My Opponent

The Maryland Gazette published a piece about my opponent Delegate Dwyer on March 27th. I think the headline, which is a quote from my opponent, summarizes things nicely:

"I didn't come down here to pass bills."

Then what did you go down there for? His answer, "I came down here to do the people's work."

Which people exactly? All the people I know would like their representatives to do something. You don't pay plumbers to have positions about the leaky pipes, you pay them to fix the leak. You don't pay your mechanic to make angry speeches to your engine, you pay them to fix the problem. You don't pay your doctor to send a message to your liver, you pay them to heal the wounds. Why would you want to pay your representative to do nothing?

The paper was nice enough to interview me for the article. They did spell my name wrong (It's Chiappelli with two P's!). But they quoted me correctly:

"It's not gay marriage that is causing people to lose their homes."

When you want something done right, hire a professional.

Vote Chiappelli for Delegate.

Complete Waste of Time

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler issued an opinion today that Maryland should recognize same-sex marriages that are validly entered into in other states. Mind you this is a non-binding opinion.

I happened to be having lunch with the current delegation from the fighting 31st so I was able to hear Delegate Dwyer's reaction. He is going to seek the impeachment of Doug Gansler.

I didn't say anything at the time because, well, it seems rude to insult a man who's paying for your lunch.

But this is exactly the kind of nonsense that motivated me to run for delegate.

There is a serious budget crisis going on. People are losing their homes to foreclosures. People are losing their jobs. People are still losing their lives fighting overseas and Dwyer wants to waste the General Assembly's time on this?! A non-binding opinion?

The recognition of same-sex marriages from other states is a non-issue. It does not cost the state a dime. It does not require Maryland to do anything. It does not harm anyone.

Dwyer stated that it wasn't the opinion itself so much as the unconstitutionality of the opinion that really upsets him. This bothers me for a couple reasons.
-One: I went to law school for three years to study the constitution. Gansler's opinion is constitutional.
-Two: This is exactly the partisan fighting that does nothing productive but sucks energy and resources away from real issues. Clean air, clean water, better schools, the economy, etc.
-Three: Dwyer is pushing an extremist agenda. The good people of the fighting 31st are not extremist. Who is Dwyer really representing?

This attack is just another way to try to wedge the bedroom door open to government intrustion. I said it before and I'll say it again, the government and Dwyer have no place in my bedroom.

Protect the future: Vote Chiappelli.