Found an iteresting stat this morning...

Baltimore City's high school graduation rate is the second lowest in the nation among the 50 largest school systems at 38.5 percent, while neighboring Baltimore County has the 3rd highest in the nation at 82%.

... and O'Malley is bold enough to claim that he will "fix" education if he's elected?

Governor, please don't talk tax increases; for, we in Montgomery County get only a small percentage back of the dollars we send to Annapolis.

BG, I found a relevant stat....

Nancy Grasmick has been State School Superintendant for +15 years at the same time Baltimore City high school graduation rate has remained the second lowest in the nation among the 50 largest school systems at 38.5 percent and middle schools around the state are showing signs of slipping, and she was the architect of the failed City-State Partnership....

and yet Ehrlich stands by her shocking record of failure (in return for her husband's campaign contributions) and claims that he can help her fix the schools.

It seems that if O'Malley is elected, Nancy's prompt removal will be a clear reform to our schools.

Ehrlich's next four years:

1) Move stuff out of state house
2) Clean out gutters
3) Coach kid's baseball team
4) Lots and lots of Sudoku

"Our nurses, lab technicians, our policemen and firemen need to be able to live in or near the communities where they work," Ehrlich said.

He stole that right from Doug Duncan...

It is time to retire Governor Ehrlich. ...his Democratic predecessor was the Smart Growth...Dumb Transit governor and Ehrlich wouldn't do anything substantive for mass transit other then talk. But on the balance if we elect another Republican look for futher degradation in MARC and other mass transit services. Ehrlich refuses to go after CSXT corporation for minimal standards track maintainence and train dispatching that really puts freight trains first...after all who cares about commuters to DC!

Ehrlich's last four years:

1) Move stuff into state house
2) play golf
3) play golf again
4) run for reelection

O'Malley told some voters that he wants to set up a hotline for people to call and find out what the price of gas "should be". How is he going to determine the appropriate price for gas?

If Grasmick has been Superintendant for 15+ years, then doesn't that mean that 11 years of her "failed" term have come under Democratic governors?

To those who want O'Malley to defeat Ehrlich.. Be careful of what you wish for.

You are correct, Bush-hatin' Repub...

Most of Grasmick's tenure of failure has been served under Democratic Governors. She was appointed during Schaefer's term and contiuned under Glendening. I wished those governor's had pushed for a change then. However, she now serves with Ehrlich's full endorsement and he even included her on his short list for Lt. Gov. No coincidence that Grasmick has suddenly become more critical about the City schools in the last few years as the O'Malley versus Ehrlich showdown became more likely.

Bottom line: Governors have come and gone, yet the schools continue to struggle; Mayors have come and gone, yet the schools continue to struggle; city school CEO and board members have been appointed, fired , and replaced, yet the schools struggle. The one constant is Nancy Grasmick who immediately blames the current CEO and school board for the school's performance. Huh???? Time for you to go, Nance.

Maryland's two U.S. Senators have been from Baltimore for the past twenty-five years. Why doesn't the Washington Post editorial Board realize it might be time (considering METRO funding for instance) for the Washington area to have a U.S. Senator?

Voter from BC-

If Grasmick's record is so awful then why is the graduation rate in neighboring Baltimore County so high?

Maybe the problem with inner city schools, isn't the schools at all. The problem with Baltimore City schools is the quality of life in general for Baltimore City kids. Which O'Malley is most certainly responsible for.

The streets end up schooling these kids where the city of Baltimore ranks second as the most dangerous city in America, fed by the rampant drug trade.

If you want to read a good article that underscores the failure of Democrats to bring change to the black community, check out Juan Williams' article in the Post today:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/20/AR2006082000527.html

The "vote for Democrats and we'll give you things" idea is played out and helps no one. Blacks need to be empowered, not given a crutch to walk with.

BG,

You can't cherry pick Grasmick's record and point only to where things are going well while ignoring those parts of her record where she has failed spectacularly. Garsmick was more than a mere bystander in the failure of the City-State Partnership....she was its leading proponent and salesperson when it was proposed in 1997. She also spearheaded the effort to bring Edison private educational firm to run several public schools...many of these same schools are now underperforming at considerably more cost to the taxpayer then had she not privatized them to begin with.

O'Malley is not responsible for the poor quality of life of Baltimore City school children, nor more than Ehrlich or Grasmick. Your statement shows your partisanship and your ignorance. But if Ehrlich is going to criticize O'Malley then he can't be allowed to ignore Grasmick's 15 years of failure.

Voter from BC-

So we can agree on one thing-that a poor quality of life exists in Baltimore City. Thanks for your agreement. Who is mayor of Baltimore City? Your pal, O'Malley.

As another poster stated, Ehrlich didn't appoint Grasmick and she obviously passed the Democrat's litmus test also during her tenure.

Fool from PG,

I agree that for some Baltimore City residents there is a poor quality of life. They have to go to schools that Nancy Grasmick has mismanaged for over 15 years...the last 4 with your buddy Ehrlich's complete support of her failures. O'Malley has suceeded in improving many neighborhood throguhout the city as well as improve school performance. He will do even more as your next governor. Once Nancy has been removed, there has to be improvement.

www.ifweelectike.com

Voter from BC-

Enough already, we know you hate the Democratically appointed Grasmick.

...But give the people of MD more credit than to think they'll autmatically subscribe to O'Malley's rhetoric. They also agree with you and your opinion that the quality of life in Baltimore is deplorable. If any Lefties out there in denial don't believe me, just go to the Inner Harbor-but careful where you park-you just may end up as a statistic.

O'Malley has nothing to offer and cannot attack Ehrlich on his record. I know this make you blue-faced over your double skim latte, doesn't it?

When will Ehrlich begin to attack O'Malley on his trust/fidelity problem, it seems like a pretty big issue and O'Malley's public denials about his infidelity(like at the press conference O'Malley himself called) only have added alot more smoke to the fire.

Why attack O'Malley on rumors when his record is absolutely horrendous? He's a walking disaster of a Mayor. Murder is sky-rocketing, city schools are in shambles, and frankly the best accomplishment he can give you is a city slogan (price tag: $1.5 million) "BELIEVE."

Ehrlich's providing a continued plan for success that builds upon his current successes: fixing budget deficit, providing record funding to schools, tougher sex offender laws, low unemployment, etc etc.