Budget Truth

by Delegate Mike McDermott

Does the Maryland State Budget “cut” spending on education as is being reported?
Here is the truth (and please fact check it at dls.state.md.us):
Under the current budget as passedSpending for K-12 education increases by $199 million.
Spending for higher education will increase by $82.4 million.
Spending for Public Safety will increase by $23.2 million.
No raiding of specialized funds and trusts are allowed under the adopted budget as well as no tax increases and, for the first time in anyone’s memory, the budget simply spends based upon current revenues.
When liberals ask for a million dollar increase and you only give them half a million, to them this is a “cut”. If an employer pays you more money this year than they did last year, was your pay “cut”, or did you receive a raise?

The passed budget represents as much a compromise as Annapolis may be capable of producing. It is $700 million more than Republicans wanted in their budget proposal and $500 million less than the O’Malley-Brown Budget submitted to the General Assembly in January. It does not increase taxes nor pass down many costs to the county governments.

The only reason we will be called back into a Special Session by Governor O’Malley is to raise taxes. There is no other reason. Those clambering for us to go back must agree with the progressive, liberal agenda of tax and spend which has dominated Maryland for far too long.

As a result of previous and current failed taxing policies in this state, we have fewer millionaires and fewer businesses from which we receive revenue. We have made ourselves dependent upon the federal government and that money is gone.

In any courtroom in the United States, the witness is compelled and put under oath to tell, “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...” This is something sorely missing from the many words being written and those being spoken regarding this budget.