Bag full of taxes

For any of my regular readers you know my posting has been a little light this past week, well there is a very good reason for that. Tomorrow I will be appearing before the City Council of Baltimore. A city councilman has introduced a bill that will charge a “surcharge” of 25 cent per plastic bag from any store in the Baltimore city area. In a economy that is already struggling and a city that was struggling long before that, you want to charge people a tax for basically grocery bags.


It is being introduced as a “green initiative”, a piece of legislature that would help the environment be free of plastic bags. Sounds great on the surface I know but what is the alternative? How do people on a fix income, people with no cars, people just ecking by as it is get their grocery’s home?


I also question how a bill proposed to deter people from using bags is being estimated to bring in a minimum of 1.6 million dollars in revenue?


Other cities have introduced similar legislature but it is on average between 4 and 6 cent. So tomorrow I am going to fight the power, and the research that I normally spend on my blogs has been spent on my day in council.


Wish me luck!!!!

Toto, were not in Kansas anymore!

One of my favorite Saturday/Sunday activities when I lived in Chicago was going to the Pancake house in Hyde Park with my sister and various other members of my life cast. The restaurant is at least 25 years old (probably older) and has never moved locations of expanded or even changed its layout. I remember one particular Saturday we were waiting patiently with our number for a table amongst all the other hungry south siders. The waiting area is not very big and you really get to know people while you wait for a table. At some point the manager came into the waiting area and asked us all to make a path, now my sister and I thought perhaps something was wrong and they were going to bring someone out. Much to our surprise it was the opposite and someone was coming in. It was R. Kelly.

Now anyone in my age group who grew up in Chicago especially on the south side R> Kelly sightings are no big deal. My sister in particular loves to tell he stories over she and her girlfriends making fun of R. Kelly on the red line coming home from school in the afternoons when he would sing on the train. Well the groups of people waiting in line with numbers were less then impressed the R. was gracing us with his presence, even more so that he was taking a seat of someone who had actually waited in line. But what was one to do, in Chicago this is a way of life.

Well this past Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting up with my local councilwoman for breakfast in a restaurant called Pete’s. It was not the design of the establishment as Pete’s is a lot smaller than my well remembered Pancake House, but that same feel of neighborhood was very present inside. I imagine not much has changed in the setup in years and I can honestly say every Saturday I have passed by and looked in the window it has been running over with people.


Back to my point, I had emailed Mary Pat Clarke earlier in the week about some questions I had about my new neighborhood and new city and she emailed me back with an invite to meet her for coffee. This alone was impressive as you don’t really get that response in Chicago, if you get an answer it is usually a form letter. Even more refreshing was that when I arrived she was there and she was talking to people. The folks in Pete’s actual knew her, and more importantly she knew them. In fact I was very impressed but all she knew, for example when I gave her my address she knew the house and the former tenants.

As we waited (yes there was not weight being thrown around, she waited for her turn at the counter) we got to know each other a little. We sat down and she bought me breakfast (I know right!) but here is the thing. This is when I knew I was no longer in the Windy City. Our waitress came over to confirm that she was indeed Mary Clarke and told her the manager was taking care of the bill. Mary Pat thanked the young woman and the manager and told her that she would be paying the bill just the same. (What??!!!!!!!) I said nothing but this for me was a huge factor into who this woman was. Seems the law for gift giving is taken very seriously around here and Mrs. Clarke was not having any funny business.
Now I know that R. Kelly is an entertainer and Mary pat Clarke is a politician but again in Chicago influence is influence and it is used like capital.

I know there are things going on with my new mayor Sheila Dixon, but as I have not been here quite a year I will keep my own counsel on her until I can make a more informed opinion, but it was just refreshing to meet someone who seems to generally be in politics to help people and make a difference.

We ended our breakfast with the promise that Councilwoman Clarke would put me in contact with some of the neighborhood leaders and a promise that if I needed any information or had any questions on other city stuff I would get in touch.

As I made my way home to make French toast for the family I felt something that I realized had been missing since the first time I moved away from my grandmother’s house. A sense of community and a feeling of ownership for the neighborhood I live in.