Are we better off NOT being "One Maryland"? (Baltimore: homes, buying)

[Phyxius]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

Maryland might become first to enact statewide 5-cent bag charge - The Washington Post

And here is another example of the Montgomery County folks forcing their liberalism and nanny statism on the rest of the state. Now they want to make STATEWIDE the 5 cent plastic bag tax. Maybe cause Montgomery County grocery stores have been losing money to other counties. For those of us here in eastern Baltimore County and most people I know from rural Maryland things like this are completely alien and beyond ridiculous. Sometimes its like the folks in MoCo and Howard......the folks pushing for illegal immigration, bag taxes, "smart growth", gay marriage gun control and trying to end the death penalty come from a different reality than we do.

Unlike people I re-use the bags I get from the grocery stores rather than just throw them away and have them on tree branches. This has nothing to do with liberalism, it's people being wasteful.

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

And with the tolls the rest of the state DEFINITELY is subsidizing the ICC. The Bay Bridge tolls are enough to pay for the upkeep of the bridge itself. The ONLY reason they increased tolls on ALL the facilities was to build the ICC.

Is all of the money from a particular toll is going directly the ICC? I don't think so. Did you forget about the Express Toll Lanes on I-95 and the rebuilt interchange with I-695 and I-895? You could also put blame our federal government for spending money overseas rather than here at home on our aging infrastructure which is why we resort to increase toll roads in various locations.

In Southern Maryland, they are looking into rebuilding the US 301 bridge into Virginia. When the toll rises for that? will you have a problem with that or it will be okay because it doesn't involve Montgomery County? I don't care about liberalism and conservatism. You can find either one of them in both parties. Many of them don't think for themselves but only become the soapbox of someone else voice. Everything you disagree or don't understand is liberalism.

[PhenomenalAJ]

Let the right wing rural areas leave the I-95 corridor and become their own state. We'd have our by far richest state in America and the right wing would have their own Mississippi in the Northeast. It'd have to be part of some deal so the Senate representation evens out, like DC gets 2 Senators that are long overdue.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by PhenomenalAJ

Let the right wing rural areas leave the I-95 corridor and become their own state. We'd have our by far richest state in America and the right wing would have their own Mississippi in the Northeast. It'd have to be part of some deal so the Senate representation evens out, like DC gets 2 Senators that are long overdue.

If the New State includes the District, Montgomery, PG County, Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria with Baltimore City as an exclave, their tax base will NOT be able to fund all the ghetto people in Baltimore City, DC, and PGC plus all the illegal immigrants throughout, who will also be getting in-state college tuition. They will not be able to fund the DC Metro let alone Baltimore's mass transit plus the ICC. I think Northern Virginia would survive sorta if it left Virginia but not combined with PGC and DC.

And if DC got statehood and took MoCo and PG with it plus NOVA that will benefit the Republicans. You would have one new liberal state.....BUT then both Maryland and Virginia would be completely conservative and Republican.....even if Baltimore City stayed in Maryland. Rural Maryland and the conservatives living in suburban Baltimore will be able to out-vote the liberal people in the suburbs and the people in the city. And there will be voter ID laws that prevent illegal aliens from voting. I sincerely believe illegal aliens are currerntly voting in Maryland.

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

O'Malley like to talk about "One Maryland", but maybe thats because it benefits him and his base in Montgomery County, PG County, and Baltimore City. I know many people from the Eastern Shore who talk wishfully of secession, and many people from Western Maryland who wish to join West Virginia. And people statewide, including in the Baltimore region, who wish Montgomery County and PGC would leave the state and become part of DC. Especially since many people there don't even consider themselves Marylanders the way many people in Northern Virginia dont' like to say they're from "Virginia" with all the Southern implications that come with it.

The reality is that the economy of the Washington, D.C and Baltimore areas completely dominates Maryland today. It is the big elephant in the room and quite a number of people living in western Maryland, the eastern shore and even in West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania have jobs in the Baltimore-Washington area.

The growth and spread of this economy is much larger than you realize. Therefore, what you're suggesting is basically a loser's game. Get with it, this is the 21st century.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

If the New State includes the District, Montgomery, PG County, Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria with Baltimore City as an exclave, their tax base will NOT be able to fund all the ghetto people in Baltimore City, DC, and PGC plus all the illegal immigrants throughout, who will also be getting in-state college tuition.

Even PG, which is in reality the weakest DC area jurisdiction, includes some relatively well off areas outside the beltway, and reviving areas in the Hyattsville-College Park area.


The District is now running surpluses, is growing in population by 2% or more a year, even as it loses working class and poor people to PG, has a very tight housing market, and an office market that is tighter than the rest of the region. Despite a still high concentration of poverty (at about 18%) its very much on an upswing.

In fact a state that included NoVa/DC/MoCo/PG/Baltimore City would be pretty strong economically and financially ( I suspect you also do not realize the extend to which NoVa subsidizes the rest of Virginia).

The main objection from NoVa to this would be the loss of instate access to the virginia public universities. OTOH since this new state would get UMd College Park, and would include almost all the strongest high schools in the region, UMd CP would very quickly surpass even UVa in selectivity.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

The reality is that the economy of the Washington, D.C and Baltimore areas completely dominates Maryland today. It is the big elephant in the room and quite a number of people living in western Maryland, the eastern shore and even in West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania have jobs in the Baltimore-Washington area.

The growth and spread of this economy is much larger than you realize. Therefore, what you're suggesting is basically a loser's game. Get with it, this is the 21st century.

Not so much in Allegany and Garrett County, aka the REAL Western Maryland. No doubt we have a few "extreme commuters" but if you come to our communities there is no positive DC or Baltimore influence to be seen. The commuter loops and money don't make it out this far out.

I don't disagree that DC and Baltimore dominate our state, so where does that leave us? On the outside looking in.

[reiflame]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

I don't disagree that DC and Baltimore dominate our state, so where does that leave us? On the outside looking in.

It leaves you taking our tax dollars. Montgomery is such a huge cash cow that Maryland would economically collapse without it.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by reiflame

It leaves you taking our tax dollars. Montgomery is such a huge cash cow that Maryland would economically collapse without it.

I would give all the money back to not be politically dominated by downstate Leftist Land.

That's the rub. You don't want to give us your money, we don't want you telling us what to do, so let's just separate, and file the divorce papers. The relationship isn't working for either of us.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

I would give all the money back to not be politically dominated by downstate Leftist Land.

That's the rub. You don't want to give us your money, we don't want you telling us what to do, so let's just separate, and file the divorce papers. The relationship isn't working for either of us.

at one time Baltimore City was the strongest fiscal entity in Maryland. Not too long ago MoCo was a hotbed of moderate Republicanism and was closer politically to western Md than either was to the mostly Dem Eastern Shore, IIUC.

These kinds of things change to frequently. The current alienation of border state rural areas from all things Democrat is less than 10 years old. If you change state boundaries in response to things like that they will lose all meaning.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

at one time Baltimore City was the strongest fiscal entity in Maryland. Not too long ago MoCo was a hotbed of moderate Republicanism and was closer politically to western Md than either was to the mostly Dem Eastern Shore, IIUC.

These kinds of things change to frequently. The current alienation of border state rural areas from all things Democrat is less than 10 years old. If you change state boundaries in response to things like that they will lose all meaning.

Thanks MOM! Divide and alienate is the defining theme of his 2 terms.

Allegany and Garrett County have been voting anti-Maryland majority for pretty much all of our history. I wish I could find the book, I saw it in a library, but it ranked every county based on whether they voted for the "winner" or "loser" in statewide elections. Allegany and Garrett county were last and 2nd to last, voting for the "winner" something like 20% of time.

We have always had our own mind, hence most of us self IDing as being Western Marylanders (capital W) rather than "Marylanders." I would never call myself the later. I am glad the Eastern Shore, rural mid-Maryland, and Southern Maryland are coming around to the idea that the the "new" leftist suburban majority is actively trying to destroy our way of life. A day late and a dollar short, but a nice gesture none the less.

As for state boundaries? They are just lines on a map if the people that live within those lines don't feel as though they share a common culture, needs, wants, vision for the future. MOM's vision for Maryland's future not only isn't ours, his vision actively undermines any chance we have to return to prosperity. Sorry if these words are harsh, but we have a divisive leftist leader that takes a "my way or the highway" mentality towards governing a diverse state. I pick the highway, even if the discussion taking place is hypothetical. There is no chance the state would ever let us leave. They like the idea of having an "eco-guilt" reserve under their control to justify the continuing build up and prosperity where they live.