Mike Miller's poodles (MD Taxes)

The fix appears to be in, and Maryland taxpayers should get ready for another fleecing, courtesy of the "emergency" session of the General Assembly called by Gov. Martin O'Malley. Assuming the tax increases go through, everyone should remember the sorry performances of these five Maryland Democratic senators who tried to pretend that they are anti-tax while helping Senate President Mike Miller ram through tax increases: Rona Kramer (Montgomery); Edward DeGrange (Anne Arundel); John Astle (Anne Arundel); Bobby Zirkin (Baltimore County); and Roy Dyson (St. Mary's). These five lawmakers last week voted to help get Mr. Miller the the bare-minimum 29 votes he needed to end a filibuster against his tax increase. Then, once they carried Uncle Mike's water on what was arguably the most important vote of this special session, they had permission to vote against the tax-increase bill, which — miracle of miracles — passed with the bare-minimum 24 votes necessary.

In an effort to ratchet up the pressure on the Maryland House of Delegates to vote to legalize slot machines, Mr. Miller has delayed further floor action on his chamber's tax-increase-laden budget. Both the Senate and House have now voted in favor of modest budget cuts and substantial tax increases in the name of erasing an annual budget deficit estimated at between $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion. The House package rammed through by Speaker Michael Busch includes a 20 percent increase in state sales taxes, along with a 50 percent increase in the hotel tax and increases in tobacco, corporate-income and vehicle-titling taxes. The Senate voted last week in favor of a package that included a more than 14 percent increase in the corporate income tax; 20 percent increase in the sales tax, a doubling of the tobacco tax and increases in state income taxes on upper-income Marylanders.

In an effort to ratchet up the pressure on the Maryland House of Delegates to vote to legalize slot machines, Mr. Miller has delayed further floor action on his chamber’s tax-increase-laden budget. Both the Senate and House have now voted in favor of modest budget cuts and substantial tax increases in the name of erasing an annual budget deficit estimated at between $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion. The House package rammed through by Speaker Michael Busch includes a 20 percent increase in state sales taxes, along with a 50 percent increase in the hotel tax and increases in tobacco, corporate-income and vehicle-titling taxes. The Senate voted last week in favor of a package that included a more than 14 percent increase in the corporate income tax; a 20 percent increase in the sales tax, a doubling of the tobacco tax and increases in state income taxes on upper-income Marylanders.

In covering Thursday’s Senate vote for the tax increases, virtually all media reported the fact that the Senate tax-increase package was approved 24-23 vote. Less well reported was the fact the outcome was never really in doubt. Mr. Miller said all along that he had the votes — a point he vividly demonstrated earlier in the day on the most important vote of all: the 29-18 Senate mentioned above vote to end a filibuster against the legislation. In essence, what Mr. Miller (realizing that even in a blue state like Maryland, people don’t like paying higher taxes) pocketed the votes when he really needed them, then permitted the five senators to vote “no” and pretend they were really anti-tax. The Democrats who run this one-party state are betting that the senators’ constituents are too dumb or too docile to understand what really happened.

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