Many years ago, when I was a child living in Prince George's County, I attended a summer recreation program in Sligo Creek Park.

We spent all day there, sometimes going home for lunch, because Cokes were 5 cents apiece and other food was even more expensive than families could afford, in part because most moms weren't working then.

One day I came back to the park from lunch and found that my bicycle had been disassembled. The perpetrator was an older boy named Bill, whom we called "Bird" (though never to his face) because he had a slight speech defect.

I had not thought about that in many years, but it came to mind this past week when I was talking to officials (mostly off the record) about the University System of Maryland's Hagerstown campus.

In 2009 terms, our bicycle is the USM-H campus and unlike "Bird," who only wanted to play a prank on me, there are people, including Del. John Bohanan, D-St. Mary's, who would like to take the whole thing away from Washington County.

Bohanan may say that such is not his intention, but the House version of the would gradually reduce the state's yearly contribution to the Hagerstown campus to less than $200,000. That's not enough to heat and light the place.

I have had many off-the-record conversations recently with people who have an interest in keeping the campus open and, unfortunately, it does not seem as if this problem will be easily solved.

Why off-the-record conversations? Because no one wants to talk about the politics of what is going on, either out of fear of offending someone who is powerful enough to affect the outcome or because someone who is now holding the short end of the stick might be upset if someone pointed that out.

This is the problem: There are eight regional higher education centers in Maryland. Six, including the center in St. Mary's County, are under the supervision of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Two others — in Shady Grove in Montgomery County and in Hagerstown — are under the University System of Maryland.

It's irritating, for Bohanan and others, is that the USM centers are much better funded than the other six. And, like every agency, the six want their "fair share."

Getting that share will be difficult, given the current economy. And so, while they might not say it, the other six would be happy to take a slice of Hagerstown's pie.

The Montgomery County center is immune because it sits in a community of a million people and that county's powerful delegation is not about to allow a raid on its resources.

Which brings us back to Hagerstown. In a legislature dominated by Democrats, Delegates Christopher Shank and LeRoy Myers Jr. are in the minority.

Shank might envision himself as the Biblical David taking on Goliath when he rails against the state's Democratic legislators and their "boondoggles."

But in this legislative body, there is not just one Goliath, but an entire herd of them. And whether you believe Del. John Donoghue, D-Washington County, who says that Shank's statements have hurt Washington County, it's hard to make the case that they've done us any good.

Consider the proposal for Justice's Law, which would make life in prison the maximum penalty for first-degree child abuse that causes a death. As I understand it, the proposal doesn't mandate a life sentence, but makes it an option. But for the second year in a row, it couldn't get through a House committee.

Usually, "get tough on crime" bills aren't hard sells, but Shank's bill is having a hard time getting any traction.

Until the economy improves and the six regional centers can get more funding, I look for this dispute to continue. Unless someone finds Bohanan's Achille's heel, Washington County needs to treat its "bicycle" as if it's always at risk of being dismantled or stolen.

Bob Maginnis is editorial page editor of The Herald-Mail.