Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to the editor of the Washington Times, March 15, 2000

ASSISTANT DEPUTY MAJORITY WHIP Congress of tfje Unite!) States !!)ousc of ftcpmsentattoM ©Hastjington, ЗЭС 20515-2002 March 15, 2000 Letter-to-the-Editor The Washington Times 3600 New York Avenue, N.E. Washington D.C. 20002 Dear Editor: The decision by Governor Glendening and the fiscal leaders of the Legislature to kill proposals to accelerate the implementation of the tax cuts adopted in the last election year demonstrates just how out of touch our state leadership is with the rest of the country. Again, the politics of spending has been put ahead of cost effective government. The state’s budget is flush with cash. The billion dollar surplus is enough money to increase state spending across the board, fund long-delayed capital needs, reward special interests who helped support the Governor and Lt. Governor in the last election, and speed up the tax relief approved two years ago. When the session began in January, some of the most fiscally responsible voices in the Maryland General Assembly, from the Speaker of the House to the Chairmen of the budget committees, knew the state can and should return some of the unneeded tax revenues to taxpayers. Only the Governor stood in the way of their calls to do so. He obviously got his way and rolled over the otherwise influential voices. Let’s call it what it is: preservation politics. Apparently, the Governor and Lt. Governor cut taxes only when they’re up for election. Are they so worried that their grip on Maryland politics might slip that they must resort to these spending gimmicks? Sincerely, Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Member of Congress