Your article last week entitled "O'Malley tax hike would hit county hard" demonstrates a total lack of fiscal leadership by Gov. O'Malley and the Maryland Democratic legislature. While the article accurately illustrates the impact of phasing out exemptions and capping deductions on Howard County voters, we need to remember how the budget has evolved during the O'Malley era.
Gov. O'Malley has increased the state budget from $28.7 billion in 2007 to $35.9 billion for FY 2013 for a 4.6% annual growth rate. Not one time has this governor openly and passionately discussed the need to cut government spending in Maryland. Instead, he throws out tax increase ideas ranging from increasing the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent, raising the gas tax, increasing the "flush tax," implementing taxes for Internet purchases and capping deductions and removing deductions for families earning over $150,000.
The article also points out a Democratic mentality that services will decline if the state relies on spending cuts alone. Gov. O'Malley and most Democratic legislators (including the ones representing Howard County) will constantly hide behind this argument. It is about time that this state look at what private enterprise has been doing for the last 10 years and learn to be more efficient with taxpayers' money. Reducing services also has to be a considered remedy during difficult economic times.
Today, Maryland is in a category of "The Top Five" highest-taxed states in the U.S. If the state does not remove itself from this category, we will continue to lose high-income earners as well as continue to lose private enterprise jobs to the surrounding states.
Kyle Lorton
Highland