Welcome Mat Laid Out

Gov. Martin O’Malley premiered his 2012 agenda to the party faithful hours before this year’s Maryland General Assembly convened.

In addition to the outline of his 2012 priorities, the 100 invited participants in a conference call, including reporters, heard the governor tout both the Maryland’s and the Democratic party’s welcome mat offered military families.

Asked how Maryland was positioned to support its military-enhanced economy if federal funding cuts are made, Gov. O’Malley first praised Maryland’s “federal delegation,” noting that Congressman Steny Hoyer is the second most powerful Democrat in Congres. Additionally praising Senator Barbara Mikulski, O’Malley expressed confidence in the legislators’ efforts on behalf of military installations in Maryland.

O’Malley also called fortunate the prominence of the “high skill levels” required in military facilities located in Maryland, stressing that BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) efforts had not shown these types of facilities as likely to move.

Addressing downsizing threats, Gov. O’Malley responded with concern for military families and encouraged his fellow party members to make known that Democrats are the “biggest promoters and defenders of military families and what benefits them and their children.”

O’Malley threw the question to Yvette Lewis, chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, who said, “We need to make sure we are as successful as possible to put out the welcome mat. . . Our responsibility is to go into these communities and introduce ourselves. . . Let them know the Democratic Party is in tune with their values and their needs.”

Gov. O’Malley said his three priorities for the upcoming session were to maintain a “balanced approach” to the budget to retain educational and transportation funding, marriage equality and wind energy.

As to the need for wind energy including off-shore wind turbines ‘Gov. O’Malley said he would have to “coax the legislature out of fear of moving forward.”

Speaking to his commitment to passing a marriage equality bill, Gov. O’Malley acknowledged some of those he was speaking to probably had “mixed feelings on this issue.”  He asked that the issue be considered in terms of children’s rights and also religious freedom.

“I think however we may feel about the defnition of sacraments according to our different faiths, I think none of us want numbers of kids having lesser legal protections than others in our state. Children need safeguards,  legal and property rights of dependents in the event of death of spouse or parents.  We want our kids to grow up in loving households and we want them protected fully under the law just like every other child in the state.”