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Beware of Gov. Martin O'Malley (Rain Tax)
Project To Restore America ^ | 4/19/2013 | Marta H Mossburg

Posted on 04/20/2013 9:31:59 AM PDT by IbJensen

Maryland made national news recently for a "rain tax" to start July 1.

The tax, an unfunded mandate originating with the Environmental Protection Agency and cemented by the state legislature and governor last year, means homeowners, businesses and nonprofits in certain counties will pay a fee based on the amount of "impervious surfaces" on their property. It is supposed to raise about $482 million annually. Satellite imagery will help counties comply with the law, designed to reduce runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.

Call it the 'Drones for the Bay' program. The "Free State" is a Petri dish for progressive causes and perpetually tries to out-California California for increasing the size and reach of government, so the new law is not surprising to those of us who live in Maryland even as it may seem laughable to people across the country.

What's next, 'a tax on sun?' the masses in other states might snidely remark. Yes, and it will be coming to a state near you if Martin O'Malley has his way. So pay attention to the Democratic governor who said in August 2010 that "Maryland will lead the country, not only economically, but morally."

In six and a half short years in office Gov. O'Malley has transformed the tiny state from a comfortable suburb of Washington to a model of progressive orthodoxy, high taxes and crony capitalism in a bid to take his show on the road to the White House.

Two stints as head of the Democratic Governors Association raised his national profile and the buff governor, who fronts a rock band called O'Malley's March, could be coming to a bar near you if you live in a politically important primary state. Last Friday he polished his international credentials in Denmark speaking as a panelist on "progressive governance" with Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the prime minister of Denmark.

The Washington Post and Politico place him in the top tier of Democratic candidates vying for the White House in 2016, or at least vice president if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decides to run. He's been working hard to be in that pack.

In the last two years alone he won big battles in the state legislature to allow same sex marriage, give some illegal immigrants in-state tuition, end the death penalty, underwrite an offshore wind farm, ban certain guns and make gun licensing requirements stricter. He also pushed to raise the gas tax, and won. It is one of the 37 tax and fee hikes enacted during his administration totaling $3.1 billion, according to research by Change Maryland.

Through executive order he has also limited growth in rural counties, along with property, income and sales taxes in those areas to push development into areas friendlier to "transit- oriented development" – otherwise known as government-directed development or more simply, crony capitalism. In his words, it means the government is not going to subsidize "stupid land use decisions."

Gov. O'Malley says he is not driven by ideology but by what "works." As he said in a recent Politico article, "We're not arguing for bigger government. We're arguing for more effective government, and also smarter investments."

But everything he calls for means bigger, more expensive government – without an economic payoff for the masses. The state needs to add 157,000 jobs to get back to precession levels of the percentage of people working, according to the Brookings Institution's Hamilton Project, and has lost about 6,500 small businesses since he took office. The state also consistently ranks near the bottom of surveys on business friendliness and was put on a credit watch by Moody's because of its dependence on the federal government, "above average debt burden and large unfunded pension liabilities relative to the size of its economy."

Even his success stories are not successes. He loves to talk about Education Week's top ranking of Maryland's public schools, for example. But that publication's report weighs spending more than achievement. Test score data shows Maryland has some of the largest gaps between white and low-income minority students and the number of remedial classes offered at community colleges and the state's flagship school, the University of Maryland at College Park, is skyrocketing under his watch because students are graduating from high school without basic knowledge of math and writing.

So go ahead and laugh at the foibles of liberal Maryland. But if Mr. O'Malley's political trajectory, which started at the Baltimore City Council, continues apace, the last laugh may be on America.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: martinomalley; raintax; socialistnutcase; stupidity
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...the Democratic governor (who) said in August 2010 that "Maryland will lead the country, not only economically, but morally."

This asshat is as loony as Bronco Bama! Americans had better wise up and realize that these so-called Progressives (socialist and communist)are their enemies.

The Republicrat Party is bad enough, but the Democrats can lay claim to the fact that they're the party of disarming citizens, killing babies, hugging trees and homosexuals, excusing acts of Islamic terrorists and taxing the hell out of the citizens.

1 posted on 04/20/2013 9:31:59 AM PDT by IbJensen
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To: IbJensen

The EPA sold the rain tax to Jackson Michigan through bribery. They suggested taxing parking lots by the foot and told the city to keep the money to do with as they please.


2 posted on 04/20/2013 9:40:34 AM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: IbJensen
The writer must of got a hold of some good herb to push that BS


3 posted on 04/20/2013 9:41:29 AM PDT by darkwing104 (Let's get dangerous)
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To: IbJensen

If I pay tax on it,especially since it is literally a gift from Heaven....I keep it. Rain will go into underground well/tanks/whatever.


4 posted on 04/20/2013 9:47:44 AM PDT by madison10
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To: IbJensen
...the Democratic governor (who) said in August 2010 that "Maryland will lead the country, not only economically, but morally."

Maryland gets/earns most of its money from the Federal government. O'Malley is a buffoon.
5 posted on 04/20/2013 9:51:06 AM PDT by Vision (We are not descended from fearful men)
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To: IbJensen
Maryland made national news recently for a "rain tax" to start July 1.

Will he try for a Sun Tax and a snow tax...?

he should call for a HOT AIR TAX, because the ASSES in Annapolis would be hit with a BIOG TAX...with their HOT AIR!!

6 posted on 04/20/2013 9:55:40 AM PDT by ExCTCitizen (Deport all Muslims...yes, All Muslims!! No more Muslim Terrorists...Deport them all...)
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To: IbJensen

Wait until there is a sunshine tax


7 posted on 04/20/2013 9:57:03 AM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: GeronL

...and a toilet flushing tax.


8 posted on 04/20/2013 10:05:57 AM PDT by IbJensen (Liberals are like Slinkies, good for nothing, but you smile as you push them down the stairs.)
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To: IbJensen

Imagine the effect of $500 MILLION annually from the pockets of property-owning Marylanders, just for this fee

Not to mention lilMarty raised gas taxes and in his last term raised property taxes and imposed other fees


9 posted on 04/20/2013 10:18:03 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: IbJensen

lilMarty is the wizard who, when campaigning for office, said George Bush was more dangerous than osama bin laden


10 posted on 04/20/2013 10:19:23 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: IbJensen

too late, our last RINO governor Ehrlich gave us a “flush tax” which has since doubled

sayyy....wasn’t THAT tax supposed to save the Bay?
Save a buncha politicians’relatives and donors their enviro-lobby jobs, maybe


11 posted on 04/20/2013 10:21:44 AM PDT by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: IbJensen

We already have that. And O’Malley doubled it.


12 posted on 04/20/2013 10:24:26 AM PDT by NotSoFreeStater (If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice)
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To: IbJensen
It's interesting that he's making his presidential push with a strong push to the left.

Another player, Andy Cuomo of New York, is using his governorship to make an insincere feint to the right - pretending to be for fiscal responsibility and moderation on environmental issues.

Andy's full of crap, of course, he's a hardcore lefty like his old man.

From an entertainment perspective on the next presidential election, there's many more interesting players on the left than on the right. They're all villains, but they're interesting to watch. The field on the right, so far, is a snore, with most of them barely on the right anyway.

Dig up Reagan!

13 posted on 04/20/2013 10:31:36 AM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: cripplecreek

We have a Stormwater Service Fee in unincorporated Gwinnett County, GA on our property tax bill. This is described as: based on the amount of impervious surface areas such as roofs, patios., on the property. It was added to the bills after we bought our property and it’s billed at $75 per year.


14 posted on 04/20/2013 10:37:28 AM PDT by Thank You Rush
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To: Thank You Rush

Fortunately we don’t have it county wide here in Jackson county. Its just in the city but it has led to an interesting fight between the city and county which owns several parking lots in the city.


15 posted on 04/20/2013 10:42:11 AM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: IbJensen; Tolerance Sucks Rocks

FUMOM ping....


16 posted on 04/20/2013 10:44:16 AM PDT by momtothree
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To: IbJensen; Abundy; Albion Wilde; AlwaysFree; AnnaSASsyFR; bayliving; BFM; cindy-true-supporter; ...

Maryland “Freak State” PING!


17 posted on 04/20/2013 10:52:28 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Drag Me From Hell!)
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To: IbJensen

I am prepetualy amazed as how much Democrats like Gov. Martin and President Obama are able to get away with saying so many things that are so obviously untrue its funny.

Its like Baghdad bob!


18 posted on 04/20/2013 12:09:11 PM PDT by Monorprise
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To: IbJensen

We moved to CO from the @zzhat’s state in January 1972. Best move we ever made.


19 posted on 04/20/2013 12:17:44 PM PDT by willibeaux (de ole Korean War vet age 83)
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To: momtothree
FUMOM ping....

Sign me up for this ping list, please! :)
20 posted on 04/20/2013 1:54:03 PM PDT by rockvillem
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