Andy Harris, Republi-can't-and-won't from Maryland's 1st Congressional District, knows what's best for Washington, D.C. residents.
Andy stuck an amendment onto a budget bill to revoke marijuana decriminalization in the city (though the amendment supposedly targets all 'Schedule I' substances, there's only one matter where this would hve any practical effect).
The result is a suggestion by advocacy group DC Vote -- send a message via boycott -- by vacationing outside his district.
That's Maryland’s Eastern Shore and seaside counties, including Ocean City, St. Michaels, Chestertown, Rock Hall, and so on.
From the Washington Post:
“I don’t think we should support someone who doesn’t support us, who doesn’t support democracy, period,” the mayor said Wednesday after a news conference at which he decried Harris’s actions as “hypocrisy at its worst.”
The nonprofit group D.C. Vote called for an all-out boycott of vacation spots in the 1st Congressional District, saying Harris “acted in wanton disregard” of the views of D.C. residents. A January Washington Post poll found that roughly eight in 10 city residents support legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana.
“If you care about D.C. equality, we ask you to not patronize vacation destinations in Rep. Harris’ district,” Executive Director Kimberly Perry said in a statement. “We might not be able to vote in Congress, but we can all vote with our wallets.”
Andy, who has done virtually nothing for economic development, education or improved health care is his district, does have time to mess with other peoples' concerns.
More here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
UPDATED: The Baltimore SUN points out he's 'often wrong but never in doubt' ... and correctly says:
In Annapolis, however, Dr. Harris was mostly a preening pest who made sanctimonious speeches on the Senate floor that annoyed even his GOP colleagues. In Washington, he’s among enough like-minded right-wing zealots to cause real trouble. Those who make their living in the tourist trade on the Eastern Shore are just collateral damage, victims of a congressman’s runaway ego. The self-serving amendment is likely to be tossed out by the Democratically-controlled Senate; a cure for the district’s bigger problems can only be achieved by its voters in November.
I guess they call him "Dr." Harris as a measure of snark; newspaper style usually discards such titles unless it's directly related to a story concerning medical matters.
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/...