Are we better off NOT being "One Maryland"? (Baltimore: townhouses, wages)

[K-Luv]

It does not make financial sense for someone to travel from anywhere in Maryland except Western Maryland to West Virginia just to enjoy some tax free shopping. For me, coming from HoCo, I would spend more in gas just to get there and back unless I were to buy hundreds of dollars worth of goods.

Here is another thought: ya'll are talking about a lack of business and tax revenue in Western Maryland, yet, are completely by-passing the area altogether to save a few bucks on beer and cigs and whatever. You might think you are giving O'Malley the middle finger by shopping in West Virginia, and perhaps you are. But you are also slapping the locals in the face. Perhaps if people actually supported business in Western Maryland, amends could be made.

[David_J]

Originally Posted by MrMaryland455

Well Said!!!! but Reality is the Strongest counties in term of Economic Growth:

1.Montgomery
2.Howard
3.Anne Arundel
4.Frederick
5.Prince Georges
6.St.Mary
7.Baltimore county

While I agree with your statement, Baltimore still does have a very strong presence in Maryland. I'd put it right under HoCo.

I don't think anyone really cares that much about Harford County, to be honest. They seem to self-identify more with Delaware and Pennsylvania anyway.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

It does not make financial sense for someone to travel from anywhere in Maryland except Western Maryland to West Virginia just to enjoy some tax free shopping. For me, coming from HoCo, I would spend more in gas just to get there and back unless I were to buy hundreds of dollars worth of goods.

Here is another thought: ya'll are talking about a lack of business and tax revenue in Western Maryland, yet, are completely by-passing the area altogether to save a few bucks on beer and cigs and whatever. You might think you are giving O'Malley the middle finger by shopping in West Virginia, and perhaps you are. But you are also slapping the locals in the face. Perhaps if people actually supported business in Western Maryland, amends could be made.

Take our beatings with a smile you say?

Easier said than done. Should a Western Maryland resident that makes 20-30k a year pay higher regressive taxes to keep local businesses operational? Or should they drive a extra couple of miles to save money they can use for other needs? There is no easy answer to this question. Our area loses in either circumstance..........while the state clearly "wins" when people just bend over and pay the extra tax.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

It does not make financial sense for someone to travel from anywhere in Maryland except Western Maryland to West Virginia just to enjoy some tax free shopping. For me, coming from HoCo, I would spend more in gas just to get there and back unless I were to buy hundreds of dollars worth of goods.

Here is another thought: ya'll are talking about a lack of business and tax revenue in Western Maryland, yet, are completely by-passing the area altogether to save a few bucks on beer and cigs and whatever. You might think you are giving O'Malley the middle finger by shopping in West Virginia, and perhaps you are. But you are also slapping the locals in the face. Perhaps if people actually supported business in Western Maryland, amends could be made.

Yes I live in Baltimore County and would not travel out of state JUST for shopping. But if I happen to be in Virginia or West Virginia for other reasons like vacation, visiting family/friends, business, etc I WOULD stock up on a lot of things like beer ,cigarettes, and other consumer items like clothes, perishable goods, household supplies etc in a state with a lower sales tax. I know people who go on vacation in Ocean City and drive an extra few blocks to Delaware and buy LOTS of alcohol and cigarettes and bring back into Maryland.

If O'Malley wants a more business friendly Maryland, he needs to raise taxes and repeal PlanMaryland, and allow natural gas drilling and lift all the environmental regulations on steelmaking, fishing, and farming.

[cry_havoc]

Originally Posted by ay jayy

Morgantown is home to a large taxpayer funded state university. I dont think you can compare it to Cumberland.

Actually no.

Charleston doesnt fund WVU. WVU gets less than 20% of its funding from taxpayers.

[cry_havoc]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

With Cumberland, the negative effects of Maryland's government policies backed by the liberal elite is especially noticeable. Nearby cities in West Virginia like Morgantown and Fairmont seem to be doing better than Cumberland. Charleston is also doing better than Cumberland. Maybe they need to start natural gas drilling in Western Maryland and allow more population growth there.

Charleston is only doing well because it is the state capital, and it lost half its population over the decade. Only recently have they been able to basically stop the loss and become stagnate and that is due from tax revenue from Northern WV, around Morgantown, and the Eastern Panhandle, near DC.

You cant compare Cumberland to Charleston. Compare Annapolis to Charleston, and trust me Annapolis is doing much better.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by cry_havoc

Charleston is only doing well because it is the state capital, and it lost half its population over the decade. Only recently have they been able to basically stop the loss and become stagnate and that is due from tax revenue from Northern WV, around Morgantown, and the Eastern Panhandle, near DC.

You cant compare Cumberland to Charleston. Compare Annapolis to Charleston, and trust me Annapolis is doing much better.

Charleston is still a center for the coal mining industry, and while I've not seen it myself, I've met some locals who say there are coal mines right outside of town. Charleston also has a number of colleges and universities. I don't think the West Virginia state government is as bloated as Maryland's and employs as many people. Having said this, I did notice that the towns toward the north like Buckhannon, Weston, Fairmont, Clarksburg, Morgantown were doing better especially with the high-tech corridor around Fairmont. But I don't think the differences between urban-rural are as great as in Maryland....if you look at the wide gap in culture, mentality, politics and lifestyle between Montgomery County vs Western Maryland or the Eastern Shore. Or even between Montgomery County and the Baltimore suburbs, especially the eastern Baltimore suburbs.

In any case Cumberland can be better now if it can become the center of a regional gas industry and we know there IS natural gas in Western Maryland. Developing that can also help the rest of Maryland such as expanding operations at the LNG facility at Cove Point in Calvert County and possibly adding LNG operations to the former Sparrows Point industrial site in Baltimore County which was shut down due to O'Malley's regulations.

I do have to say that the Democrats from the Eastern Panhandle of WV are more of the O'Malley, Montgomery COunty type Democrats while the Democrats in the rest of WV are more like the classic blue collar union Democrats. Unfortuantely the national Party is more dominated by the yuppie type Democrats and the urban/illegal alien types now.

Oh yes Annapolis is doing well because of the bloatedness of the Maryland state government, paid for by people working for the overtaxed and overregulated private sector.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Senate votes on gas tax increase - baltimoresun.com

So here is the list of the corrupt traitors who voted to increase the gas tax. With 3 exceptions (Zirkin from Baltimore County, Young from Frederick County and Robey from Howard all of which will hear from me).......ALL the rest were from Montgomery County, PG County and Baltimore City.

[reiflame]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

Senate votes on gas tax increase - baltimoresun.com

So here is the list of the corrupt traitors who voted to increase the gas tax. With 3 exceptions (Zirkin from Baltimore County, Young from Frederick County and Robey from Howard all of which will hear from me).......ALL the rest were from Montgomery County, PG County and Baltimore City.

Did you even bother to read the list?

Robey, James N. (D) Howard
Young, Ronald N. (D) Frederick
Zirkin, Robert A. (D) Baltimore Co
Kasemeyer, Edward J. (D) Howard
Miller, Thomas V. Mike (D) Calvert
Middleton, Thomas M. (D) Charles

You've got some good Fox News-style reporting going on there.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by reiflame

Did you even bother to read the list?

Robey, James N. (D) Howard
Young, Ronald N. (D) Frederick
Zirkin, Robert A. (D) Baltimore Co
Kasemeyer, Edward J. (D) Howard
Miller, Thomas V. Mike (D) Calvert
Middleton, Thomas M. (D) Charles

You've got some good Fox News-style reporting going on there.

The majority of Sen. Thomas V. "Mike" Miller's district is still located in Prince George's. He lives in Calvert County now and uses that designation to fool the people down here.