Can You Become a  Montgomery County  Republican Team Leader? 

 

We are currently contacting Prime Republicans throughout Montgomery County -- You can help your party starting with your own neighbors.

Here is what you can do:

1. Send an email to mcrepublicans@gmail.com
with your name, address and precinct number (use your precinct number if you know it, otherwise we will look it up.) 

2. We will email back a list with the names, addresses and phone numbers of 50-100 Prime Republicans who live near you or in your precinct and a short, easy to follow script.

3. You then contact these Prime Republicans, introducing yourself and asking if they might be interested in future in receiving Republican invitations and news via email, displaying lawn signs or bumper stickers or helping Republican campaigns in the future.

4. We ask that your record the information you receive online at:  http://mcgop.net/signup.aspx, with the information you collect.  Please be sure to fill out the "Referred by (email):" field do so can give you credit for the contacts you have made.  

Complete five contacts - and we will recognize you in our website, in the newsletter our Republican Team Leader our leader board.  After you reach your first group of Prime Republicans, and we can send you additional names to contact.     

As if Maryland Gas Prices Were Not High Enough Already...

 

By Sandy Tuttle

 

 

The Maryland Legislative Progressives are hard at work figuring out how to raise your taxes-somehow and someway -- during the fall special session.  While redistricting issues will be the primary focus,   increasing user fees, gas excise taxes and a possible sales tax have been percolating beneath the surface as a way to bring much needed revenue.  Likely absent from this session, unfortunately, will be frank conversations about how to make Maryland a business-friendly state, which if it were done, would be the best way to increase the likelihood of more businesses, lower unemployment and ultimately more funds to the state treasury.

Earlier this year, legislators had floated the possibility of increasing the gas excise tax in Maryland, with gas soaring around $4.00 a gallon.  Currently, Maryland has the  16^th   highest excise tax in the nation at $.23 ½ a gallon, or $.48.7 a gallon when combined with the federal excise tax, according to a May 2, 2011 study done by the American Petroleum Institute.  While an outright excise tax may not be considered during this session, there have been conversations about the possibility of "placing a tax on the distributor" which would not make it noticeable, at least initially to the Maryland consumer, according to one lawmaker.  But the tax would be passed on to the consumer.

This is indicative of Governor O'Malley and his regressive legislative team's lack of understanding Economics 101 and the ripple effect that higher gas prices have on other sectors of economy.  As a Social Worker, I have witnessed first- hand, the struggle of those most affected by higher gas prices and its affect on their ability to pay rent and put food on the table.   Their distress is palpable as they recount their stories, which sometimes includes a new adventure -going to Social Services for food-stamps. 

During the special legislative session in 2007, lawmakers passed legislation increasing the sales tax in the state by 20%, which took effect in 2008.   On face value, a penny more on each dollar spent  may not seem like much to the average consumer, but on big ticket items for the poor it makes a huge difference.   Now there are discussions about possibly increasing the sales tax again, most notably at this point amongst lobbyists, according to Republican Delegate Warren Miller.

Even Montgomery County Senator, Richard Madaleno recently discussed the possibility of a sales tax or gas tax increase in this special legislative session during a  town hall-wrap up in Montgomery County.  Unfortunately, he is not the only democrat alone in this summation.  In the eloquent words of  President Ronald Reagan,  "they (the liberal progressives) never met a tax they did not like."

These self-proclaimed leaders have abdicated their responsibility to manage the people's money.  Maryland State lawmakers are still spending too much, as reflected in the FY 2012 budget, which increased from $33.1 billion last year to $34.1 billion.  Republican Delegate Susan Aumann  noted, that "the unprecedented downturn in the economy dictates that we eliminate excessive spending, which is what Republican lawmakers tried to do this past session."  Without the benefit of a two party system,  Maryland Republicans have a difficult time reining in spending by the Democrats

During this special legislative session, Maryland lawmakers should be looking at ways to improve Maryland as a business-friendly state to increase employment and revenue to the state treasury.   Our "progressive" state ranks 44^th in the nation in terms of creating a business-friendly environment (a drop from being ranked 25^th  in FY 2006).  This ranking, according to the 2011 State Business Tax Climate Index put out by the Tax Foundation, was based on comparing corporate taxes, sales taxes and individual taxes among the states.  Our neighboring states are considered to be more business friendly, and not surprisingly, ranked higher.   One can cite the loss of Northrup Grumman which located to Virginia, instead of Maryland.  Why is the Democratically-controlled legislature and executive branch not looking to increase Maryland's competitive and business-friendly environment, instead of trying to increase taxes and regulations that penalize the success of residents and businesses in our state?

Fewer businesses, means fewer employed, which in turn leads to lower tax revenue.  The result?  Increased demands from our elected liberal progressive officials to raise user fees and taxes to counter the unnecessary and expensive programs that they have enacted into law.  This "do loop," in addition to continue legislative mismanagement of the state budget will result in more corporations and taxpayers fleeing our state and more hardship for the less fortunate.   Have we not learned from other states' mistakes,  (i.e. New York, California) as well as our own?   As the philosopher, George Santayana stated, "those who cannot remember the past (or choose to ignore it?) are condemned to repeat it.

Maryland should go slow on establishing a health insurance exchange 

Published in the Baltimore Sun

by Marc Kilmer

Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he wants Maryland to be a "national leader" in health care reform. Sometimes it's good to be a leader, but sometimes being a leader means you are the first to make costly mistakes. Following the lead of other states in implementing the new federal health care law would be better for both taxpayers and health care consumers in Maryland.

Governor O'Malley made his "national leader" remarks when he appointed officials to the board of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. This entity is a health insurance exchange, something the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) directs each state to set up. A health insurance exchange will provide a one-stop location for health insurance to be sold and is supposed to lower the cost of insurance through more choice and greater purchasing power for consumers.

 

Every state faces the question of whether to establish an exchange. Maryland is one of only a handful that have decided to implement one. Some states, such as Florida and Louisiana, have flatly refused. Others are still mulling their options. These holdout states have made a much wiser choice than Maryland.

 

A health insurance exchange is a new type of government program. The oldest one in the U.S. is only four years old. With little prior experience, policymakers around the nation are breaking new ground in setting up these exchanges. There will inevitably be costly mistakes and poorly designed exchanges.

 

By waiting, Maryland can learn from other states' experiences and lessons in how in how they create and operate their exchanges. If we are in the forefront, however, we will be providing the lessons in what not to do. Exchanges cost millions of dollars to establish and run. Any mistakes by Maryland officials could prove very costly to taxpayers.

 

Some advocates will certainly argue that we can't wait and that Maryland consumers need a health insurance exchange now. However, the exchange is unlikely to do much, if anything, to help health insurance consumers. One has only to consider the experience of Massachusetts. Under then-Gov. Mitt Romney, the state passed a health care overhaul in 2006 with a health insurance exchange (called the Connector) as its centerpiece. This law was touted as a way to increase health insurance coverage and decrease health insurance prices. While the Connector has helped increase health insurance coverage in Massachusetts, it has also increased the cost of health insurance premiums.

 

A 2010 study by economists at Stanford and Columbia Universityfound that the Massachusetts health care plan caused health insurance premiums to increase by 6 percent in aggregate. For businesses with fewer than 50 employees, the increase was 7 percent. A March 2011 report from the Pioneer Institute concluded that "... small employers continue to feel the burden of rising premiums while the Connector has not provided a good alternative for them."

 

Perhaps Maryland's exchange will work differently from the Massachusetts Connector. Probably not. Currently, those wishing to buy health insurance in Maryland have few choices. This lack of options isn't an accident but is mandated by law. Health insurance policies available to Maryland's individuals and businesses must comply with a variety of state government mandates and cannot be tailored to consumers' needs. Deductibles and cost-sharing are limited, and every policy must cover a variety of procedures - such as in vitro fertilization - that may not be desired by those seeking coverage.

It's unlikely the same policymakers that force us to buy health insurance policies that meet their desires (instead of our needs) will allow much consumer freedom in a health insurance exchange.

 

If Maryland policymakers are truly interested in lowering health insurance prices, they will wait to establish an exchange. Observing other states and learning from their mistakes is one benefit of waiting. Another benefit would come if the governor and legislators used this time to address the overregulation that has caused so many problems in our state's dysfunctional health insurance marketplace. Until they do this, health insurance prices in Maryland will continue to rise, something that won't be solved by the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange.

 

You can find this online at:

http://www.mdpolicy.org/research/detail/maryland-should-go-slow-on-establishing-a-health-insurance-exchange