[sickoflibs]

For those not following Maryland politics: Governor O'Malley ( newly elected democrat) got elected last fall by blaming Rep. Gov. Bob Erhlich for impending electric rate increases claiming it was within the governor's power to set market rates(Yes, Maryland voters were stupid enough to believe this!) . Upon election he proposed and signed in a series of spending increases including a 'state living wage contracts law' and then was forced to admit that he as governor had no power over electric rate increases at market rates after he claimed the opposite to get elected . Maryland voters still don't get it even after this. Thank you Maryland public schools. Let the drama for the massive tax increases begin. More on how democrats play the brain washed Maryland electorate :

http://www.mdgop.org/FlexPage.aspx?area=TalkingPoints

Thanks Maryland!

You won't see this on Lou Dobbs 'War on the Middle Class' series.

[craig_eddy]

All Maryland residents should have to do to see the effects of price controls and other artificial regulations is look to California’s energy situation.

Unfortunatly most Americans are too thick to realize that if you repeat the same insanity over and over again you’ll get the same results.

[RSmithOpt]

Wish politicians would spend 30% of their time analyzing means to effectively reduce the size of government and spending at all levels.

Socialism doesn't work.

[kabar]

And Maryland has become a virtual sanctuary state for illegal aliens.

[Post-Neolithic]

Kicking out the 300,000+ Illegal aliens in Maryland would clear up most of that shortfall. Even with this kind of shortfall the Idiots in charge are talking about spending 500,000 on a Spanish speaking call center at the DMV.

People in MD need to start holding their corrupt officials to account. Not that PA is much better lately.

[doodad]

"We didn't feel, given our sense of the public's priorities, that this deficit could be solved without new revenue," O'Malley (newly elected democrat Governor) said.

Yes, those make work programs bring votes, which is their "public" priority.

[kevkrom]

The county and state governments have gotten fat and lazy off of the property tax boom caused by the housing market from 2002 to about 2005. Rather than use the extra revenue to reduce deficits or put aside contingency funds, they spent it all, expanding “services” (i.e., patronage jobs) assuming that they could continue to reap 10% annual increases in property taxes indefinitely.

[apillar]

The "doomsday budget" - ordered up by (democrat) legislative leaders to make the case that Maryland's expected $1.5 billion shortfall requires revenue increases - would cut state funding for public education by $500 million. It would cut grants for police officers, force tuition increases at state universities, freeze state workers' salaries, eliminate hundreds of state jobs and close some state institutions, including the Walter P. Carter Center, a psychiatric hospital in Baltimore.

Ok, so whats the problem? Pass the thing...

[ccmay]

It would cut grants for police officers, force tuition increases at state universities, freeze state workers' salaries, eliminate hundreds of state jobs and close some state institutions, including the Walter P. Carter Center, a psychiatric hospital in Baltimore.

The dirty politicians always go right to the high-profile cuts when they are forced to live within their means. Cops are laid off, college tuition rates are raised, parks are closed. Everything is carefully calculated to make the public feel the maximum pain possible.

But the taxpayer-supported unionized fat cats behind the scenes never have to tighten their belts. Their numbers and their lavish pay and benefits increase constantly, under Republicans and Democrats alike.

The story talks about "hundreds" of state jobs eliminated, but I bet it will be only a couple of hundred low-ranking sacrifical lambs, out of tens of thousands of worthless bureaucrats with lifelong sinecures sucking the taxpayer's teat.

We should force the fat-assed lazy $150,000-per-year "diversity coordinators" and "program specialists" and "deputy assistant administrators" onto the street by the tens of thousands. Not only do these armies of useless eaters accomplish nothing more than writing memos to each other and getting in the way of honest businessmen, but they are almost all lifelong voluptuaries of big government and left-wing ideology, and provide the most dependable foot soldiers for Democratic political candidates.

For the most part they are otherwise-unemployable social science/liberal arts grads who would be flipping burgers or collecting welfare if they hadn't tumbled into the taxpayers' tub of butter. I say we kick 80% of them to the curb. If we round up and deport the illegal aliens at the same time, there will be plenty of honest menial jobs waiting for the newly unemployed bureaucrats.

-ccm

[sgtbono2002]

Governor Ehrlich turned a 4 billion dollar deficit into a Billion dollar surplus in four years. The democrats have bee here a year lost the surplus and are screaming for more money.

This is blamed on all Maryland voters while it should really be blamed on 3 counties and the city of Baltimore.

Blacks liberals and yellow dog democrats got us into this mess. They threw out a competent Governor and replaced him with a Baltimore POS mayor who completely failed in Baltimore.

Ehrlich didnt help by picking a poor candidate for Lt.Governor either.

[sauropod]

I hate this state.

Our Boy Governor strikes again!

[sickoflibs]

More Maryland socialism ping

[goldstategop]

The Democrats will do what Democrats always do best. Make the public pay for the Big Government Democrats love.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[DesScorp]

Maryland residents are reaping the rewards of their own stupidity. I realize that the Republicans tried their best, but unfortunately, you’re going to have to suffer along with the “mushy middle” that tilted left. A hit to the wallet is the only thing that will wake them up in Maryland.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

BTTT!

Why don't they just eliminate the income tax (individual AND corporate) and property taxes, expand the sales tax into a consumption tax (goods AND services), and then cut the budget as much as necessary (oh, no, not enough funds, we are DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED), and voila, you have a free state again.