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Baltimore County's Kakistocracy, hard at work
A bill sponsored by Councilman Kevin Kamenetz would penalize store owners up to $500 for selling cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18.
Kamenetz, a Democrat who represents the 2nd District , which includes Owings Mills, Pikesville and Ruxton, said civil penalties are needed because of the ease with which underage smokers can purchase tobacco and tobacco-related products.
"If you don't see anyone getting pulled over, you won't respect the speed limit signs*," Kamenetz said.
"There are a lot of underage smokers out there," he said. "This sends the message that this is a law that should be respected."
***
State law already prohibits the sale of tobacco and related products to anyone under the age of 18.
***
Police departments in each jurisdiction are responsible for enforcing the law.
"I don't think it's high enough on the priority list for them to enforce," Kamenetz said.
... Kamenetz said the benefit is that it is streamlined and would make the Health Department responsible for enforcing the new law and issuing the civil citations.
Kamenetz said he envisions teenagers working with the department in undercover operations.
The cost of such a program is not known. Kamenetz said he would like to use money given to the county from the state's portion of the cigarette restitution lawsuit settlement. He did not expect the cost of the program to substantially increase the department's budget. ...
The highlighted passages above give you an idea of the intellectual paucity at work here. Kamenetz apparently has no particular fear of creating a double-jeopardy situation, in which a single act can be prosecuted under both county and state laws. And apparently he lives in little universe of his own, if he believes that (a) speed limits are actually enforced in this county, and (b) we have violent crime under such control that the coppers have nothing better to do than bust convenience store clerks for selling smokes to underaged kids.
And sending teenagers "undercover" to enforce this law--that's incredibly stupid. How does he propose to motivate teens to become sellouts? Perhaps he'd offer them free cigarettes as a reward.
Not to mention the incomprehensible things that the Jeff has quoted him saying here. He's begun to sound like a NFL player being interviewed in the locker room. You know the kind of blather I mean: "We came here today to play football."
Finally, there's nothing more irresponsible than proposing a law with no idea what it would cost to enforce. Especially now, with the nitwits in Annapolis already gleefully thinking up new taxes.
It's time for Mr. Kamenetz to move on to a new career, or to retire. If only someone would step forward to oppose him in the next primary election. Republican candidate Lisa Marquardt pulled nearly 30% against Kamenetz in last year's election. That in itself is impressive, in a district dominated by yellow-dog Democrats. The only prayer of defeating this particular loose cannon would be having a Democrat oppose him in the primaries. But don't hold your breath waiting.