Why I Love Maryland: #MDBloggers Meeting With Governor O'Malley

I love Maryland. Sure, the weather isn't perfect, and I-495 makes me cry, but Maryland just makes sense to me. It's a state where we concentrate on solutions rather than on laying blame. And it's a state that always pushes forward, rather than following polls or interest groups' ideologies. We pushed for marriage equality before other states did (before it was cool), and our investments in education have made Maryland the number one state in the nation for the past 5 years. Over here, we admit that taxes help pay for the things we need, that immigrants should be seen as potential contributors rather than as a drain on the economy. Over here, we are not afraid to make some tough calls for the future beyond the next two election cycles.
And we are now one of the states leading the push to curb gun violence with an approach that deals not simply with illegal gun purchases, but with limiting magazine sizes, banning assault rifles, and with enhancing life-opportunities for potential offenders. If there's one thing I've learned as a parent, it's that every battle I refuse to engage in with my kids, will inevitably be fought at a future date . In Maryland, we solve problems as they arise, because our kids will have their own battles to fight. There's a gun violence problem in this country. In Maryland, we are determined to fight and win this battle.
gun violence rally

I was invited, along with a few other mom and dad bloggers from Maryland, to attend a meeting with Governor O'Malley last week. The meeting started with the Governor showing us the site listing the goals the state aims to achieve. I've seen this site before, since my wife used to work for the Governor as the Director of StateStat, the office responsible for tracking data from other state offices, and making sure the state is on the right track to achieve these goals. I hope you find some time to click on the site and look around, and see the way a local government does its best to be accountable for its actions and for its spending.
The Governor also laid out other parts of his future agenda for Maryland, including job creation, continued investment in education, environment, school safety, repealing capital punishment, and more. Then we had a chance to ask questions. Some of the bloggers asked great questions about school lunches and specifically about farm-to-school programs, as well as questions about state-provided paid paternity/maternity leave. We were promised follow-up emails on these and and on other issues.
Like I said, I'm a Liberal and my wife used to work for the Governor, so I was an easy sell. Still, other bloggers there, who may have come from the other side of politics, also appreciated the opportunity to communicate with the Governor in an informal way, during what may become a recurring event.
The short meeting ended with Brent from Designer Daddy thanking the Governor for his early support for marriage equality. He then announced his engagement.
And now you know why I love Maryland.
Meeting with the Governor