Posted on 06/09/2012 4:28:54 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
Back in January, we noted in this space that Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell "offer competing political visions. … McDonnell stresses fiscal restraint and believes government should live within its means," while O'Malley "sees taxes as boosters of prosperity."
The piece noted that others have remarked on the dichotomy — such as The Washington Post's metro columnist, Robert McCartney, who wrote: "Two states. Two governors. Two philosophies. Take your pick and see which succeeds." We concluded "conservatives are fond of likening the states to laboratories of public policy. The experiments on opposite sides of the Potomac will be fun to watch."
It's getting funner by the minute.
The other day, Larry Hogan, chairman of a nonpartisan group called Change Maryland, penned a piece for Reason magazine. He noted that Maryland and Virginia have "similar economies, demographics and a shared dependence on federal government employment and procurement" — but "sharply divergent job growth."
Our neighbor to the north "accounted for the largest taxpayer exodus of any state in the region between 2007 and 2010," Hogan writes, "with a net migration resulting in 31,000 residents having left the state. Where did most of them go? Virginia. Virginia is now home to nearly 11,500 former Marylanders — a shift of $390 million from the tax rolls of one state to another. … That's the position Maryland finds itself in after six years of damaging tax increases. Since 2007, taxes and fees have been raised 24 times, taking an additional $2.4 billion out of the economy each year."
But Maryland's tax-happy governor doesn't seem to have gotten the hint: "When Northrop Grumman opted to relocate its corporate headquarters in Northern Virginia over Maryland in 2010, the governor said 'it was a win for the Washington region,' as if the Redskins won the Super Bowl. It was not a win for Maryland job seekers who would have liked to work for the defense contractor. Other such 'regional wins' include Maryland losing out to Virginia in every major corporate relocation in recent years. Add Computer Sciences Corporation, Hilton Worldwide, SAIC and Volkswagen North America to the growing list of companies that chose the Old Dominion over the Free State."
The Free State. What an odd nickname for a state that taxes its citizens out the wazoo, costing them so much prosperity in the process.
M-land can keep them.
Maryland is 30% black, 4% “undocumented” alien — it will not elect a conservative Republican any time soon.
A defining characteristic of a Leftist is that he has this dream where he can vote for it to rain skittles, and has no interest in thinking through the consequences and side-effects.
So is Fairfax, but you have to have a solid 6 figure income to afford a decent single family home.
Relatives are looking to buy in the area. $500,000 gets you a 3 BR home, maybe 50-60 years old, decent condition, not always with a basement, maybe a one car garage, on a 1/4 acre lot.
Even during the housing collapse, homes there held their value fairly well compared to the rest of the country.
Tennessee is seeing our share of American ‘foreigners’ too due to all the new corporations bringing jobs here (Amazon, Wacker, Volkswagon, etc.). I see tags from all over and told my husband the other day that I hope they don’t bring their junk politics with them.
It says alot about the current economic unpleasantness that DC (where the federal government lives) is the one place in the country where the housing market is untouched
“Northern Va. is a lost cause.”
Maybe so. If you’re honest about Virginia, you realize that Virginia has benefited, fiscally, from it’s proximity to DC. Northern VA, particularly so.
With coming DoD and Federal government cutbacks (they are coming, as hopeless as it seems now) you will have a sea-change in Northern VA.
The exodus is likely to reverse itself, for a brief time, with Maryland as former gov’t folks seek free stuff and bennies.
Maybe, just maybe N. Va will be able to be rehabilitated, at least a little bit.
Man, this blows. I’m a few months out from moving to Maryland (PCS to Fort Meade). I’m in NY now, and it looks like I’m just bouncing from one People’s Republic to another.
The sea-change begins when Moran loses his job. If jobs are the issue, the exodus may not reverse. I grew up in Maryland and throughout all my job-hunting years, the jobs I always wanted were in Virginia. After awhile, the commutes weren’t worth it.
The DC area is recession-proof. That’s why the politicians and most residents continue to vote for spending and spenders. They don’t see what’s going on in the rest of the country.
Haven’t you always heard liberals excuse communism by saying, “they (e.g., Russia, Cuba, Korea, China, etc) just didn’t do it right”.
I think that’s what it is. They look for a conservative place that is truthfully more palatable than their liberal hole, then proceed to “do it right”.
Thanks
OK, as long as they leave their liberal BS on the other side of the state line.
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