Showing posts with label People O'Malley-Martin. Show all posts

Friday, December 03, 2010

That is the contention of Kevin Dayhoff writing in The Tentacle today. Mr. Dayhoff’s good column titled “The Republican Farm Team” begins with a discussion of the successes achieved by Republicans in most states.

In the days following the November 2 state and national midterm elections, pundits have superficially opined at great length as to the depth and meaning of the phoenix-like resurgence of the Republican Party on the national level.

Beyond the media bright lights and glamour focused on the national contests, the number of Republicans voted into local and state offices lends us a better fundamental nuts and bolts gauge for the future of the GOP.

Read the stats on what was achieved. This is a good article to keep for future reference.

Dayhoff then tells us what he and others think went wrong in Maryland. Many believe it all boils down to putting all of one’s eggs in the ‘rock star’ basket—the rock star being Bob Ehrlich (in some peoples’ eyes!)…

http://potomacteapartyreport.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/bob-ehrlichs-loss-in-md-has-silver-lining-for-md-gop/

Posted by: acorcoran | December 1, 2010

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Kevin Dayhoff - The Tentacle: Next session of the Maryland General Assembly - "Now the truth will come out"

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

“Truth will out…”

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Now that the 2010 Maryland gubernatorial election is mercifully over, many have already begun setting their sights on the upcoming session of the Maryland General Assembly....http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=4047

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Tax Foundation: 2011 State Business Tax Climate Index (Eighth Edition)

October 26, 2010 http://www.scribd.com/doc/41525892/Tax-Foundation-2011-State-Business-Tax-Climate-Index-Eighth-Edition

2011 State Business Tax Climate Index (Eighth Edition) http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22658.html

By Kail Padgitt

Background Paper No. 60

(The link for the document, “2011 State Business Tax Climate Index (Eighth Edition), PDF, 1022.4 KB by Kail Padgitt” may be also accessed from the Tax Foundation website here: http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/bp60.pdf)

(Hat Tip and some excellent commentary may also be found here: http://www.mdpolicy.org/policyblog/newsID.159/news_detail.asp - by The Maryland Public Policy Institute, “Maryland’s Tax Climate” by John J. Walters.)

The Baltimore Business Journal wrote about the tax climate index here: http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2010/10/26/maryland-ranks-44th-in-tax-climate-study.html - “Maryland ranks 44th in tax climate study,”

Baltimore Business Journal Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Read more: Maryland ranks 44th in tax climate study | Baltimore Business Journal.

Introduction - http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22658.html

The Tax Foundation presents the 2011 version of the State Business Tax Climate Index (SBTCI) as a tool for lawmakers, the media, and individuals alike to gauge how their states' tax systems compare. Policymakers can use the SBTCI to pinpoint changes to their tax systems that will explicitly improve their states' standing in relation to competing states.

The modern market is characterized by mobile capital and labor. Therefore, companies will locate where they have the greatest competitive advantage. States with the best tax systems will be the most competitive in attracting new businesses and most effective at generating economic and employment growth.

American companies often function at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy. They pay one of the highest corporate tax rates of any of the industrialized countries. The top federal rate on corporate income is 35 percent, and states with punitive tax systems cause companies to be even less competitive globally.

While most of the tax debate this year has focused around state budget problems and the expiration or extension of the 2001-03 Bush tax cuts, it is important to remember that states' stiffest competition often comes from other states… http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22658.html

[20101026 Tax Foundation 2011 SBTCI bp60.pdf]

Tax Foundation, business, regulatory, taxes, rankings, State Business Tax Climate Index, Kail Padgitt

Tax Foundation: 2011 State Business Tax Climate Index (Eighth Edition)

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Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Baltimore Sun: O’Malley wins second term as governor

Mikulski, 6 U.S. House incumbents also re-elected; Arundel Mills slots proposal, Kratovil-Harris race results still to come... http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-election-web-updates-20101102,0,7269908.story

Gov. Martin O'Malley has won a second term in Annapolis, handing Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. a second consecutive statewide defeat, the Associated Press is reporting.

The outcome indicates that voters in Maryland, with twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans, are bucking a nationwide hostility toward incumbent Democrats.

U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, a Democrat, and five Democratic members of the House of Representative coasted to re-election. Winners included Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger,John Sarbanes, Donna Edwards and Chris Van Hollen.

The state's lone Republican congressman, Roscoe Bartlett, also won another two-year term... http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-election-web-updates-20101102,0,7269908.story

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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Baltimore Sun: O'Malley for governor

O'Malley for governor

Our view: The incumbent is the better of two strong candidates

October 30, 2010 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-omalley-endorsement-20101030,0,2243232.story

The rematch between Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. presents Maryland voters with a rare and difficult choice between two men with the proven stature and experience to serve as the state's chief executive. The voters of Maryland have shown a willingness to trust both of them with the leadership of the state, and they know from direct experience that neither man is perfect — nor so terrible as his opponent claims. While a strong case can be made for either one, we believe that Mr. O'Malley's talents, vision and track record make him the better choice to tackle the challenges Maryland faces.

There are several issues on which we believe Mr. Ehrlich's positions are superior. …

[…]

But on the whole, Mr. O'Malley's ideas are better suited to the challenges Maryland faces now, whereas Mr. Ehrlich at times has failed to recognize the ways in which the world has changed since he left office four years ago.

20101030 Baltimore Sun OMalley for governor

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-omalley-endorsement-20101030,0,2243232.story

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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Poll numbers, media frame debates By Adam Bednar

Poll numbers, media frame debates

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 By Adam Bednar, Times Staff Writer

http://carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/article_6230be14-d5b1-11df-baab-001cc4c03286.html

The competitiveness of a campaign and the media coverage of it are major factors that affect how voters view a political debate.

Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich taped the gubernatorial campaign's first of four debates Monday morning, and it was broadcast that night.

Before noon, both campaigns tried to frame the results as a triumph for their respective candidates by sending out e-mails claiming victory to news organizations.

Controlling the tone of the coverage during the following news cycle is almost as important as the candidates' performance in the debate, according to Richard Vatz, a professor of communication and rhetoric at Towson University.

"Many people don't get their reactions from the debate itself; they get it from the reporting of the debate," he said.

[…]

Herb Smith, a professor of political science at McDaniel College, also said the impact of a debate is relative to a campaign's competitiveness.

[…]

Read Mr. Bednar’s entire story here: http://carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/article_6230be14-d5b1-11df-baab-001cc4c03286.html

20101012 CCT Bednar Poll numbers media frame debates

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Bob Ehrlich for Maryland campaign video: “Remember”

http://www.bobehrlich.com/2010/09/video-remember/

September 24th, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRhPvnsY_JA&feature=player_embedded

The Bob Ehrlich for Maryland campaign released the following television advertisement, which will air in the Baltimore market beginning this weekend. The ad focuses on Martin O’Malley’s legacy of misleading Marylanders, from his 2006 campaign statements regarding electricity rates in Baltimore to his more recent statements about Maryland’s economy.

EHRLICH ANNOUNCER: “Remember this promise?”

2006 MARTIN O’MALLEY CAMPAIGN AD: “Martin O’Malley – taking on BG&E to stop the rate hikes.”

EHRLICH ANNOUNCER: “Never happened. Your bill went up 72%.

“And O’Malley gave the bureaucrat who approved the increase a huge raise.

“Now Martin O’Malley promises we’re moving forward.

O’MALLEY VIDEO FOOTAGE: “The fact of the matter is our economy is doing much better now.”

EHRLICH ANNOUNCER: “Really? Nearly 7,000 Marylanders lost their jobs last month.”

“Four years ago Martin O’Malley mislead us. Now he’s just making stuff up.”

BACKGROUND

The (Baltimore) Sun’s June 10, 2007 article “Did The Sun go too easy on BGE rates, O’Malley?” states that, “combined with the 15 percent rate increase approved by the General Assembly in 2006, BGE customers would now be paying the 72 percent that produced such an outcry when the prospect surfaced last year.”

The Martin O’Malley campaign for Governor in 2006 aired a television advertisement entitled “Tough,” which specifically states that, as Governor, Martin O’Malley will “lower utility rates.” The ad can be viewed on Martin O’Malley’s Youtube page by clicking here.

The (Baltimore) Sun’s February 24, 2007 article “Beleagered PSC Member resigns” states that Public Service Commission Chairman Steven Larsen would be paid $185,000, even though his predecessor was paid $117,000. That’s a $68,000 raise.

The (Baltimore) Sun’s January 14, 2008 article “O’Malley to offer energy package” states that O’Malley, “campaigned on the unfulfilled promise of undoing a 72 percent electricity rate increase for 1.2 million Baltimore Gas & Electric customers.”

The (Baltimore) Sun’s June 10, 2007 “The Perils of Promises” called O’Malley’s 2006 campaign ad a “TV campaign commercial that included a risky promise – or at least the appearance of a promise: ‘taking on BGE to stop the rate hike.’ There’s not much wiggle room there.”

The Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation’s August 2010 Monthly Labor Review states that 216,591 Marylanders were unemployed in August, an increase of 6,674 from the 209,917 in July 2010.

20100924 RLE Video Remember

Labels: Bus Econ Maryland, Elections 2010,Elections 2010 Maryland, Elections 2010 MD Governor, Gov Ehrlich-Robert, Governance Taxes MD, People O'Malley-Martin

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O’Malley-Brown Campaign Releases New TV Ad

O’Malley-Brown Campaign Releases New TV Ad to Set the Record Straight

On September 27, 2010, in Bob Ehrlich, Governor O'Malley, by Maureen Higgins

http://www.theonlinestate.com/blog/2010/09/27/omalley-brown-campaign-releases-new-video-to-set-the-record-straight/

In response to Bob Ehrlich’s misleading TV attack ad and desperate attempt to score political points at a press conference this morning, O’Malley-Brown Deputy Campaign Manager Rick Abbruzzese issued the following statement:

“This is embarrassing for the failed former governor: Bob Ehrlich has spent this election season misleading voters about his failed record of increased taxes and spending, and now he’s trying to blame Governor O’Malley for the failures of his own Public Service Commission.

“Everyone knows a fee is a tax, and everyone knows it was Ehrlich’s cronies at the PSC that failed to do anything about the 72% BGE rate hike. When voters fired Ehrlich, Martin O’Malley stepped in to clean up Ehrlich’s mess and won $2 billion in rebates from the electric companies, all while Ehrlich was enriching himself to the tune of $2.5 million working for a lobbying firm representing special interests.

“Now Ehrlich is trying to play the same desperate blame game with economic statistics and betting against Maryland’s future success. Here are the facts: since January, over 33,000 jobs have been created in Maryland. It’s the best job growth in a January to August period in Maryland since 2000.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV_0iWyUwbg&feature=player_embedded

20100927 OMalley Brown Campaign Releases New TV Ad

Labels: Bus Econ Maryland, Elections 2010, Elections 2010 Maryland, Elections 2010 MD Governor, Gov Ehrlich-Robert, Governance Taxes MD, Journalist Wagner John, People O'Malley-Martin
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Washington Post: First Click Maryland - A review of two records on revenues by John Wagner

First Click: A review of two records on revenues

Read much more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2010/09/first_click_marylanda_review_o.html?wprss=annapolisYour daily download of political news and analysis:

36 days until the Maryland elections

Monday, Sept. 27, 2010:

The Agenda

Even the casual observer of the Maryland governor's race has no doubt heard Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) knock his Republican predecessor for "jacking up taxes and fees by $3 billion." It's a common line on the stump and in campaign ads.

The number is based on an analysis by Maryland's nonpartisan Department of Legislative Services of revenue increases that took place during former governor Robert L. Ehrlich's four-year tenure. The figure -- actually $2.9 million -- requires some explanation, and it is unfair to pin the full total on Ehrlich (R). But more on that in a moment.

A newer DLS analysis is now circulating that provides close to an apples-to-apples comparison of revenue increases during O'Malley's four years. That figure: $3.6 billion (a higher number than the Ehrlich era but lower than some, including the Ehrlich campaign in a recent Web ad, have suggested).

In the final five weeks of the campaign, voters are certain to be treated to cacophony of numerical claims from both sides, some more firmly rooted in reality than others. The DLS numbers are probably as objective as we're going to get, so they seem worth exploring.

First off, the numbers are "cumulative," meaning they are intended to measure the additional revenue that resulted across all four fiscal years that began while Ehrlich and O'Malley were in office.

The state property tax, for example, was raised early in Ehrlich's term, so DLS scores the impact of that tax increase as $170.8 million in fiscal year 2004, $185.1 million in 2005, $205 million in 2006 and $132 million in 2007 -- for a cumulative impact of $692.9 million.

Secondly, it is important to note that the analyses do not take into account how the revenue increases originated.

The Democrat-led legislature, for example, approved an HMO tax during a 2004 special session to subsidize doctors' medical malpractice insurance costs and to enhance Medicaid coverage. Ehrlich vetoed the bill that included the tax, but his veto was overridden by the legislature. Still, nearly $190 million in revenue increases attributable to the HMO tax are included in the analysis during Ehrlich's tenure.

Moreover, the definition of "revenue measures" in the analysis is broader than just tax and fee hikes. The Ehrlich-era total includes his better-known fee increases, including those on vehicle registrations, sewer systems and corporate filings. But Ehrlich's tenure also includes several "tax compliance measures," which are hardly the political sin these days that tax and fee increases have come to be.

The O'Malley-era total includes some revenue related to the state's fledgling slot-machine gambling program and speed cameras initiative.

But the $3.6 billion figure is almost entirely attributable to a 2007 special session in which multiple taxes were raised in an effort to fix the budget, and the imposition of a temporary "millionaires' tax" in 2008.

The 2007 tax measures included an increase in the personal income tax on high-end earners, as well as increases in the sales tax, corporate income tax, tobacco tax and vehicle titling tax.

The four-year impact of the special session is scored at $4.2 billion. O'Malley's overall figure is brought down some by backing out the impact of a tax on computer services, however. Lawmakers passed that tax in 2007 but repealed it in 2008 before it took effect. The four-year impact of the "tech tax" alone would have been $661.5 million, according to the analysis.

Got all that? We can promise it won't be the last time you'll hear some of these numbers between now and Nov. 2.

-- John Wagner

Trust First Click for critical news and analysis you need to navigate Maryland politics each weekday. You can also find First Click onFacebook and Twitter.

By John Wagner | September 27, 2010; 6:45 AM ET Categories: First Click, John Wagner

Your daily download of political news and analysis:

36 days until the Maryland elections

Click here to receive First Click in a morning e-mail.

Labels: Bus Econ Maryland, Elections 2010, Elections 2010 Maryland, Elections 2010 MD Governor, Governance Taxes MD, Journalist Wagner John, Newspapers Washington Post

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Marta Mossburg: Listen to business

Marta Mossburg
Listen to business
Originally published September 22, 2010

Marta Mossburg Listen to business

Originally published September 22, 2010

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?StoryID=110202&ref=nf

Gov. Martin O'Malley says creating jobs is his top priority.

He proclaims the goal with the fervor of a religious zealot. "Maryland will lead the country, not only economically, but morally," he said during an August visit to Fisher BioServices in Wedgewood Business Park.

So far he has tried to achieve this vision by expanding government. He supported increases to the sales tax, corporate income tax and income tax in 2007. And he champions taxpayer subsidies to favored industries, including biotechnology. He also supports subsidies for health care coverage for small business and tax credits for hiring workers -- two reforms that failed miserably to achieve either of their goals.

While the unemployment rate in Maryland is lower than in the rest of the nation, O'Malley cannot take credit for it. New census data show the U.S. government shoveled $34 billion to contractors over the last fiscal year, a $9 billion increase from the previous year. And the state's myriad federal compounds have been hiring at a robust clip, according to national employment data. O'Malley's administration had nothing to do with either of those actions.

To create jobs, he should listen to people who run businesses... http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?StoryID=110202&ref=nf

[20100922 FNP Marta Mossburg Listen to business]

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/09/marta-mossburg-listen-to-business.html

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Wednesday, September 01, 2010

A curious tale of Bowling Brook & Cheltenham juvenile correction facilities

Kevin Dayhoff – http://www.thetentacle.com/ A curious tale of Bowling Brook & Cheltenham juvenile correction facilities http://tinyurl.com/2ezpm32

September 1, 2010

A Curious Tale of Unequal Treatment

Kevin E. Dayhoff

As the 2010 Maryland gubernatorial contest muddles-on, comes the curious tale of two tragic incidences at separate juvenile justice system facilities, with two profoundly different results during the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley.

In the 2006 Maryland gubernatorial campaign, one of the several contentious issues discussed was the role and function of the Department of Parole and Probation and reform the juvenile justice system.

In the years since Governor O’Malley took office, tragedy has continued to plague the juvenile justice system; and yet, the casual observer would be hard-pressed to see it in the media as a campaign issue.

At about 7:45 A.M. on a cold February 18, 2010; the partially clothed body of 65-year-old instructor Hannah E. Wheeling was found outside a lower-security program for young offenders “at the long-troubled Cheltenham Youth Facility in Prince George's County,” according a July 28, 2010 article in The Baltimore Sun.

In a February 19th account of the tragic death, The Washington Post explained: “Cheltenham is operated by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services… The slaying is a serious setback for a juvenile facility with a checkered past…”

Five months after the murder, a few news reports indicated that a teenager, “who was 13 at the time of the incident and turned 14 in early July,” was charged with the crime.

The Baltimore Sun reported on August 20, “Employees broke safety protocol the day teacher was killed, report shows…

“A series of professional failures at the troubled Cheltenham Youth Facility in Prince George's County left a 65-year-old teacher vulnerable to attack, according to a report released Friday by the Department of Juvenile Services, which also claims to have corrected most of the issues…”

Compare this to another tragedy on a cold January 23, three years ago in 2007, when Isaiah Simmons III, age 17, died after being restrained by staff at Bowling Brook Preparatory School in Middleburg.

Although the history of Bowling Brook extends for almost two centuries, it took Maryland officials about a month to force the closure of the celebrated facility on March 2, 2007... http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=3938

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