Editorial                                                          

Compromise Is Essential...

The 2005 Maryland General Assembly is now under way, and if the result of last month's special session, plus the behavior and words of rancor that accompanied the opening of the regular session, are any indication, it's going to be a long, rough 90 days, wracked with partisanship.

The special session yielded a bill addressing the current medical malpractice situation in Maryland. The bill was passed, then vetoed by Governor Ehrlich, then approved via an override of the veto.

Then rankling the Republicans in the House of Delegates was the re-election of Michael Busch as speaker, a balloting in which all Republicans abstained. According to Minority Leader George Edwards, Busch has "repeatedly contradicted the oath he once again swore today 'to act without partiality or prejudice.' Speaker Busch has acted in a manner inconsistent with the traditions and rules of this body. He has cut off debate on important pieces of legislation and silenced the voices of dissent in Annapolis. His use of power and privilege does not serve the best interests of the people of Maryland." Wow.

None of this bodes well for finding solutions to Maryland's many problems, particularly in the area of desperately needed tort reform and reducing the deficit that Gov. Ehrlich inherited.

One bright spot in the malpractice crisis, though, is that the attention of our elected officials was won by voters and those in the health care business, a special session was called, and some action was taken. At least it's a start, a step in the right direction, albeit not the one wanted by the governor, who will introduce further legislation to address the crisis within the next few weeks.

We can only hope that those in office will be able to set aside their major differences and agree to compromise on many crucial issues, because without that, the session will be a supreme exercise in futility and a total waste of taxpayers' money.