Maryland Gambling With Our Money
Aug 8, 2012 Commentary, Political
The People’s Republik of Maryland has slot machine gambling authorized in five locations and running at three of those. The state is well behind where it would have been but Democrats played games and now the entire web of obstruction is crumbling around them. So those very Democrats, led by Governor Martin O’Moron, called a special session of the legislature to discuss adding another gambling venue.
A brief history goes like this. Robert Ehrlich was elected governor in 2002 (taking office in 2003) and he worked on getting slots gambling in the state. The Democrats opposed this. Many, including then Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Moron, claimed that gambling was not a responsible way to raise revenue or meet budget needs. They said this knowing full well that the state runs a lottery with countless games designed to bring big money into the coffers.
In any event, Democrats opposed Ehrlich at every turn and gambling did not come to Maryland. He was defeated in 2006 by the aforementioned O’Moron who promptly worked with Democrats to get slots machines in the state. Suddenly, those Democrats who were opposed to gambling as a means to raise revenue were all for the idea because a Democrat wanted it. As an aside, Peter Franchot is the only politician I am aware of who has opposed gaming since the very beginning.
The Democrats had a problem. How on Earth could they convince voters that they did not block progress for four years simply because the Governor was a Republican. To do so would mean they put their political games ahead of the state and its people (they always do but want people to think otherwise). They decided that instead of passing legislation authorizing gaming they would put the matter on the 2008 ballot via referendum. This would allow the people of the state to decide and would take politicians off the hook for the decision that was reached. The referendum was very specific as to where the venues could be placed and how many slots machines would be authorized. The only thing allowed was slots machines. No table games were considered.
The problem with this approach is that the matter, if it passed, would become part of the state Constitution and any changes would have to go through the referendum process. I knew it was moronic to do this (gambling does not belong in the Constitution) and voted against the measure. In reality, I would have voted against it anyway because of the way Democrats played games with Ehrlich.
The measure passed and casinos started being built. They were doing fairly well (but are now not producing as expected) and now the state wants another one. It also wants to consider table games. This was not addressed in the regular session as it should have been so the Governor called for a special session to address this. This violates the reason for special sessions but the rules have never stopped Democrats. This process is going on because the next election is this November and if they do not get the issue on the ballot then they will have to wait two years to get it done. See how stupid it was to do it this way?
There is no urgency for another casino. After strong starts, two of the three already running are not doing as well as they were expected to and an additional one would likely siphon money from the others. Keep in mind, there are still two that need to be built.
There are also shenanigans going on (say it isn’t so). The Democrats are having closed meetings to decide how to handle things. The casino folks want better tax rates and a better deal than the other casinos got. This would certainly cause the other casinos to want a new deal. The Democrats are working on back room deals to leave the tax issue off the table and to get the additional casino on the ballot. They will address the tax issue after the next election (during the next regular session of the legislature).
This is just plain wrong. The Democrats in Maryland led by their inept Governor have increased the taxes on the hard working citizens of this state a number of times. The sales tax, the income tax, taxes on services, taxes on practically everything including the air we breathe have been raised over the last six years to feed their hunger for our money.
Now, after screwing the taxpayers with ever increasing tax hikes the Democrats want to cut a special tax deal with the people who want to run the new casino. The mega wealthy folks in the gaming industry will be given what amounts to a tax cut while the people who live in this state have their taxes increased.
How does that strike you? If you live in Maryland it will likely not surprise you (OK, the leeches who live off government handouts might not know nor would they likely care) because the Democrats screw us all the time.
You know it is underhanded because they are deliberately hiding it until after the election. They know that voters would likely reject any referendum that gave tax breaks to the casinos at a time when their taxes have been raised (and more than once). So the cretins on the left will play nice and try to get it passed. If voters approve it then they will get out the Vaseline and bend us all over.
I recommend that the legislature reject this plan and keep it off the ballot. Since that is not likely to happen (Democrats need their palms greased) I implore all Maryland voters to reject this referendum at the ballot box.
Say no to tax breaks for casino operators.
A word of caution on the referendum. Know what you are voting for. Those weasels have a way of wording it so when you think you are voting no you are really voting yes.
Say no to being raped by the Democrats of Maryland and their sugar daddies in the gaming industry.
Say no to slots gaming expansion in Maryland.
[Disclosure: I have never (nor will I ever) gambled in a casino in Maryland. I take my business to Delaware]
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: casinos, corruption, Democrats, lies, malfeasance, martin o'moron, Maryland, referendum, special session, tax breaks for rich, tax hikes
Martin O’Malley is a Pompous Ass
Nov 20, 2007 Political
I have written several times about the huge tax increase that was just passed in the state of Maryland by the tax and spend Democrats who were led by the pompous ass himself, Martin O’Malley. It is common knowledge that these idiots did this now so that we would forget about it when the next election rolls around in three years. I also informed people that O’Malley has dreams of serving in a Democratic administration in DC so he really does not care how he screws us. O’Malley, who proved he cannot lead when he was Mayor of Baltimore, was interviewed after he signed the tax increases into law. Let us look at what this dimwit had to say:
“And I’m very, very proud of them,” says Governor O’Malley. “Also know, that this would not have had happened were it not for some really courageous leadership by President Miller and Speaker Mike Busch. Both of whom had to bend and had to yield and had come together in the center in order for us to forge this consensus.”
Governor O’Malley said, for the most part, the people of the state, on both sides of the issues during the special session, handled the public discussion in a civil way.
“Even among the Republican members of this body, there was an understanding that this was a deep and serious problem,” said O’Malley in his exclusive interview with WBAL. “There were very few of them once the debate arrived who were feeding any longer that myth that this could all be accomplished by cuts alone.”
And what would he say to the strongest critics of his tax increases?
“I would say that I have yet to meet any citizen of our state, Democrat, Republican or Independent who wants to pay more in taxes,” said O’Malley. “However, none of us want to leave our state to our kids in a weaker condition than we received it ourselves.” WBAL Radio
So O’Malley thinks there was a consensus? All the Democrats voted for the tax increases and all the Republicans voted against it. The fact is, Maryland has a super majority of Democrats so they win the vote in the legislature. Regardless, this is in no way a consensus. Of course to a Democrat it is consensus because as long as people are forced to do things their way it is consensus. I might expect this guy would not understand the definition of consensus because he believes a flat tax is unfair and raising the percentages on those making more money is. How anyone can believe the mindless tripe that spews out of his pie hole is beyond me.
He also discusses courageous leadership. These two guys, miller and Busch counted heads and then let those Democrats in vulnerable seats vote against it so long as they still had the votes to pass it. Additionally, these cowards kicked the can down the road with regard to the slots issue. Instead of having the courage to pass slots NOW they decided it would go to referendum and be on the 2008 ballot. This means that it will be six years after the last governor first proposed slots before it is even voted upon. If these cowards that O’Malley thinks are courageous would have voted for slots in 2002 we would be well on our way to fiscal health. Instead, these whiny little school girls played games while Maryland got deeper in debt, a debt created because these jerks do not know how to control spending.
No Republican who left the special session has indicated that he had some epiphany and realized that this could not be accomplished by spending cuts alone. None of them voted for the tax increases and they continue to say that it could have been handled by controlling spending but Democrats do not know how to control spending. O’Malley is already starting the lies and the spinning so when the state goes in the dumper due to the inflation and high taxes he can blame it on someone else. This jackass is famous for crying and blaming everyone else. Any time you want to discuss your stupidity Marty, contact me and I will be glad to put you in your place and expose your stupidity. I will give you something to cry about.
Finally, O’Malley could not discuss screwing everyone without playing Democrat and telling us how this is for the children. O’Malley raised taxes, allowed the electric rates to increase after promising they would not and he has added even more spending to the budget in the form of free health care. He is screwing the children over because their parents will not have enough money to feed them. This little loser twerp is trying to justify the biggest tax increase in the state’s history by saying it is for the kids.
I have an idea Marty. If you want to leave this state in better shape than you found it, replace all the Democrats in office with Republicans.
Folks, don’t let this lying little piece of maggot feces pull the wool over your eyes. He intended to raise taxes and would have done so if we had billions of dollars of extra money floating around. This twerp is no leader. he could not lead a group of people out of a burning building.
Screw you O’Malley and all the Democrats who voted for this ignorance.
Tags: courageous leadership, Democrats, mike busch, o malley, pompous ass, special session, state of maryland, tax and spend, tax increase, tax increases, wbal radio
The Maryland Tax Rape Plan
Nov 19, 2007 Political
The legislature of Maryland wrapped up the Special Session called by Governor O’Malley and the result is going to be very painful to Maryland residents. For the past three weeks the legislature has been mulling over how to screw the citizens of this state out of their hard earned money and they finally succeeded at doing just that. When O’Malley was elected I predicted that he would raise our taxes and hurt us. I think he believes that Hillary will select him for a position in her administration and he will not have to worry about paying for what he did when the next election rolls around (in Maryland it will be 2010).
The special session was called to address a budget shortfall for a budget that does not yet exist. They then addressed gasoline taxes, which do not go into the general funds and cannot reduce any perceived deficit, then they increased health care assistance which adds to the budget which is contrary to why the session was convened. Additionally, a half billion dollars in cuts were recommended to the governor but he is free to dismiss the cuts which he likely will. The whole process was a sham in order to raise our taxes starting on 1 January despite the fact that the current budget is in place until July and I might add that it is balanced.
Marylanders received a 20% increase in the sales tax and the income taxes, which were a fair flat tax, were changed to a progressive tax so that wealthier people pay more of the share for government than other wage earners. Yep, the wealthy in the state will now pay more to government despite the fact that the wealthy use far fewer government services. This is Socialism 101 and Governor O’Malley is the Karl Marx of Maryland.
There are many wealthy liberals who are very upset that they will pay a higher percentage of taxes than much of the state and I am happy about that. The service industry will also take a big hit because taxes have been extended to a lot of things that were not taxed in the past. The people who provide these services are getting screwed as well and many of them will likely question why they voted for O’Malley in the first place. All I can say is I hope it hurts the people who voted for him so badly that they are eating cat food for dinner so they can afford to heat their homes. I am tired of the liberals in this state imposing their will upon the people and screwing us so it is time that they paid for their stupidity. I hope the cat food tastes good.
I know which of my elected ‘leaders’ voted to increase my taxes and I will actively work to defeat them during the next election. I will work to ensure that the citizens of this state do not forget who they were and what they did. I am hoping that this is the straw that finally broke the camel’s back and people will vote the Democrats out of office so that we can get true leadership in here.
There will no doubt be an exodus of people from this state. Some will sell their homes and move and others will just go to other states to shop. I will not purchase any big ticket item in Maryland and I will try to get my services from entities outside the state. and I know there will be many others who do the same. Those living close to Delaware or Virginia will go to those states for gas and other items in order to pay less in taxes. I imagine it will not be long before the tax Nazis from Annapolis are waiting at the borders to confiscate good purchased elsewhere.
The bills will be signed into law today and that will be the death of this state and, as is true of all bad times in Maryland, it will come on a Democrat’s watch.
Interestingly, the legislature decided to put a slot machine bill on the ballot for referendum which means the people will vote on it in 2008 and, if it passes, it will become part of the Constitution of the state. Only a moron would make this part of the Constitution because then any changes will require a change to the Constitution which means by referendum and vote of the people. Slots have been a big issue for five years and the Democrats have always voted them down because they are evil (actually they did not want the Republican governor to get credit for the income) and now they are pushing the issue farther down the road because they lack the leadership necessary to address the issue. If the people pass slots the revenue will not begin to flow for a few more years. It could have been flowing by now were it not for the obstructive Democrats. If the measure fails they will raise our taxes again because a lot of what they are spending is based upon projected revenue from slots and many items in the special session were tied to slots.
I would have preferred they put the tax question directly to the people. Of course, since nearly 80% of the citizens opposed raising taxes they were not going to let us vote on it. They do not trust us to make those decisions even though they work for us.
We need a recall election in Maryland to get rid of O’Malley and we need to vote every person who raised our taxes OUT OF OFFICE.
This Thursday is Thanksgiving. Today however, is Thankstaking, the day Maryland government will give thanks for what it will take from its citizens.
Others with similar items:
Stop the ACLU, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, A Blog For All, guerrilla radio, Right Truth, The Populist, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Nuke’s, third world county, Allie Is Wired, DragonLady’s World, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Wolf Pangloss, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, and Stageleft, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Tags: billion dollars, budget shortfall, Democrats, Hillary, karl marx, o malley, progressive tax, sham, socialism, special session, wage earners