Slots Referendum–Vote NO!

Printed below is the full text of today’s press release about the Slots referendum.   MTA’s position is that slots won’t reduce taxes or balance a budget already out-of-control, instead spending will continue to explode.

PRESS RELEASE FROM

MARYLAND TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION

For Immediate Release

September 24, 2008

Point of Contact: Herb McMillan, Pres. (443-822-0974)

The Maryland Taxpayers Association (MTA) announced its strong opposition to a Constitutional Amendment legalizing slot machine gambling at a press conference in Annapolis today.

MTA President Herb McMillan reminded fiscal conservatives that, “Maryland can’t tax and gamble its way to prosperity, or spend itself out of a deficit. Excessive spending and higher taxes are the root causes of Maryland’s economic problems. Slots will not solve these problems. Slots will simply add fuel to the government’s spending fire, while pulling 1.4 billion away from existing Maryland businesses. Slots, like tax increases, hurt small businesses, kill jobs, and weaken our economy. It’s time for government to tighten its belt and live within its means, just like we do.”

MTA Chairman Dee Hodges added that, “Taxpayers cannot trust Governor O’Malley with their money. Within one year, Governor O’Malley and his spendthrift friends in the General Assembly blew a billion dollar surplus, pushed through the largest tax hike in Maryland history, and then increased state spending by a billion dollars. Now we have yet another billion dollar deficit. Money burns a hole in Governor O’Malley’s pocket, and fiscal conservatives shouldn’t enable his spending addiction.”

Mr. McMillan pointed out that, “Despite his claims to the contrary, Governor O’Malley hasn’t cut any spending. State spending increased by one billion last year. Governor O’Malley isn’t using higher taxes and slots to avoid spending cuts. He’s using them to increase spending and expand government entitlement programs.”

In closing, Mr. McMillan called on fiscally conservative Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to unite against slots. “For years, fiscal conservatives were divided over slots, but Governor O’Malley has radically changed the terms of the debate. Slots and cuts instead of higher taxes were arguably the lesser of two evils. Slots after a record tax and spending increase are just an additional evil.”

INTRODUCING MTA’S NEW BLOG

This is MTA’s first official blog entry. As a sort of inauguration, an overview is in order. The Maryland Taxpayers Association is, of course, concerned with “too high” taxes. Simple! Right! Not quite!

When taxes are too high and they are cut, especially those types of taxes that are most sensitive to the economy, the government can and has received more revenues than ever before. Tax cuts remove impediments to business and jobs. Marginal rate cuts on income taxes have been very effective in jump starting the economy.

Regulations are another type of tax. In 2002, MTA director, Ed Hudgins, who heads the Objectivist Center in Washington, D.C., and is a nationally recognized expert on regulation, estimated that regulations then cost Maryland about $17 billion. Some amount of these regulations are doubtless not cost effective and should be repealed. Repeal $2 billion worth and you would have a positive, tax-cutting effect.

Just about everything that the state legislature or county governments do can have economic effects for better or worse. Dreaming about our elected representatives looking out for us traditional citizens?

The following is a short list of what may await us as state legislators convene in Annapolis:

Ø More spending: In total, about 6%, a stunning increase (way beyond inflation plus the rate of population growth). Will you benefit? Or is more pain to come?

Ø Immigration: especially illegal issues. Drivers’ licenses. Motor voter. Non-citizen voters. In-state tuition. Welfare. Health care.

Ø Health: further socialization of medicine. Who will pay? Will one payer (the government) be better than a bunch of competing insurers?

Ø Education: Does more money create better outcomes? A realist would say no. Competition does. Yet, Maryland is a Johnny-come-lately to competing schools. Charter schools do better, but have to struggle against entrenched interests to stay afloat.

Ø Energy, global warming (climate change): Get ready for hidden taxes on your utility bills to save humans from ourselves. Also, higher auto costs, more light rails, more Smart Growth rules. All of these will affect our lives, from home costs to jobs.

Ø Slots: A referendum will be on the ballot in November.

In short, on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being a total Big Brother planned economy and 10 being free market, moves further to the left will lead eventually to poverty while moves in the other direction will move to greater prosperity.

So we intend to talk about many things. And provide you with hard-core facts. Hopefully, the discussion will be both fun and thoughtful, even “spicy.”

-Dee Hodges

Greetings!

Stay tuned for entries into MTA’s new blog!  Read debate issues on slots, new taxes, and illegal immigration.