Gov. Martin O’Malley warned county leaders to be ready for more state budget cuts and possibly tax increases when the General Assembly meets in January.
“We will all have to be open to more cuts, and at the same time—to protect our children’s future—we must be open to new revenues,” O’Malley said Saturday in a nearly 25 minute speech to county leaders at the Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City.
"One year I hope to be able to come before you and proclaim a return to full employment, a restoration of all highway user dollars and other state grants," O'Malley said. "One year I hope to come here and proclaim the existence of a giant, deficit-slaying surplus. But that year isn't this year."
The governor met with county leaders prior to the speech but apparently offered no more insights into the potential new revenue streams he said are needed than were in his speech.
“The bottom line is there are so many uncertainties that my sense is it’s difficult for the governor to give too many specifics about the upcoming budget and where we’re headed without knowing what’s happening in Washington,” said Ken Ulman, Howard County executive and MACo president.
Increases to the sales and gas tax are just two thought to be on the table. Some legislators had been predicting those increases could come up when the General Assembly returns to Annapolis in October to redraw the state’s eight congressional districts.
The governor offered no specifics about new or increased taxes in his speech. He declined to provide specifics afterwards to reporters before he headed to the beach.
Both O’Malley and House Speaker Michael Busch both said that, barring a dramatic change at the federal level, any discussion on taxes would not take place until the 2012 session which begins in January.
“It’s a better opportunity to discuss the overall vision and direction of the state during the period when you’re dealing with the budget of the state of Maryland, which is during the 90 day session,” said Busch, an Anne Arundel County Democrat. “Unless there’s some kind of catastrophe that comes about because of the federal government, I think we’re better off waiting for the 90-day session.”
O'Malley, during his speech, highlighted what he said was the state's interdependence on ongoing federal issues including a new so-called super committee charged with finding more than $1 trillion in cuts to the federal budget. Those cuts are not likely to be known until late December— weeks before O’Malley would be expected to deliver his budget to state legislators.
“Any further help from Washington is doubtful, and more serious hurt to all state economies -- from the narrow-minded faction of jobs-obstructionist in Congress -- is very likely,” O’Malley said. “We must be willing to adapt; ready to meet what may come from our Congress by December with the balanced approach necessary to move our state forward.”
O’Malley called Republicans in Congress “economic saboteurs.”
At least one leading state Republican legislator said he was unimpressed with O’Malley’s speech.
Sen. E.J Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican, called O’Malley’s speech “way out of balance and way out of touch.”
O’Malley “spells out a world where the pie’s not big enough and the revenue is not big enough,” Pipkin said. “I think that’s the wrong view.”
“I don’t think that Maryland, by any objective benchmark, is under-taxed,” said Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican. “People aren’t coming up to me and saying they want to be taxed more.”
“This is a governor talks about more taxes and more spending and it’s time to stop digging the hole,” Pipkin said.
Keep up with what's happening in politics by following Bryan P. Sears on his and on Twitter and Facebook.
Why don't you ride over to Breentwood Ave. and the Bread and Cheese Creek and tell them what a wonderful job John is doing. I'm sure they would receive you with open arms. After all the problem has only been going on for at least 15 years and nothing has been done. They can't find the time or money to fix a flooding problem that has festered for over a decade, but they can pay out million dollar pensions and travel to OC. Name one project to come out of that junket? Do you know what the percentage of the GDP is to the debt, or how about the interest on the debt. What about the trade deficit and its impact on jobs? Next you can explain the financial crisis in Europe and how that will impact us? You are right on one thing though, it is all about politics and not about leadership. Ask Robert Armstrong to help you, the one who lies constantly about his military career, three college degrees and 6 languages he speaks. Comparing someone to a Nazi without any evidence is just about as crass as one can get. His quote of: "Whatever happened to that Teabagger that ran for office in Ohio thAt like to dress up as a Nazi?". I can't quite make out that word "thAT." Must be part of his thesis paper on being a juvenile delinquent.
But I must confess, I DID hear Michael Steele, late of the leadership post of the Republcan Party, state that we should be sending troops to Central Africa to aid with the famine. Yeah, that's just what we need: ANOTHER war. And it would be a war, since the group El Shabab is keeping all foreign aid out of the area.
I gave you the link but obviously the old Commodore must be having trouble opening it.
What site is "Goggle."? (sic) I don't have trouble reading links, it's just your writing I can't understand. If you meant to say Google then why not use your delete key and correct it? That way you won't have to use the term (sic) as it applies to your mistake. You want everyone to accept your links as truth, yet when someone uses one like Fox or You Tube, you pan it as being racist. What is even stranger, you use both of them yourself. I would expect something a little more sophisticated from a person who claims to hold three college degrees and speak 6 languages. By the way you made the statement you belong to a country club and observe politicans there. What club do you have a membership with?
You made the following comment: "It's all about politics now. How very sad. The US used to stand for something.". Now, as I said the way this works is after you have your say, others are entitled to theirs, unless you want take editorial control of the site and your voice is the only one heard. I asked some very adult and pointed questions regarding your comment requiring an answer that went beyond the word "tirade." In retrospect that would require some effort and research and I should have known better to ask such questions.
And, last I checked, this wasn't a Blog, the Patch asks for comments. I am making comments. End of story.
All I'm saying is, you tea party people need to remember all this "living within your means" bluster when a couple years from now you don't get the same services and local funding from our government as we used to. Whether its highway upkeep, parks/rec funding, school upkeep, snow cleanup funding, I could go on and on. There's a balancing point between cuts and tax hikes, and it's considerably more on the side of cuts then hikes. Still, without appropriate tax hikes and tax reform (at both the state and national level) this country will continue to degrade both socially and economically. History has proven this out.
You are full of Dookie.
Why should taxpayers continue to be forced to throw money at these kinds of programs. Though I generally don't agree with totalitarian statements like the tea party stance of no taxes period, I am glad that they exist to help to counteract some of the wanton spending engaged upon by our congressional leaders and the current administration. I think that the implementation of a national sales tax on all purchases not necessary to survival in lieu of income tax would be a way to solve alot of this countries problems. Who cares if we have illegal immigrants if they have to pay the same taxes as everyone else. And the super rich wouldn't be able to get around paying taxes because they have to spend their money on something. It's just a thought but our current system obviously doesn't work and I think that if everyone were forced to pay their fair share the overall burden on the middle class would be drastically reduced.
Nick summed it up nicely. It is really scary how some lefties just don't get it. Unfortunately we are getting to a point in American Society where there are more receivers than payers. Once that point is reached, the receivers will continue to vote themselves ever bigger slices of a pie that someone else has baked. Americans are generous, but there is no need to give more to bloated local, state, and federal governments until they show true reform in how they spend it.
I appreciate Tom Coburn's relatively impartial budget mindset. I agree with the bulk of your argument. I am anti-Tea party because of their staunch refusal to accept anything even resembling tax reform. This country needs both tax reform AND spending reform. I agree that the Tea party has done some good - I've simply said they are going too far now. I would love to see independent auditing of all government spending (federal, state, county). I am all for trimming true waste. I just consider the mega wealthy only paying 15% (give or take) taxes on investments and hedge funds when they SHOULD be paying the max rate of 35% to be waste as well, in it's own way. Because like bad spending, it's money the government SHOULD have. Same goes for other tax loopholes, and all the subsidies that are completely unnecessary. Same goes with all of these mega corporations not paying anywhere near the "35% corporate tax rate". Some subsidies have merit, but today many don't. I just can't get into the Republican mindset of today that is all or nothing. No taxes, no tax reform, all cuts. Conveniently benefits the rich.
I hate Maryland ,cant leave, but hate it.
- Abraham Lincoln
The weathly should NOT have loopholes or tax breaks that are not given to the middle class and the poor. This is WHY there was a revolution in the 1917 in Russia. Do we need that again but this time on our shores? Think about it.
It hasn't made the economy inherently worse over time, but it hasn't improved economic growth (defined by GDP) either. It's effects are limited solely to benefitting the rich. Serriously, look no further then last year. Repubc demanded President Obama extend the BTC's for the wealthy. They claimed "It'll create jobs!". So the President gives in. Job creation? LOL. Nowhere to be found. Then they simply turn around and blame the President for spending too much.