What has happened to our champion of free trade, Andy Harris? He and his beloved Americans for Prosperity have long supported free trade and low tariffs. But now that President Trump is leveling tariffs against everyone under the sun, even Canada, Andy Harris has rolled over. “Anything you say, Mr. President.” Principles forgotten, Harris has become Trump’s poodle. Welcome to ‘Poodlenomics.’

When President Trump announced tariffs against our largest trading partner, the European Union, Andy Harris did not object. When Trump proposed steel and aluminum tariffs against our allies, Harris let out not a whimper. Even when Trump introduced tariffs against Canada, which makes no sense whatsoever (we have a trade surplus with Canada), Harris didn’t even bark.

It’s not that others are not speaking out. Every other Congressman in the Maryland delegation has spoken out against Trump’s trade policies. Other Republicans, such as John McCain and Jeff Flake, have spoken out. The ultra-conservative Americans for Prosperity, of which Harris is a member, which has long maintained that free trade is the path to American economic success, has spoken out. It has called upon President Trump too, “ lift recent tariffs on aluminum and steel imports as well as the proposed tariffs on other imports from China,” (see Freedom Partner webpage: https://freedompartners.org).

Even the US Chamber of Congress, which Harris has long supported, has spoken out. On its website, the Chamber quotes Martin Feldstein, President Reagan’s chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, who argues that “foreign import barriers (i.e., tariffs) … are not the reason for the U.S. trade deficit. The real reason is that Americans are spending more than they produce…. The policies of foreign governments affect only how that deficit is divided among America’s trading partners.” (See https://www.uschamber.com/series/above-the-fold/trade-deficit-truths.)

Congressman Harris must know the basics of foreign trade accounting, but he chooses to go along with President Trump’s ill-conceived policies. Party over principle – that’s Poodlenomics.

What we need is a Congressman with backbone, with common sense policies, willing to reach across the aisle, who has served in Afghanistan four times and is willing to stand up to the President when necessary. Someone who is not a poodle. Have you looked at Jesse Colvin lately?

Carl Widell Widell is the chief financial officer and a director of Network Technologies International. He also served on the Talbot County Board of Education in 2008. 

In the context of current immigration issues, my Indian friend Babi brought up the subjects of land-grabbing and prejudice. Babi was my associate, Black & Decker’s polymer expert, and became a naturalized citizen of the United States more than forty years ago. Today he feels less welcome in our country than before. He is worried, despite my attempt to allay his fear, that he could be deported.

Why does he feel unwelcome? I will begin with a little history of humankind.

Almost two million years ago, our ancestor, Homo erectus evolved in East Africa, and by 750,000 BCE had emigrated through the Middle East and mostly eastward through India to Indonesia (Java man fossil), China (Peking man fossil), and Korea. See migration map:

Our species, Homo sapiens, also evolved in Africa (about 200,000 BCE), and started migrating around the world. By 15,000 BCE sapiens crossed the land bridge at the Bering Strait, and by 10,000 BCE had made it all the way to the southern tip of South America.

Anthropologists are unsure of the means by which later species replaced earlier ones, but four components may be 1) later species were better adapted to changing environments, 2) our species developed complex, symbolic language, i.e. communication skill, 3) Homo sapiens was better organized in hunting and combat, which led to 4) we wiped out earlier species we encountered. It was probably a combination of these.

As our species expanded we pushed aside or destroyed competitors in our endeavor to dominate territories of the world (land grabbing). The destruction and replacement occurred fastest when invaders possessed vastly superior weapons technology. Axiom #1 of our species has been MIGHT MAKES RIGHT.

As American settlers expanded westward, we justified our right to Native American lands by saying it was our “manifest destiny” to bring the benefits of civilization to these “savages.” A similar rationale was employed for black African slaves we brought to our country. They were better off here, we said, as slaves than in the wilds of Africa. Besides, they weren’t really equals as people. Bottom line: we took those people captive and used them as slaves not because we should, but because we could.

Later, the South claimed that the Bible supported their slave-holding policy. This follows Axiom #2 of our species: GOD DEGREES IT. We are only doing what God wants. But who authored and interpreted that scriptural guidance? Men who needed justification for what they wanted to do.

Prejudice follows from Axiom #3 of our species: MY TRIBE IS THE BEST. Tribalism arises from differences in race, economic status (e.g. caste in India, net worth in USA), religious belief, political persuasion, culture, vocation, nationalism, age, sexual orientation, physical stature, mental ability, gender, and more. The tribe to which I belong is superior to your tribe.

Now to racial prejudice. Is it justified?

A reason why racial prejudice prevails is because one can notice visually that the other is different. He doesn’t look like me. His skin is darker, his lips are thicker or thinner, his hair is blacker or kinkier, his eyelids are less pronounced and the wrong shape. Physical differences make it easier to identify those who are different than your particular tribe.

But are visual differences worthy of prejudice? Consider the genetics.

All people today are the same species. Species is a basic unit of Taxonomy, a system of classification of living things. Using man as an example, the ladder of classification, proceeding from broadest to most narrow, is:

Domain – Eukaryota (cells containing nuclei)
Kingdom – Animalia (Animal)
Phylum – Chordata (Chordate)
Class – Mammalia (Mammal)
Order – Primates
Family – Hominidae
Genus – Homo (man)
Species – Sapiens (wise)
Sub-species – None (there are no sub-species of man)

There are, however, differences in alleles (pronounced uh-LEELS). Alleles are variations of specific genes that result in observable phenotypic (outwardly observable) traits such as eye color, hair color and texture, certain facial features, and the amount of melanocytes (melanin-producing cells) in the skin. These features are akin to color variation in the same species of flower (e.g. roses), and are differences so superficial that they do not warrant classification by taxonomists (or biologists); they are important only to bigots and racists.

The prejudice in our country is mainly skin-color based, especially if dark skin is accompanied by facial features typical of black Africans. But what makes skin dark? A dark-skinned person has more melanocytes in the basal layer of his skin. Melanin is able to dissipate almost 100% of harmful UV radiation that is mostly responsible for skin cancers like malignant melanoma. A high concentration of melanin provides a genetic advantage for people who spend a lot of time in the sun. People who don’t spend a lot of time in the sun do not need as much melanin pigmentation. When man migrated to non-tropical regions he needed less melanin in his skin. He became lighter-skinned. Evolution at work.

There is no biological advantage for lighter skin, and one big disadvantage (less UV protection). So it seems ridiculous for lighter-skinned people to view darker-skinned people inferior. Yet that is what many whites do. Go figure! That prejudice appears to be just another form of tribalism, an even greater divisive force than our current president.

In broader context, prejudice is pre-judging a person not on individual merit, but on ideas one has about the group to which that person belongs. Wouldn’t it be more just to access a person’s worthiness from personal interaction? An exception to this principle would be if the individual in question follows an ideology with an avowed goal of harming non-threatening people who do not belong to his group (e.g. ISIS).

I will finish by adding one more axiom that I think is sometimes right and sometimes wrong: ENDS JUSTIFY MEANS. Example: some Trump supporters consider him means to an end, but at what cost to the norms and ethics of our democracy?

Bob Moores retired from Black & Decker/DeWalt in 1999 after 36 years. He was the Director of Cordless Product Development at the time. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Johns Hopkins University.

I’ve had a sour taste in my mouth over the state of education in our world. Especially its impact on Kent County Public Schools and the surrounding community. I have read and witnessed accounts from citizens in response to our schools, which has made me question how much of a community we really are.

As an optimist, I try to gravitate towards the positives and opportunities that present themselves. I attended KCPS from 1997-2011, and I have seen and felt the dividends of the school systems’ hard work for the youth. Due to that, I feel the will to express my thoughts, experiences, and encouragement for those who share my concerns about our schools and community.

When our education is jeopardized due to politics, as in recent events with the education budget, I believe that the community is equipped, qualified, and responsible for filling the gaps in resources through philanthropic and grassroots efforts. In these current times, what other option do we have? Citizens naturally have the resources of time, treasure, and talent to contribute to our society, and those are the keys to any act of philanthropy.

With that in mind, we (Kent County) have enough people and local resources to impact each one of the students in our schools, while supporting faculty and staff who teach, discipline, coach, feed, counsel, and love the kids as if they were their own.

Roughly, there are 20,000 citizens in Kent County, 17,000 who are adults and 3,000 under the age of 18.

Now, imagine if each adult spent 10 minutes of their time, each year, in the school or afterschool programs with students; collectively, a group of (5) adults could provide close to (1) hour of enrichment per year. Extrapolating this to the rest of the adult population (17,000 or 3,400 groups of 5 adults), Kent County’s adult residents could collectively contribute over 3,000 hours of enrichment to its young people each year.

Furthermore, a teacher can average between $19 and $25 dollars per hour (not considering summer hours, vacation, etc.) for his or her work. If those 3,000 community hours are valued at the same rate as a teacher’s hourly wage, the community could be investing between $57,000 and $75,000 of pro-bono time to students each year.

Likely, that will not happen at such a scale, but the idealism of it is inspiring. Especially when it results in the youth being exposed to real-life examples of career paths, tutoring, and a sense of greater connectivity to their community.

A real (similar) example of this scenario in motion is Character Counts Kent County, which contributes 3,600 volunteer hours per year with only 103 volunteers AND they represent less than 1% of Kent County’s adult population. Kudos to them! Their devotion to the youth year-after-year should inspire us to visualize and realize the impact that can happen if we all volunteer.

So, what’s stopping us? Yes — it would take a great deal of community effort to offset the funding deficit for our schools, but is there any harm in trying? Just 10 minutes of your time can go a long way…

A Product of Expectations

I couldn’t tell you who the commissioners were when I was in school, but I still remember the people in the schools and community who had a direct impact on me.

So, what I will do, is tell you about some folks who influenced my peers and me, as products of Kent County Public Schools:

Mrs. Valerie Anderson — she taught us how to type accurately and quickly using Appleworks during elementary school. We had those old Mac computers with the bulky, round, colored backs. We had no clue how important those skills were, but we had fun competing for the best times and accuracy scores. Many of us use those skills daily as teachers, nurses, accountants, and more. Mrs. Anderson also coordinated a small, afterschool group for a few African American Students. There were no more than 10 of us, but I remember exercises where she taught us to carry ourselves with confidence when we walked. She also taught us to be respectful when we talked and greeted others. Mrs. Anderson and the other administrators and teachers were building character, technical skills, and soft skills at Worton Elementary School (WES), “Where Everyone Shines.”

Mr. Ed Stack — his Social Studies class is the best class that I have ever taken to this day. I know so because that was the hardest that I have ever I worked in a class. He knew how to engage and excite us. I also remember him teaching us the Cornell Method for note taking. I NEVER had a teacher educate students on methods to take notes, and it taught us how to digest, synthesize, and communicate the information that we gathered. Reflecting now, it’s funny that we learned how to type in elementary school but still had to write notes by hand in Mr. Stack’s middle school class. I’m glad that we did though. Nothing sticks with you like written notes, and the Cornell Method is still stuck with me to this day. Once again, KCPS builds character and the skills that we need, to be successful.

Mr. Stack also created History Corps, later known as Discovery Corps. An afterschool program for students who found enrichment though historical, geological, and environmental learning activities such as hikes at Gettysburg Battlefield and the Appalachian Trail, or landscaping and ecological restoration at Wilmer Park. Those experiences were amazing and touched a lot of us kids. It made us feel like we were a part of our community. Not just some middle school kids. Some of us would have never had experiences close to that on our own, and many of us are still very close thanks to those times!

Michael Harvey – my college advisor and Business professor from Washington College. He taught me chess at Union United Methodist Church on Saturday mornings when I was in middle school, and he even founded Imagination Alley for elementary school students, which stretched my creativity at a young age. He even drove from Kent County to Baltimore to visit me several months ago just to catch up. I don’t think that there are too many communities where (1) person can have such a broad, lasting impact on someone. Thankfully, Kent County is small enough to enable that to happen, and it has potential to do more.

Reflecting over the past several years as a KCPS supporter and alum, I give so much credit to those who have impacted us through education and volunteership. I only gave three personal examples, but there are dozens more that my peers and I can pay homage to.

We need more of those examples of mentorship and support. Today’s youth need to feel connected to a real community. Not one that has to proclaim itself as “social.” Whether we have fully-funded schools or new county leadership, if we don’t recognize the value of our personal interaction with young people, and each other, we will fail as a society.

I encourage everyone to start with just ten minutes, to share your work or perspectives on life in the schools. Then grab a friend and go back again. Maybe recruit a student to intern or shadow you or offer to help with homework. Anything helps! We have the power to make a lasting impact on our community, and we have the responsibility to strengthen our legacy. We are a product of our expectations; not the environment that currently threatens our growth and sustainability.

If we expect the best from Kent County, then we must give our best to where Kent County starts for each of us. Our schools.

Darius Johnson is a graduate of Kent County High School ’11 and Washington College ’15, where he received the Vincent Hynson Scholarship for his humanitarian values which emulates those of the late Vincent Hynson. He currently works in the fields of workforce development and education consulting as director of the ACE Mentor Program of Baltimore and Outreach Manager for the Maryland Center for Construction Education & Innovation.

All elections are important but local elections especially so, because they affect our everyday living. The upcoming primary election involving Mr. Jim Luff should be considered as one of Kent County’s highest priorities and Mr. Luff’s candidacy, I believe, should be viewed with a dim eye.  I don’t have anything against Mr. Luff personally, and I’m sure he’s a decent enough guy, but his policy ideas, especially on land use issues are simply out of whack for the rural areas of the Upper Eastern Shore.

Being involved for nearly twenty  years in Queen Anne’s County on land use and political matters, I have seen Mr. Luff’s positions up close. Over the years, Mr. Luff has advocated for the sorts of development proposals that gladly invite uncontrolled development of the type that leads to school overcrowding, congested roadways, and general environmental degradation. His ideas could prove to be ruinous to Kent County’s sense of place, close-knit communities and agricultural landscapes.

His track record speaks for itself. Over the years, he is on public record numerous times as being strongly supportive of the massive 1,100 unit Four Seasons project on Kent Island, the largest subdivision in Maryland Critical Area history. This project on the banks of the Chester River that has been fiercely opposed by local residents, and a project where the developer has already been cited for major environmental violations before they have succeeded in constructing even a single dwelling!

In 2010, Mr. Luff publicly testified in favor of the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (also known as FASTC) in Ruthsburg – a proposed Federal project near Tuckahoe State park (it was referred to as Little Aberdeen by locals in the area) that would have devastated nearby family farms and upended an entire agricultural community with near-daily explosive detonations, automatic rifle-fire, high-speed auto exercises, and much more.

During the Queen Anne’s County Comprehensive Plan review (where I served on the Citizens Advisory Committee), it was Mr. Luff who advanced and advocated for a giant industrial park near preserved agricultural land in an area of northern Queen Anne’s County that had no water or sewer service, and in an area where nearby landowners didn’t want an industrial park. Mr. Luff’s proposal was so outlandish, it was dismissed early in the Planning review process.

In 2011, Mr. Luff advocated for weakening the Queen Anne’s County’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) to allow developers to proceed freely with construction projects despite their negative impacts to school crowding and traffic congestion, and thus, throw open the doors to development like you’d see in Glen Burnie.

Fortunately, citizen-sponsored referendums prevented Mr. Luff’s policy views from being implemented. Under the influence of powerful developers—and before that, through the McCrone Company where he worked—it was Mr. Luff who routinely favored development projects at the expense of everything else, including the quality of life of existing residents.

Last year, Mr. Luff invited the mayor of Middletown, Delaware to a Kent County Economic Development Commission meeting, and praised Middletown as an example of what good development could be. Is he serious??? Is Middletown what Mr. Luff envisions for small towns in Kent County such as Chestertown, Galena or Millington?

In short, there isn’t a development project that Mr. Luff hasn’t supported. Big box stores and overcrowded schools are fine by him, and so long as development is defined as “jobs,” Mr. Luff will likely favor it regardless of how it impacts a community.  Please do your research. Google “Jim Luff, Queen Anne’s County”— scroll through the stories and you’ll get a glimpse of his radical pro-development views.

If you like the look of uncontrolled development like that on Kent Island or in Middletown, then Jim Luff is your type of candidate…But, if you think Kent County, with all of its unique character, its small towns, its vast open areas of fields and forests are worth protecting, preserving, and celebrating, I urge you to consider someone else.


Jay Falstad owns Calico Fields Lavender farm in Queen Anne’s County and is the Executive Director of Queen Anne’s Conservation Association.