The Martin O'Malley Fact Check: Basically, He's A Tax Raising Liar (Baltimore: how much, construction)

[Calvin C]

Hopefully molukai understood me better than you did.

I certainly didn't make the assertion you claim. All I said is we use government services - that we paid for - every day. It needs our taxes to run and sometimes it needs more than we're giving it. Doesn't mean that we just give more money blindly, or not ask for better use of it. molukai certainly has good reason to complain. What is disconcerting is this notion of tax rises being a fate worse than death.

The government is like an SUV - it is not the most efficient car around. There are too many vested interests on either side to get it to run more efficiently, but it still has to run. Voting for lower taxes is simply not going to help. We have to give our representatives the right incentive to make the decisions that will save money in the long term. Every one of our representatives say they want to cut costs but few will stick out their necks to do so.

[AeroGuyDC]

Originally Posted by Calvin C

Hopefully molukai understood me better than you did.

I certainly didn't make the assertion you claim. All I said is we use government services - that we paid for - every day. It needs our taxes to run and sometimes it needs more than we're giving it. Doesn't mean that we just give more money blindly, or not ask for better use of it. molukai certainly has good reason to complain. What is disconcerting is this notion of tax rises being a fate worse than death.

The government is like an SUV - it is not the most efficient car around. There are too many vested interests on either side to get it to run more efficiently, but it still has to run. Voting for lower taxes is simply not going to help. We have to give our representatives the right incentive to make the decisions that will save money in the long term. Every one of our representatives say they want to cut costs but few will stick out their necks to do so.

I understood you quite well. First, you come forth and apologize for Martin O'Malley through some roundabout theory that we "take for granted" the philosophy that more taxes are better for the common good, and then when someone comes along and demonstrates to you that your kow-towing to the O'Malley tax-and-spend regime is severely misguided, you return the favor by calling it a "rant."

You're not any different than any other liberal in this state or on this forum. And that's precisely why you will continue to get called out for the idiocy.

[Calvin C]

Whatever you say, man.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Calvin C, have you ever been to Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kansas or Missouri??? ALL of these states have lower taxes and are not falling apart.

No liberal has ever been able to explain to me why it will cost $8 to crosss Baltimore Harbor next year when much longer bridges and tunnels in South Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, or Louisiana or Florida are much cheaper or even free. Nobody can explain how South Carolina and Georgia have very low gas taxes yet their roads, bridges, tunnels, and highways are just fine.

Oh yes and Atlanta and Dallas are expected to pay for their own mass transit, even Northern Virginia does.....but Montgomery County and Baltimore City are subsidized by rural Marylanders.

[Calvin C]

Tom Lennox 70, I can't argue with you there. I do not know enough about those states so you may be right. It will be great to find out where the differences are.

[North Beach Person]

The gas tax increase was just approved. No lockbox.

One little known piece of it is that is zeroes out the County and municipality portion of Highway User Revenue they used to receive. What that means is that the locals will have to build and maintain local roads that the State has mandated be built or upgraded.

[reiflame]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

but Montgomery County and Baltimore City are subsidized by rural Marylanders.

Except for all that welfare money that we send to the rural parts of the state. Keep believing this if you want to, but Montgomery County is the economic driver in Maryland. Without it, the state's finances fall apart.

[David_J]

Originally Posted by reiflame

Except for all that welfare money that we send to the rural parts of the state. Keep believing this if you want to, but Montgomery County is the economic driver in Maryland. Without it, the state's finances fall apart.

Exactly. Maryland honestly wouldn't do that well without Montgomery County - the closest county in line would be HoCo but it's not as much of an economic asset as MoCo.

[Phyxius]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

Calvin C, have you ever been to Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kansas or Missouri??? ALL of these states have lower taxes and are not falling apart.

No liberal has ever been able to explain to me why it will cost $8 to crosss Baltimore Harbor next year when much longer bridges and tunnels in South Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, or Louisiana or Florida are much cheaper or even free. Nobody can explain how South Carolina and Georgia have very low gas taxes yet their roads, bridges, tunnels, and highways are just fine.

Oh yes and Atlanta and Dallas are expected to pay for their own mass transit, even Northern Virginia does.....but Montgomery County and Baltimore City are subsidized by rural Marylanders.

I think South Carolina roads are garbage. Georgia roads are decent but poorly designed and the traffic in the Atlanta area is awful makes my point. Louisiana is listed as one of the worst roads in the country.


The Worst Roads in the U.S. - Yahoo! Finance

Louisiana Roads & Bridges among Worst in Nation


.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by reiflame

Except for all that welfare money that we send to the rural parts of the state. Keep believing this if you want to, but Montgomery County is the economic driver in Maryland. Without it, the state's finances fall apart.

Montgomery County is almost completely dependent on federal government jobs and spending which will be affected by the sequester. There is almost no private sector business there that is not related to government contracting.

Yet the MoCo liberals will not allow the rest of the state to develop its industries. PlanMaryland bans all population growth on the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland. The liberals from MoCo pass strangling laws against natrual gas drilling, coal mining, farming, fishing, and commercial/residential development statewide. Look at how Western maryland can't frack for natural gas like WV and PA are doing. Look at the ridiculous regulations that farmers on the Shore have to face which farmers in Delaware and Virginia don't.