Is anyone shedding tears for Marilyn Mosby?

Is anybody else exhausted with seeing more photographs of former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s sad face? Those little eyebrows pinched in sorrow or remorse? She can really put on the drama, can’t she? And combined with the praying hands, wearing the innocence of a white (designer) suit (“Judge allows Marilyn Mosby to travel to Texas on business trip,” Dec. 16).

Oh, the tragedy of having to stay home in her isolated Fells Point apartment or at least be home by 9 p.m. for what seems like — eight months? But, I mean, I know how it can be, as I was in quarantine for over a year due to COVID-19. Somehow, I made it and actually used the time to read, write, shop on line. I also discovered grocery delivery, tried some new recipes, treated myself to restaurant deliveries. Yes, I’m proud to say, I survived and without begging for sympathy.

I’m not sure why Mosby is finding this so incredibly difficult but the city of Baltimore has surely run out of tears for her by now.

— Georgia Corso, Baltimore

Supervised drug use sites prevent overdose deaths

A few points should be added to the recent article, “Baltimore mayor wants to legalize drug use sites in 2025; some state lawmakers aren’t so sure” (Dec. 16).

Clearly, what’s being done has not been sufficient to substantially curb overdose deaths and the opioid drug use crisis. Additional evidence-based strategies are needed. In this case, because a rescuer is always present, there have been zero overdose deaths in the overdose prevention sites operating now.

The proposed legislation does not condone drug use. Rather, it encourages people to get into treatment and that’s why key organizations including the Maryland State Medical Society, the Maryland Society of Addiction Medicine, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership and others support the bill. There would be no taxpayer dollars involved and the programs, as the article reported from a Johns Hopkins study, could save “$6 million in costs related to the opioid epidemic could be saved each year” in Baltimore alone.

Last, the legislation makes this a 4-year pilot program with training, monitoring and reporting so there would be ample time to see what’s working and what is not.

The drug epidemic knows no boundaries. It impacts all of us directly or indirectly. Adopting new approaches can be challenging but it’s necessary to consider this one now. It’s working elsewhere and it can work here.

— Dan Morhaim, Pikesville

Balance the budget with a level property tax

At least two recent articles in The Baltimore Sun suggest that Maryland’s budget crunch can only be addressed by increased taxes, spending cuts or a combination thereof (“Solutions to Maryland’s $3B budget crisis likely to be a waiting game,” Dec. 18).

There is a third way to reduce the deficit: Reduce the subsidy paid by Maryland’s poorer counties to our richer counties under the state’s property tax system. Currently, that system allows rich counties to meet their needs with a low tax rate while poorer jurisdictions must either have a high tax rate to meet their needs or fail to meet their needs.

Better to have all Marylanders pay the same property tax rate and their county would receive a proportion of the revenues equal to their share of the state’s population.

This would reduce the need for state spending to address the needs of the struggling counties. My “One State, One Rate!” proposal recognizes that under the current system we leave many behind when we push privileged people ahead.

— Bill Marker, Baltimore