Guess people in Maryland won't be going to Virginia to get gas since they just raised their gas tax (Baltimore: loan, house)

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by MDAllstar

Actually that is not true. There would be no rural counties without the urban area's paying for them. They wouldn't have any growth because they would not have the infrastructure in place to build anything. That money comes from D.C. and Baltimore. In fact, they are mad because PLAN MARYLAND does just that. Cuts off the revenue stream to build more infrastructure in the middle of no where and makes them use their own money if they want to build in the middle of no where. Here is an example, a developer is not going to come and build a development unless the town builds the roads to it and connects the sewer lines to it. The town can't do that without money. That money comes from the state. The state gets that money from D.C. and Baltimore suburbs. Does this make more sense now?

Without D.C. and Baltimore suburbs, the rural counties would not have any problems because they would not be there to begin with. No running water, no paved roads, no schools, etc. etc. etc.

What a maroon! We don't have any growth! Our county is still losing population. Nothing that you say applies to where I live, your talking points are about ex-urban/rural counties like Frederick, Carroll, Washington, etc. that do have this kind of growth. All Plan Maryland does it guarantee our decline will continue by making sure we never grow.

Also, the claim "there would be no rural counties without urban areas" is absurd. Ever heard of WV? There biggest city is about the size of Frederick............excepting a handful of big towns/small cities the entire state is rural. Yet, the counties around Allegany in WV have higher median incomes than we do! They have population growth!

Even without huge urban edifaces supplying them with "necessary" welfare money (according to you) they still outpace us. Like I said, you don't understand our region.........at all. Typical downstate ignorance. Seriously, come spend a week out here. See the good ,see the bad. I bet your opinion of our area and how the policies of Annapolis effect us will change.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by MDAllstar

Actually that is not true. There would be no rural counties without the urban area's paying for them. They wouldn't have any growth because they would not have the infrastructure in place to build anything. That money comes from D.C. and Baltimore. In fact, they are mad because PLAN MARYLAND does just that. Cuts off the revenue stream to build more infrastructure in the middle of no where and makes them use their own money if they want to build in the middle of no where. Here is an example, a developer is not going to come and build a development unless the town builds the roads to it and connects the sewer lines to it. The town can't do that without money. That money comes from the state. The state gets that money from D.C. and Baltimore suburbs. Does this make more sense now?

Without D.C. and Baltimore suburbs, the rural counties would not have any problems because they would not be there to begin with. No running water, no paved roads, no schools, etc. etc. etc.

What a maroon! We don't have any growth! Our county is still losing population. Nothing that you say applies to where I live, your talking points are about ex-urban/rural counties like Frederick, Carroll, Washington, etc. that do have this kind of growth. All Plan Maryland does is guarantee the decline will continue by making sure we never grow by force of law. You are proclaiming the importance of slamming a door on development that hasn't been open to us because of our isolation.

Also, the claim "there would be no rural counties without urban areas" is absurd. Ever heard of WV? There biggest city is about the size of Frederick............excepting a handful of big towns/small cities the entire state is rural. Yet, the counties around Allegany in WV have higher median incomes than we do! They have population growth!

Even without huge urban edifaces supplying them with "necessary" welfare money (according to you) they still outpace us. Like I said, you don't understand our region.........at all. Typical downstate ignorance. Seriously, come spend a week out here. See the good ,see the bad. I bet your opinion of our area and how the policies of Annapolis effect us will change.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

What a maroon! We don't have any growth! Our county is still losing population. Nothing that you say applies to where I live, your talking points are about ex-urban/rural counties like Frederick, Carroll, Washington, etc. that do have this kind of growth. All Plan Maryland does is guarantee the decline will continue by making sure we never grow by force of law. You are proclaiming the importance of slamming a door on development that hasn't been open to us because of our isolation.

Also, the claim "there would be no rural counties without urban areas" is absurd. Ever heard of WV? There biggest city is about the size of Frederick............excepting a handful of big towns/small cities the entire state is rural. Yet, the counties around Allegany in WV have higher median incomes than we do! They have population growth!

Even without huge urban edifaces supplying them with "necessary" welfare money (according to you) they still outpace us. Like I said, you don't understand our region.........at all. Typical downstate ignorance. Seriously, come spend a week out here. See the good ,see the bad. I bet your opinion of our area and how the policies of Annapolis effect us will change.

Couple things,

-You have and will always have the right to move to West Virginia.
-Maryland doesn't support industries that pollute in the state.
-If you do support them, move to West Virginia.
-States like West Virginia are supported by states like Texas and California by their taxes. West Virginia receives more money than it puts out. You can bet your last on that.
-Your protected rural community and rural life is always subsidized one way or another period. Just an FYI for you…….

On a side note, it may be time for you to look at federal subsidies that come to states and taxes paid out. You will look at this whole thing a lot differently. You see, D.C. and Baltimore suburbs may pay for western Maryland but the states of Texas, California, and New York etc. pay for states like West Virginia to survive. It always comes back to urban areas no matter how you slice it.


And as for Plan Maryland, there is nothing in it saying you can't build whatever you want in your towns. It says D.C. and Baltimore will not foot the bill? What is so bad about that? Can't you pay for it yourselves? Can you show me where in Plan Maryland it regulates what you can build?

[North Beach Person]

You have absolutely no understanding of PlanMD. It basically stops any development in the rural areas of the State. Note where I live. As I was going to briefings about the plan for three years prior to its release I am very familiar with what it says, what the aims of it are and what the bureaucracy at MD Department of Planning wanted to accomplish with its development and adoption.

I would also be very quiet with the Red State/Blue State who gets federal tax revenue back when it comes to MD.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

You have absolutely no understanding of PlanMD. It basically stops any development in the rural areas of the State. Note where I live. As I was going to briefings about the plan for three years prior to its release I am very familiar with what it says, what the aims of it are and what the bureaucracy at MD Department of Planning wanted to accomplish with its development and adoption.

I would also be very quiet with the Red State/Blue State who gets federal tax revenue back when it comes to MD.

But don't we want to keep some rural parts of the state rural for the sake of having open spaces for parks and wildlife? I know that people need to make a living where they are, but there has to be a limit no?

Also, it's kind of ironic that some people inside the beltway don't want sprawl and people in rural areas do. I think those in rural areas who want growth should move closer to DC and the NIMBYS inside the Beltway should move to the rural areas. Problem solved!

[e30is]

I think there needs to be a revision on PlanMD. Instead of the state deciding, let the people of these rural areas decide where the growth should be. The st gov needs to stop deciding what THEY think is right and let the people decide. I'm generally not a fan of sprawl but it would be much better if people of these rural areas take part in creating growth.

[North Beach Person]

A facet of PlanMD is WIP (Watershed Implementation Plan) and TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load). Those two things will spike development in the rural areas and even in the areas where infill development is directed.

The little known piece of the Flush Tax, which everyone in the State now pays, is that only treatment plants with a capacity of 500KGPD and above are eligible for the loans and grants generated by the tax but the small systems still have to upgrade to meet the mandated ENR requirements. The Chesapeake Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant just, finally, let the contract for ENR for that plant and it came in at $16M. It's a (or will be since CB is expanding its share of capacity) 1.5MGPG facility. That $16M is on top of $8M in other mandated upgrades to equipment and facilities.

MaCO and MML are trying to get the Legislature to release Flush Tax fund to the smaller jurisdictions but that still not settled. The non-funding but mandating anyway is an issue with all the Counties and municipalities outside the Metro DC and Baltimore corridor.

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

You have absolutely no understanding of PlanMD. It basically stops any development in the rural areas of the State. Note where I live. As I was going to briefings about the plan for three years prior to its release I am very familiar with what it says, what the aims of it are and what the bureaucracy at MD Department of Planning wanted to accomplish with its development and adoption.

I would also be very quiet with the Red State/Blue State who gets federal tax revenue back when it comes to MD.

What part of it stops development through regulation? Did you mean that PlanMD stops development because the infrastructure needed for grass field development won't be supplied and funded by the state thus eliminating the financial profit to developers who want to develop in rural areas? Well if that is what you mean, yes that is the point. They can still build it and pay for it themselves though. The towns can foot the bill also just without state aid (DC/Bmore tax dollars).

[MDAllstar]

Originally Posted by e30is

I think there needs to be a revision on PlanMD. Instead of the state deciding, let the people of these rural areas decide where the growth should be. The st gov needs to stop deciding what THEY think is right and let the people decide. I'm generally not a fan of sprawl but it would be much better if people of these rural areas take part in creating growth.

That is fine, as long as that is accompanied by a change in the allocation of tax dollars as well. The state could change the tax allocation to you get back what you put in. I'm sure nobody would care what you build if that happens. Of course we all know that the clock will then begin to tick down to the widespread closing of entire towns and cities in western Maryland and the eastern shore if that happened from lack of funds to survive.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by MDAllstar

Va. Senate Finance Committee passes compromise transportation bill - The Washington Post

I hope Virginia LEARNS Maryland's lessons. Southern Virginia must continue to be very vocal and get the vote out or they will lose their voice to the liberal elites of the DC area, the way Maryland politics is uncontrolled completely by Montgomery and PG Counties who push their high taxes, illegal immigration, gay marriage, abortion, and "smart growth" on those of us in the rest of the state who don't want it.

And no gas taxes should NOT be used to fund mass transit. If they INSIST on building more mass transit which neither the Baltimore nor DC areas need or want, then they should do it using LOCAL sales taxes this way the people actually using the train will pay for it.