DeLong: “Enough of the Election Year Rhetoric, We Need a Change to Fix a Perenially-Broken Annapolis”

From Sylvia DeLong of Bel Air:

Dear Editor,

You know an elected official–in this case Delegate Mary-Dulany James–has spent too much time in Annapolis when they call a ‘structural deficit’ a ‘waiting list’. As a fiscal leader in Annapolis, why did Delegate James not stand up to Gov. O’Malley when he passed the largest tax hike in Maryland history in 2007 under the auspices of solving the ‘structural deficit.’ If it was just a waiting list, then the O’Malley-Busch-James team in the House of Delegates should have re-prioritized before passing along thousands of dollars in new taxes to working families and small businesses.

While the Maryland General Assembly may have been successful in papering over their ‘waiting list’ this election year, next year will be a time of serious reconciling when there are no more federal stimulus dollars or federal medicaid dollars (combined impact of nearly $1 billion on this year’s budget) to balance the deficit waiting list.

After this year’s economic band-aids, we will see huge tax increases in Annapolis next January if we keep sending the same folks to Annapolis. Enough of the election year rhetoric, we need a change to fix a perenially-broken Annapolis.

Sincerely,

Sylvia DeLong
Bel Air