How do we end Montgomery County socialism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great post, OP, and I hope for a respectful, robust discussion here. There is a lot to talk about.

IMO, one of the main problems with the mindset of too many voters in MoCo is that too many of them work for, and benefit from, the entities you describe. I read somewhere that something like 25% (or close to it) of MoCo residents work for the government in some capacity - local/ state/ federal. This is a really high percentage compared to bedroom suburban communities of other major cities around the country, and it breeds, of course, a population that reveres government processes and services. It also explains the "Beltway Bubble" that many MoCo residents are submerged in, because it is a mindset that is not consistent with people in other areas of the state and country. These people are born followers who love rules - making them and enforcing them on other people. As a simple example, look at the clinging to masks in MoCo and how people still wear them as a badge of honor. It's a uniform there that says "I'm part of the system, and I buy into it."

Unfortunately, I don't know how you change that. Proximity to Washington is the negative here and that's not going to change. The same is true in suburban areas of VA, but not nearly on the scale that it is in MD, and VA has a more conservative/ Republican history to balance it out.

OMG. I have never read anything that more accurately describes the vast majority of people that live here. See the “you’ll take my mask from my cold dead hands you MAGA trash” and “look how I am protecting YOU!” sheeple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why does Montgomery County have to feel like 1980s East Germany?

Elrich Honecker.

[Anonymous]

Frankly, I think MoCo is beyond saving. Its gradual stagnation and decline relative to NoVa has been happening for so long now that MoCo officials no longer care about remaining competitive. Worse, MoCo leaders have adopted such an insular and narrow perspective that the county has become a problem for the state and the region. This latest example over 270 and 495 is a prime example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you please explain how Montgomery County is a socialist regime?

I'm guessing it's the same person who complains that Canada is a dictatorship on the politics forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great post, OP, and I hope for a respectful, robust discussion here. There is a lot to talk about.

IMO, one of the main problems with the mindset of too many voters in MoCo is that too many of them work for, and benefit from, the entities you describe. I read somewhere that something like 25% (or close to it) of MoCo residents work for the government in some capacity - local/ state/ federal. This is a really high percentage compared to bedroom suburban communities of other major cities around the country, and it breeds, of course, a population that reveres government processes and services. It also explains the "Beltway Bubble" that many MoCo residents are submerged in, because it is a mindset that is not consistent with people in other areas of the state and country. These people are born followers who love rules - making them and enforcing them on other people. As a simple example, look at the clinging to masks in MoCo and how people still wear them as a badge of honor. It's a uniform there that says "I'm part of the system, and I buy into it."

Unfortunately, I don't know how you change that. Proximity to Washington is the negative here and that's not going to change. The same is true in suburban areas of VA, but not nearly on the scale that it is in MD, and VA has a more conservative/ Republican history to balance it out.

OMG. I have never read anything that more accurately describes the vast majority of people that live here. See the “you’ll take my mask from my cold dead hands you MAGA trash” and “look how I am protecting YOU!” sheeple.

I don't see it as "rule followers" because even as the county is saying you don't need to wear a mask if you are vaccinated, lots of people still do.

To me, that's about fear rather than rule following.

A lot of people here seem to be hyper fearful of covid as much as some red areas don't fear it enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you please explain how Montgomery County is a socialist regime?

MoCo elected a tyrant like Erlich.

Which private enterprises has Elrich nationalized?

https://redmaryland.com/2019/11/comrade-elrichs-kirwan-plan-government-run-pot-stores/

Yes it's a right wing blog, but the quotes from Elrich are real and this is actually something he wants to do.

Instead of privatize liquor control... moco has a liquor monopoly that loses money and only plays to the hands of powerful public employee unions... Elrich wants to expand it to include marijuana. State controlled, socialist marijuana. That's the most Takoma Park thing I've ever heard.

[Anonymous]

If MoCo would stop the public liquor business (all it does for us is force us over to PG or Fairfax to buy the wine we want)
AND get property owners to tear down poor rattrap apartments and build mised used housing and sprinkle the pot around MoCo, things would be better.

They've let the old guard control liquor, to the point I can't get what I want here. And have let the old guard fleece poor people for substandard housing AND let their property and retail centers go to heck on the eastern side of MoCo. I should know, I live there.

Check out the shopping center across from Glenmont metro some time, looks like the burned out remnants of a previous first world country. Apparently the owners don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If MoCo would stop the public liquor business (all it does for us is force us over to PG or Fairfax to buy the wine we want)
AND get property owners to tear down poor rattrap apartments and build mised used housing and sprinkle the pot around MoCo, things would be better.

They've let the old guard control liquor, to the point I can't get what I want here. And have let the old guard fleece poor people for substandard housing AND let their property and retail centers go to heck on the eastern side of MoCo. I should know, I live there.

Check out the shopping center across from Glenmont metro some time, looks like the burned out remnants of a previous first world country. Apparently the owners don't care.

I wanted to support a small business when I was looking to buy some hard liquor, but they said they are not allowed to carry hard liquor. Only county run stores can carry them. Such a shame.

We moved to MoCo because the schools were better than where we lived, and we did want a blue area, but now I can't wait to get out after the kids are off to college. MoCo is way more of a nanny state than even where I moved from in CA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you please explain how Montgomery County is a socialist regime?

MoCo elected a tyrant like Erlich.

Which private enterprises has Elrich nationalized?

https://redmaryland.com/2019/11/comrade-elrichs-kirwan-plan-government-run-pot-stores/

Yes it's a right wing blog, but the quotes from Elrich are real and this is actually something he wants to do.

Instead of privatize liquor control... moco has a liquor monopoly that loses money and only plays to the hands of powerful public employee unions... Elrich wants to expand it to include marijuana. State controlled, socialist marijuana. That's the most Takoma Park thing I've ever heard.

If government control of liquor stores is the benchmark for socialism, I ask Virginia to step forward and take a bow.

[Anonymous]

Marc Elrich is just a symptom. The people that elected him are the disease.

If you want to cure MoCo you either have to get those people to use their brains, or flood the county with moderates or conservatives. And neither of those things is going to happen.

So I’ll enjoy watching the county spiral downwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great post, OP, and I hope for a respectful, robust discussion here. There is a lot to talk about.

IMO, one of the main problems with the mindset of too many voters in MoCo is that too many of them work for, and benefit from, the entities you describe. I read somewhere that something like 25% (or close to it) of MoCo residents work for the government in some capacity - local/ state/ federal. This is a really high percentage compared to bedroom suburban communities of other major cities around the country, and it breeds, of course, a population that reveres government processes and services. It also explains the "Beltway Bubble" that many MoCo residents are submerged in, because it is a mindset that is not consistent with people in other areas of the state and country. These people are born followers who love rules - making them and enforcing them on other people. As a simple example, look at the clinging to masks in MoCo and how people still wear them as a badge of honor. It's a uniform there that says "I'm part of the system, and I buy into it."

Unfortunately, I don't know how you change that. Proximity to Washington is the negative here and that's not going to change. The same is true in suburban areas of VA, but not nearly on the scale that it is in MD, and VA has a more conservative/ Republican history to balance it out.

Try again look up socialism in a dictionary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marc Elrich is just a symptom. The people that elected him are the disease.

If you want to cure MoCo you either have to get those people to use their brains, or flood the county with moderates or conservatives. And neither of those things is going to happen.

So I’ll enjoy watching the county spiral downwards.

WRONG

Currently conservatives want the US to turn into a fascist country with KING Trump.

Conservatives want a criminal in office. They are ok with Congressmen knowingly lying to the American people to stand with Russia.

They stand with garbage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you please explain how Montgomery County is a socialist regime?

MoCo elected a tyrant like Erlich.

Which private enterprises has Elrich nationalized?

https://redmaryland.com/2019/11/comrade-elrichs-kirwan-plan-government-run-pot-stores/

Yes it's a right wing blog, but the quotes from Elrich are real and this is actually something he wants to do.

Instead of privatize liquor control... moco has a liquor monopoly that loses money and only plays to the hands of powerful public employee unions... Elrich wants to expand it to include marijuana. State controlled, socialist marijuana. That's the most Takoma Park thing I've ever heard.

If government control of liquor stores is the benchmark for socialism, I ask Virginia to step forward and take a bow.

dp.. don't be obtuse. That was just an example.

MoCo is not completely socialist, but some of its policies knocks on the door of it and is way more left leaning than many other counties, especially around here.

[Anonymous]

Would you say that DC is socialist too? MoCo is just an extension of DC in terms of mindset. Don't know why people think there's some kind of Iron Curtain between NHave/East-West highway and the Potomac River.

[Anonymous]

The Post kind of cherry-picked the report. It's not clear that Fairfax outpaced Montgomery in life science jobs because the report just says "research and development in the physical, engineering and life sciences," which can include R&D in the defense realm...and Fairfax has Montgomery beat hands-down in that dept because of proximity to the Pentagon. Novavax is expanding in Montgomery, and I think the EDC convinced a couple of smaller biotechs to move/expand. Not game-changers, but moving in the right direction. A lot of the life science jobs in Frederick are manufacturing operations which take up a lot of real estate, so Frederick makes sense because land is cheaper. That said, Montgomery can definitely do better going forward. We need different people at the top, hopefully voters will give David Blair a chance this time (very close last time). We don't need more of Elrich, or Riemer, or any other county council clowns, that's for sure.