Anecdotal Rhetoric Continues…

July 26th, 2007 by Kenneth Burns

Ask me what I think about the article in this morning’s Baltimore Sun regarding the poll that says that the majority of Marylanders support a tax hike, and I will say it’s anecdotal bullcrap.

Last month, not only did The Sun shine against slots, but nearly two weeks later, they did a story about how slots are not attracting people to the racetracks.

Then this morning, Sun Reporter Andrew Green did a story about a poll from the left-leaning The Alliance for Tax Fairness.  Oddly enough, he was the writer of the slots story last month.  I guess the Sun editorial board found their go to writer when it comes to writing stories to carry out their agenda.

As I stated last month when I took The Sun to task about their shot against slots, The Washington Examiner was dead on when they said that the free state has a problem with excessive spending.  It is now reported that we will now face a $1.2 billion structural deficit every year through 2012.  This is a sign that we are not spending repsonsibility and that every governor since Glendening have been spending like drunken sailors, I stand by that statement.

Yes, Governor Robert Ehrlich (R)  raised the fees on everyone, but Governor Martin O’Malley (D) has squandered the surplus that Ehrlich left on campaign promises and a PR campaign to drag his name through the mud.  Instead of finding new revenue streams other than raising taxes, the General Assembly was more interested in making Ehrlich look bad over a four year period.

Before Issac Smith from Free State Politics goes to town, let me make something clear, we should be taking care of our seniors, we should be paying for schools and should be moving Maryland forward as O’Malley loves to preach, but for a state this size and so wealthy, there should not have been a question in regards to a budget deficit.

Our leaders need to cut the budget, approve slots and close the corporate tax loop holes.  Based on the recent Sun article that reports that all of us are basically in the top tax tier, we essentially have a flat tax, unless you are below $8,000 a year in which you have a NO tax.  Fees being raised not withstanding, if Ehrlich could hold the line on taxes and come up with a surplus, then O’Malley can do the same thing.  Unless he hates rich people more than Comptroller Peter Franchot.

P. Kenneth Burns is the editor/writer of Maryland Politics Today.  He can be reached at kennyburns@marylandpolitics.us.