Another Maryland Special Session

I feel obligated to write about the current special session of the Maryland General Assembly.  However, it's all the same old same old when it comes to Maryland politics.  Do I really need to repeat myself?  Okay, I will.

1) Maryland is getting a reputation for inept government.  And Maryland politicians are practically admitting it, too.  The so-called leaders of the General Assembly, House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller came out of the most recent session disappointed that they couldn't put together a budget that included massive tax increases on working class people.

2) Maryland law requires the General Assembly to pass a balanced budget every year.  Ignore the fact that every year O'Malley brags that he signed a balanced budget.  No, $H1T, Sherlock.

3) Maryland passed a balanced budget in the most recent session.

4) O'Malley and his cronies raised the budget by another bazillion dollars, but didn't have enough money to pay for it, so they are implementing their "Doomsday" budget that they agreed to, which results in cuts to education. Now they are crying that it's not fair that they have to make budget cuts to education.  Isn't that like getting mad at your mother when you punch yourself in the face?

4) By increases taxes (AGAIN), Maryland is effectively increasing the budget (AGAIN).

5) The Montgomery County delegation said they were going to vote against the state income tax increases because it disproportionately and unfairly impacts all the rich liberals in their county.  Therefore, they are proposing a 16.7% increase in the state sales tax, which will more fairly impact all residents in the entire state, including those who are unemployed, destitute, poor, and severely in debt.  (Who does Montgomery County think they are, corrupt Wall Street Republicans???)

6) How is it that Maryland spends so much money on education and brags that we're number one in education, but a few million dollars in budget cuts to education will ruin our education system?

7) Why is it that we're spending more money on education every year for the last several years, yet Baltimore County Public Schools laid off 200 teachers last year?

8) It's costing Maryland tax payers nearly $100,000 for this special session.

9) Martin O'Malley claims that this special session to increase taxes will help move Maryland forward.  As Ozzy Osbourne sang in the song No More Tears, 'going forward in reverse'.

10) The special session proposes income tax increases on families earning more than $150,000 (with the intention of driving upper middle class Marylanders out of the state and into Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware), and tax increases on commercial real estate deals (to drive away businesses from Maryland and into Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware), tobacco products (which are overwhelmingly consumed by poor and minority groups), and death certificates (to piss off dead people).  I question the tax increase on the death certificates.  Everyone knows the dead vote in Baltimore City sways heavily Democratic.  I don't think it's wise to disenfranchise that group.

11) And last, but not least, the elected state officials want to pass along the cost of funding teacher pensions to the counties so that they use that money for other spending priorities.  This will actually lead to more tax increases at the county-level.  Why does Martin O'Malley and the General Assembly hate teachers so much, yet still get their votes year after year???