In an attempt to mitigate Maryland’s growing deficit, Governor O’Malley is seeking furloughs for about 67,000 state employees.
Considering the economy, and understanding Governor O’Malley’s penchant to spend and grow government, it’s no surprise that Maryland’s deficit continues to inflate at a shocking rate.
Alarm bells warning of future disaster sounded the day O’Malley was sworn in. Beaming, he said, “People realize small government doesn’t work.”
On the heels of O’Malley’s call to kill small government came the misunderstood “structural deficit.” Structural deficit? How so, when O’Malley inherited a significant Rainy Day Fund and billion dollar budget surplus?
Big government and fiscal irresponsibility go hand in hand. Big government is sloppy, bloated and expensive. Governor O’Malley knew if he grew government the bill for his spending would one day come due. The bill was the “structural deficit.”
O’Malley held true to his promise.
O’Malley pushed fiscal restraint into the liberal landfill. Along with it went the budget surplus. Playing a physician treating the disease he calls small government, O’Malley overdosed Maryland with big management, big spending, big programs – big government.
O’Malley did such a great job that the CATO Institute recognized him as the most fiscally irresponsible governor in the United States.
O’Malley hoped to feed his costly programs off the backs of Maryland’s businesses and citizens. He used his monopoly in the General Assembly to ram through the greatest tax increases in the history of our state.
But there is never enough to fuel big government, it’s worse during an economic slowdown.
Reading reports out of Annapolis, it appears Governor O’Malley was surprised by projections of a billion dollar-plus revenue shortfall. Perhaps it’s because big spenders, like Governor O’Malley, only consider the revenue that might be gained by increasing taxes on households and businesses.
Their projections don’t consider the negative impact from massive tax increases. They don’t consider the potential for revenue lost with changes in the economy, job loss (as businesses flee to more tax friendly climates), and personal decisions (I’ll shop elsewhere).
This explanation is as reasonable as any. It’s certainly as valid as Governor O’Malley’s standard excuse of “It’s Ehrlich’s fault.”
So the greatest tax increases in the history of our state solved nothing. There aren’t enough taxes to fix the broken budget and satisfy big government spending.
But prudent fiscal practices before could have eased the pain now.
What if Governor O’Malley took a different approach upon assuming office? What if he exercised fiscal restraint and did not deplete the Rainy Day Fund and billion dollar budget surplus to grow government? Might that money now be used to help protect Marylanders during the current economic slowdown?
With a pensive look, Governor O’Malley will place blame wherever he can. But place blame where it belongs, on out of control spending and fiscal irresponsibility – big government.
If there is a lesson learned it is that fiscal responsibility is practical regardless of the status of the economy. Spend wisely. Keep government lean, trim and strong. It will prosper during the booming times, and be more resilient during economic slowdowns.
However, the Office of the Blogger Elect occasionally lifts the blinds for a peak at Maryland’s landscape. It’s clear; the liberal mindset that seeks big government spending permeates our state, from east to west, north to south.
We voted for this, the end of small government. Now we suffer from what always happens with big government – it fails.
Some of our citizens will be furloughed. Some will likely lose their jobs. Sure we suffer like other states, but worse, spending and a lack of fiscal responsibility made it so.
We suffer, but if we had a “do over” today we’d probably vote for the same thing. That’s what happens in a “blue state” like ours.
Go figure.
God Bless our troops in harm’s way.
Poz
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