No Kidding

I'm pretty sure that bloggers, Republicans, and those with an ounce of common sense saw this coming:

It wasn't supposed to be this way after last year's special session of the General Assembly.

About $1.5 billion worth of hard choices were made and many government leaders were confident the deficit demons had been vanquished.

But between $800 million and $900 million of expected new tax revenue never materialized because of faltering collections in a spiraling economy, according to the state's nonpartisan Department of Legislative Services, leaving Maryland again in a perilous budget situation.

Most people understood that raising taxes and increasing discretionary spending in a bad economic climate was morally and fiscally irresponsible. Unfortunately as we all know, Governor O'Malley decided to take the irresponsible and immoral course of action. And that is what has brought us to the situation today, and economic problem that O'Malley called a model for the nation.

I think the most troubling aspect so far of the current budget crisis is that Governor O'Malley refuses to concede that he made a mistake, and refuses to take corrective steps to fix what he has done. I don't know if it's ego, or just a general lack of understanding of economics, or both, but Governor O'Malley wrecked our fiscal posture here in Maryland and doesn't seem all that concerned with fixing what he has broken. Sure, we have seen piecemeal budget cuts here and there, but no broad based fiscal plan that will serve as a solution to our current economic problems and one that will lighten the load that O'Malley and General Assembly Democrats dumped on the taxpayers.

Maybe for Christmas, Governor O'Malley can gives us the gift of responsible leadership, responsible leadership that he seems incapable of giving himself.