This morning the Republican Governors Association is chuckling over the newest sharp contrast between their chairman and the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association (and governor of a neighboring state).
Just days after Virginia governor Bob McDonnell announced a $544 million surplus, Maryland governor Martin O’Malley told county leaders Saturday that Maryland may need to increase taxes to solve a $1 billion budget gap next year.
What makes the contrast even more striking is the fact that McDonnell previously balanced an inherited $4.2 billion budget deficit that Gov. Tim Kaine had said could only be closed with a $2 billion tax increase, while O’Malley has already signed the largest tax increase in Maryland history during his first term.
Both states benefit from the hiring spree and rare layoffs in the federal government, but the unemployment rate in Virginia is 6.1 percent, while the unemployment rate in Maryland is 7.2 percent.
As a lifelong Marylander I'm ashamed of our Democrat political leaders. We will be retiring elsewhere shortly and join the long line of taxpayers leaving this sinking state.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe Americans-Wearing-Blinders crowd will view the political reality of these two cities and the policies that make their financial fortunes so different in the same way they view Rick Perry's Texas versus Barack Obama's America. Barack Obama hasn't created jobs because Republicans won't allow him to. Rick Perry hasn't created real jobs; he stole "cheap labor" jobs from other states. Thus, if we get rid of Republicans, real job creation will flourish.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSeriously? Did you comprehend anything that was written here????
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYes, we got rid of Republicans in 2008 and while Barrack Obama had both houses of congress with super majorities of Democrats the unemployment rate increased almost two percent, good one.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOk Jenna, just for fun. How much more money do we have to take from people and borrow from the future and throw away on liberal policies before they create jobs?
we've increased spending a whole lot since Democrats took the House in 2006; why aren't the jobs already here?
2006, 2.66 trillion budget.
2010, 3.55 trillion budget.
You're already blowing an extra trillion a year; why are we at the lowest employment-population ratio we've been at since 1983 (25+ year low)?
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And why does that number keep dropping every year? If the solution is blowing a ton more cash; we're already doing that.
Maybe we need more EPA regulations, more expensive energy and limitations on jobs that the Democrats are pushing for?
Will higher costs, more regulations, more limitations, and higher priced more scarce energy help?
Or should we pretend that the liberal side has a different plan that might actually work?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTo paraphrase Ed Koch after he lost in his re-election attempt, the people of Maryland have spoken; now they must be punished.
Too bad I'm one of them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWe're current residents of DC, but are considering a move to the burbs. This is one of many reasons we are not considering a move to the People's Republic of Maryland.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFederalism is really embarrassing for bad economic policies.
Virginia better hope that its DC-area residents can't pull the rest of the state down the same hole Maryland joyfully leaped into.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseO'Malley was on the radio this morning touting the need for new stimulus from the Feds, for "infrastructure jobs". He also said the first stimulus poured "only" 1 trillion dollars into a three trillion dollar hole.
When confronted with the grim reality of a failed program to create jobs, O'Malley decided to double down on stupid. Good thing Maryland reelected him, huh?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI also heard on the radio this morning that the same contrast can be drawn between Illinois and Indiana. Guess which state had a huge income tax hike and has since lost 89,000 jobs. Now guess which state has a Democrat governor.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIronic: "Virginia's economy has recovered from the economic recession faster than most other states, in part because of federal government spending, economists with Wells Fargo said in a report on the state's economic outlook Monday."
Once the federal money stops coming in to support Virginia, the outlook is not pretty.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat's also missing from this snarky article is that MD is 13th in unemployment in the country while Virginia is 9th.
Wow, VA, you sure showed them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDid you choose to ignore the part about there being a $1 billion deficit in Maryland and a half a billion dollar surplus in Virginia or did you just not read that part? I mean, for someone who only cares about facts, that's a pretty stubborn one isn't it?
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