January 2009 Archives

In the January Voice, Biz Buzz columnist Elizabeth Brinkama wrote about how the community rallied around small businesses this past holiday season. Here's an excerpt:

"For most retail establishments, revenue in the all important 4th quarter can account for upwards of 25% to a high of almost 40% of their entire yearly income. This year promised to be a white knuckle, down to the wire, your guess is as good as mine holiday sales season.  Would a call to arms to "shop local first" led by area merchants, the Old Takoma Business Association, LEDC (Latino Economic Development Corporation), Buy Local Silver Spring, and this newspaper make a tangible difference?  With the final results of the season and the lasting effects of the current recession as yet to be determined, i.e. who survives, who is closing, how businesses are adapting to the changing economy; anecdotal information indicates that the rallying cry was indeed heard and, more importantly, heeded."

To read her entire column, visit http://www.takoma.com/biz/2009/01/local-businesses-thank-you.html

On New Year's Eve, curmudgeons at Lake Superior State University in Michigan included "green" on a list of overused terms that had lost meaning and ought to be banned from serious conversation.

They have a point. Claiming to be "green" seems to be the theme of half the commercials on TV. Yet making the world "greener" is one of the few universally shared goals of our time. The questions are: What does it entail, how do we do it, and when?

The Voice asked a number of the well-credentialed environmentalists and policymakers who live in Takoma Park or Silver Spring to give us a few ideas that could be enacted soon, sometime this year, at the local or state level.

Read more at http://www.takoma.com/green/2009/01/green-resolutions-a-list-of-en.html

by Michael Tabor

It's always interesting to me.  When someone like Obama runs for President, folks are always willing to take unpaid leave and schlep to PA,  Florida and Ohio.  And, no doubt about it, electing a decent president is really important.  But when it comes to really influencing politics on the grassroots level where it counts and, getting good people elected to the State Assembly in most districts... forget about it!  Next time you're at a get together in Wheaton, Rockville or Bethesda, ask how many people know what state legislative district they live in and who their delegates and senators are.  Very few will.

So, I'm going out on a limb, and publishing this list and evaluation of who we've elected (or appointed) here in Montgomery County as our representatives in the MD General Assembly.  I've spoken with over a dozen reps from social justice groups and progressive activists who lobby for a wide variety of citizen concerns - healthcare, slots, the ICC, public transportation gender rights, campaign finance reform, the environment, etc.  So, this is a composite view. I encourage you to share it with friends in other parts of the County, and most importantly, use it as a checklist to evaluate the actions of your elected officials in the upcoming MD General Assembly.  Perhaps they'll act more judiciously if they know they're under the scrutiny of a watchful public.

Tellingly, Jack Carson omits any hard data to support his twin assertions that Takoma Park's sanctuary law  "has had deadly consequences" and made Takoma Park "a haven for illegal immigrants." ("Sanctuary law has deadly consequences," December 2008) The heartbreaking and detestable murder of a fine young man is not an indictment of an entire population.

There are no reliable figures on the illegal immigrant population of the U.S., or Takoma Park, nor any evidence that anyone has moved here because of the sanctuary law.  Takoma Park's sanctuary law does not protect anyone from prosecution for a crime. Federal immigration enforcers can enter Takoma Park whenever they want; Takoma Park police do not interfere with their work.

The problem is not undocumented immigrants. DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier says the clearest indicators of youth violence are disengagement and dropping out of school.  A 2007 study by the Immigration Policy Center concluded that of the majority of 18-39 year olds in US prisons, the incarceration rate for native-born Americans is 5 times greater than the rate for foreign-born men, legal or not.

The best defenses against criminals are effective policing, community involvement, engaged parents, good schools, decent jobs, effective prosecution, fair trials, appropriate punishment and rehabilitation.   

Charging Takoma Park with encouraging crime and immigrant residents with violence is not a defense against criminals; it's an offense against a community trying to do it best.

Thank you for Elizabeth Brinkama's article "Fill up on falafel..." (December 2008). The Organic Falafel Stand is the perfect place to stop for a quick, mouth-watering meal.
Fresh ingredients are combined with sweet and savory herbs and spices to create delicious animal-friendly sandwiches, plates and sides. With its fabulous all-vegan menu, it's no surprise that The Organic Falafel Stand is the feature of the month on www.VegDC.com!

by Priscilla Labovitz

Tellingly, Jack Carson omits any hard data to support his twin assertions that Takoma Park's sanctuary law  "has had deadly consequences" and made Takoma Park "a haven for illegal immigrants." (Dec. 08 Voice) The heartbreaking and detestable murder of a fine young man is not an indictment of an entire population.

There are no reliable figures on the illegal immigrant population of the U.S., or Takoma Park, nor any evidence that anyone has moved here because of the sanctuary law.  Takoma Park's sanctuary law does not protect anyone from prosecution for a crime. Federal immigration enforcers can enter Takoma Park whenever they want; Takoma Park police do not interfere with their work.