In miniature, July 29

• “Maryland Needs to Improve Its Regulatory Climate” [Randolph May, Free State Foundation]
• New report by Samuel Walker for ACLU of Maryland on Baltimore police union contract and state LEOBR (Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights law) as obstacles to officer accountability;
• “Tinkering with Maryland’s Uber Regulations” [Nick Zaiac, Maryland Public Policy Institute]
• After series of big wins on LGBT rights, Equality Maryland sees donations droop and may shrink or close [Washington Blade]
• Montgomery County entirely drops requirements for off-street parking in three downtowns [Greater Greater Washington]
• No, Wicomico County isn’t even remotely like a war zone, despite what you might think from this photo [Radley Balko]

“Maryland Needs to Improve Its Fiscal Health”

A new study from Eileen Norcross at the George Mason University’s Mercatus Center ranks the fiscal health of the fifty states, and Maryland scores an anemic 37th, with especially low scores in budget solvency (44th) and margin of protection against long-run shocks (43rd) amid healthier scores on service solvency (tax-base ability to sustain current spending, 11th highest) and trust-fund solvency (17th highest).

Randolph May at Free State Foundation has some more observations.

“Efforts to label the riots an ‘uprising’…”

“…will strike the same voters as hopelessly out of touch (read: insane).” [David Lublin, The Seventh State (“Democrats Must Address Baltimore or Drown Politically in the Undertow”)]

In miniature, July 1

• Del. Haven Shoemaker (R-Carroll County) rips vetoed civil asset forfeiture bill as one that would have benefited “criminals”; how well does he understand the bill’s contents? [my Overlawyered roundup on forfeiture law]
• The limits of independence: Frederick County Public Schools could force leadership of classical charter school to accept unwanted staff placements [Frederick News Post]
• Olney, population 34,000, and its many speed cameras [Dr. Gridlock, Washington Post]
• “How Martin O’Malley Helped Create the Baltimore Riots: LEAP’s Neill Franklin” [Todd Krainin/Joshua Swain video interview with Neill Franklin, Reason TV]
• Odd. @AnneArundelGOP seems to think it’s unfair to judge a public figure, county councilmember Michael Peroutka (earlier) by his public statements [The Seventh State, @AnneArundelGOP responds; more on Peroutka’s recent doings here (using title in his institute promotional materials) and here (continued involvement with Constitution Party activities)]
• “The FBI Didn’t Buy the Baltimore Cops’ Conspiracy Theory” [Jesse Walker, more from Sun’s Colin Campbell on Twitter]