Show me the program!

            I was watching the State of the Union speech last night, not a rerun of “Jerry Maguire.”

            When President Obama spoke about the educational reforms resulting from the Race to the Top competition and a once failing school in Denver where 97% of the seniors had graduated this past May, I was elated.  “This is what I’m working on in Annapolis!” I said to myself.

                 “If you want to make a difference in the life of a child — become a teacher,” the President declared.  “Your country needs you.”

                  And then he moved on to another topic. 

                 “Show me the program!” I said to myself.  At that moment, the President should have proposed incentives for people to become teachers. 

—- 

            The topic this afternoon was of great interest to all of the members of my committee: the date for the primary election when we seek reelection. 

            Federal law now requires that absentee ballots be received by members of the military and overseas voters 45 days before a federal election. 

            This means we can no longer hold our gubernatorial primary in September.  Rather than hold it in the late summer before Labor Day, while many people are on vacation, a change to June or July is likely. 

            If I’ve done my job well, it doesn’t matter when the election takes place. 

            As an election administrator testified, “We’re always looking at ways to make things better for the voters.”

January 26