As the Kirwan Commission (“Innovation and Excellence in Education”) soldiered its way to completion of both policy and funding goals in nearly two years of hard work, the state’s leadership totally failed to do its part – both the Democratic-dominated Assembly and Larry Hogan’s executive branch blanched at the cost of doing the right thing by the state’s students and told the commissioners to, um, continue their work.

Few reporters in the state have devoted more effort to following the commission’s work than Len Lazarick, editor of the online Maryland Reporter. Here he outlines in an account headlined “Legislative leaders shelve new funding another year” the sorry performance of state leaders.

What others are calling a "just transition" to a new and planet-saving energy regime MUST include everyone involved, including impacted workers and frontline populations in so-called "sacrifice zones." And, as People's Action writer-activist Ben Ishibashi here implies but doesn't explore, any corporate engagement in the green economy has to be public-managed so resources and advantages do not bleed off to Wall Street's casino, big banks and the stock buyback frenzy.

 MISTLETOE MEMO EDITION – be sure to give a nod to the Solstice on Dec. 21 as the Shortest Day goes by. Our next Memo will be the eve of the traditional holiday, Monday, Dec. 24 – but don’t forget to get yourself ready for the Statewide Progressive Maryland meeting, coming up…. More in this week's Memo, below...

The rehabbing of the cozy confines of Lawyer’s Mall, the traditional Annapolis location for demonstrations in front of the State House – where legislators need to pass by and view the festivities on their way to chambers and session – means protestors will have to locate elsewhere during at least the 2019 General Assembly session. Poland, hosting the latest climate summit, passed laws restricting protests and keeping them distant from the summit’s meetings; guess somebody was paying attention in the Hogan administration. Maryland Matters' Danielle Gaines has the details here.

People’s Action director George Goehl shows how deep the electorate’s concern for health care provision is across the country – and how many GOP incumbents paid the price in the midterms for dissing the Affordable Care Act. The traction for “Medicare for All” in Maryland didn’t translate into a win at the top, we know—but that may be because the number of Marylanders without health coverage is at an historic low, with around 94 percent having some kind of coverage. But we still have to make it good coverage and keep for-profit providers focused on care, not stock prices.

WE ARE MAKING THE MOST OF 2018. On Saturday, Dec. 29, Progressive Maryland’s statewide meeting convenes at 11 a.m. at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Annapolis. This mass meeting will shape Progressive Maryland’s activism for 2019 and beyond. Register and find a ride below.

Commission chair Kirwan "was cautious about the overall price tag for the commission’s work," Danielle Gaines reports in Maryland Matters. "Recommendations could still change, he said, and it may be necessary to find cost-savings to present a more politically palatable set of recommendations." BUT now we know what to fight for if we are going to have a state that puts people and its future ahead of the greed of corporations and big business. And we might want to take a look at the state Board of Education, stacked with nine (out of 13 members) Hogan appointees like Chester Finn, mentioned below, who are out-front advocates of charters and private school vouchers that drain resources from public education. There are no board members with public school experience, as MSEA points out in a review of the dismal Hogan record on education.

"Outrageous rewards give top execs an incentive to behave outrageously," Pizzigati says, "to focus more on their share prices than the long-run health of their enterprises — and the workers and communities their enterprises impact so mightily." Though GM execs spent $100 million buying back stocks last year rather than on "the long-run health of the enterprise," Maryland lawmakers ticked off at the closure of the White Marsh plant are urging reconsideration -- or repayment by GM of over $100 million in federal, state and local grants to the facility.

We are inviting progressives from across the state to join together and discuss the next steps for our movement. On Saturday December 29th at 11 a.m. we'll meet in Annapolis for a statewide Progressive Maryland gathering to continue to build power; watch this space for more and RSVP here.

The end of 2018 is quickly approaching and it has been a tremendous year. Following the results of the 2018 elections we are inviting progressives from across the state to join together and discuss the next steps for our movement.On Saturday December 29th at 11am, we will be convening a Progressive Maryland statewide meeting to celebrate our victories, discuss our challenges, and to prepare our next steps.