefore, the percentage of state and local funding varies
dependent on the amount of property taxes a jurisdiction can raise. Worcester County has one of the
highest property values in the state and thus can raise a significantly higher amount of dollars.
We hope our Commissioners will take the time to understand both the promised funding and the goal
of The Blueprint before they make broad statements against it. This is clearly not an unfunded
mandate but a continued partnership between the state and the counties to create world class
schools for every Maryland student.

Joan Roache, Team Leader
Strong Schools Worcester County