By Lori Jaffe
Common sense is making a comeback. All across the nation, and even in blue Maryland and bluer Montgomery County, people are realizing that their governments need more of it. People are speaking up and it’s making a difference. We encourage you to continue to speak up for common sense. After all, our government is led by “we the people.”
Donald Trump ran on common sense issues and he won both the popular vote and the electoral vote. Fox News reported on Trump’s interview on Bloomberg News (1:02:30) "‘Forget about conservative, liberal. We’re, let’s say, conservative, but we’re really a party of ‘We need borders. We need fair elections. We don’t want men playing in women’s sports. We don’t want transgender operations without parental consent,’ Trump explained. ‘It is 99.9% common sense. It really is common sense. I say we’re really a party of common sense, and we want to have great people in our country.’”
“Trump added: ‘I have a good heart. I have a heart where I want people to be taken care of. But I don’t want to take in people where millions of people – 21 million people at least have come in the last three and a half years unvetted, unchecked. We don’t know anything about them.’”
Former President Trump answers questions at a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Maryland Governor Wes Moore is also talking about the need to be reasonable. Now that Maryland has a $2.7 billion budget deficit, he is pausing “The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future” project, which "is a $3.9 billion-dollar spending concept over 10 years for the public education system.” Moore is also planning $2 billion in cuts. According to the Washington Post, “Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday that he plans to roll back spending on some of the state’s ambitious climate change goals as part of an effort to find $2 billion in cuts, the opening offer in negotiations with the General Assembly over how to close a looming budget shortfall.” Looks like they ran out of other peoples' money.
Public safety is an important common sense concept even in blue Maryland. A Gonzales Poll found that “Maryland voters overwhelmingly support local cooperation with arresting and deporting criminal immigrants.” Even Democrat Rep. April McClain Delaney voted for the “Laken Riley Act,” a Republican sponsored border security bill. And it all started with grass-roots outrage.
In Montgomery County, public blow-back has caused Council Vice President Will Jawando to "pause" on the attainable housing plan. This happened because people like you wrote emails, testified, and attended hearings and meetings to express your concerns. Jawando heard you. “After studying the AHSI recommendations in detail, and hearing the outpouring of concern from the community regarding the recommendations – through listening sessions, correspondence, neighborhood visits, and one-on-one conversations all around the County – I believe we should pause consideration of these recommendations at this time.” Good work. Thank you!
We must continue to speak up for common sense. Please join us in this advocacy work! The best way to do so is to subscribe to Maryland Federation of Republican Women's Legislative Chair Ella Ennis’s email list ([email protected]) and to answer our calls to testify and write letters for and against upcoming bills. We will help you! For more information, please contact Legislative Chair Amy Waychoff at [email protected]. With your help, we will make a difference.
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Lori Jaffe is the Party Secretary for the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, volunteer coordinator and Member of the Executive Board. She can be reached at [email protected]