Maryland Doomsday Budget - I'm Devastated

When asked about the Doomsday Budget that went into effect when the Maryland General Assembly failed to find ample funding to support their crack-addict spending, Governor Martin O'Malley said that we'd be devastated by the cuts.  Our children would be devastated by the cuts in education.  Is the world getting ready to end or something?

My kids came home from school devastated today.  When told that they might have a few more students in their class, they were so distraught.  They moped around the house all weekend, fought off fits of tears and shakes.  Will they make it through this tragedy?  Maybe my kids are more well-adapted than the kids that Martin O'Malley knows.  But I think they'll make it through this mess he created.  And unlike Martin O'Malley's kids, none of my children have ever been arrested for underage drinking.

I heard a voice spot on the radio when a reporter was interviewing an educator.  He said he wasn't sure what they'd be able to cut because they're already working on a bare bones budget.  Really?  What happened to the hundreds of millions of dollars in increased spending for the state education budget?  How did we get to be #1 in education with a bare bones budget?  Mr. Education spokesman - you're full of crap.

Martin O'Malley called this the low-point of his career in Annapolis.  Hopefully his drive for higher office will introduce a new low-point to his career.

Elected officials are saying that the Doomsday budget, which won accolades from Republicans, will require the counties to make massive cuts.  Let's look at the numbers.  The state budget for 2012 is a little over $34 BILLION.  However, there is a gap between expected revenues and expenses.  Fortunately, the state Constitution requires Maryland to pass a balanced budget (which reminds me of how hysterical it is every time O'Malley brags that he signed a balanced budget - of course you did, you HAVE TO!).  The gap this year is $512 million.  A little math here, 512 million divided by 34 billion, carry the 1, subtract from 5, ah...1.2%.  Wow, that is devastating.  I thought they were going to say something like 1.1%.  Honey, let's hoard the paper towels and make a run on the bank.

Who's sensationalizing here?

Another point that I thought about is that Thomas V. "Mike" Miller is all hell-bent on having a special session where they can raise taxes to get the larger budget back in play.  O'Malley initially seemed against it, though I suspect that was to make Miller look bad and squirm for a while, but we all know O'Malley has never been against additional taxes and more spending.  But what does it costs the tax-payers to call a special session?

I used to work in a glass factory and I equate it to shutting down the glass furnace.  You just don't flip a switch, fire up the furnace, and start making melted glass and blowing it into an IS machine and making bottles again, do you?  Of course not.  It takes DAYS to get the furnace back up to the proper temperature, then you have to re-calibrate all of the IS machines, reheat the leer, etc.  Is there someone in Annapolis that is just going to flip on a switch and start increasing the taxes?  No.  There is a huge support staff that needs to be there and it's going to cost us.

I say leave the budget where it is.  Is the state really going to rot and go to hell if we fall to #2 in education?  Heck, we're still ahead of Mississippi.  (As people in Arkansas always say, 'thank God for Mississippi.').

Where do you stand on this doomsday budget stuff?