Thank you for your great reporting to help keep the citizens of Maryland aware of the plan to move the USNS Comfort to Norfolk, Va. ("Navy moving comfort to Va." Feb. 15).
This almost does not make sense given the advantage of keeping the hospital ship in Baltimore and the $40 million it will cost the state in lost economic activity. Sadly, this is just another failure of many in the Maryland General Assembly and our congressional delegation to understand root causes and nip a potential loss in the bud several years ago.
If one kept a score sheet of Maryland's private sector jobs and business losses and those that did not select Maryland to set up business over the past decade, the job losses would outnumber the gains.
The root case lies within outmoded and ineffective state regulations and policies and a lack of business acumen (and intellect) among some of our elected representatives. The legislature must do better. We, as citizens, entrust them to set rules that can allow the state to compete on a level playing field with other states.
Two decades ago, my employer also moved out of Maryland. The technology company ended up in Texas and Virginia, although it originated in Maryland in the 1930s. We generated gross annual payroll of $72 million, employing as many as 2,000 people with average salaries of $40,000-$60,000. But Maryland's taxes and labor costs were high while other states offered a right-to-work regulatory environment and a more ready source of professional labor.
Some things never change. That U.S.Sen. Barbara Mikulskicould not be reached for comment mirrors her behavior 20 years ago.
George Spencer