Just when you thought the non-governmental organization grift was slipping slowly under the waves, leave it to a blue state to bring it roaring back, and in the most egregious, gobsmacking fashion ever.
The beautiful state of Maryland, purview of Governor (and aspiring presidential contender) (Hahahahaha!) Wes Moore, has had its share of controversial and expensive bouts of climate grift-inspired craziness. From the governor's ongoing vanity offshore wind farm project being fought tooth and nail by both the inhabitants of the coastal counties and cities closest to and affected by it, to the Trump administration's outright hostility to the wind industry in general, he has hardly made himself popular in those areas. His urban initiatives, hand in glove with the Biden administration's, to electrify school buses, have turned out equally as dismal.
The fabulist governor had also been silent about millions of gallons of sewage flowing inexorably towards the fragile Chesapeake estuary system from a broken D.C. sewage main on the Potomac until the president of the United States unloaded on him. I mean, so worried about 'green' you think the environment on your very doorstep would be of some importance.
Governor Moore maintained his cool and said, 'Not my pipe.' Now, it might be partially his river getting all gookied up, but it definitely wasn't his pipe.
The state of Maryland continued to march on the green brick road to preserving Gaia.
Paint cans...or something...were apparently a recycling problem in Maryland, looking for a solution. And since people have to paint, the only solution to the paint problem they could come up with was to charge an additional fee for every single gallon of paint purchased, ostensibly to go for 'recycling' efforts.
The first issue with this brilliant plan, which went into effect on April Fool's Day appropriately, was that the fees could turn out to be quite burdensome. An extra buck and change for a gallon to do your bathroom is one thing. It's quite another in volume, particularly if you are a paint contractor who uses many gallons at a pop per job.
The total is based on the size: - Larger than half pint up to smaller than 1 gallon: $0.50 - 1 gallon up to 2 gallons: $1.15 -Larger than 2 gallons up to 5 gallons: $2.25
One lady who paints for a living started doing the math and nearly had a heart attack at what the fees per gallon added to her costs.
Marylanders buying paint at stores such as Home Depot are now paying new state-mandated fees meant to fund a paint recycling program, but questions are being raised about the nonprofit set to receive the money.
The state began mandating fees last week for every gallon of paint sold: $1.15 for one gallon and $2.25 for five gallons.
Some shoppers said the added cost is manageable. “Oh thats not bad at all I’d definitely pay,” one customer said. Another called it part of a broader trend, saying, “There’s definitely a fee for everything and its a lot to manage.”
All for a 'paint recycling program' her business and most other professional painters like her would never utilize because they try to use up every last drop on each job. In most cases, they would leave nothing to turn in to the recycling centers that are part of this new program.
Interestingly enough, but not surprising in a blue state, the recycling centers are a huge part of the controversy. Curiously, legislators gave the contract for this program to a non-profit that is not registered with the state of Maryland. The state does not administer the program at all.
On top of that, all the fees collected from all the stores in the state and every gallon of paint they sell go directly to this unregistered non-profit - the state receives nothing.
Like, wow - that's a lot of cha-CHING going to one organization to take cans of paint, right? I mean, how many actual cans of paint are they conceivably going to have turned in at these centers for the tsunami of fee money coming in?
Is the non-profit's president going to get a raise? He's already making a cool $1.3M...or maybe I shouldn't ask.
...State officials say the revenue generated will pay for a new paint recycling program where Marylanders can drop off unused paint at more than 100 drop-off sites. The state is giving 100% of the revenue generated from the program to PaintCare, a nonprofit organization that will operate the program.
But a Fox 45 investigation found PaintCare, which is receiving 100% of the revenue, is not registered as a nonprofit in the state of Maryland. State law requires nonprofits to register each year and file annual finance reports. According to the Secretary of State’s registry of nonprofits, PaintCare has not filed at all.
“This was a bad idea from the beginning,” said state Del. Kathy Szeliga, who opposed the legislation.
Political Analyst John Dedie also questioned oversight of the organization. “Is there assurance the non-profit is above board....?” asked Dedie. “It sounds like someone with the state is asleep at the wheel. They should have made sure the parties taking care of this are actually registered.”
Szeliga said there are additional concerns about compensation at the organization. “Their top executives are making 1-point 3 million a year. Their top executives are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. So someone should have been in charge of making sure the paperwork was straight,” said Del. Szeliga.
The painting contractor who did the math on her own costs also did the math in her head on the fees collected by the state and turned over without question to the non-profit.
There is no way, given the volume of paint purchased and the few paint cans that will ever be turned in, that this non-profit won't shortly be awash in unearned taxpayer cash.
The People's Republic of Maryland, folks.
— Blue Lives Matter (@bluelivesmtr) April 11, 2026
The state is now tacking on a new mandatory fee on every gallon of paint sold, and the cash raised will be given to a nonprofit.
Professional painter: “I mean I was immediately sitting and doing the math and thought this can't be. I was… pic.twitter.com/5gKrYFkukC
The station that broke this story has also done a terrific job of following back to the non-profit's parent organization, which it says deserves the thanks for securing the 'sweetheart' deal from the Maryland legislature.
...As FOX45 News previously reported earlier this week, PaintCare is not registered with Maryland’s Secretary of State’s Office. PaintCare is a subsidiary of the American Coatings Association.
Campaign finance reports show the organization has contributed hundreds of dollars in the past four years to the campaigns of former House Speaker Adrienne Jones, Sen. Benjamin Brooks, Delegates Regina Boyce and Dana Stein, and to the House Democratic Caucus Committee.
Ah, the old one-hand-washes-the-paint-off-the-other.
Looks like the color was green, no?
Funding non-profits who contribute to campaigns safely out of the way, the legislature got back to being busy this weekend with saving Maryland men - the illegal alien kind.
The Maryland House of Delegates on Saturday approved a bill that further narrows the allowable coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials — sending the measure closer to final approval.
The Community Trust Act would block corrections officials and law enforcement from holding or detaining an individual for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless a judge has issued a warrant. The bill includes exceptions that allow ICE to be contacted when jails release individuals who were convicted of felonies or crimes listed on the sex offender registry list.
Del. David Moon, a Montgomery County Democrat, said it draws a “bright line” for jails and ICE alike to follow.
“We don’t just hand humans over,” he said. The bill gives a clear directive to ICE: “Bring a conviction, bring a warrant.”
Gosh. These progressives are so terrific.
They've always got their citizens on their minds and how best to mistreat them next.
Or am I painting with too broad a stroke?
Hmmm.
Nah.
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