Over 150 Members at Worcester County, Oct. 28: Over 150 members attended Worcester's 2nd Chapter meeting. At the first meeting, 101 concerned active members attended.

AFP-Worcester shows strength again, as over 150 members (many of whom were new recuits) continued the fight for freedom in Maryland. Even participants in a local bridge club who met in the same location, joined AFP-Maryland after learning of our message of free markets and limited government.

Baltimore County Councilman Vincent Gardina (D-Dist. 5) has served 5 terms out of his Perry Hall-based district. As a part time legislator, he earns an annual salary of $54,000. When Gardina retires his seat in 2011, his pension will equal his yearly salary for the rest of his life. If you factor in the average lifespan of an American male, that means we (the taxpayer) will be paying more than $1 million so that the councilman can retire comfortably.

AFP-Anne Arundel Members Promote Limited Government: On Monday, nearly 100 AFP-Anne Arundel members waved signs and flags such as "Hands Off Our Healthcare" and "Tired of Big Government?"

Currently both houses of Congress are proposing big government "solutions" to the health care debate. Many in the 1st Congressional District, where this rally was held, are opposed to government mandates and higher taxes.

In a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) this week, Douglas Elmendorf, of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), explained that enacting meaningful tort reform could save taxpayers and consumers nearly $54 billion. This new dollar amount is ten times the savings previously thought to exist. You can read the rest of Lori Montgomery's piece in the Washington Post, HERE.

Over the weekend the Salisbury Daily Times printed my op/ed expounding on the advantages of free market health care solutions versus the government-run program being pushed by liberals in Congress. This was a response to a piece published a few days earlier by Vincent DeMarco, a lobbyist representing a group calling themselves "Maryland Health Care For All!" (how ironic is it that HR 3200 does not even cover all Americans, right?).