Taxes - Welcome to Maryland

It has been a while since I have done a rant against the political system that we exist under. I have been busy at my real world job and had a ton of comics to read in September and have not felt the absolute indignation it gets to really fire myself up enough to go off on a subject. Also I find that if you constantly hammer away at a theme people stop listening. But Maryland and its one party rule and the disingenuous governor Martin O'Malley has just finally hit the point of frell the people and let's tax and spend like there is no tomorrow.

Due to a ridiculous mandate on education funding (like spending money ever solved a problem that is now an embedded social crisis) and a refusal to ever reduce services, the state is facing a 1.5 billion dollar shortfall in its budget. So they are going to raise sales tax by 20%, cigarette taxes by $1 a pack, probably gasoline tax by 25 cents or more a gallon and add slots. In addition the governor has the audacity to say that since the property tax will be drop by 3 cents and he is looking for a progressive income tax structure, that only 17% of the population will be paying more taxes. And if you buy into that argument I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell to you.

We are facing a possible recession and we are looking at increasing taxes, not a really smart idea. Of course Maryland lives off the teat of the US government given our proximately to the seat of power, so we are more recession proof then those areas that actually contribute to the overall good of society.

I'm so tired of growing government and more and more "services" being given to people that it makes me almost physically ill. I thought we were a democracy, but instead we have become a socialist almost fascist like state. The one major newspaper is a propaganda machine for the one party rule. Yet I see no true indignation in most people, even people who agree with my viewpoints are unwilling to really give a damn and fight back against the system, I swear most of them do not even vote. Would any of you have been willing to take arms against an unjust government as our forefathers did?

So I guess we got what we voted for in Maryland a tax and spend true blue liberal who can do an about face on subjects faster then a hooker can go down on Hugh Grant. O'Malley campaigned saying he would stop our electric rate hike (which was impossible as it was market driven) and it went up, he was against slots and now he is for them, he does not want regressive tax to hurt working families and is proposing a 20% sales tax hike, expanding what is taxed and is working for slots and a possible gasoline tax, each of everyone more of an impact for middle and lower class families then high income families.

What will it take for people to finally realize that we are pushing our society to the brink of financial ruin? I have no plans to remain in this state long term and I think more and more people are fleeing the state every year. The commute into PA along a major highway around Baltimore has gotten to be insane and then once people relocate they start trying to find jobs closer to home.

My five year plan to move and probably south as my wife wants warmer weather - I thought west and north, but I can live with south, just not too far south.