O’Malley signs hundreds of bills that will tint Maryland a deeper shade of blue

[alp227]

Source: Wash. Post

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley signed into law a package of tax increases Tuesday targeting six-figure earners, tobacco users and companies engaged in real estate transactions to cover record spending on education.

In a two-hour ceremony, it was easily the most recognizable measure O’Malley (D) signed but hardly the most popular. Rather, union members, minorities and interest groups crowded the State House to celebrate more than 200 lesser-known and often narrowly tailored bills. They passed the General Assembly with little fanfare but, taken together, will color the social and political identity of the Old Line State a slightly deeper shade of blue.

The bills included efforts to stimulate the economy, protect the environment and help family farms. And nearly a century after three-quarters of U.S. states ratified the 17th Amendment — which allowed U.S. senators to be elected instead of appointed by state legislatures — Maryland got on board.

One of the first bills O’Malley signed was a capital budget, which will accelerate borrowing of more than $100 million to promote job growth through construction and maintenance of schools, parks and public housing.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/omalley-signs-hundreds-of-bills-that-will-tint-maryland-a-deeper-shade-of-blue/2012/05/22/gIQA1gh3iU_story.html

[drm604]

1. And when it works, maybe other states will take notice.

At least we can hope.

[southernyankeebelle]

2. I hope my ex state of Maryland shows the rest of the country how to do it right.

[freshwest]

3. +1

[Dr_Scholl]

4. This will backfire just like before.

Maryland increased taxes on millionaires several years ago to raise more revenue. What happened? About a third of the the state's millionaires just left and Maryland actually lost money. This is one of those things that sounds good on paper, but in reality doesn't work.

The nice thing about being upper middle class or rich, is that you can get up and move whenever you don't like something.

[bupkus]

6. But on the other hand

Giving millionaires tax breaks isn't working either in New Jersey.

A fair tax system across the nation would end tax flight. So would all those millionaires exhibiting some of the patriotism they use to get others' kids to fight wars that protect their corporate interests around the globe.

[Happyhippychick]

9. I'm curious where you got that one third statistic. Do you have a link?

[Dr_Scholl]

11. Sure.

[url]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329282377252471.html[/url]

[aintitfunny]

15. Considering the source

and considering it is an opinion piece not a news item, and considering the timing of the drop in "millionaire" tax returns (i.e. after the near collapse of the economy, ergo income), this does not serve to confirm that the great state of Maryland lost 1/3 of millionaire residents to tax flight.

[bupkus]

16. I think this Baltimore Sun article offers a more accurate assessment

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-12-04/business/bs-bz-hancock-maryland-millionaires-20111203_1_income-tax-millionaire-surcharge-million-dollar-incomes

Something's making Maryland millionaires leave

December 04, 2011|Jay Hancock

Maryland's millionaire migration became a big topic after authorities reported that the number of households with seven-figure incomes fell sharply in 2008, right when the millionaire surcharge took effect. That year, "only" 4,931 Maryland taxpayers booked income of at least $1 million — down a third from million-dollar filers the year before.

The implication among some conservatives was that the higher tax — reducing a wealthy household's take-home income by perhaps $15,000 — had prompted a mass exodus of BMWs and Cadillac Escalades across the Potomac.

Of course the most important variable between 2007 and 2008 wasn't the increase in Maryland's top bracket — on income of more than $1 million — from 4.75 percent to 6.25 percent. (City and county taxes on top of that had rich folks paying top Maryland rates of close to 10 percent.)

The global economy, Wall Street and business incomes all crashed during that period. Most of the decrease in million-dollar filers that year was caused by the fact that a couple thousand of them didn't have million-dollar incomes any more.

Read more at the link.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-12-04/business/bs-bz-hancock-maryland-millionaires-20111203_1_income-tax-millionaire-surcharge-million-dollar-incomes

[Roselma]

12. I wouldn't be so sure of that.

More likely, those who were earning a million likely felt the collapse of the stock market in 2008 as well as had other setbacks. They ceased to be million-dollar earners. A study was done (warning, the following link is a pdf):

http://www.itepnet.org/pdf/MD_Millionaires.pdf

[yellowcanine]

19. People are going to move over paying a little more in income tax?

I don't think so. Besides, a lot of the people hit by the income tax increases live in Montgomery County and they are saving more in property taxes because of the drop in property values than the increased income tax is going to cost them.

There is a reason why these wealthy people live in Mont County Maryland. It is called services. Yeah, wealthy people can move to wherever they want, and they move to places where they get the services they want.

[Burma Jones]

30. We're pretty well off, used to live in Great Falls, VA, we moved to Westchester County, NY

when we decided to move back to the DC area, it was going to be Maryland, period. We live in Potomac now, and you hit the nail on the head. We pay less than a thousand a year more in state and local taxes in Maryland than we would have had we moved back to VA - this is more than offset by the less time we spend in traffic. Add to that the open space and well maintained infrastructure - it's a bargain.

[yellowcanine]

33. Northern Virginia used to be the premier place to live in the DC area.

Not any more. They failed to implement any sort of reasonable controls on development sprawl and make sure that development paid for needed infrastructure and now they are playing catch up. To be fair it is not all Northern VA's fault. A big part of the problem lies in Richmond with very conservative regressive government, particularly the legislature.

[xchrom]

5. Du rec. Nt

[hrmjustin]

7. what does du rec mean?

pardon my ignorance.

[xchrom]

8. If you look at the bottom of any OP

There is a series of boxes - democrticunderground recommend, Facebook, twitter, etc.

Du rec indicates that you recommend a topic & hope it goes to the Greatest Page for more exposure.

[hrmjustin]

10. Thanks my friend.n/t

[lonestarnot]

13. A K & R headline!

[Samantha]

14. I read more information on the nature of these bills and almost cried from happiness

Perhaps the one sane political reality in my life at this moment is all of the great things happening in the blue state of Maryland. This state seems like a different planet than the arena I hear most of the right-wing coveting.

By contrast, one of the saddest realities in my life at this moment is all of the tragic things happening in Tennessee, from whence I came.

Sam

[Burma Jones]

17. I live in MD, grew up here too.....I like it

Last edited Wed May 23, 2012, 07:46 PM - Edit history (1)

We have the highest median household income of any state in the US and are the fifth most diverse. We have the lowest poverty rate in the US. I think we're the best educated, or close to it. We have that beautiful bastion of weirdness called Baltimore. If you count DC, we have two Major League Baseball teams, two NFL teams, four Minor League baseball teams and jousting.....

We have crime and punishment. We have seafood. We have good roads. We protect the rest of the nation from Delaware.

We also have an active Ku Klux Klan chapter......

I live in Montgomery County which has almost a Million residents, we have fairly high taxes, but we get a lot for what we pay - our "achievement gap" in the county schools is the lowest for a large district in the US. Our County Police are required to have a four year degree and their pay can hit six figures fairly rapidly. You can't spit without hitting a Park or other open space. We've set aside a third of the country for Agricultural use. The median household income is about $90K. So, the tax increase is hitting Montgomery a little harder.

I lived for awhile in Westchester County, NY - the taxes (state and local) were much much higher and you got much less in return for those taxes.

I live in a liberal's paradise, yet, there are houses of worship all over the place, low divorce rates and low teenage pregnancy rates.


On Edit: You know, Reagan and the incredible expansion and privatization of the Federal Government he started is responsible for a good bit of this very liberal state's wealth - ironic, eh?

[deutsey]

18. Marylander here, too...can you imagine what would be happening here had Ehrlich won?

[Burma Jones]

26. Frankly, as republicans go......

he was rendered pretty (not completely though) impotent.......

We used to have reasonable Republicans in Maryland - remember?

[deutsey]

28. Had he slipped through the cracks into an electoral victory

he would've been our version of Scott Walker, imo.

[Burma Jones]

29. Well, if Walker had to deal with a veto proof legislature of Democrats maybe........

I think Bobby Haircut mostly wanted to be Governor again for the perks and even bigger lobbying bucks once he got out.

[deutsey]

32. No question about that, but I think he would've also tried using the economic crisis

as a pretext to push through "emergency" austerity measures. He may not have been as successful as Walker et al. in pushing that agenda forward here, but I think he would've tried.

Either way, though, it's a good thing O'Malley beat him.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

22. Howdy, fellow MoCo resident!!!

[Happyhippychick]

24. Me too!

[Burma Jones]

27. Hi de ho......

I like it here.......went to Magruder High.

[Happyhippychick]

23. I grew up in Westchester and live in Montgomery County

We might be the same person!

[Burma Jones]

25. My Wife grew up in Westchester

You aren't hiding something from me, are you?

[Happyhippychick]

31. You found me darling!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

34. My wife grew up in Westchester and I grew up in Maryland.

And now I'm in Florida, but that's another story.....

[LibertyLover]

20. As a citizen of Maryland

I really like my governor.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. That's MY governor!!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

35. O'Malley rocks.....literally!

I really hope we see this guy make a run in 2016. He does have a presidential charisma about him.

I'm originally from Maryland but have since moved to Florida (for the weather). But damn it, I would have loved to take the Maryland government with me down here to replace this dysfunctional leadership we have right now. Especially our current governor, who apparently is a resident of the House of the Undying:





(Yes, yet another fictional fantasy character to which you can compare Rick Scott....)