Issue Position: Budget

Issue Position

What can be said about the state's current spending habits but "out of control". Over the past 7 years we have seen spending go from $29.6 billion to $37.3 billion, an increase of $7.7 billion or $1.1 billion per year. In order to do this, they have raided every slush fund the state had available (along with $1 billion taken from the transportation fund) and raised taxes and fees over 70 times. Yet, it is still not enough. It is so bad that they are now dipping into the state employee pension fund (which is not solvent) to the tune of $100 to $190 million in order to continue this drive off the cliff. If we are to remain fiscally viable, this trend must not only be stopped, but reversed.

I propose that the following must take place in the short term:

An immediate 10% cut in spending across the board. This can be accomplished by eliminating every new spending initiative enacted over the past three years.
Elimination of every new tax and fee enacted over the past 4 years (rain tax, gas tax increase, toll increases, etc.) in order to increase private sector activity which in turn would increase tax revenues (see Taxation and Regulation page).
We must also have long term solutions to place our fiscal house in order. These 3 proposals can reduce spending by an additional $7.3 billion over the next three years:

Elimination of all assistance for illegal migrants in the state ($2.6 billion savings -- see info on cost on Illegal Migrant page)
Elimination of the windmill project off the coast of Maryland ($2.7 billion) with additional reduction in projected consumer energy cost.
Elimination of the red line expansion in Baltimore ($2 billion).
Additionally, savings can be found in a majority of other areas (see Needed Reforms page):

State employee pension reform.
Consolidation of overlapping agencies.
Open state contract bidding for all based on quality, cost, and performance only.

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