Ehrlich Says NO to Fee Increases

Former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich gave a big, fat, “NO!” when asked whether fee increases of any sort would be under consideration in an Ehrlich administration.  This is an answer to a big criticism leveled at Ehrlich by his primary opponent AND Democrats.

Incumbent Gov. Martin O’Malley states that he has no intention of raising taxes, but refused to sign a pledge to that effect.

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Gotta Spend Those Tax Dollars in Wicomico County

In the spring of 2008, Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt proposed that the county spend Maryland “Open Space” money to purchase land for a park on Crooked Oak Lane.  Amid charges of insider dealing and bad appraisals, the Pollitt administration told the public that we had to do it.  Gotta spend that tax money.  If we don’t spend it, someone else will.  Fortunately, a majority of the county council saw fit to continue looking for a piece of property that cost less.

Move forward one year …

In April of 2009, the county council saw fit to purchase 100 acres on Levin Dashiell Road for approximately $1 million.  All council members, except for councilman Joe Holloway, voted for the purchase.  While the approximately $10,000 per acre paid out of state coffers (read “YOUR POCKET”) was substantially lower than the cost of the Crooked Oak property, many still considered the price too high.  While continuing to emphasize the supposedly “free” money coming from the state, the Pollitt administration and their allies on council could never overcome one giant hurdle – why is Wicomico County taking more land off of the tax rolls when they free admit that they don’t have the money to develop this park.  The Pirates Wharf purchase continues to sit undeveloped despite promises of a park when it was purchased years ago.

Move forward 10 more months …

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Wealthy Marylanders Vote With Their Feet

Liberals never learn.  They cling to the discredited belief that all you need to do to raise government revenue is raise tax rates.  Wealthy Marylanders are showing Gov. Martin O’Malley that they have options too.  They can move to a more tax friendly state.

In 2007 O’Malley and his leftist pals in the legislature instituted the so-called “millionaires surcharge”.  Montgomery County is learning that if you raise taxes they will leave:

County officials estimate next year’s budget deficit will be more than $761 million. Much of the shortfall is tied to a few residents who have either lost money in the economy, died or fled Maryland’s new millionaire tax.

County records show Montgomery lost $4.6 billion in taxable income between tax years 2007 and 2008. The number of income tax returns above $1 million declined by 27 percent during that time.

Despite this “shocking revelation” of basic economics, those stalwarts of fiscal sanity – the Democrat majority of the Maryland General Assembly – are considering extending the “surcharge”, which is set to expire next year.  Perhaps O’Malley should call newly elected New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and ask him how many high earners abandoned the Garden State under the tax and spend policies of Christie’s predecessor – Gov. John Corzine.

Go ahead Marty – dance while Maryland burns.

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A “Prebuttal” to O’Malley’s Groundhog Day Speech

Today, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will deliver his annual “State of the State” speech.  Brian Griffiths and Red Maryland have put together a “prebuttal” to O’Malley’s address:

Ironically, O’Malley has chosen to deliver his address on Groundhog Day.  Griffiths draws an appropriate parallel between O’Malley and the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day.  If you remember, the premise of the film is that Murray’s character lives the same day over, over, and over again.

Under O’Malley, Maryland citizens have endured the same things over, over, and over again.  We have suffered the same:

• Excuses
• Calls for Tax Increases
• Calls for Expanded Government Services

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O’Malley Locks Out Conservative Media

Like his pal Barack Obama, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley pledged to run the most transparent administration in history.  Well, we all saw those health care negotiations on C-SPAN – right?  Now the O’Governor is keeping media outlets that don’t tow the party line from attending State House press conferences. Oh yeah – WE THE PEOPLE are excluded as well.

As O’Malley’s poll numbers have dropped over the past year, the Governor’s press office has excluded media and citizens from press conferences in the Governor’s Reception Room. They have also established new barriers for obtaining press credentials for the State House press corps.

Reporter Hassan Giordano of the Baltimore Independent Examiner describes his frustration with the Governor’s interference of an open and transparent government in Maryland and, specifically, the lack of access to the Governor unless you are one of the few favored media representatives known to write or produce pro-Administration pieces:

"While certain members of the Press, including myself, have been stalled and consistently delayed our press credentials, due to some new process the O’Malley administration has put in place, many are questioning why now? As if not already known as the liberal oppressor of all things conservative, Governor O’Malley is now playing games with certain reporter’s credentials, who are too closely tied to conservative publications."

Maryland voters shouldn’t be surprised.  Sunlight has always been considered a powerful disinfectant.  When you are playing fast and loose with the taxpayers’ dollars, as O’Malley has been doing for three years, sunlight is the last thing you want.

What is really depressing is that the liberal Maryland media is putting up with this.

H/T:  Maryland Senate Republican Caucus

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O’Malley to Face Primary Challenge

It doesn’t appear that Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will be able to skate to next November’s general election unscathed.  According to Julie Bykowicz at the Baltimore Sun’s Maryland Politics Blog, O’Malley will have a primary challenge – former House Majority Whip and Secretary of Veterans Affairs George W. Owings, III.  Both Bykowicz and the Gazette’s Alan Brody report that Owings will officially announce his candidacy on January 6th in Prince Frederick.

Will Owings present a formidable challenge to the lefty darling O’Malley?  It’s too early to tell.  However, Owings, a Calvert County Democrat, will be able to draw support from a sizable number of moderate – conservative Democrats who share Owings’ disdain for the fiscal shenanigans Marylanders have witnessed under O’Malley’s (lack of) stewardship.

Self identified “progressives” love O’Malley and seem to think that everyone opposed to his Obamanite policies is some right wing Republican.  If they bothered to talk to a few folks in groups like Americans for Prosperity or even at Tea Party rallies, they might be shocked to discover how many are registered Democrats.

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Rick Pollitt Takes Dog and Pony Show on the Road

Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt took his anti-revenue cap show on the road this morning.  Speaking before a Salisbury / Wicomico Economic Development (SWED) meeting, Pollitt and a member of his finance staff argued that the county’s existing revenue cap is simply unsustainable.

I would agree that the revenue cap is unsustainable without a genuine re-structuring of the county government.  This point has been argued for several years by Wicomico Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman.

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Maryland Teachers Endorse O’Malley, Kratovil

In the words of that great scholar Gomer Pyle, “SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE!”.

The Maryland State Teachers Association (now traveling under the moniker “Maryland State Education Association”) has endorsed Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Rep. Frank Kratovil for re-election.

Why would this, or any other supposedly non-partisan group, endorse these candidates over one year before the election?  Money.

We need to remember that the MSEA is no more about education than the United Auto Workers.  They are a union, plain and simple.  Their purpose is to get more teachers hired and negotiate higher pay for those teachers.  Their job is make sure that teachers can’t be fired for poor performance and to ensure that teachers’ work as little as possible.  That said, they are no more concerned with providing quality education than the UAW is with making sure that GM, Ford, and Chrysler build quality cars.

To do so, they need to tie themselves to Democrats.  Wait!  I thought that the MSEA was supposed to be non-partisan?

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The O’Malley Furlough Sham

Today is Labor Day.  On Friday, while on the road attempting to earn a living, it seemed that every five minutes it was announced on the radio that Friday was the first “furlough” day for state employees.  Pretty interesting that it turned a three day weekend into a four day holiday.  However, it got me thinking …

If Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was serious about saving the Maryland taxpayers a little of their hard earned cash, why does he have to “furlough” state workers at all.  He could have started by eliminating a few paid holidays.  Just think about it:

 

• Martin Luther King Day
• President’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans’ Day

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O’Malley Falls Flat At MACO

County officials learned one thing at Gov. Martin O’Malley’s address to the Maryland Association of Counties (MACO) – in a choice between the powerful teachers’ union (MSTA) and localities, the teachers union wins every time.  Light on applause, lighter on facts, and heavy on platitudes, O’Malley’s address provided little for county officials to plan for next years’ budgets.

Instead, they received a multitude of platitudes about the partnership of state and local governments weathering the tough storm of a national economic recession. O’Malley repeatedly expressed his appreciation for the partnership of local government during these “tough times,” “challenging times” and “important, transformative and difficult years.”

While O’Malley continues to cut aid to localities and raising taxes on consumers and business, the O’Malley approach to state government continues to dictate terms to localities from land use to their budgets:

Despite the professions by the Governor of a state-local partnership, local officials expressed concerns in closed-door meetings with the Governor over the manner in which he is dictating local government budget policy. O’Malley has carved out K-12 education as a priority area not to be cut. He has also rejected requested waivers from local government to defer “maintenance of effort” requirements that mandate increases in local funding to the county boards of education.

With a state increasingly dependent on the generosity of Uncle Sam, both in jobs and aid, O’Malley’s guitar playing approach to governance reminds us of Nero’s fiddling.

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