In Fallston, Route 152 divides two legislative districts. On the northern side of 152 where the Roni Chenowith Activity Center and Fallston Middle and High Schools are located, the residents of Fallston are represented by District 35A in the Maryland General Assembly. The south side of Route 152 is represented by District 7 up until Pleasantville Road.
I have often said that it is an act of God and the fact that He does show mercy on us that I live on the District 35A side of Route 152. The legislative team of Senator Barry Glassman and Delegates Wayne Norman and Donna Stifler do not pull any public antics of the variety concocted by the District 7 delegation that have been worthy of my comment in the past, but I consider it one of the more reasonable Republican representations when you look at the bigger picture of GOP representation.
And yet, for some reason, even though I live in District 35A, I still find that I get updates in my mailbox from District 7 Delegate Kathy Szeliga. Therefore, between those letters and her updates on the Dagger, I get the scoop on everything she is doing in Annapolis.
Or rather, what she is trying to make sure she’s not doing.
On her list of things she has tried to fend off, she touts trying to stop male teachers from wearing dresses in a classroom by expressing what concern it may have for the students in said classroom. Of course, if male teachers start wearing dresses to school, that would mean that students would start talking about their teachers behind their back and starting humors. Oh, heaven forbid! While we’re on the subject, I am curious as to why Delegate Szeliga is silent on the idea of women wearing jeans. Isn’t that some form of gender confusion that can only be addressed by Delegate Szeliga?
Delegate Szeliga expresses a sigh of relief that as a supporter of “traditional marriage,” the same-sex union measure did not pass in the General Assembly this year. So as a supporter of traditional marriage, Delegate Szeliga is in essence saying that she is favor of a form of marriage that has a 50-50 chance at ending in a nasty divorce. Leave it to Delegate Szeliga to make sure that in a world where the deck is often stacked against love and happiness that two people who happen to be of the same gender who share a love for one another are as miserable in this world as Delegate Szeliga presumably is with herself.
Instead of touting her accomplishments in what she has done as most elected officials are typically cast as doing, Delegate Szeliga is instead saying that she has accomplished much during her first session in Annapolis by saying she is not only making sure certain legislation does not pass, but mentioning that she is getting nothing done.
You would think that because Kathy Szeliga did not appear on the Team Ehrlich 2010 slate with J.B. Jennings for State Senate and Rick Impallaria and Pat McDonough for House of Delegates that Delegate Szeliga would be more, you know, reasonable than the rest of the District 7 delegation.
Boy was I wrong!
It turns out that as State Delegate, Kathy Szeliga makes me yearn for the days when District 7 was represented by now-Congressman Andy “I Want My Government-Run Health Care To Kick In Immediately Even Though I Want To Gut Medicare For Seniors As Well As Health Benefits For Everyone But Myself And My Wealthy Contributors” Harris.
Delegate Szeliga may be busy will all of the legislation she is trying to make sure does not get passed, but at least she still finds time to pose for pictures with a Dr. Seuss character and posts it in the March 5 Dagger article “Del. Szeliga: ‘A Dime A Drink’ Tax Would Impose Increases of 569% for Liquor, 640% for Wine & 1,189% for Beer.”
Do you see the anthropomorphic mischief-maker in that picture? She’s the one posing next to the Cat in the Hat?
Now Tom, you might be asking yourself, while I do find your commentary and send-ups of op-ed pieces that you submit insightful and brilliantly funny (Oh stop. I’m blushing), can’t you think of anything nice to say about Delegate Szeliga? What has she ever done to you?
I’m glad you asked. Now, don’t interrupt me again.
During the process of campaigning for the Board of Education’s District B seat this past summer, I had a couple of occasions to meet and converse with Kathy Szeliga. One particular occasion stands out in my mind. In the process of campaigning with another General Assembly candidate in Abingdon, I met Kathy Szeliga and we started talking about our respective campaigns. It was actually a nice conversation and I found Kathy Szeliga to be a very pleasant person. She asked for my campaign literature which I obliged and handed over. Upon getting a peek at a bumper sticker on my truck for then-Congressman Frank Kratovil, one of the more independent Democratic members of Congress who voted against three versions of what conservative activists love to call with some sense of dread “Obamacare,” Kathy Szeliga returned my literature and said, “Sorry. If you’re supporting Frank, then I can’t support you.”
Ah, I see. I was supporting at least one (as I said before, an independent) candidate on the Democratic ticket, so I couldn’t even be bothered to have my piece of literature read and my views examined and my campaign even acknowledged. I found Kathy Szeliga made a very bizarre assumption considering that as a Non-Partisan candidate, I appeared with her on the Republican primary ballot in seven different precincts and I have gone the bipartisan route in the past by supporting and voting for Joanne Parrott, Wayne Gilchrest, Joe Woods and Derek Hopkins, all of whom ran on the Republican ticket.
I do have to give Delegate Szeliga credit for some things. I want to offer my praise because I have in the past been in the interesting position of having been accused of being a partisan, a leftie, a communist and the scum of the earth, often by the same people who accuse me of being a hate monger and a name caller.
It’s nice to recognize that my critics have no sense of irony.
In all due fairness to one of the newest members of the Harford County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly, Delegate Szeliga did mention in her April 2011 letter “… that I passed my first bill during my freshman year. This new law will ensure that hot air balloon businesses are exempted from amusement taxes.
A constituent brought this to my attention. Under federal law, hot air balloon businesses should not be subjected to state head/amusement taxes. However, Up Up
Away Balloons in Baldwin had to fight this tax for many years. HB 499’s passage ensures that this cottage industry will not have to spend time in tax court anymore. This bill was signed into law April 12, 2011.”
In her defense, it is admirable that as a State Delegate Kathy Szeliga took up a cause and found an inconsistency between state and federal law and rectified it.
On a more satirical note, though, it is interesting that her first legislative accomplishment is the result of one thing full of hot air coming to the defense of another.
I also have to say that while she did make a point of posting a photo on the Dagger of her PR moment with the Cat in the Hat, she didn’t make a PR nightmare by posing with a public television children’s character from, for example, Sesame Street. Sesame Street is firmly entrenched in my mind as a show that may very well lose funding if her political party gets its way in Congress on defunding the Public Broadcasting System. Looking at a picture of Delegate Szeliga with a children’s character from PBS would be like looking at a wedding portrait of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. However, if we want to have an accurate comparison, Henry VIII would already be holding the axe in his hand.
In conclusion, with all due fairness to you, Delegate Szeliga, you are taking the time to update me on what you have (not) been up to in the Maryland General Assembly. Thank you, Kathy, for giving me enough material with which I can work.
Your most satirically ardent admirer,
Tom Myers
Your admission to voting for Republicans should certainly disqualify you from your newly elected position as president of the Young Democrats in Harford County.
Why? At least he is honest about it. What you do in the voting booth is your own business.
I look at Tom’s Republican votes as a few moments of sanity and clarity in a life filled with confusion and clouded thoughts.
There is no rule against voting for Republicans in the bylaws. Also, I don’t think anyone in our membership would have a problem with these Republicans Tom has named, in fact many of us have probably voted for the same folks.
If there is only a Republican on the ticket, I will choose to cast a vote or abstain depending if I like them, since those are my only choices. Barry Glassman and Derek Hopkins? Yes. Nice guys.
Sarah,
As President of the Harford County Young Republicans, I am glad that Tom Hopkins is as forgettable to you, as he was to the majority of Harford County voters who elected Derek Hopkins Register of Wills in Harford County.
Isn’t it sac-religious for party leaders (Democrat or Republican) to publicly acknowledge they voted anything but the party ticket or that they parrot anything but the party line? I’ll bet his fellow Democrats are frowning on this admission and are rethinking his fitness for party leadership. They may not do it in public but I’ll bet Mr. Myers will be taken to the woodshed over this one.
Something tells me the three other members of the Harford County Young Democrats won’t care about Tom’s votes.
I heard they just go to the meetings for the rice krispie treats that Tom’s mom serves during the opening proceedings.
As a member of the Harford County Young Democrats, I can assure you that there are no rice krispie treats, although I certainly would not mind some.
Wait…was that supposed to be an insult?
Hey Sarah, that’s a real shame about the rice krispie treats. Does Tom at least bring you guys some slurpees?
How does a reputable group such as the HCYD come to elect Tom Myers as leader? Was it his impressive work ethic and resume (employment history: 7-11…and nothing else)? The fact that he appears to be a family man (still living at home at age 30)? His hairline?
Sorry for the interrogation, it’s just that I’m thinking about joining, and I’d like some background information on the group. Thank you.
Tom, you sure must have had a lot of free time this weekend.If we could collect the energy you used in your rant against Kathy and use it to produce electricity we could do away with Marty O’M’s fanciful idea of hundreds of windmills 15 miles out in the ocean off of Ocean City.
So you dislike the idea of windmills in the Atlantic, yet I am quite certain you would not take issue with drilling for oil out there. (Oh wait, I forget. Republicans love oil, Democrats love windmills. Never mind)
Tom is right we need to promote wind energy no matter the costs. People must pay more for green energy so we can save the planet even if it hurts a bit. These geezer oligarch republicans who love fossil fuels must be stopped.
We can subsidize the poor so they can afford green energy and tax the wealthiest among us to achieve this important goal.
Bravo Tom!
Superprogressive, I recently reviewed the local donation records of a few of our local charitable organizations that help fund the less fortunate in our community. I didn’t see your name, nor any other hate spewing democrats names listed as donating even a few measley dollars. What’s up with that? The vast majority of folks who love to help others in need were republicans. I guess you and your fellow democrats were/are too tapped out due to lending your money to Obama’s losing 2012 re-election campaign. Geez, what a billion bucks would do to help the less fortunate in our neck of the woods. Oh well, I guess that doesn’t count.
The reason we have government is to tax the rich and give to the needy.
Read the Constitution SuperProgressive and you’ll understand why our government exists. Soon, very soon, you and your ilk will have milked the taxpayers dry. What will you do then? Who’s money will you take? The very rich will be long gone to another country. It’s just us working class suckers that have no choice but to keep working and paying. But, we may wake up one day and decide enough is enough and quit. Maybe you can support all of us.
As we dismantle the rich elite corporatist structure we can usher in a new fair, simple and green society, where everyone will have what they need no matter their financial or social status.
We are already winning battles and the war. We have President Obama, we have health care, we will get universal health care soon and a version of cap and trade. We are connecting the dots and the fat cats are afraid.
M O’M would actually gain a little credibility if he would mention, along with the ‘greenness’ factor, how much the cost of producing energy will increase by using his beloved windmills.
Speaking of Democrats loving windmills, google Ted Kennedy, windmills, and Nantucket to see yet another example of liberal hypocrisy – they’re fine for everyone else, but never in my backyard (or waterview)!
Just goes to show you that Tom Myers doesn’t have a clue. Oh and a Board of Educ. candidate should at the least know how to use spell check and have the grammar of at least a 9th grader!
Before you lecture me on spell check, WOW, take a stab at spelling out the entire word “education.” I’ll even give you a free pass if you miss it once.
Bravo Tom! Another long winded, humorless, self serving article in the record books.
Is anyone else starting to think that Tom has a bit of a crush on Delegate Szeliga? Because I am.
Bravo Fatty! Another long winded, humorless, self serving comment in the record books.
Is anyone else starting to think that Fatty has a bit of a crush on Tom Myers? Because I am.
Fatty, did you like how Tom seemed shocked that Kathy blew him off? Most women find any excuse to stop talking to him, I’m not sure why he was so surprised.
Tom, you didn’t tell her any of your jokes, did you? That almost always gets people to leave abruptly.
I do!
I’ll tell you exactly what happened. Tom approached the delegate expecting her to recognize him as a viable candidate for the office he was running for. He expected her to treat him as an equal. Rub elbows as it were.
Instead, she recognized him for the failure that he is. Decided that being seen with this 7-11 clerk would damage her campaign (and she was right) and as politely as possible backed away from him.
Now that Toms little fantasy has been ruptured and he’s lost the election he lashes out at someone who actually won hers.
As is typical with whiney liberals, they abhor success unless it’s their own.
Satire takes an amazing amount of talent.
Tom Meyers is not a satirist. He’s a line-towing, brain washed democrat.
K, in a submission published last year, I criticized a two-time Democratic presidential candidate and a one-time Democratic vice-presidential candidate. In another submission, I made a quip about a former Democratic governor of the state of Maryland. Contradict much?
Let me know when you see some, Tired.
@Phil Dirt – Did you want satire or talent, or both?
All I know is that we got neither in this article.
@Phil Dirt – I think Tom Meyers articles and posts are progressively getting dumber…
A liberal is somebody who would give you the shirt off of…somebody’s else’s back.
OTTO SCHMIDLAP, K, SUPERPROGRESSIVE – My issue with the right is they think all the problems are caused by the left. My issue with the left is they think all the problems are caused by the right. Maybe you all should settle your differences the old fashioned way. We could make it a Pay per View event with all proceeds going to balance the budget and reduce the debt. Hey an entertaining alternative to painful cuts or painful taxes. I would pay to watch as long as there is hot wings and cold ones.