Baltimore is said to have as many as 60,000 drug addicts. When are we ever going to cut off the supply of illegal drugs?

Baltimore is said to have as many as 60,000 drug addicts. When are we ever going to cut off the supply of illegal drugs?

60,000 drug addicts with a 600,000 person population. That's 10 of the entire population of the city addicted - not "tried it once" but actively addicted to drugs. Nice work Mr. Mayor.

It's about time that the African American community in Baltimore started giving the rest of the state a reality check about the lack of progress and failure under O'Malley's stewardship. Jill Carter is a true visionary not O'Malley.

10 percent seems ridiculous... anyone have a source?

The truth about Jill Carter is that she is a clown who wears a cheap wig and bad make-up. The woman should run for mayor so that we can finally hear her attempt to articulate solutions rather than her pathetic diatribes. Not happy with the City Schools, Jill? Then why were you silent when others were calling for the replacement of the failure that is Dr. Nancy Grasmick? Too many drug addicted, Jill? Where is your bill on increased drug treatment?

His name is Martin O'Malley. A Democrat, he's been mayor of Baltimore since 1999 but today he will be sworn in as governor of Maryland. In November, O'Malley became the only Democrat to beat an incumbent Republican governor. But he'll run for president someday. It's only a matter of time.
http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/2007/01/op-ed-if-you-havent-heard-of-this-guy.html

O'Malley can run for President if he wants someday. The reality, however, is that he's got no shot at all. He was too damaged by his terms as Baltimore mayor (7 police chiefs in 7 yrs.) Barack Obama and others (John Edwards) are the true rising stars of the Dem party, not O'Malley. He's condemned to a mediocre future in Maryland politics.

"If a Democrat becomes president in January 2009, O'Malley won't challenge the incumbent in 2012, but will wait until 2016. He's a young man and can bide his time."

Not sure what this blogger is talking about. O'Malley will be almost 55 years old in 2016, hardly a "young man." In fact, Clinton was not even that hold after he left office afte 2 terms as President.

yeah, the whole thing about he plays the guitar and is in a band looks pretty ridiculous when you consider that he'll be approaching 50 when his 1st term as Governor finishes.

Those of you speaking out against O'Malley obviously do not care to get to know him. I feel sorry for you. I know him and I respect him and his family. Why don't you keep this in mind... "Minds are like parachutes... they only work when OPEN." Open your minds and you might actually find something there...(maybe). Just wait for the improvement and difference O'Malley will make. You'll see. And, as for his not having a chance at the Presidency? We'll see about that, too.

Right, on Colleen, O'Malley's the greatest best politician ever, he has transformed Baltimore City into the best city in the USA and he'll do the same for Maryland and then he'll make the USA the best when he's President, just like as you say.

O'Malley's a clown, he won't even win reelection as Maryland Gov. He's already turned Ehrlich's surplus into a deficit.

And you KNOW this because you are the Comptroller now? O'Malley may not be re-elected as Governor but that will likely be a result of his choice to run for PRESIDENT!!!!

"He's already turned Ehrlich's surplus into a deficit."

A neat trick considering that he hasn't even submitted his budget yet. I can only assume that the anonymous poster is referring to the believe of most that O'Malley's team will forego the raiding of targeted funds and other accounting tricks that enabled Bobby to claim a surplus while failing to actually deal with any of the State's budget problems for four years.

Meanwhile, the former guv seems to be already gearing up for the next campaign despite having hinted at being through with electoral politics in Maryland last November.

Colleen-- are you a member of the O'Malley family, only O'Malley and his closest family members are deluded enough to think that he is a legitimate Presidential candidate. He's not even in the same league as Barack Obama, John Edwards or many others. All of them have outstanding records of accomplishment, O'Malley by contrast went Univ of Md Law School and has a very mediocre record as Baltimore Mayor. You are in LA LA LAND. Keep dreaming, though. Good day.

I am not in the O'Malley family or a close family friend, but I have watched the Governor grow as a person and a leader since his early band days more than 20 years ago. If you don't think that he has the charisma, leadership and vision to be president someday, you haven't really listened to him speak. If you have a problem with him being one hell of a musician and having a good time now and then jamming with the band - lighten up! There's a lot more in life to focus on than whether the Governor's hobby includes jamming with his buddies. I'd rather have my Governor playing an occasional gig with his band than running over people with his bicycle or pretending to clear brush on a ranch he bought to make people think he's a rancher like Ronald Reagan.

As for his age - "Not sure what this blogger is talking about. O'Malley will be almost 55 years old in 2016, hardly a "young man." In fact, Clinton was not even that hold after he left office afte 2 terms as President." - the person who posted that must be fairly young. Look at the ages of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush when they became President. McCain is in his early 70s. As far as politics go, anything in the 50s is still pretty young.

Finally, O'Malley has high expectations for himself and the people who work to support his policies. If they can't get the job done, he's absolutely right to try to find someone who can. You know, federal funding for state and local government has dropped dramatically since Bush, Inc. took over the White House. Funding for police officers and teachers was slashed. City leaders can only do so much with limited funding. If Erlich was a good governor, he would have used the extra money in the fund that O'Malley is now tapping into to finance the police officers and teachers that the Baltimore Mayor needed to reach his goals. O'Malley did set the bar high, if in trying to achieve it he only got 60 percent of the way, it is still an achievement.

Let's give him a chance as Governor and see what he can do.

"O'Malley did set the bar high, if in trying to achieve it he only got 60 percent of the way, it is still an achievement."

Lori, what an absolute bunch of garbage you have written. I will only take you out on the above point ragther than go on and on. The official federal government statistitics from the Federal Bureau of Investigations indicate that the murder rather in Baltimore hovered over 300 murders during ALL of O'Malley's tenure, down just slightly not even close to your claim that O'Malley went "60 percent of the way" in reaching his goal. You really need to get your facts straight before you shoot off, but then again that's just what O'Malley does all the time, which is why 2 of his own police chiefs and DEMOCRAT Doug Duncan basically said that O'Malley phonied up his crime numbers to make it look like he had reached his goals when he didn't come close. Have a nice weekend.

I never give credence to any comment made by anyone "anonymous" however, just so the rest of the reasonable people on the planet know, I am not a member of the O'Malley family and I am not delusional. Perhaps that is why I actually put my name on my comments. And, in response to your comment about where O'Malley (or anyone for that matter) went to law school, I offer this comment... he has finished law school and passed the bar. Have you?