Updates from Delegate Warren Miller

I just received an email update for the Regular Session of the MD General Assembly from Delegate Warren Miller. I always appreciate his candor and willingness to keep his constituents informed, so I thought I would post part of his email here.

"... I wanted to update you on the problems the State has moving forward with the Annual Budget.

"Maryland’s Governor O’Malley has submitted the largest budget in Maryland history. In spite of its already bloated proportion, rest assured there will be several amendments offered which will include huge infusions of Federal stimulus money... It is time for Maryland’s leaders to take responsibility for their irresponsible actions perpetrated on the citizens of this fine state. How shameful it is for us to see our Governor approaching the President for money to bail us out. We can stand on our own, but we must stand responsibly and with fiscal discipline.

"I am very concerned about the size and scope of spending and the state of Maryland’s current economy. I have many neighbors and friends who are currently without work. In reviewing the new budget I see a heavy reliance on welfare assistance for the poor, but I am not witnessing the supposed creation of "new" shovel ready jobs that would put many people in Howard County back to work. I see this budget as a shovel digging a financial hole that will require years of sacrifice and discipline to fill. I do not believe this Governor has the discipline or the will to lead us to recovery.

"... At some point we must stop punishing our small business owners with burdensome regulation and unfair taxation so that they can get back to creating new jobs. Prosperity is not selfish, but rather, a reward for a lifetime of hard work. I am appalled that as a State we are spending well beyond our means. I would like to share with you my determination to once again vote against the States massive $31,600,000,000 budget...

"Maryland is the 19th largest State in the country based on population and yet the non-partisan Tax Foundation ranks Maryland as the state with the 4th highest State and Local Tax burden. This is an equation that can only equal disaster. There is no logical reason why this should be. The Foundation study goes onto rank Maryland as having the 45th worst economic environment for Business taxes. If this administration were as interested in the human plight as they are carbon footprints, this truth may not exist. Unfortunately, businesses of all sizes will likely find greener pastures from which to graze and move out of Maryland to find new hope and change.
In closing, I would like to thank you for paying attention to issues in the General Assembly that are important to you and as always I love to listen to your views. I will continue to fight wasteful spending and high taxes so that Maryland can begin the process of recovery."