Big Dogs House

Government Mismanages And The People Pay

Feb 7, 2011 Political

The People’s Republic of Maryland is run by a bunch of Democrats who only know how to tax and spend. They continue to spend long after the well has run dry and they make up shortfalls by taxing the people who work hard for their money. They are only too eager to take that money and spend it on people who do not work. They especially like to spend it on illegal immigrants.

The Maryland government is much like the federal government. It taxes for a specific purpose and then uses the money for something else. At the federal level there is no bigger example than Social Security. The Social Security tax has been collected for decades and the money has been spent on all kinds of projects. If the politicians had left the money alone there would be plenty but they did not so now it looks like they will eventually have to increase taxes to replace the money that was collected. We are paying for it twice.

A similar situation exists in Maryland with the transportation fund. Money has been collected via gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees for transportation projects but the politicians have raided that account and used the money to pay other bills. Now, to make up for the shortfall, a politician has a proposal to raise the gasoline tax by 10 cents a gallon.

If this is not bad enough, the same moron wants to increase vehicle registration fees by 50%. It already costs at least $130 dollars (this goes up depending on vehicle type and weight) every 2 years so this would mean an additional $65. How much more will these leeches suck from us?

The proposal would go to referendum so at least the people would be allowed to vote on it.

The proposal would also include language to prevent the transportation fund from being used for any other purpose. In other words, they spent money in a way that was not intended and now there is not enough so they will raise taxes to cover that screw up and promise not to do it again.

This is corruption, plain and simple.

How many more times are taxpayers going to be forced to pay more to cover the bungling ineptitude of those put in office?

Maryland raised taxes to record levels only a few years ago and saw revenues drop because people are finding ways to avoid paying more. People go to nearby states to buy tobacco products and to buy items where there are no sales taxes.

The increase also comes with a 1 cent inflation index starting in 2013. You can bet the taxes will not drop if there is deflation.

Maryland taxes people for everything. We pay state taxes, local taxes, city taxes, sales tax, property tax and if they can figure out how to do it we will pay a tax on the air we breathe.

We get little for our money (except for those who suckle at the welfare teat) and it is high time the people in Annapolis started running the state in a fiscally responsible manner. We need a better return on investment.

I am tired of paying through the nose for the failed policies of pandering career politicians who are inept and too stupid to actually run anything.

These people need to get a clue so let me give them one. You cannot tax your way to prosperity…

Source:
WBAL

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: gas tax, inept politicians, Maryland, referendum

Public Safety Or Revenue

Feb 3, 2011 Political

Whenever a red light or speed camera is installed the local government tells us it is for the safety of the driving public. The cameras will decrease accidents and will make people drive more safely. It is hard to say one way or the other if the cameras reduce accidents but one thing is clear, they increase revenue and that is the real reason for having them.

The government claims that the cameras are for safety and revenue is not a concern but when red light cameras stop producing revenue or the amount drops drastically the cameras are moved to another location. If safety was the first concern then the cameras would not be moved. This has happened in the People’s Republic of Maryland.

In Maryland they also leave the speed cameras in construction zones. The cameras, designed to keep speed down to protect construction workers, are left on all the time including the many hours that construction workers are not present. The stated purpose is to protect construction workers but the real purpose is to increase revenue.

These cameras are multiplying in the state of Maryland and they are multiplying for one reason, to increase revenue. Government is very good at starting a program and then increasing the scope of the program to further encroach into our lives. Seat belt laws were once a secondary offense but after a while they became a primary offense. This is now happening in Baltimore County. Speed cameras were placed near schools in order to keep the speed down and children safe.

Now that people are driving slower in these areas the government has decided that it will start using more cameras and they will be moved from one location to another.

It is not about safety, it is about revenue.

I just wish they would stop pretending they care about safety and tell us the real goal, raising money.

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: lies, Maryland, red light camera, revenue, speed camera

And More Maryland Foolishness

Jan 6, 2011 Political

Or, “Johns Hopkins University Professors Who Show Themselves As Fools.”

Maryland, like most governments today, wants more cash. They honestly don’t give a damn from where it comes, they just want more to spend. As government, they feel it is their right to continue to spend money and don’t understand the concept of “recession.” And also, apparently “economics” — including an apparent supporter of huge bloated government, one David Jernigan, a “professor” at Johns Hopkins. Hopefully a medical professor or something, and not one teaching basic math or economics.

You see, Mr. Jernigan supports raising the tax on alcohol. Why? Well, we may never know, but if he is like most professors, its because he believes that government is perfect and only government knows how to spend money, so the more money that government takes from working people to give to him (salary & “research”), the better. But that’s not what he says. Instead, he actually makes the claim that raising taxes on alcohol “is a win-win for the state. They provide much needed revenue, and reduce alcohol consumption and related problems”

Mr. Jernigan needs to learn some basic economics. Then again, he may already know this and not care. Either way, attention class, here comes the lesson:

Statement: You cannot raise taxes on an item and both increase revenue and reduce consumption. Those are opposite actions in the real world.

For example: Let’s say I sell 20 drinks at $3.64 each. With a tax of 10%, that’s a total of $4.00 for each drink, or 36 cents tax on each drink. The total revenue to the state in that case is 0.36 x 20, or $7.20. Now the state decides to increase the tax and add an additional 10 cents on each drink. When the price of an item increases in this economy, in general, the number sold will decrease. That part of Mr. Jernigan’s statement is correct. Let’s say the decrease in consumption is 25% — enough to be significant enough to meet Mr. Jernigan’s claim to reduce alcohol consumption. That means I will now only sell 15 drinks. As a seller, I cannot reduce my prices. Therefore, the price of the drink is still $4.00. Now add to that the 10 cents additional tax, and now each drink sells for $4.10. I still get $3.64, and now the state gets 46 cents. But I’ve only sold 15 drinks now, so the total to the state is only 15 x 0.46, or $6.90.

When you raise the taxes on an item, you will sell a smaller amount — but in this case that will result in a lower amount of revenue to the state.

Of course, in all likelihood, this action will result in an increase to the state because it will NOT result in a decrease of drinking. Instead, it will result in people needing to spend more money, so they will have to receive more through working, government handouts, or theft. Either way, the results Mr. Jernigan proposes are impossible.

Tags: alcohol, econ 101, Maryland, taxes

Well Maryland, You Asked For It

Jan 6, 2011 Political

The People’s Republic of Maryland decided that it would like to have slot machines to increase revenue to the state. Former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich introduced the idea but the Democratically controlled legislature failed to approve slot machines saying that gambling was no way to balance budgets. Some were opposed to gambling in general so each time the measure was introduced, it failed.

The state operates a number of lottery games but somehow slots were bad.

Once Martin O’Malley defeated Ehrlich and a Democrat was back in control the idea of slots was not such a bad one. Even O’Malley, who opposed slots when Ehrlich was governor, liked the idea and touted slots as a needed venture.

The Democrats in the legislature decided that they did not want to be on record as voting for slots so instead of legislating them they put the matter before the people in the form of a referendum. The people were not allowed to vote via referendum on the issue of taxes, which Democrats raised to historic levels, but the issue of slots was a different story.

At the time I commented that putting the matter to referendum was insane because the measure would become part of the state Constitution. The people passed the measure and the state Constitution had slots as part of it. I did not like this idea because the slot parlors would have to be in the locations spelled out in the Constitution and any change would have to go to referendum. If the legislature would have enacted slots via the legislative process then any changes could be made the same way.

There have been issues with the process and so far only two slots locations have opened (five were authorized).

Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos has decided that he would like to buy the Rosecroft racetrack which is not operating and is going through bankruptcy. He would like to open it and put slots there.

There are a few problems that need to be addressed. Angelos is the owner of a Major League Baseball Team and Major League rules say that team owners cannot own gambling entities. Since Angelos is an attorney and runs one of the major law firms here I am sure he has that angle taken care of.

The real problem is that Rosecroft racetrack is NOT on the list of authorized locations for slots. This means, as I pointed out when this was first discussed, the change must be done via referendum. The next time that can take place is November of 2012. Angelos wants to have things taken care of by December of 2012.

In Annapolis this morning, Senate President Mike Miller told WBAL News that the Angelos offer is”a win-win” for Maryland racing. However, he is not sure if lawmakers would agree to let Rosecroft have a slots license. Miller also points out that any license for Rosecroft or any other slots parlor would have to be approved in a referendum vote, and the earliest that could take place is November, 2012. [via the linked article]

Will Angelos take the chance and buy the racetrack when voters might reject the placement of slots there? If the measure is rejected he will be stuck with a racetrack that went bankrupt because it did not attract gamblers. Slots were originally discussed to beef up the ailing horse race industry and they might help Rosecroft greatly.

But Angelos would have to buy the place now and hope that voters allow Rosecroft to have slot machines and that depends on the legislature putting the matter on the ballot.

If the legislature had done this through the legislative process then they could use that very process, right now, to add Rosecroft and allow Angelos piece of mind.

This kind of nonsense from cowards in elected office stymies growth and hinders development.

And I called this from day one.

As an aside, the first slots parlor to open is about five miles from my house but I refuse to play slots in Maryland so I have not gambled there. Gambling was bad when a Republican wanted it so it must still be bad even though a Democrat decided it was A-OK. I have been there to eat and the food is good. I recommend it if you get the chance.

I rarely play slot machines but when I do Delaware gets my business.

Thanks to a bunch of cowards in the Maryland General Assembly whose chickens have come home to roost.

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: constitution, legislature, Maryland, peter angelos, referendum, slots

Retired Cop Shows Value Of Armed Citizens

Dec 30, 2010 Political

The state of Maryland is a liberal mess. The extremely liberal and heavily populated subdivisions of Baltimore City and those surrounding Washington DC dictate the politics of the entire state. Most of the subdivisions are conservative and vote Republican but the heavily populated few decide the elections.

The state has a Democrat for its governor and a big Democrat majority in the state legislature so nearly all legislation is liberal. When it comes to firearm possession, this is certainly the case.

The Second Amendment states that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed but in Maryland the process certainly infringes upon the law abiding citizen. People must go through background checks to purchase firearms, no problem there. We need to ensure criminals are not buying weapons. Those applying to buy a regulated firearm must also show proof of a gun safety class approved by the state (this is waived for certain classes of people like veterans of the armed forces). While it is not impossible to purchase a firearm, it is nearly impossible to get a permit to carry one. The governor of the state claims we have a process, which we do, but it is extremely restrictive. Unless one is politically connected one must have a reason to carry a weapon and that reason has to be deemed good enough by the State Police.

If a person carries large sums of money (like making bank deposits) or carries other valuables (such as jewels) or has documented threats then the police will decide if a person may carry a firearm. One must have a good reason before they will even consider it and if the permit is granted it usually comes with restrictions such as “may only carry when making bank deposits.”

Anyone who is not politically connected who applies for a permit to carry and does not have a “valid” reason will be denied. As a proponent of the Second Amendment I believe that clearly defined right is a good enough reason to issue a carry permit to a law abiding citizen.

But Maryland is not too keen on people exercising their rights.

One other group of people who can get a permit to carry is retired police officers. Once they retire they can apply for a permit and it is usually granted. The process is a mere formality.

What makes a retired cop or politically connected person or those who carry valuables any more worthy of a permit than any other law abiding citizen?

In Pimlico, the place most of America knows because of the Preakness (and where my family grew up and I spent the first 10 years of my life) a retired police officer was at a carry-out establishment when a would be robber tried to hold the place up. The retired officer drew his weapon and fired striking the robber and ending his ability to continue his illegal act.

If that retired officer had not been there it is unlikely, given Maryland’s restrictive gun law, that any other patron would have been armed. The robber would have been successful and might have injured or killed someone in the process.

In fact, if Maryland had a less restrictive (and Constitutional) carry law it is unlikely that the robber would have attempted to rob the carry-out in the first place. People who commit crimes do not do so in places where people are armed or are likely to be armed. If, on the other hand, they know that people are not likely to be in possession of firearms they will be less inhibited in what laws they break.

The nanny state of Maryland, a bastion of liberal stupidity, places people in danger because criminals have firearms because they do not obey the law. Places with oppressive gun laws have an armed criminal population.

This is why there are so many shootings in Baltimore. Despite the gun control exercised by the state, criminals get and use guns. And since the liberals in the state keep putting them back on the street, they continue to commit violent crimes.

It is time for Maryland to become a “shall issue” state where law abiding citizens shall be issued a permit if requested.

Remember, an armed citizenry is a polite citizenry and a disarmed population is enslaved to government.

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: gun laws, liberals, Maryland, retired cop, robber shot