Can Chris Jakubiak Be Believed?

When former Salisbury councilman Mike Dunn is a candidate’s biggest booster voters should be wary. When a Democrat candidate claims to be fiscally conservative it’s a good bet that voters are being set up for higher taxes AND a big spending increase. When both circumstances merge, voters should run to the nearest polling place and re-elect Maryland Sen. Richard Colburn (R-37).

Chris Jakubiak is a nice guy. He wants to represent the people of District 37 in the Maryland Senate. If you read is op-ed in Monday’s Daily Times you would think that this guy has some pretty good ideas. If you live in District 37, do yourself a favor and dig a little deeper. Here is Jakubiak’s plan:

Spending mandates -- public schools, for example -- must be tied to revenues. I want pay-as-you-go spending and caps on mandated entitlement spending.

Dedicated funds such as for transportation and farms must be protected. When the gas taxes we pay are diverted from roads to the general fund, our trust is shaken. It is actually worse; rather than funding needed projects with revenues raised for that purpose, the state issues bonds and increases debt.

State employee pensions and health insurance must be reformed and their costs reduced. Responsibility to the people who protect our quality of life and teach our kids requires a responsible and sustainable approach to employee benefits.

Cuts in discretionary spending, excluding veteran services and public safety, must be on the table.

Reforms must expand economic growth, not contract it. Tax increases that contract growth are counterproductive. We cannot have sustained economic growth on the Eastern Shore and state deficits at the same time. We must now decide.

Sounds great. Note Jakubiak’s view on taxes: Tax increases that contract growth are counterproductive. Come on Chris! ALL tax increases contract growth. We have a hint that a Senator Jakubiak wouldn’t have a problem with higher taxes; he’ll just claim that the tax increases he votes for don’t contract growth.

“Cuts in discretionary spending, excluding veteran services and public safety, must be on the table”? I hope so. In fact, EVERY line item in the budget should be on the table. There is a lot of money wasted in Maryland under the heading of “public safety”. For starters, why do taxpayers pay state police to commute to their jobs? Why do state police officers who do not use a car as part of their job get a take home car anyway? The list goes on and on Chris; far beyond those neat sounding sound bites.

Tying spending mandates to revenue isn’t a bad idea, but only if you are willing to reform the underlying program. Jakubiak is telling some groups that we need to spend more on education and hugging trees while telling us that he’s some kind of fiscal hawk. If Chris is serious about cutting costs AND providing a world class education to our children he would be advocating an end to teacher tenure, cutting bureaucracy, providing merit pay and increasing the number of charter schools. Don’t see any of that in his platform.

Like I said, Chris Jakubiak is a nice guy. I just think that the folks who live in District 37 deserve a senator who can work to solve problems rather than spout platitudes.

from Delmarva Dealings