Blandair Park Committee Adopts Master Plan

In an 11 to 7 vote, the Blandair Regional Park Advisory Committee adopted Alternate G-1 as the park concept that will go forward to the next steps in the development process.  The plan will continue to be refined as the Master Plan is developed.  The Master Plan will be presented at the Oct 15, 2008 Public Meeting in the Department of Recreation and Parks Conference Room, 7120 Oakland Mills Rd., Columbia MD at 7:30 PM.

Tonight, the advisory committee was presented with two alternatives G-1 (shown below) and I.

Blandair Alternate G-1

Alternative G-1 is a modification of the plan presented by the residents of Sealed Message at the Sept 11, 2008 public hearing.  Both G and G-1 locate the park’s multipurpose building and the skate park in the center of the park and route Oakland Mills Rd. extension to Rt. 175 through the center of the park.  The major modification in G-1 from the residents original proposal is the road is shifted slightly farther to the east.

Tonight, the Director of the Howard County Department or Recreation and Parks, Gary Arthur said he believes the department has sufficient funding to continue development of the park through the planning stage.  However, with the uncertain Maryland economy and the falling transfer tax revenues that provide the majority of park funding, he could only estimate that phase one work may be completed in 2010 – 2012 time frame.

Sub-Prime Antics

While some may not find a report from Fox News to be compelling (to each their own) they are certainly not the only organization who has a similiar spin on this issue.

Moshe Orenbuch, a Credit Suisse analyst who follows the mortgage industry, says Fannie and Freddie came under the same pressures that led private mortgage firms and companies in other industries to restate income related to derivatives.  Fannie and Freddie continued to write loans after the credit markets seized up in 2007 in order to fulfill their public mission, (affordable housing) leaving them with a greater share of the market and more problem loans. “If you take market share without tightening criteria, you effectively loosen,” notes Orenbuch.

As we saw from the CSPAN video on the previous post democrat after democrat mocked the OFHEO for calling out problems at Frannie and Freddie.

In recent years, regulators did raise questions about management at the government-sponsored housing lenders. In 2006, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), which monitors the financial health of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, released a report describing an arrogant and unethical culture at Fannie Mae where employees manipulated earnings to generate higher bonuses for executives between 1998 and 2004. “Our examination found an environment where the ends justified the means. Senior management manipulated accounting; reaped maximum, undeserved bonuses; and prevented the rest of the world from knowing. They co-opted their internal auditors. They stonewalled OFHEO,” said James Lockhart, the director of OFHEO when the report was released.

While the Bush Administration called it out, and various members of Congress (mostly GOP) called for stricter regulation, Barney and Nancy and their cohorts stonewalled.

Eyes on the Wrong Prize: Leadership Lapses That Fueled Wall Street’s Fall

Voter Registration Deadline October 14th

More informaiton is available at the State Board of Elections Web Site.

It is more important that you vote than who you vote for – kinda.

For Ellicott City residents looking for a more convenient means to register rather than having to travel to the Howard County Board of Elections

Voter Registration at:

His Way Christian Bookstore at Normandy Plaza

8450 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(410) 465-7546

October 11th from 10:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m.

For those in Anne Arundel County

His Way in Glen Burnie8

Mountain Rd
Glen Burnie, MD 21060
(410) 761-3845

October 11th, 4:00-8:00 p.m.