Yesterday there was a public hearing about City Council Bill #08-0163 (the Live Entertainment Licensing and Regulation bill. My sources tell me that a diverse group of people packed the meeting hall in opposition to the foolish anti-arts bill. The bill will basically create another bureaucracy that will govern and regulate live entertainment in Baltimore. It will be another government organization prone to corruption, bribery, and wasteful spending of tax payer money. Keep in mind that most venues with live entertainment already serve liquor and are thus heavily regulated by the liquor board. Why create more hoops to jump though? Our leaders should be coming up with ideas that will promote economic development and create new artistic opportunities. Baltimore depends a lot on tourism and tourists spend money at bars and live entertainment venues. We do not want to make it more expensive for tourists and locals to enjoy these establishments. Why make it harder for legal businesses to operate in a time of economic chaos?
I think it is also important to point out that local artists, musicians, and fans are getting together online and doing a respectable job of fighting this ridiculous grandstanding bill. There is one thing that local artists do not realize though. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake knows very well what I have been saying on this blog for months- young people, artists, musicians, and their young fans DO NOT VOTE in local elections or ARE NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE in Baltimore as Democrats and have no power to vote Council President Rawlings-Blake out of office. She has no electoral reason to fear you or listen to you. What my young artists friends need to do is register to vote in Baltimore City and on local office election day in 2011 (actually go to the polls) vote the bums on city council out.
Comments
Adam, Though contributing to the fight against this bill is well recieved as I previously wrote about on Monday, I take exception with your premise that these artists and even local entrepreneur small business owners, don't vote and are not registered. Actually the majority of the people I represent in getting this bill killed are not only registered and active voters', many have in the past voted for and contributed to the Council President and outraged by not only the introduction of this bill, but by her seemingly back-handed tactics in introducing a bill that shall, if passed, effectively kill their business! Therefore, please keep informing folk on this bad bill and the (3) public hearings coming up throughout the City as it relates to this bill, 08-0163.
Baltimore Independent Examiner
Isn't there enough dictatorship in this country. You took prayer out of schools. you can't discipline your child. We all are sufferring job crisis. Now you want to take music out of people lifes. what more you want out of life. Someone is watching to many destroyer video games.
Adam -- great post, I am voting against Rawlings-Blake when election day comes. I'm voting ALL the bums out this time (except maybe Cole...I've generally been impressed with him [which is unexpected])
uh, "G. Durham"...? I'm GLAD they "took prayer out of schools"...I certainly don't want any religion shoved down my child's throat, thank you very much. It's a free country, last time I checked (or it's supposed to be, anyway), which means it should be ok to be atheist if you want to! Also, you can discipline your child -- no laws against that at all. In fact, if you don't (I guess you don't?), then I'd say you're a pretty poor excuse for a parent.
VOTE THE BUMS OUT IN 2011. Baltimorons Take Back Your City. Look through your communities and find people who really want to serve and not want a paycheck or be status figures. Don't just stop in the city look at your State Senators and Delegates too. Time for them to take a hike also. In the immortal words of a city dweller "REMEMBER YOUR GAS & ELECTRIC BILL"
This is what you would call "a solution in search of a problem"
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