Awesome. Life in MD just became a little bit more miserable. Thanks guys!

Please, someone, anyone buy me a potent drink. The only way to understand this group of mishaps is to join them, and I can't do that sober.

This is total $#it

These people make me sick to my stomach! This is NO way to run a state and they should ALL be fired or taxed 90%.

What do you want to bet that, just like the tax increase, there are a certain number of Senators that were supposed to be allowed cover and allowed to vote No, and somehow the numbers were screwed up. The Gang that can't shoot straight.
--------------
Skeptic:

That absolutely happens in Annapolis, an is a not-unreasonable scenario here.

-- David

Mandatory drug testing for all these Senators. Remember to vote them out next year.

seriously are you surprised? It is all about the money and no one extorts money from the citizen quite like Maryland Politicians! Good Job I hope you all get nailed by speeding cameras! I am beginning to think the Maryland gov is the most corrupt legislature and executive gov in the country.

LEGISLOOTERS!!!

A license to STEAL!

This state does not care about it's citizens, but only revenue. Piggyback taxes, emission test (taxes), large increases in driver's license renewal & car registration. No serious actions to Re-regulate utilities during the current sessions even though the consumers have been screaming for the last four months about the outrageous sky high utility bills.
Now, they will have cameras on ever corner, road, & highway so that it can cause bottlenecks, stress, delays, which will add to the public's already stress due to the ecomony. What poor timing. But you and I know that it was REVENUE that was the focus on passing this bill. Give me a break !!!

O.K. I thought (pretty stupidly I might add) that our politicians were supposed to have OUR best interests at heart. Look at the vote on it in the Sun.. Almost 80% against and this PASSED?? Just another example of how personal agendas are put before the wants of the people. I'm betting Owe'Malley had a talk to some of his boys about voting against it until he got his way. This guy is nothing but a spoiled brat who threatens and throws tamtrums until he gets his way. My guess something way promised or threated to be taken away until it passed. I hope all you fools that voted these bums in again are happy.

It is a revunue enhancement plan!Since the slots bonanza is a mirage
-nice job on that one Annapolis-
this is the back up plan!

PETITION. NOW http://stopbigbrothermd.blogspot.com/
Any lawyer types out there up to start a real petition to put this to a referedum vote?

Well Maryland, you can now officially say: Big Brother is watching you. Maryland is a police state now. Next thing you know, they won't let us listen to radios in the car.

I guess they decided not to follow the wishes of their constituents.

Vote them out of office and let them know just how unhappy you are with their actions.

Sun reporters: Please publish a list of how our representatives voted on this issue.

What is worse the Baltimore city elected officials or Maryland's finest State Senators- Remember the motto in 1776 - Taxation w/o representation- I believe it is worse now- Call to arms fella's-- We need to change it

Zirkin is absolutely spineless. He likes to look tough, but caved on tax increases, death penalty and now this. I think he is one of the ones who needed 'cover' when they rammed the taxes through.

Mike B, great idea but petitioning a bill to referendum is a very large task.
www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/43const/html/16art16.html

SEC. 3. (a) The referendum petition against an Act or part of an Act passed by the General Assembly, shall be sufficient if signed by three percent of the qualified voters of the State of Maryland, calculated upon the whole number of votes cast for Governor at the last preceding Gubernatorial election, of whom not more than half are residents of Baltimore City, or of any one County. However, any Public Local Law for any one County or the City of Baltimore, shall be referred by the Secretary of State only to the people of the County or City of Baltimore, upon a referendum petition of ten percent of the qualified voters of the County or City of Baltimore, as the case may be, calculated upon the whole number of votes cast respectively for Governor at the last preceding Gubernatorial election.

(b) If more than one-third, but less than the full number of signatures required to complete any referendum petition against any law passed by the General Assembly, be filed with the Secretary of State before the first day of June, the time for the law to take effect and for filing the remainder of signatures to complete the petition shall be extended to the thirtieth day of the same month, with like effect.

If an Act is passed less than 45 days prior to June 1, it may not become effective sooner than 31 days after its passage. To bring this Act to referendum, the first one-third of the required number of signatures to a petition shall be submitted within 30 days after its passage. If the first one-third of the required number of signatures is submitted to the Secretary of State within 30 days after its passage, the time for the Act to take effect and for filing the remainder of the signatures to complete the petition shall be extended for an additional 30 days.

(c) In this Article, "pass" or "passed" means any final action upon any Act or part of an Act by both Houses of the General Assembly; and "enact" or "enacted" means approval of an Act or part of an Act by the Governor.

(d) Signatures on a petition for referendum on an Act or part of an Act may be signed at any time after the Act or part of an Act is passed (amended by Chapter 548, Acts of 1976, ratified Nov. 2, 1976. Sec. 3(a) previously amended by Chapter 6, Acts of 1962, ratified Nov. 6, 1962).

SEC. 4. A petition may consist of several papers, but each paper shall contain the full text, or an accurate summary approved by the Attorney General, of the Act or part of Act petitioned. There shall be attached to each paper of signatures filed with a petition an affidavit of the person procuring those signatures that the signatures were affixed in his presence and that, based upon the person's best knowledge and belief, every signature on the paper is genuine and bona fide and that the signers are registered voters at the address set opposite or below their names. The General Assembly shall prescribe by law the form of the petition, the manner for verifying its authenticity, and other administrative procedures which facilitate the petition process and which are not in conflict with this Article (amended by Chapter 548, Acts of 1976, ratified Nov. 2, 1976; Chapter 849, Acts of 1982, ratified Nov. 2, 1982).

SEC. 5. (a) The General Assembly shall provide for furnishing the voters of the State the text of all measures to be voted upon by the people; provided, that until otherwise provided by law the same shall be published in the manner prescribed by Article XIV of the Constitution for the publication of proposed Constitutional Amendments.

(b) All laws referred under the provisions of this Article shall be submitted separately on the ballots to the voters of the people, but if containing more than two hundred words, the full text shall not be printed on the official ballots, but the Secretary of State shall prepare and submit a ballot title of each such measure in such form as to present the purpose of said measure concisely and intelligently. The ballot title may be distinct from the legislative title, but in any case the legislative title shall be sufficient. Upon each of the ballots, following the ballot title or text, as the case may be, of each such measure, there shall be printed the words "For the referred law" and "Against the referred law," as the case may be. The votes cast for and against any such referred law shall be returned to the Governor in the manner prescribed with respect to proposed amendments to the Constitution under Article XIV of this Constitution, and the Governor shall proclaim the result of the election, and, if it shall appear that the majority of the votes cast on any such measure were cast in favor thereof, the Governor shall by his proclamation declare the same having received a majority of the votes to have been adopted by the people of Maryland as a part of the laws of the State, to take effect thirty days after such election, and in like manner and with like effect the Governor shall proclaim the result of the local election as to any Public Local Law which shall have been submitted to the voters of any County or of the City of Baltimore.

SEC. 6. No law, licensing, regulating, prohibiting, or submitting to local option, the manufacture or sale of malt or spirituous liquors, shall be referred or repealed under the provisions of this Article (amended by Chapter 681, Acts of 1977, ratified Nov. 7, 1978).

If any of the people who voted for this are in my district, I will make sure that they do NOT get my vote in any future election. Speed cameras are not the answer.

If you are involved in road construction or have children who attend school you should be glad speed cameras passed. If you break the law and drive like jerks pay up. I love red light cameras also. Being hit broadside by a redlight running fool is not fun. If people knew how to drive we would not need such laws. Get off the cell phone too

It's sad that this is the genius plan to fill the state coffers. Can we link our speed pay to the speed cameras and just pay as we go?

What a stupid thing to pass.

Karl,

Do you really think that these cameras are going to stop people from speeding?

Sorry to burst your bubble Karl, but traffic enforcement by camera such as this has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with revenue.
http://www.motorists.org/blog/red-light-cameras-increase-accidents-5-studies-that-prove-it/
http://arizonaatheist.blogspot.com/2009/01/speed-cameras-are-they-really-reducing.html

People don't magically learn how to drive or be safe just because the State puts cameras up. There's already tons of laws that cover the results of drivers' inattentiveness, stupidity, etc. and trying to prevent such things with traffic enforcement cameras just doesn't work.

It's not about public safety it's about money (and maybe control).

Its not that we all want to run red lites & speed its another point of why are we paying police to not do there jobs? Why do we allow gov to control our every move, gov needs to start policing the ral issues. Put speed traps on the roads, not just at end of month to rach their quotas! Safety is a maor issue, but a $40 ticket no points won't help! The judges need to get tougher in the courts, stop PBJ's.
That is what is wrong with our system, we are always looking for reasons to let people 'slide' Doesn't the mayor, governor, AIG, traesury head guilty of tax issues prove all of this! Instead of playing around with this camera issue lets deal with REAL issues. BGE, unemployment, the economy going to H??? in a handbag! Sessions are alomost done & what have they accomplished again, nothing!!!!

Its not about safety, its about gov doing what needs to be done ! The police need to go out & start giving tickets, instead of waiting for the cameras to do their jobs for them. $40 ticket will not slow people down especially w/no points. Its all about the money. If this state isn't about $$$$$ then why is Franchot wanting to charge all businesses that have a soda dispensing machine a license fee all because he found a law dating back to 1916 requiring Soda Fountain shops to be licensed? Businesses are already taxed & Double taxed for so many things, that it is all about $$$ for the state of MD. Why doesn't Mr Franchot & Mr. Owe-Malley offer some of there pay increases, and perks back to the budget to help keep the state afloat instead of putting more burden on the little guy. Cigarette, alcohol taxes going crazy, etc. Maybe there is something else being smoked down there in Annapolis

Guess what, I tried to voice my opinion & because someone else used my name 'fed up" and you replied that I have left too many comments recently, mine was rejected. Where does it say you are only allowed to voice your opinion X number of times in so much time! I'm sorry, I am an A__ kisser to our state gov, but its my right to freedom of speech, or did they tax that too. Oh and I didn't realize you who control the blog are associated with The Sun who is stuck the b of Annapolis! Don't worry, I'll be back!! Count on it! Even if you don't publish on the blog!

I don't like it one bit....

Karl, its not about safety...that would be a different story. Its about using an ineffective method to generate money, while slapping the "safety" aspect to it.

I can drive 50mph over the limit everyday...and they will fine me. If I have deep pockets, so what?

-You get no points
-You can't lose your license

And with that, there is no "driving" punishment. People who see the cameras, will avoid them by going down different roads. The only people who will be caught are the one-time offenders, the "oh crap, they got me" guys. It makes no one safer, and carries no effective method of stopping people. Heck, it even tells you what road you were on!

Why don't we put cameras everywhere. Parking meters, parking lots, "No U-Turn areas" "No turn on red" areas, etc etc.....

Its not about stopping people who cant drive, its about exploiting them. Just like smokers. Its easy! Just tell the public "We know whats good for you!"

Hey Karl do your homework.
Speed cameras are just a revenue stream, this has nothing to do with safety. If we want people to slow down around schools where theirs a problem we merely need to install speed bumps which are a lot better calming device than cameras.

It is amusing to see bloggers spout off and talk about politicians like they know them. Geeks behind their computers who need a life.