One Missing

The Sun's Andrew Green had a Cliff Notes version of the deficit problem in today's paper. Which also includes this ridiculous quote from Progressive Maryland honcho Sean Dobson:

"The wealthiest Marylanders have received huge federal tax cuts from President George W. Bush. It's only fair they give back a small portion of that windfall so Maryland can invest in a better future of expanded health care, safer streets and better schools."

Which of course does not take into account how much money has been misspent and wasted in an effort to do all of those things in the first place.

My main criticism of Green's article has to do with the seven solutions that he lists as ways to solve the deficit crunch. The seven are:

• Increasing the Sales Tax
• Expanding the Sales Tax
• Making the Income Tax more "progressive"
• Shifting costs to local governments
• Closing corporate tax loopholes
• Freezing Spending
• Legalizing Slot machines

As you can tell, five of the seven involve the favorite liberal past time of trying to tax the middle class and the poor right out of Maryland. But Green forgot one thing that could reduce the deficit and provide long-term relief.

Cutting Spending.

Liberals in Annapolis seem to forget that the best way to cut costs is to cut spending. How many useless programs do we have being funded by the state government? How many commissions and boards that serve no legitimate purpose? How many positions in government are created only out of the need for largesse to give to political supporters? How many different ways can the state find to waste taxpayer dollars?

Cutting spending is the only way to ensure that the Democrats in Annapolis do not continually try to spend us into a deficit situation, and the only way to protect the poor and the middle class from onerous tax hikes.