Del. Cluster: Is It Really a 'Doomsday Budget'?
Since leaving Annapolis, after a long 90-day session, all I have read and heard in both print and on TV is about a “Doomsday Budget." But if you know the facts, I am sure you will agree that it is not a doomsday budget at all. Instead, it is a step toward better government.
When you look at the facts of the budget passed in 2012, you will see that the budget went from $34.7 billion in 2011 to $35.4 billion this year. By my calculation, that is about a 2 percent increase in spending. Looking further into the spending and you will find that K-12 spending increases by $199 million, the funding to higher education is increased by $83.4 million, health care gets an increase of $82.4 million and spending for public safety increases by $23.2 million. So with all of these increases in spending, will someone please tell me what makes this a doomsday budget.
This week, I was notified that the legislature will be called back into, not one special session, but two special sessions, at the cost of about $21,000 a day—for what reason, I ask? Well, the thirst for spending is so high in Annapolis that the Democratic leadership wants us back to raise your taxes by another $500 million. I believe that the people of Maryland have had enough with raising our taxes and we need to all say enough is enough. It is about time that this state lives within its means, like the rest of us are doing on a daily basis, and does not raise our taxes any further. I urge you to contact Governor O’Malley, President Miller and Speaker Busch and tell them, no more taxes.
Delegate John Cluster
8th District
Mark Patro
11:25 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
Del. Cluster, I would be the first to agree that working people cannot afford to pay any more taxes. I would also agree that we need to get back on the right track. But in order to do that we need to agree some programs cannot withstand major cuts; some programs need to be left alone and some can afford cuts.
Each of us has our pet programs. School teachers and parents with children in school focus on education. Businesses with trucking aspects & infrastructure engineers want transportation funded. Police officers and victims of crime want public safety funded. None of us wants to pay higher gas or sales tax. More importantly new or higher taxes are retrogressive in this economy.
So, to getting on back on the right track: how do we get there? What are your suggestions? Where do we stimulate the economy without further hurting those who are hanging on? Please talk about your ideas that will move us in the direction of solving this dilemma. “No, we can’t do that” is not a solution.
Delegate John Cluster
12:58 pm on Friday, April 27, 2012
Mark I agree with you in most areas. The first thing I would do and I have suggested it to the administrastion is do a complete audit of every Department in the state. This can be done by an independent group and the only money paid to them is a percentage of the savings they find. I beleive that we will save enough money to fund all the projects that are in the budget without raising any more taxes...
JD1
8:55 am on Saturday, April 28, 2012
Del. Custer - how dare you confuse the issue with the facts! I am with you 100%. I am a public school teacher in Baltimore County and can testify to the waste that occurs every day. I can only imagine that a careful audit of all public agencies would reveal the same - if the federal agencies can get away with it (as we have seen lately) certainly the state and local agencies can. I am so sick of the mouthpieces like O'Malley taking advantage of the largely uneducated and ill-informed electorate and spewing lies and rhetoric like "doomsday budgets" and the like. When will the citizens of this state wake up? Please help get the truth out to the people. How about a TV spot with the facts from your first post?
Eric Martin
12:22 pm on Saturday, April 28, 2012
To address Mark's concerns I would say that no program is being cut. The programs are only growing at a slower rate than the Democrats would like. The Governor needs to cancel these special sessions and leave well enough alone so the taxpayers can catch a breath before paying higher taxes.
Mark Patro
6:27 pm on Saturday, April 28, 2012
What about the Transportation budget?
Kenny Pahr
1:52 am on Monday, April 30, 2012
How about cutting back on the out of control entitlement programs in this state? How about lowering the tax burden on businesses so we can increase state revenues as more businesses migrate to our state? How about stepping up against illegal immigration? Why not increase realistic energy production and development instead of building windmills in the ocean? Why not go after the unsustainable and ridiculous pensions the state is paying and make them more reasonable and fair? Unfortunately, none of this will ever happen in this corrupted state where liberals run everything.
Mark Patro
3:02 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
$2.6 billion transportation audit finds no problems; BPW heaps praise on departing secretary. Seems like the "waste in government argument doesn't always work.
http://marylandreporter.com/2012/05/04/2-6-billion-transportation-audit-finds-no-problems-bpw-heaps-praise-on-departing-secretary/
Delegate John Cluster
3:20 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Mark I read that piece also and was glad to hear that they had a good audit. The problem is that they only audit a small piece of the dept., when they do get around to it. If you look at the last audit they did you will find a very different finding. We still need a complete audit of every department. As far as funding goes, when the current administration puts back the some $700 million they raided from it we will not hae to raise taxes to repair our roads and bridges.