Waste of the Week: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
This week for our Waste of the Week, we travel to Talbot County where Delegates Johnny Mautz (R) and Christopher Adams (R), and Senator Adelaide Eckardt (R) have proposed a quarter million dollars in new debt for the State with HB0206 and SB0140. What is this bill? To provide a loan for the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum for building, construction, and repairs.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is located in St Michaels, Maryland and is “…dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment and people of the Chesapeake Bay.” They have a lot of different and interesting exhibits to teach people about the Bay and its maritime history. Seems like a nice museum. But, why does that require the state of Maryland a quarter million dollars for us to go further in debt? I don’t think so.
If the Delegates and Senator want to support the Museum, why not just donate to them or purchase membership here. There are ways they could support it without creating new state debt, new pork in order to bolster their support in Talbot County.
If you are a fan of watching bond legislation, and you know I am, you may have remembered the name of this museum. Why? Oh it was included in the monstrous amount of new state debt proposed as part of last years budget. To what tune? Oh, another quarter million dollars in loans. I guess half a million dollars is just enough to put my children in debt in order to buy votes in Talbot County. Seems legit.
Again, I call upon our more conservative members of the state legislature to forego the easy vote buying of Bond Bills. Just because something is legal, does not make it right.
For that set of reasons and the ridiculous amount of debt our state continues to carry, HB0206/SB0140 are this week’s “Waste of the Week.”
Congratulations to Delegates Mautz, Adams, and Senator Eckardt for putting the state further in debt to gain votes in Talbot County!
Feel free to submit your suggestions in the comments section of wasteful spending in Maryland.
