WHO: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley
WHAT: It looks like O’Malley is hanging his budgetary hopes on $4 billion from the federal government over the next two years. He’s even asking citizens to call their representatives and ask them to support the plan.
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WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: O’Malley should worry about balancing the budget with what Maryland has — not with what he hopes to score in the federal stimulus package. Any aid we get from the federal government is only a stopgap. The stimulus package is not a deal to get $4 billion every two years from the feds and will only delay cutting programs we cannot afford.
WHERE TO VENT: Call the governor at 410-974-3901 and tell him we must live within our means.
DIM BULB Priorities, please. We’re not for kids using drugs by any means. But state lawmakers are jumping the gun by trying to criminalize salvia divinorum, an herb from the mint family, before it’s been thoroughly studied. YouTube videos of teens allegedly riding a salvia high are not exactly scientific proof of its powers. Besides, don’t legislators have more pressing issues at hand — like balancing the budget? Today’s quote “We’re already facing the largest budget deficit in our nation’s history. That means we can’t afford to get this wrong. We need to make some tough choices about where we can and can’t afford to be spending taxpayer money, and I’m not convinced that this package focused enough of its spending on the programs most likely to have a short-term economic impact.” — Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-1) on why he voted against the proposed stimulus package passed by the House Wednesday. All but 11 Democrats voted for it and 177 Republicans voted against it.
