Yea lets get rid of the death penalty.
And lets do nothing to criminals and let them continue to destroy Maryland.
Its time to get tough on crime!

Sidney, the problem lies here does the death penalty ACTUALLY deter crime?

I understand the death penalty, I understand the concept that there are some human beings that help the species simply by being removed from the gene pool.

But multiple studies over the years continue to show that the death penalty does not seem to be an active deterrent to crime.

That is not to say that the death penalty should go away, but being "tough on crime" is a lot more than just the death penalty. There are plenty of places in this country that do not have the death penalty and are still considered "tough on crime."

I think the approval rating climb shows that people are realizing that O'Malley has a lot of tough decisions to make. As the head of Progressive Maryland said in the paper yesterday, "we are no longer trimming fat, we are trimming bone and muscle at this point."

It is a tough time to be a governor anywhere in the country right now and O'Malley is no different. He has already cut more out of the budget than conservative golden calf Ehrlich ever did, but no one really gives him credit for that.

I know I am leaving myself open to dumb criticism from "bumper-sticker" conservatives that deal more in catchy slogans than the reality of policy.

As I have said before O'Malley has already trimmed more money than Ehrlich ever did but the GOP is calling for a "spending freeze" which sounds good in the paper, but I doubt that even they know if it is possible for the state, or any state, for that matter to simply stop spending money.

According to the pollsters' web site, the margin of error of the survey is plus or minus 3.5%. With that in mind, there really may not be much of a significant change, if at all, in the Guv's popularity.

It seems curious that only 10% of respondents cited taxes as the most pressing issue facing Maryland.

I'm also curious whether the survey was sponsored by some third party (and if so, whom?) rather than conducted independently by Gonzales et al. You always have to consider the source and how the survey questions are posed.

Approval ratings up?
Not in my neck of the woods. People are mad.
Must be pollsters focused around the Washington, D.C. beltway.
We all know these people. They will vote for a brick if that brick had a "D" carved into it's soul.

Actually, the margin of error would have been the same on the last poll. That being said the change should be considered significant.

Obviously the governor has made mistakes and tough decisions that people didn't like. But he's driven by his love of Maryland and doing the right thing for the state. And for that, he should be applauded.

After the session the poll numbers will side, especially with all those furlough days for state employees. The problem is spending. His health care program is a disater no one is reporting. The Maryland DHMH is not even doing an asset test or checking to see if people are qualified for it.

Don;t kid yourself Rob.
What drives our governor is doing what is best for him and blaming everything on the Ehrlich administration.
Name any significant OMalley achievements as mayor or governor!

I was once a huge death penalty proponent, but I am now opposed to the death penalty for 2 very good reasond in my opinion!

1st: as my father once told me when I was young(my father was a balto. city policeman for 25 yrs.) our laws were set up so not to have an innocent person go to jail even if it means some guilty go free, and this is true.

2nd: since "dna "has become very prevalent it has been proven too many times that innocent men have been sentenced to death, for reasons such as police lieing and prosecutors withholding evidence, or police themselves planting evidence.( same reason a guilty O.J. got set free)

For these reasons I am no longer a proponent of the death penalty , and I have agonized about this change for some time but had to come to this conclusion!

I'm not expecting much from O'Malley. He didn't do much before he went to Annapolis, why expect anything now!

I think the rise in O'Malley's approval rating shows that the O'Malley spin is working.

If we have the most educated people in the US then how did O'Malley get elected?

O'Malley is an empty suit looking for the next photo op to further his political ambitions... no more, no less!.

Maybe Governor O'Malley's approval ratings are up because people listened to what Balt Police Commish Bealefeld III had to say on WBAL Friday.

Bealefeld said the primary reason the murder rate was down 20% in Baltimore, and at their lowest point since the '80s.. was that City now had a partner in Annapolis, and that City and State had been able to work together with the Feds.

O'Malley has some faults, but the rebirth of Baltimore is largely because of him.

Going up ! that's insanity , along with cutting jobs , He should start by cutting his salary too , I think Sheila Dixon's will be cut soon ( that will help out in more ways than one ) Now if they could find out some on O Malley, that would make it for a great start for the 2009 year ! Let's cut that extra $ that's being wasted by our " Politicians " , looking forward to seeing Bush out of office , Dixon soon to follow and hopefully O Malley going out too !

On board with Nick. The whole lot should be gone. O'Taxey pissed away the surplus left by Ehrlich let I remind James from Hampden, and stole money from they rainey day fund to balance his first budget as governer instead of making any tough decisions to balance a budget. He hit Maryland with its biggest tax incerease in history in an economic slump and when it fails he proceede to tell everyone what a great idea slots are. When Ehrlich wanted slots all you Democrats said no way no how! P.S... The reason the death penelty does not work is because the 20-30 years of appeals the convicts get. If there is any question of guilt I say err on the side of caution, but when you have a guy on tape killing an innocent person in the commision of a felony, robbery, whatever- with numerous witnesses then we need to have the trial and find them guilty and within 6 months put them to death. Then lets see how effective it is in detering the citys homocide rate!! You really think Martin does not know what Dixon was doing while he was Mayor and she was Council president. They are all a bunch of theives in nice suits and gucci glasses. I would love to know what Kevin Clark found on the computers in City Police headquarters befor O'Taxey had him removed by SWAT.

Gov. O'Malley will never recover fully from backing the wrong horse in the presidential campaign. That will have rubbed the soon-to-be ruling leadership the wrong way, and as Miller, Busch & Co showed this week, there is nothing more spiteful than a liberal with a grudge.

what about his BGE cure he had for all of us while he was running???? i have a little ranch house, keep my heat at 63 still last month cost me $483:00, plus 2 weeks after election he cut the money for bay in half, after saying he wants to "FIX" the bay,

dont forget the 75mil. we paid for the big welcome to D.C. party last week, that come from Md. taxpayers pocket, as well as the new $40,000 area rug he just bought for the state house