For years the Democrats have been known as the party of tax and spend, raising taxes to cover new programs or increased budgets for existing programs. In Maryland however, the Governor Martin O’Malley has taken a different approach. Rather than raising taxes prior to increasing spending, he has chosen to deplete the State’s savings and create a defecit, in the hopes it will make it easier to convince the citizens of Maryland a tax increase is necessary.

Mr. Ehrlich, a Republican, left office with $1.8 billion in the state savings account. Mr. O’Malley drew $1.2 billion from the state’s coffers this year to cover a $1 billion shortfall in his first budget.

Since taking office, Mr. O’Malley has cut $85 million from the state’s $15 billion general fund, which is expected to come up $1.5 billion short next year. The shortfall is the result of state spending growing faster than tax receipts.

Please read that again, Mr. O’Malley came into office with a State savings account of $1.8 billion left to him by the previous Republican Governor. Not only has he already gone through most of this money to cover increased spending authorized by his administration, he is actually planning on introducing new spending for the next fiscal year!

[House Speaker Michael E.] Busch said the governor also plans to support expanded health care and new environmental spending through a “Green Fund.” Both priorities passed in the House during this year’s session but failed in the Senate.

I wonder if this will be the Democrats new plan for our Country if they were to take office in 2008? Spend recklessly, and use budget defecits as a justification for new taxes.

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Politics, Taxes