From the Maryland Senate GOP Slate:
Tragically, within the past 48 hours, Baltimore has lost over 400 jobs with Hyundai and Kia moving their businesses from the Port of Baltimore to Philadelphia and Legg Mason cutting 30% of its local work force. Now, more than ever, we need pro-business, fiscally responsible leadership in Annapolis.
Please join Bob Ehrlich, Maryland’s Republican Senators, and Republican Senate candidates as they visit a Maryland employer in Sykesville, MD to present their solutions for Maryland’s downward-spiraling economy. In addition, support local caterer Salerno’s, who is providing an excellent menu of heavy gourmet hors d’oeuvres, along with a local Jazz trio providing ambiance.
Governor Ehrlich has made it one of his top priorities to elect more Republican State Senators. During his tenure as Governor, Bob Ehrlich’s vetoes were over-ridden 42 times by liberal legislators in the General Assembly. The election of 5 more Republican Senators would prevent veto overrides in addition to permitting Republican Senators to filibuster and kill damaging legislation. Please support Governor Ehrlich and Republican Senate members and help them restore a positive business climate to Maryland in 2010!
Your generous purchase of a $100, $500, or $1,000 ticket will help us shatter the one-party monopoly that plagues our great state. Checks may be mailed to the Maryland Senate Republican Slate at P.O. Box 266 Annapolis, MD 21401. Additionally, you may contribute to us online via paypal (or http://www.mdsenategop.com/donations.html). If you cannot attend, we would greatly appreciate your generous support of our campaign efforts to fix Maryland.
We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your continued support of the Maryland Senate GOP Slate.
Sincerely,
Sen. Allan Kittleman & Sen. Nancy Jacobs
I received this e-mail today – the event will be held on May 19th from 6 to 8 in Sykesville. Sounds like it will be one heck of an event. You can get all the info at http://www.mdsenategop.com/
It is most unfortunate that Sens. Kittleman and Jacobs have misrepresented the employment statistics in Maryland for purely partisan purposes. Do they think that presenting skewed statistics will help them? The Md. Dept. Labor, Licensing and Regulation provide a very different picture than their theatrical vision. Employment rose every month from January 2010 (2,947,719 to 2,956,051) and unemployment fell during this time frame (242,616 to 237,176). This shows a growth in employment and a decrease in unemployment.
It is so typical for Ehrlich and his supporters say anything to try and put a positive spin on their ineffectual records to improve the condition of working Marylanders. We, however, can see that their empty rhetoric has never translated into meaningful action for Maryland.
The numbers you have used to represent employment are the total workforce not the number of employed. The unemployment numbers are comparing the average to the January figure. And the unemployment falls every year in the same time frame(excluding 2009). This is emphasized by the footnote “These data are not seasonally adjusted.” But if anyone is interested in I have included the link to the real data.
The more interesting figure is that the workforce has shrank from 3,059,915 in June 2008 to 2,933,327 in February this year. That is 126,588 people missing from the workforce altogether couple this with those who are still in the workforce but unemployed and the “real” unemployment rate could be over 300K.
http://www.dllr.state.md.us/lmi/laus/maryland.shtml
who cares how many baltimore loses they gave up a great manufacturing sector back when schaffer was gov he got greedy and ran alot of business out! o’malley the same way we need a business freindly gov
My husband works at Nutramax in Edgewood and he just got official word this week that the company will be relocating to South Carolina. Plenty of incentives and very low taxes. Everyone currently employed at Nutramax will be able to relocate to SC, but so far nobody, NOT ONE PERSON, is going. Hundreds will lose their jobs. Their veterinary section will begin moving by the end of this year. So in 2011, my husband will be out of a job. Think BRAC’s gonna save him and all his co-workers? I don’t think so.
I did read that about the Nutramax lab in Edgewood. My question was that when I read the article they said they were expanding to two other sites in PA and SC, so I take it they kept the closure of Edgewood to a dull roar in the article. Thats something, and I’d hate to sound the alarm but hopefully in this new election we can get some Maryland legislators who will look at making Maryland more business friendly. The taxes businesses pay in Maryland, especially tech/science, are ridiculous when compared with the job they create.
US Taxpayer: I agree. What we need in this county is a senator who is serious about its future. We need a senator who will show up at events and represent all of its citizens. I think it is time to have a senator who can get something done for a change. Support Art Helton for Senate 34!
http://arthelton.com/
I’m confused. Which one do you want? A senator who is serious about the county’s future and will represent all of its citizens, or Art Helton? There’s a huge difference.
Here’s a proposed campaign slogan for Art:
Vote for Art Helton – a man who doesn’t take NO for an answer.
(Of course, I’m referring to all of the elections he and his stand-in/wife have lost in Harford County)
Phil-
I like it: “Vote for Art Helton – a man who doesn’t take NO for an answer.” You are correct, and I agree with you that Art is steadfast in his stand FOR the working family. When special interests want to suck resources from Harford county citizens into their pockets, Art Says NO. When partisan politics and childish bickering among elected representatives puts a stop to positive reforms for Harford County, Art says NO. When the present senator is ineffective in getting money to Harford County, Art says NO.
The choice is clear: a senator who only represents developers and business or one who represents ordinary people. Clever repartee is not a substitute for a record of accomplishment: a record that is not associated with the incumbent. I want a man who will not take no for an answer. We need a serious senator for serious times!
You have to be shitting us Gary. Art being non-partisan? The man simply sips all the democrat kool aid at every opportunity. He stands for all the same crap that Barry, Harry, Nancy and The MD Mic want. It doesn’t surprise me that Mike Miller and O’Malley endorse him.
I agree taht we need a change in our Senator. Nancy has outlived her usefulness if she ever had any at all, but Art is f\just more of the same old tax and spend that has gotten us into this mess.
Dave: You would rather have the borrow and spend Republicans? That is what has gotten us into this mess. It was Bush and crew that spent us into the poor house. Remember the bailout was their doing. Of course we can’t forget the trillion dollar war that the Republicans conveniently kept off the books. If you haven’t noticed, the economy under the Democrats is recovering and my taxes were lower this year.
I, for one, rather like the Democrats that are concerned for my welfare before that of profit whores.
Dave – No need to respond to US Taxpayer. He conveniently forgets that Democrats have been essentially in control of Congress for the last 50 years. Clinton only gets passing grades when the Republicans had enough control to contain spending.
Democrats crapped the bed. True conservatives will soon be in control. US Taxpayer and others looking for handouts will soon find their sorry asses looking for real work other than government jobs.
Come on tax guy. You are becoming a one trick pony. “I, for one, rather like the Democrats that are concerned for my welfare before that of profit whores.” Are you even close to any reality in your life? Where do those “concerned democrats” get the money to YOUR WELFARE? Out of my wallet as long as I continue to let them.
Braveheart: Let’s look at who was in control: Eisenhower 55-61, Nixon 69-74, Ford 74-77, Reagan 81-89, Bush 89-93, Bush 01-08.
The Democrats gained control of congress in 2006. Is that 50 years? I guess to your mind it is?
You said: “True conservatives will soon be in control.” You are dreaming. What true conservatives? Name one: Palin? The Tea Party and Fox has high jacked the GOP and made it the slave of profit whores and wing nuts. True conservatives at least know how to run something and how to control debt. When was the last time that was done?
Here is a total of the interest we have paid on the national debt that your guys borrowed:
Interest Spent on the National Debt by Year during Bush’s Administration
2001 $359,507,635,242.41
2002 $332,536,958,599.42
2003 $318,148,529,151.51
2004 $321,566,323,971.29
2005 $352,350,252,507.90
2006 $405,872,109,315.83
2007 $429,977,998,108.20
2008 $451,154,049,950.63
2009 $383,071,060,815.42
TOTAL $3,354,184,917,662.61
That is 3.5 TRILLION dollars just on interest mostly paid to China. When did the Republicans control spending? That looks like it was your team that crapped the bed. It is your side that is looking for handouts only you’re too blind to see that the only people getting it is BIG BUSINESS and regular guys like you and me are footing the bill.
And BTW why do you have such a hardon for government employees? Who do you think protects us from heartless profit whores? Are you also against police, firemen, the military, health inspectors, etc.?
US TAXPAYER – Like I said the Democats controlled Congress and legislation for essentially the last 50 years. What don’t you understand about that?
Hey US Taxpayer, all I can say is I am tired… sick to death… of having money STOLEN from me by BOTH parties of dirtbag politicians. STOLEN from me in the form of “taxes” only to be used on complete BULLSH*T like turtle tunnels or armadillo houses and hubcap museums… and if I DON’T want to pay for this BULLSH*T I can spend some time in prison. EVERY dirtbag politician in DC is guilty of the same thing. “Taking care of my constituents” by building airports for their hometown that 30 people will use… museums named after themselves… EVERY bill is packed with pork (which is a much nicer term than I’d use). A bill for parking meters on main street will be 4000 pages of legalese BULLSH*T that includes a million dollars for research on cockroach mating and in the end exempts the whole of the government from the rules the lowly citizen will have to abide by. Any more all I do in the voting booth is vote against the incumbent – across the board – because it can’t get any worse. Politicians Suck. Yours too.
Braveheart: I hate to tell you this but Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and the Bush boys were REPUBLICANS. Republicans had control of the Senate 1981 to 1987, 1995 to 2006, they had control of the House from 1995 to 2006. At least get your facts straight. What don’t YOU understand about that?
Fedup: Like a sign or a bumper sticker I once saw read: “Too Many Taxes? Too Much Government? Move to Somala!” As I said in an earlier post: “Have you ever looked at the tax rates of other countries? The US is a tax haven for rich people. They pay fewer taxes now than they have since Eisenhower was president. In 1952 they paid 91% in the top bracket while only paying 35% today. Rather than Americans that will “… pack up and leave the United States…” foreigners want to move here. Do you think a rich person from Austria, for example, who pays 50% personal income tax AND 20% VAT tax wouldn’t rather pay our taxes? Even China has a tax rate of 45% and a VAT of 17%.”
Don’t think things could not get worse: they most assuredly could get worse. We are in this mess because Republicans ONLY help the rich get richer. By rich I mean over $5,000,000 annually as McCain pointed out. I believe that the only legislation they support helps big business screw you and me. I am in favor of taxing those billionaires and lowering my taxes as I earn less than $250K a year.
Do you have any idea how much taxes business avoids by hiding it overseas? (60 billion a year, a year for God’s sake) “If you are taxed too much it is because you Tea Party Republicans allow big business to dodge their fair share. According to Forbes, General Electric managed to make $10.3 billion in pretax income, but paid nothing into the U.S. Treasury, as it counted its losses in the U.S., while registering its profits overseas. As Forbes put it, “GE Capital has displayed an uncanny ability to lose lots of money in the U.S. (posting a $6.5 billion loss in 2009), and make lots of money overseas (a $4.3 billion gain).”
And then there’s Exxon-Mobil, which paid more in income taxes than any other U.S. company last year, just none of it to the U.S. Exxon Mobil Corp. reported a profit of $45.2 billion for 2008, breaking its own record for a U.S. company, even as its fourth-quarter earnings fell 33 percent from a year ago.”
As far as pork is concerned, I say this: Right ON brother!
US Taxpayer –
How is it that according to you the United States is a tax haven for the rich and at the same time rich corporations hide profits in other countries?
Joe
Well Joe, if the rich (who work for or invest in corporations) can hide their money in overseas accounts, and they pay less taxes, wouldn’t you want to come to the good old US of A where the middleclass support the rich?
US Taxpayer – Like I said Democrats controlled CONGRESS for most of the last 50 Years. Congress – not the senate – not the office of president but Congress – the HOUSE and SENATE. Boy I’d love to meet you in person to tell you that you are a XXXXing IDIOT!
Well, US Taxpayer… I give up. I rant about pork and having my hard earned money stolen for it and all you want to do is bash the rep party and tea party. The two top kings of pork this year are a republican (#1) and a democrat (#2). Your ingrained hatred for anything republican blinds you – as it does so many liberals – to the transgressions of the members of your own party. You suggest “move to Somalia” cute but not the point. All I want is for the federal government to quit pissing MY money away on stupid bullsh*t. Eearmarked projects in fiscal year 2010 accounted for $16.5 billion of the federal budget… are you ok with that? Inouye – a democrat who is second behind the dirtbag republican Cochran (490 million) – got 151 projects worth 387 million. I bet you give him a pass – I mean you know how badly Hawaii needs federal dollars since they just can’t find the means to generate their own revenue. Just like all the tax cheats in Obama’s administration. Just like the dirtbag Rangel and all the dirty deals he’s been a part of. Liberals will defend all these dirtbags or turn a blind eye. Earmarks are only the tip of the iceberg of waste. Bailing out bad banks (and yes, Obama was for it) when the heads of those banks should be behind bars… bailing out crappy car companies that make crappy cars no one wants… bailing out freddie and fannie when the heads of those fiascos should be behind bars… the bullsh*t stimulus package no one read that was full of – wait- you guessed it Pork! Oh, that’s right the great O said it’s not pork so I guess it’s not. All those stupid sh*twit projects for millions of dollars we don’t have were badly needed. You talk of all the terrible things big business is doing to hide profits. Gee, I’m shocked. Do you see any democrat pushing legislation to end these practices? And no, it’s not because of the tea party it’s because they’re too busy holding hearings – real frikin hearings on bathroom equalities. There’s not a politician inside the beltway today who’s worth a sh*t. You can quote me on that. The democrats hold the executive and legislative branches of the government so I think you can stop blaming the tea party and fox. No one in DC is going to suddenly grow a set and go after those tax dollars if it means less money in the re-election coffers. Politicians don’t care about you. Politicians only care about being re-elected – of course if they can get a few parks and museums named after them that’s icing. I hate to burst the bubble, but even Obama doesn’t give a crap about you. He’s in it for his own narcissistic ego/power trip. You complain the republicans ONLY help the rich get richer and you even lay blame on the Tea Party (a recent upstart) for practices that have gone on for decades under numerous administrations – including democrats. I agree, the republicans are in the pocket of big business (but of course since they’re politicians we already know they suck)… but the democrats are the other side of the same coin. I haven’t studied what the Tea Party is for, but if it’s for cutting the federal government down to the essentials I’m all for it. If they’re for states rights and getting the federal government out of state matters which they have no business being in, I’m all for it. I’ve found that many who are for more government haven’t had to deal with a federal agency. Believe me… they’re doing you a favor just talking to you.
Hey US Taxpayer… I just realized I wasn’t fair to you… you did say you were against Pork and I believe you. What I’d like to see is more blame spread to everyone that deserves it instead of passes handed out based on partisanship. What I’d hate to see is all that tax revenue you refer to being actually collected only to fall prey to all the pet projects and idiotic bailouts the dirtbags in DC can come up with… which is what I fear would happen… they sure as hell won’t use it for reducing the debt or anything else good. Anyway, don’t want hard feelings for a misstep.
Fedup: No hard feelings. I think our differences are nuanced. We are actually very close in our views. Joe pointed out that my loathing of hypocritical Republicans and assholes like Bravehaert sometimes blind me to the points that others make: I will admit that. I also will admit that I am willing to gloss over similar failings of Democrats. But it is true there are dirtballs in both parties, e.g., Richard Blumenthal a Dem running for US Senate.
You say that no one will go after these tax dollars (“Do you see any democrat pushing legislation to end these practices?”). But I don’t agree. When I read stories like, “Senate Republicans are threatening to filibuster an amendment that would bar commercial banks from using taxpayer-backed money to trade for their own gain” I begin to feel that rage building up. Arizona’s racist’s new law does no good for me either. This whole BP mess and their millions in lobbyists are evil. In fact, all lobbyists are a plague upon us all. If we could eliminate pork, known as line item veto, and lobbyists we both would be happier.
fedup: look here
“As the fight for Wall Street reform enters its final stage, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has introduced an amendment to let states cap credit-card interest rates. If it passes, it will close a federal loophole that has long allowed credit card companies to headquarter in states with lax rules, such as South Dakota and Delaware, and charge exorbitant interest rates.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/dems-push-for-state-caps_n_579533.html
This is what I mean. It is the Dems that are looking out for the regular guy. Watch and see if the GOP supports this or not.
Well, this one misses the mark for me… I think credit cards are for suckers. If you’re paying interest on a credit card it’s your own fault. The only interest I’m paying is mortgage because I couldn’t avoid it… and believe me I do without lots of things I’d like to have. If you can’t afford something don’t buy it. The only credit cards I’ll accept are 0% for a year or more – then I dump them. But you’re right, it’ll be interesting to watch… it can pass without republican support – but will they fight it and how hard if they do.
It figures that a Helton fanboy would take an insult as a compliment – or is that your cute little attempt at being witty?
Put on your Art t-shirt, get in your clunker with an Art bumper sticker, and go stand by the side of the road and wave your Art signs. Your only hope is that enough people have moved to Harford County for BRAC who don’t know Helton’s history. Those of us who have watched him over the years and know what he’s really about will go to the poll and vote ABA (Anyone But Art) once again.
ABN