Wicomcio County Libertarian Endorsed by the Daily Times

District 2
District 2 is geographically the county's largest district, located south and west of District 1 from the West Side of Salisbury to the Nanticoke River and western end of the county. It has been represented for the past 12 years by Stevie Prettyman, who as an incumbent is facing her first opponent for the seat. A Republican, she supports low taxes, efficient use of taxpayer dollars and the county's 2 percent property tax revenue cap as long as county residents wish to keep it in place. She supports the efforts of law enforcement and is engaged in the process of writing a new Comprehensive Plan for the county; she opposes "downzoning," which was designed to preserve farmland in the county but opposed by farmers who wished to retain the right to subdivide and develop their land if they so desired.

Her opponent, Mike Calpino, is not a Democrat; he is running as a Libertarian but describes himself as a tea party candidate. He advocates minimal government intrusion into the lives of individual citizens, but recognizes the need for some functions. He is a resident of Nanticoke who is engaged in his rural community and is personally familiar with the issues that concern residents of the far western portion of the county --the Westside Community Center and the Cove Point Beach parking controversy, for example. On his website, he quotes Ayn Rand and the founding fathers when describing his political philosophy. He also has lengthy sections devoted specifically to Wicomico County issues --budget, business climate, revenue cap, school board and public sector compensation among them. It is clear he has spent a great deal of time researching, considering and coming up with specific ideas about how county government should operate, within the framework of his minimalist concept of government.

Prettyman has had 12 years on the County Council and during that time, provided adequate -- if not visionary -- representation. Calpino, while advocating some radically unorthodox proposals, would also inject some truly fresh ideas for the rest of the council to consider. Those new considerations could have a positive influence on the way our county does business, even if not adopted as presented. We urge District 2 voters to give Calpino an opportunity to test his ideas by electing him to serve on the council.

Daily Times County Council Endorsements

Great Quotes from Maryland Libertarians

"Government is instituted to secure impartial justice and to protect the citizens and their property. We allow government to assume roles beyond these, for whatever reason, at our peril. Unfortunately, we have seen the results of governments that have gone beyond these bounds at all levels. They cost too much, take too much money and liberty, foster corruption and create many more problems than they solve. It is time to put government back into it proper role. "

Mike Calpino
District Candidate for Wicomico County Council

Mike Calpino: Plan offered to motivate efficiency in government

It is popular in an election season to fill the airwaves and roadsides with platitudes and slogans, often promising to lower taxes and make government more efficient. Substantial proposals to accomplish these ends are, however, few and far between.

I believe campaigns should be about substance, so I present "The Wicomico Plan" -- the details of which can be found at http://www.electmike.webs.com/.

The core of the plan, in addition to an initial reduction in taxes, spending and regulation to encourage businesses and job creation, is to introduce an incentive for government employees to save money and reduce the size of government. Instead of each department having to spend everything in its budget for fear of having it cut, employees will be encouraged to save and managers inspired to streamline.

The vehicle for this change will be the promise of bonuses comprised of half of the money each department saves, equally distributed among all the members of that department and the other half being deposited in the rainy day fund.

This will motivate each department to work efficiently, save money, blow the whistle on thieves and eliminate unnecessary employees.

Once the fiscal year ends and the savings have been realized, the budget and attendant taxes can be reduced and the process begun again. After two or three years, we will finally have a county government that operates efficiently and effectively, and costs the taxpayers -- you and I -- a lot less.

Mike Calpino
Nanticoke
Calpino is a Libertarian candidate for Wicomico County Council, District 2. -- Editor

Making Government Irrelevant

by Mike Calpino

One of the great causes of division in America is the fact that everything, and I mean everything, has become a political issue. Any problem, any complaint, any issue that someone has is now thrown into the political sphere. Consider some of the big news on "the hill" this week. Rodger Clemens, a baseball player, is being prosecuted for lying to congress. What did he allegedly lie about? State secrets, embezzlement, fraud, treason? No. It was whether or not he ever used "performance enhancing" substances. Not to excuse his alleged lying but why was he ever before congress in the first place?! What authority does the government have to regulate A GAME!

We the people, unfortunately, have come to believe that it is right and proper to use the power of government to solve all our problems and meet all our needs. Every time one American citizen says "there ought to be a law" to fix some complaint or offense and another one says "government ought to..." to meet some need or want, our government is happy to intervene and in the process take more or our freedom and more of our money. Did you ever stop and wonder why we have all the special interest groups and lobbyists we love to complain about? It is because each one of them represents some group of citizens, small or large, that want to use the power of government for their own ends. In this game there are winners and losers and the animosity between the two increases as the stakes get higher and government becomes larger and more powerful. For every citizen that wants the government to do something, there is another citizen that must pay for it and give up some bit of freedom to accommodate this new government activity. That other citizen must now "lobby" on his own behalf, playing the game for his own protection. The government becomes no more than a legalized criminal enterprise, granting arbitrary favors and demanding payment for protection. 

The Lion of Liberty Award

I would like to present the first ever Lion of Liberty Award.  This is bestowed upon those individuals who stand on the fronline in the war between statism and freedom.  Those who, despite constant criticism, threats, and willingness to put their names on the line, stand firm in their principles and fight for Liberty regardless of political affiliation. 

Based on those qualifications Mike and Julie Brewington are presented with the Lion of Liberty Award and shall forever be known as Lions of Liberty.

In June Mike decided to run Wicomico County Council At-Large.  He hails as a conservative Democrat and often uses the phrase "raise chickens not taxes."  His wife Julie decided run for Maryland House of Delegates in District 38A.  Both have been deeply involved in the Tea Party movement and the Americans for Prosperity. 

Establishment politicians and their attack machine have launched some of the nastiest personal attacks on them for their political stances and willingness to fight to make difference.  I for one applaud them and thank them for their work.

Socialism is Selfish

by Mike Calpino

One of the most often repeated arguments against free market capitalism is that is makes selfish, greedy monsters out of all of us. That a system based on one’s self-interest instead of the interests of the "collective" is evil on its very face. It is almost accepted as a fact that if it wasn’t for government enforcing our charity through the social safety net, poor people would starve, old people would die penniless in the streets, the infirm would be on the street corners begging for spare change and children wouldn’t be educated while a few rich individuals would spend their time rolling around in their money like Scrooge McDuck.

In fact, history has demonstrated the exact opposite. The more the government exercises control over the economy and the people that make it up, the less freedom the people have and the poorer they are. In the 1920’s millions of people were dying of starvation in Communist Russia while America, experiencing a resurgence of freedom after the tyranny of Woodrow Wilson, was prospering like no other place on earth. Before we allowed the government to control the economy through the Federal Reserve and New Deal programs, we never had a recession that lasted more than a few years. Up until the Roosevelt era, the history of the United States was one of prosperity, innovation and upward mobility. Only in America could a bobbin changer or desk clerk amass some of the largest fortunes on earth within their lifetimes. It was these men, acting in their self-interest, attempting to satisfy the self-interest of consumers free from government direction, regulation, taxes and control that created the standard of living we enjoy, a standard of living that is still the envy of the world.

That being the case, why is socialism selfish while a system based in individual self interest is not? The reason is that a system of socialism removes all meaningful interaction and responsibility among individuals within the society. The primary relationship in an individual’s life is with the state, not his or her neighbor or even his or her family. The government takes care of our children. With pre-K and Head Start, we place them in the care of unionized government employees from the time they are three until they are eighteen. The government is now also responsible for their higher education as well. If they choose not to try to make anything of themselves, we are not responsible for them then either. The government confiscates our money through taxes to pay for the basic sustenance of those who are either too lazy to work or have made bad choices that have placed them in poverty. When our neighbor or family member gets sick, the government will now determine their care. Once our parents get old, the government takes care of their needs and medical care until they die. Then the government confiscates their remaining wealth and sticks us with the bill for burying them.

Before government stepped in, people relied on their families and neighbors for all these things. If the government is going to take care of us, what do we need family for? We have seen this play out in Europe. The socialist countries of Europe have extremely low birth rates. Why? Who needs children? They are a pain when they are young and they don’t need them when they are old so why not just remain an eternal adolescent, enjoying whatever the government lets them keep on their extended vacations and abundant weekly leisure time. Not considering the next generation, getting the goodies even at the expense of the future, living only for yourself with no regard for the needs of others is the most selfish lifestyle possible.

Pure capitalism, on the other hand, encourages us to be considerate of others. In a truly free, capitalist society where government stays completely out of the economic and social spheres, confining itself to the role of protector of rights, selfishness results is very negative consequences. If one tried to live as an ‘island’, giving no thought for the needs or wishes of others, you would quickly be reduced to living in a hovel as a hunter gatherer. Why? Because you would not be able to get a job. Employment in such a society requires that your labor meet the needs of an employer who is, in turn, trying to meet the needs of his customers. If you did not care about the needs of the employer you would not have a job very long. Compare the products of communist countries with those of free ones. Workers under communism cannot be fired for lack of efficiency or quality, in free countries they can be. Continuing, if you didn’t care about your neighbors and you fell on hard times, charity would be hard to come by. If you don’t make yourself valuable to others, they find it hard to put any value on you. Consider the value free counties place on individual life as opposed to counties based on the "collective". In a free country, any life lost is a tragedy. In a communist country, twenty million lives lost is a footnote. In a "collective", it is the group that matters and those at the top decide what is best for the group, the individual life is only worth something if it serves the needs of the collective. In a free county, every individual is valued as an individual, every individual has rights simply because they exist as a man or woman and government's only role is to ensure that each individual’s rights are respected by all the other individuals in a society. Finally, if you do not have children or choose to be a bad parent, there will be no one to take care of you when you’re old. The point of all these examples is to show that in a free, capitalist society it is in everyone's self interest to be considerate of the self interest of everyone else. In a socialist society, the opposite is true. As long as the individual maintains good relations with the state, other relationships are superfluous and have little value. This does not apply simply to economics but to our societal relationships as well.

For the last hundred years America has been turning its back on all the things that made us great, embracing the very philosophies that have not only demonstrated their utter failure everywhere they are tried but are the complete antithesis of the system we were founded upon. Today, with our government taking a greater role in controlling our lives and the economic and social systems we inhabit, the family is disintegrating, we have created a permanent and growing underclass, we have seen the devaluation of individual life at both ends, and a stifled economy and for all our efforts we have stuck our great-grandchildren with a bill even they will not be able to pay. So who’s selfish now?



Mike Calpino

Candidate for Wicomico County Council

The Local Scene, Tea Party, AFP, and You Know Who....

For a variety of reasons I had stayed away from the local Tea Party scene, one of them was a concern that establishment Republicans and others were attempting to "hijack" what this movement was all about.  The past couple of weeks the results have shown that the establishment's attempts were rejected and this has caused me to reconsider my position on the local Tea Party movement.

AFP Member, Tea Party Activist and Libertarian Mike Calpino filed to run as a Candidate for Wicomico County Council District 2 against Incumbent Republican and Establishment representative Stevie Prettyman.  I offered to Mike to be his treasurer and help in any way I can with his campaign and he accepted.  I truly believe Mike would make a great County Councilman and represent the people in his District with dignity, honor and an open ear for the citizens in District 2.  Mike gave me a better insight of those in the Tea Party movement.

Then the Julie Brewington issue came to the forefront.  Many have been the target of his [Albero's] ire, Julie being the current one.  After the County Council meeting the other day, I talked with Julie for a few minutes - the first time I have met Julie.  Everyone knows the reason that she is Joe's current target and it is mainly her opposition to Councilwoman Stevie Pretyyman's stance on several issues.  Joe being an ally of Mrs. Prettyman decides to defend her the only way he knows how - attack, threaten, and blog you.  Frankly, nobody really cares and this will probably be the last post I make about him because there are more important things to worry about.

This brings to the forefront what I have been saying for long time about local politics.  People simply cannot disagree on an issue anymore, many see the need to destroy people with a scorched earth policy.  This is why good people refuse to get into politics and "We the People" lose out on quality candidates to choose from.

I also believe there is some light at the end of the tunnel.  With Tea Party Activist Mike Brewington stepping up to run for the Wicomico County Council At-Large as a Jeffersonian-Democrat, I am optimistic.  Julie Brewington also captures what I believe is the real deal behind the local Tea Party movement.  I truly hope it stays independent and makes some real change that can jingle in our pockets.

Daily Times features Mike Calpino's run for County Council

Libertarian runs for Wicomico council seat

Mike Calpino to take on councilwoman Stevie Prettyman

By Greg Latshaw • Staff Writer • June 15, 2010 

SALISBURY -- Mike Calpino, a Nanticoke resident who says government needs a philosophical makeover, will run against Stevie Prettyman for her Wicomico County Council seat.

"We need to change the way we do government. Trying to be all things for all people is too expensive," Calpino says.

The 42-year-old has filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections as a Libertarian candidate. Calpino said the county government has grown too large under the executive form of leadership and supports keeping the revenue cap in place, switching to elected school boards and holding evening council meetings.

"If we were still spending what we were in 2006, we wouldn't be in this position," Calpino said of Wicomico's spending habits.

Read the rest of the article.....

 

O'Malley's big spending hurts Wicomico

By Marc Kilmer • June 12, 2010

In 2007, Gov. Martin O'Malley led the effort to expand our state's Medicaid program. But instead of finding the money to fully fund the cost of Medicaid in this year's state budget, the governor counted on the federal government increasing its funding for the program. Congress had not appropriated the money yet, but the governor and legislators assumed it would and pronounced the state's budget "balanced."

It is now looking likely that Congress will not give states a Medicaid bailout. If Maryland doesn't get this money, the state would resort to another budget trick: taking money away from local governments. O'Malley would once again tap the local income tax reserve fund to help cover the budget shortfall.

This is the fund into which our local income taxes are paid and then distributed to county governments.One of the reasons Wicomico County is having trouble balancing its budget this year is because the state is holding back money properly belonging to counties. For instance, the gas tax collected in Wicomico County is supposed to be given to our local governments to spend on roads. In this fiscal year the state only gave us 10 percent of our allocation and used the rest to cover its high spending.

Read the rest....

More Sacrifices Requested of Salisbury Citizens

In the FY10 budget for the City of Salisbury, taxpayers are asked to make some more sacrifices from their pocketbook. In the wake of a 1% sales tax increase and a sales tax expansion last year for the State of Maryland, now Salisburians are being asked to dig deeper.

The increases come in two forms, the first coming through an increase in the Water and Sewer fees. The second coming from the City Government not reducing the property tax rate percentile to offset the increase in the Phase in Assessment of Real Property Taxes. Businesses take the bigger hit as they pay 70% of taxes in the City.

Thankfully we have a revenue cap on the County Government as County Executive Rick Pollitt openly desires to make changes in the revenue cap to significantly raise revenues. City taxpayers are already paying enough and are quickly running out of pockets for the government to dip in to.

Cluster Zoning Fight Has Just Begun

The down zoning issue has only just started in Wicomico County. The quick point is we do not need more government in our lives and having it seizing more control over our property. The people that always know better often don't understand things in holistic and broader view. They are so narrow in their focus and where they throw blame.

A good example is this, for years experts have been trying to control everything in the waterways of Maryland. The DNR has established too much authority over our right to hunt, harvest and collect the abundant offerings of our lands. They put so many restrictions on catching Rock Fish that it has created an unbalance in the Bay especially in the struggling crab population. The over management of Maryland Government has crippled the commercial water industry.

They point to Eastern Shore farmers as the cause of the pollution in the bay and her tributaries when the majority of pollution comes from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the Potomac River. Government controlled entities are the reason the Potomac River is in the situation it is in today. There is no accountability because they act as if they are above the law.

Yet, the come hithers rail about the need to keep a rural aspect to the Eastern Shore. If there were not so many come hithers we would not be turning into a metropolis. We welcome all those who wish to make a life here but understand we must change with the times in a responsible manner. We must do it without infringing on the rights of property owners big and small.