They stink! They did this to you! Blame Democrats! That is the message of the Republican Party in Maryland.
No wonder they have become a permanent minority in the state.
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When even the head of the Republican Party, Dr. James Pelura, a veterinarian by trade, calls his goals of removing “some” regulations and taxes “pie in the sky,” it makes us wonder why they don’t just stifle themselves and close up shop. Really, what’s the point? What do they say in their fundraising appeals — “Give to us, we can’t do anything, but we’re good at pointing fingers”?
2009 should be a banner year for Republicans. They have fresh evidence the tax increases rammed through in the 2007 special session are not only failing to meet expectations, but hurting Marylanders and sending shoppers, businesses and residents to friendlier climes.
Now is the time for a Contract with Maryland that shows Marylanders what Republicans stand for and why. Instead we have the Harford delegation introducing legislation to ban all flags sold in Maryland that are not made in the United States. Now that’s leadership?!
The much maligned by liberals national Contract with America is the reason Republicans won and kept power for so long. Forsaking it and their core principles is the reason they find themselves on the outskirts of power right now.
Pelura told The Examiner that there is talk of introducing legislation to require a supermajority for a tax increase. That would be a good start –but it’s the first we’ve heard of it. And where is the rest of the agenda? Where was a detailed budget plan before the session began? Why wait on Democrats to set the terms of the debate? He could not name one proposal like the funding accountability law — the reason all expenditures over $25,000 are now posted on a searchable Web site — that could gain bipartisan support in the legislature. C’mon, give us a reason to get excited about you.
His duty, he said, is to “let the people know what is going on in Annapolis.”
Sorry, but that is what the press — and more citizen watchdogs, now that the digital tools are available — do.
A vibrant state requires a vibrant Republican Party. We need Republicans to stop mouthing tired mantras and saying no to everything Democrats do. Why not pick one tax to ax and rally the troops? It’s not impossible. How else could Ellen Sauerbrey come within a whisper of beating Parris Glendening, and Robert Ehrlich Jr. win a term in the governor’s office in Annapolis? What do you have to fear — losing?
