One party rule hurts everyone. Look no farther than Baltimore City to see how decades of Democratic dominance stunts the lives and prosperity of residents. Or to the state house, where those who opposed rushing to increase taxes before cutting spending were trampled last year. Or, for that matter, look to almost a decade of Republican rule in Washington.
With a strong likelihood Democrats will control both the White House and Congress, it is more important than ever to elect candidates from the minority.
For that reason alone, all voters in the First District should support Republican Andy Harris.
But he gives voters many other reasons to vote for him.
The three-term state senator from Baltimore County is not afraid to speak out against waste, having voted against both former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich and Democrat Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budgets when he thought they overcharged and shortchanged us.
Sure, both he and Democratic opponent Frank Kratovil say they would have opposed the $700 billion bailout of banks and bankers. Yet only Harris understands that redistributing wealth from the most productive citizens to its least productive makes everyone poorer.
He resists simplistic feel-good rhetoric on complex problems such as health care. For example, painting him as an ogre opposed to cancer screenings doesn’t pass the whole-truth test. Dr. Harris, who studied and teaches at Johns Hopkins University, knows merely imposing mandates only makes health insurance more expensive and out of reach for businesses. That actually takes insurance away from people. As a charge against a man who ensures safe births, it’s laughable.
Harris is the only candidate with a clear vision of how to reform health care, moving beyond vague principles to specific ideas about how to increase coverage, make it more portable and affordable by spreading risk.
Harris also opposes earmarks — dollars for pet projects that help special interests at the expense of the rest of us — and supports keeping school dollars local, where principals and teachers can best serve students.
Kratovil, State’s Attorney for Queen Anne’s County, is a tough prosecutor who has worked to protect Maryland from illegal immigrants committing crimes. His instincts also point to fiscally conservative principles, as endorsement by Blue Dog Democrats attests. But gaining power in a Democratically controlled Congress means conforming to the agenda of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, whose hyper partisanship and knee-jerk anti-business positions are completely out of step with the vast majority of First District residents.
We need an independent voice to express sound fiscal ideas and bring them to bear on crucial issues. Harris is the best candidate to do that. Concerned Democrats, confused Republicans and uncertain independent voters must get out, no matter what, to vote for him.
