Even though it is an exercise in futility — because they are vastly outnumbered — Republicans in the Maryland General Assembly do Marylanders a public service by offering their own budget ideas each year.
This year, House Republicans are proposing that the state use a “zero growth” budget that would require the governor to cut two percent from his budget request.
That will never happen, of course, because Maryland leaders opt for budget increases year in and year out. But give the Republicans credit for trying to stop the increases and force state officials and agencies to live within existing budgets.
There are 141 members of the House of Delegates and 98 are Democrats. In the Senate, 35 of the 47 senators are Democrats. With those numbers, there is no way the GOP will muster enough votes to curb government spending.
Year after year, the Republican delegates on the House Appropriations Committee offer an alternative budget plan that relies on cuts rather than taxes. Some of their proposals get accepted by the Democratic majority, but most are not.
Del. Tony McConkey, R-Anne Arundel, said Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budget “leaves us too exposed” to the impact of federal sequestration. “The economy is still not out of the woods.” Del. Addie Eckardt, R-Talbot, said, “Government spending way out paces income growth.”
Rather than suggest specific cuts and be accused of micro-managing, the GOP this year is proposing that the O’Malley administration, not the legislature, decide where the two percent comes would occur.
Like every other year, expect O’Malley and the Democrats to block the GOP proposal and authorize more spending in the year ahead.
Editorials
Related Photos
-
Wasted effort
Wasted effort?
n Maryland Republicans keep trying to cut spending
- Editorials
-
-
Walk Smart
Many local residents will be visiting Ocean City this summer, so it is worth noting that the resort has launched a campaign that it hopes will keep pedestrians out of harm’s way.
-
Frostburg’s Bridge Program was important
After hearing rumors of possible changes being made, I just wanted to take a few minutes to put into words what the Frostburg Bridge Program meant to me as a child. Growing up in Frostburg, my parents were small business owners, my mother a teacher, and my father worked for the postal service.
-
Trailer case bound to increase scrutiny on town of Piedmont
This letter is in response to the recent story concerning the guilty plea entered in federal court by Piedmont’s town foreman (“Piedmont town foreman Shingler enters guilty plea,” May 21 Times-News, Page 1A).
-
Fixing community’s problems starts with your young people
I am writing this letter to the editor because I think our community really needs to work on plenty of issues. Some of them are:
-
High priority
Maryland school officials on Tuesday put an exclamation point on the need to take student-athlete concussions more seriously.
-
Cashing in
As anyone who lives in the area knows, economic gains have been hard to come by in recent years. The opening of the Rocky Gap Casino Resort is one of the biggest boosts the region has seen in some time.
-
Why have the media been silent all this time?
When I read the Cumberland Times-News Editorial this morning, Friday, May 17, entitled, “Outrageous,” I laughed like a kid at a birthday party!
-
What are chances this much money will be spent on road?
I was intrigued by cost data summarized in reporter Kathy Mellott’s recent article, “Completing southern link of U.S. Route 219 said to be best use of highway funds,” which appeared in the Cumberland Times-News on Tuesday May 14 (Page 1A).
-
School board should be doing better job with less money
The Allegany County Teachers Association (ACTA) board of directors recently submitted a letter to the editor asking the Allegany County commissioners to fully fund the Board of Education’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year (“Commissioners should fund school board request,” April 29 Times-News).
-
Better ‘Click It’
If you notice more police on the highway this week, it’s for a couple of reasons.
- More Editorials Headlines
-
