Dan Rodricks' recent column calling into question the appropriateness of Gov. Larry Hogan's "We're Open For Business" slogan is as cynical as it is uniformed ("With new governor, Maryland gets new, cheesy greeting," Jan. 31).
Believe it or not, over the past eight years Maryland has been closed for business. The thousands of companies and people leaving the state prove that fact.
Talk to any person who has tried to open a business in Maryland, and you will hear horror stories of the countless hoops that they had to jump through and the burdensome regulations that had to be navigated.
To change our state, we need to do more than just create a better business environment. We need to create a new mindset that focuses on the importance of private-sector job creation.
We're creating that mindset in Anne Arundel County. We've committed to cutting property taxes by 3 percent in my first budget, reforming county government to make it more user friendly, and working with the county school board to ensure better opportunities for our future entrepreneurs and small business people. I look forward to partnering with a governor who really understands how jobs are created.
"We're Open For Business" is more than just words on a sign. It is a signal to the rest of the country that Maryland will no longer accept our neighbors beating us out for every new job-creating company. It means we will compete and fight for the businesses and jobs that our citizens deserve.
If Mr. Rodricks doesn't think that's important, he's entitled to his opinion. But Marylanders should know how lucky they are to have a governor who disagrees with him.
Steve Schuh, Annapolis
The writer is county executive of Anne Arundel County.