Government

The Washington County Commissioners, Washington County Board of Education, and Hagerstown Mayor and Council will not meet Tuesday, June 28.

Herald-Mail columnist Allan Powell has devoted several recent op-eds to arguing for bigger, more activist government. He claims that limited government as envisioned by the Founders and advocated by many people today is “obsolete” and can't address the problems of the modern world. Powell's comments are sincere and thoughtful, and deserve reply. To answer him, we must understand limited government's core principles: what it values, what it considers the proper role of government and what it considers private.

The newspaper industry clashed with government Tuesday over a proposal to allow counties and municipalities to publish required legal notices on their own websites. Under state law, government bodies must take out newspaper advertisements to alert their communities of government hearings, annexations, tax rates, bids and similar proceedings. Government leaders say the requirement has become wasteful as more people turn to the Internet for information. But newspaper representatives argue that newspaper legal notices are effective and contribute to democracy.

The present popularity of the so-called Tea Party and other right-wing enthusiasts for a minimal government should be taken with a large portion of salt. They have the typical burst of power that erupts from new converts to a cause: brashness and certainty of rightness. One major article of faith is their belief that all government is to be feared. Certainly, there is ample evidence from history to warrant a studied control of government. But the advent of the mammoth aggregates of wealth and power inherent in the modern corporation makes it absolutely necessary to have the countervailing power of government to contain their potential for abuse.

In a recent speech, President Obama said that government creates jobs, not individuals.  He belittled the efforts of most business endeavors by saying, “If you've got a business - you didn't build that.  Somebody else made that happen.” The President added: “You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart.” Personally, I am more often struck by politicians who are...

Scheduled meetings this week of the Washington County Commissioners, Washington County Board of Education, and Hagerstown Mayor and Council:   WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Hager Hall Conference and Event Center 901 Dual Hwy., Hagerstown Tuesday, May 21, 7:30 a.m. Employee years of service award breakfast County Administration Building 100 W. Washington St., Hagerstown, Room 227 ...

In a democracy, the first rule of power is to know when not to use it. The sad results produced by leaders lacking this restraint are written far and wide across the yellowed pages of world history. That's why we are greatly disturbed by news stories out of Washington involving two of the most powerful agencies in government, the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department. The IRS has confessed to singling out conservative groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status.

Many of the best books and articles we read are those recommended by others. One such article was the amazing account of the Koch family, whose wealth is approaching that of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Because of their increasing support for very conservative political activists, the public would be wise to be informed about the reach of their gifts. The August 30 issue of The New Yorker provides an eye-opening story of how the very rich think and spend money to influence public opinion.

Political courage seems to be in short supply To the editor: I keep hearing politicians say the government is too big and I keep asking, “Compared to what?” Big and small are relative terms that require a frame of reference, but all I hear are slogans, not answers. It seems to me that the government may not be too big compared to the things we, the citizens, ask it to do. So it seems that we have two options; make the government more efficient in what it does so that it requires less resources to get the job done, or ask it to stop doing something that it is now doing.

Hagerstown residents are invited to give input on two local government channels as part of the city's process of reviewing the Antietam Cable television franchise. The franchise is reviewed periodically and the current review process allows city residents to give input on local government channels 25 and 99. A public meeting to explain the review process was held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall. The City of Hagerstown uses channel 25 to televise Hagerstown City Council meetings, a bulletin board and other programming, said Karen M. Giffin, the city's community affairs manager.