Taser Concerns Reasonable

Howard County Police would like to include non-lethal weapons – tasers – in their peacekeeping arsenal.

Some of our Council people want to approve the Police proposal as presented, and some would like to carefully consider the policies and procedures which ought to be in place regarding the use of these very serious weapons.

I haven’t spoken to Mary Kay Sigaty or Greg Fox, so I can’t speak for them – and would not want to put words in their mouths. However, I can imagine what they may be thinking when they express supporting the Police proposal outright. They may want to be supportive of the professional police force we are fortunate to have in HoCo. They may want to give the Police Leaders the respect of assuming they know what they are doing, and will proceed with all due prudence and professionalism. They may believe we can trust our police force, that they have earned it.

I could understand that. If we didn’t feel that kind of confidence in our police leaders, it would be time for a whole lot more than a review of the proposed policies for the implementation of a new breed of weapon.

On the other hand, when Courtney Watson and the others say they “want to know more” before they approve arming HoCo Police officers with stun guns — are they micromanaging? Are they questioning the professionalism and competence of the police? Are they saying they don’t trust the police to use good judgment?

I don’t think so. Watson and Terrasa are doing their job.

They are supposed to question, and seek answers. They are doing the checking part that keeps the balance right – you know, “checks and balances”.

I have not spoken to Watson or Terrasa either – but I can imagine what they may be thinking. They may be trying to make sure everyone is “reading off the same page” and not making assumptions about how, when, why or on whom these devices may be used.

Most of us hear “non-lethal” weapon, or stun gun, and think “great, better than shooting someone with a bullet”.

But tasers are not necessarily intended as a substitute for a gun shot. They are frequently used in situations where a regular gun would not be used in any event.

That is the basis of the quite reasonable questions being asked of the HoCo Police leaders before these weapons are “approved”.

We should not allow our elected representatives to operate on assumptions about these kinds of things – no matter how much we trust and respect the police.

In fact, I doubt the police leaders will actually have much trouble putting together some reasonable guidelines.

Let’s hope our elected officials really do their homework on this one. These weapons are not the relatively friendly little devices the average person assumes.

Check out Amnesty International’s position and research on tasers and their use. Google taser/stun gun deaths.

Do a little independent research — and then use your own common sense…. how do doctors restart hearts? electric shocks. What does an electric shock do to a properly functioning heart?

Have you ever shocked yourself? Did it “calm you down”? Or did it make you want to hit something? It doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch to see how the use of tasers in certain circumstances makes a bad situation worse.

If your only argument is that even with the well documented dangers – a stun/taser/shock is better than a bullet … then great … you have the start of your policy.

If you think an electric shock that might kill a person is a legitimate punishment for “contempt of cop” — well, then call your councilperson and tell them to give the police carte blanche with no oversight.

Fox and Sigaty’s hearts are in the right place – but I’d rather go with Watson and Terrasa on this one and get the answers up front — before we have the kinds of “poor outcomes” that have happened a couple of hundred other times (probably more) that other jurisdictions have had to deal with.

Cindy Vaillancourt

I Wish the Grown-Ups Were In Charge in Annapolis

HB 1053 – ANNUAL BUSINESS ENTITY FILING FEE INCREASE

Sponsored by Delegates Hucker, Barve, Gutierrez, Hixson, Howard, Ivey, Kaiser, Lawton and Stukes

Currently every corporation, limited partnership and limited liability company doing business in the State of Maryland must pay an annual filing fee of $300. HB 1053 increases that fee to $1000. This fee was previously increased from $100, and imposed on limited partnerships and limited liability companies for the first time, in 2004.

The bill does provide for a nonrefundable credit of up to $500 againt the Maryland income tax, which cannot be carried forward. Most small businesses are organized as a “passthrough entity” (PTE in Comptroller jargon) , meaning that the businesses themselves do not pay tax on their income, but the owners add their share of the PTE’s income to their own taxable income and pay the additional income tax personally. The bill does not address if, or how, the credit is claimed by owners of PTEs. Regardless of whether or not a partial credit might be allowed (which can easily be taken away later), this fee increase really hurts. An extra $700 for the privilege of opening your door for business each January 1 is a significant burden to most businesses. For liability purposes, many if not most small businesses that operate at different locations, or along different lines of business, are organized as separate business entities. This means that the actual additional cost ends up being $700 per location or line. I doubt that any of the sponsors has any experience in running a small business; they exhibit the mentality that because a tax or fee is imposed on business it is just somehow “absorbed”. Killing the goose that lays golden eggs, each incremental increase in costs will drive more business out of Maryland.

A hearing on this bill is scheduled before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m.

Ann Coulter – Dumb Ass!

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference before an overflow crowd on Friday, Ms. Coulter said,

“I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.”

 Thankfully, McCain, Gulliani, and Romney spoke out against her comments.

 The only time I catch Ann Coulter is when I occassionally catch Sean Hannity on the radio.  I find her to be  well the outrageous comments above sum up my impressions of her.

Ill mannered, bad taste, poor judgement and more.  I have yet to read one of her books.

By other accounts she is reportedly a very witty and smart person – I wouldn’t know.  Her lack of good taste and judgement here brings that into doubt.