Radio Songs
We are now in the time of year where advocacy groups take their cases for passing or rejecting particular pieces of legislation to the airwaves. WBAL radio is running spots both supporting the Fair Share Health Care Fund(HB1284/SB790) and against the Maryland Clean Cars Act(HB564/SB366). Both bills are worthy of defeat in the General Assembly, although both have a number of cosponsors.
The Fair Share Fund is written so as to be nothing more than a tax on Wal-Mart, since the only companies that pay into the fund will be ones with 10,000 or more employees and pay less than eight percent of their payroll on health care. With Wal-Mart being the only company currently meeting the standard they are clearly targeted.
The Clean Cars Bill has been, rightfully so, labeled the "California Cars" bill. The bill will limit the types of cars that can be sold in Maryland starting January 1, 2009 to cars that meet California's tough emission standards in order to lower pollution in the state of Maryland. The fallacy with that legislation is the fact that most pollution in the state of Maryland does not come from passenger autos in the immediate area. The preponderance of our air polllution comes from factories in the Ohio Valley and farther west.
Both of these bills are anti-consumer and anti-business. On top of that, both bills would be devestating to middle and lower income families.
If the Fair Share Fund bill were to pass, Wal-Mart would be in a tough situation. Often people get jobs at Wal-Mart, sometimes as a second or even third job, in order to make ends meet. Other families do a great deal of their shopping at Wal Mart in order to get good deals to provide a greater value for their dollar. In order to cover the costs of this new tax, Wal-Mart would likely be forced to lay off workers or raise prices.
If the California Cars bill were to pass, the price of new cars would continue to go up. The number of normal cars available to consumers would be legislated to decline, potentially forcing consumers to by more technologically advanced, and ergo more expensive, cleaner cars. While nearly everybody supports the concept of cleaner cars, nobody wants to be told what kind of cars they can and cannot purchase.
Neither of these bills are beneficial to the constiuents these legislators are claiming to represent. Hopefully, the legislature does the right thing and leaves these bills on the table during this session.
The Fair Share Fund is written so as to be nothing more than a tax on Wal-Mart, since the only companies that pay into the fund will be ones with 10,000 or more employees and pay less than eight percent of their payroll on health care. With Wal-Mart being the only company currently meeting the standard they are clearly targeted.
The Clean Cars Bill has been, rightfully so, labeled the "California Cars" bill. The bill will limit the types of cars that can be sold in Maryland starting January 1, 2009 to cars that meet California's tough emission standards in order to lower pollution in the state of Maryland. The fallacy with that legislation is the fact that most pollution in the state of Maryland does not come from passenger autos in the immediate area. The preponderance of our air polllution comes from factories in the Ohio Valley and farther west.
Both of these bills are anti-consumer and anti-business. On top of that, both bills would be devestating to middle and lower income families.
If the Fair Share Fund bill were to pass, Wal-Mart would be in a tough situation. Often people get jobs at Wal-Mart, sometimes as a second or even third job, in order to make ends meet. Other families do a great deal of their shopping at Wal Mart in order to get good deals to provide a greater value for their dollar. In order to cover the costs of this new tax, Wal-Mart would likely be forced to lay off workers or raise prices.
If the California Cars bill were to pass, the price of new cars would continue to go up. The number of normal cars available to consumers would be legislated to decline, potentially forcing consumers to by more technologically advanced, and ergo more expensive, cleaner cars. While nearly everybody supports the concept of cleaner cars, nobody wants to be told what kind of cars they can and cannot purchase.
Neither of these bills are beneficial to the constiuents these legislators are claiming to represent. Hopefully, the legislature does the right thing and leaves these bills on the table during this session.
posted by Brian Griffiths at 7:34 PM
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