Make A Run For The Border

Politics are exhausting. I live in Northern Virginia where every other ad is for the November 2nd Gubernatorial election between Glenn Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe. Meanwhile, all of the other ads are for various sports betting websites and apps. Anyway, this post isn't about any elections or the debt ceiling or any other Congressional legislation. It's about sore losers. Specifically, those politicians who think all of their problems will go away if they change states.

You may remember in early 2020 when Jerry Falwell Jr. wanted parts of Virginia to secede and become part of West Virginia. By the way, it's so nice that we don't hear from Falwell Jr. anymore. He really is/was the worst. Now, it's Maryland's turn. 

A handful of Republican lawmakers from western Maryland are plotting a run for the border, and want to drag their counties along with them.

I'd like to congratulate Pamela Wood and Bryn Stole of The Baltimore Sun for not including a Taco Bell reference in this or the next sentence. I definitely would have!

The secessionist cadre -  a group of five state legislators from Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties - sent a pair of letters to top West Virginia officials asking whether they might annex their westernmost piece of the panhandle and make Mountain Maryland a permanent part of the Mountain State.

The article continues by stating that this isn't going to happen, and that the legislators want attention and resources for their side of the state. I mean sure Garrett and Allegany counties have populations of 28,806 and 68,106 respectively, so why shouldn't they have equal representation and funding than Baltimore? (Washington County is bigger with over 147,000 people, but it's a strange county geographically. You have the area that borders Virginia and West Virginia at Harpers Ferry plus Hagerstown, and then it goes all the way up to the Pennsylvania border. I'm now completely fascinated with Washington County and want to learn more about its history. There can't be many counties that border three separate states. I'm getting way off track.)

So my guess is that these legislators feel like they're more simpatico with the politics of West Virginia. We'll ignore the fact that Maryland has had a Republican governor since 2015, but maybe Larry Hogan isn't conservative enough for them. While I'm not trying to denigrate West Virginia which is absolutely beautiful and I'll always have a soft spot for Morgantown, according US News & World Report, West Virginia ranks #47 in health care, #45 in education, #48 in economy, and #50 in infrastructure. (Maryland is #6, #14, #35, and #38 in these categories.) Try telling your constituents that we don't agree with Annapolis, so we're going somewhere with worse health care, infrastructure, education, and economy. Oh, but gun laws are better in West Virginia. That's quite a selling point!

Look, if you're elected to serve your constituents, serve your constituents. Yes, you're the minority in the state legislature, so you might need to negotiate and compromise with the majority to get things done. Actually, shouldn't your own county commissions and boards be doing more here? By the way, if these politicians feel like their communities are being neglected by Maryland, why would West Virginia share their resources with you? Unless of course they are getting some really sweet discounts at the Hagerstown outlets!

Random Thoughts

I have a lot to write about, so don't mind me while I'm all over the place.

- Based on my drive to New Jersey this weekend, I declare Maryland to be the new Delaware. It took me two hours and 15 minutes to get from Arlington, VA to the tunnel in Baltimore on Friday afternoon and there was Maryland traffic on Sunday. No traffic on either day in Delaware. Plus, gas is more expensive at the Maryland House rest stop than its counterparts in Delaware and New Jersey.

- Two comments about the Steelers game and this is nothing new from what you have already read elsewhere. First, the offensive line, um, struggled. Second, I still question why Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t kick a field goal late in the fourth quarter when the Steelers needed two scores. I was yelling at the TV even before Phil Simms did. Tomlin’s reason from Monday’s Post-Gazette:

"Absolutely not," Tomlin replied. "We did not move the ball consistently enough to say that had we kicked the field goal and got the onside kick that we could get down there again. We were down there, we were going to take our shots.

"Under the circumstances, based on what happened to that point, no way we're kicking a field goal down there."

This makes no sense to me. The reason you kick the field goal is because the team couldn’t move the ball consistently. If the Steelers got a first down on the fourth-and-10, then what? Kick the field goal and if you get lucky enough with an onside kick, maybe you get lucky throwing a Hail Mary.

- In positive football news Pitt defeated Iowa, and Ithaca College is now 3-0 after a 69-42 victory over Hartwick. No that score is not a typo. IC running back Thomas Bergerstock ran for 268 yards and five touchdowns. WR Noah Koreman of Hartwick had 16 catches for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Both players should be picked up in all Division 3 fantasy football leagues immediately.

- I know that the Penguins preseason has started but I’m not ready to think about the NHL yet. Give me two weeks.

- Did you know that the first Presidential debate between McCain and Obama is on Friday? I’m not ready for that either.

- Something I am ready for: another David Blaine stunt. Although this may not come across in text, the last sentence is called sarcasm.

- It’s nice having Heroes, Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother back.