I'm Already Sick of Mayor Pugh

     It's no surprise that Baltimore has/had some awful leaders, like City Comptroller for Life Joan Pratt, who think openness is a bad thing. I used to feel like former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (SRB) got a bad wrap on account of the city's dismal police force, but then I found this story I missed: SRB forced the head of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to resign because he was successfully saving city taxpayers millions by uncovering "fraud, waste, and abuse", aka corruption. He was forced out and the OIG effectively neutered because he investigated one of the Mayor's friends for sexual harassment and misuse of funds by a top-level official. So fuck SRB, and all the corrupt politicians that steal our tax money.

     Speaking of which, what's this got to do with Pugh? First she's perfectly happy to let the OIG rot away instead of risking action against corruption in city government. Maybe if there was an effective OIG, she wouldn't have used city funds to hire a $240 per hour media consultant for herself, or hired some 26 year old guy who was on The Voice to set up a youth arts program. 

     When asked about a report recommending reforms to get the OIG up and running again Pugh said "What is this? I haven't read the report...That's about the past." That sounds kinda like a Trump quote would. At least all Shelia Dixon stole (that prosecutors could prove anyway) was $600 in gift cards for poor families. My grandma liked to say we get the politicians we deserve, my favorite iteration when referring to voters (and this is pre-Trump) was "you're stupid, you should have known better, and you got what you deserved." Turnout in local elections is pathetically low in Baltimore. If you don't vote you're stupid, should have known better, and the rest of us don't deserve this. Vote or die, please[1].

     You may have noticed all the links I used were from BaltimoreBrew.com, which is a great news source for local Baltimore news. It's better than the Baltimore Sun, which has done a terrible job covering these issues and is a shadow of its former self.

Trump on the Opioid Crisis

"There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but I'm not sure the country is ready for it yet. Does anyone know what I mean? I think so."

Omg what a fucking moron.