Last night I attended the Howard County Democratic Central Committee's Annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. As always the company was great. And for once the food was good. But in an evening of highlights, the highest and lightest highlight was the speech by Governor O'Malley.
I was especially heartened to hear the Guv's straight talk on Maryland's fiscal situation. The Governor correctly noted that his predecessor left him a mess and acknowledged that the Democrats will have to fix it. He noted that we need to cut waste, but also noted that our present fiscal circumstances, an expected 1.4 Billion shortfall, are largely the result of Governor Glendening's 10 percent income tax cut.
So let's do the right thing, roll back the Glendening tax cut for all but the poor and lower middle class and raise the INCOME taxes of the upper middle class and the wealthy.
Oh, and one other thing, Sen. Obama won the straw poll! Sen. Clinton took second, and Sen. Edwards took third.
8 comments:
Good ideas. Everybody loves someone who raises taxes. His re-election will be guaranteed!
Glendening was the worst. We should have passed slots 4 years ago. Hopefully O'Malley can fix it.
Anon 12:18,
The Governor's job is to do whats best for Maryland, not to do what's best for his political future.
One of our problems is that publican policy has become the means while winning elections has become the ends. Its been a problem for both parties.
It needs to be the other way around, we need to win elections, but only as a means of enacting sound public policy.
Anon 9:27,
I'm in favor of legalized gambling, but it won't, by itself, solve our fiscal problems.
True, but Glendening set the state on a bad road. Ehrlich compensated and bought us time, which was good given the circumstances. With Dems in charge of both branches, O'Malley has no excuse not to fix the structural problems created by 8 wasted years under Glendening.
Let's give O'Malley 8 years to fix
the problems.
Slots, like the lottery, is a regressive tax, the tool of the spineless to take from the least among us and in a manner that endangers those who may become addicted to it.
Thus, ethically, I'd put this form of tax revenue right up there with taxing other things that shouldn't be allowed either.
Give me a sliding flat tax anyday.
Slots is not a tax. You voluntarily play slots.
That's like saying baseball tickets are a tax. Although sitting through an O's game can be taxing, it is not a tax.
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