Maryland and the Tobacco Law Suit

Maryland and the Tobacco Law Suit
Al Ritter

In 1997 Tobacco manufacturers made a settlement through the US Attorney General to pay states a specific amount for damages caused by smoking. Now mind you, Maryland is playing both ends against us. What does this mean? Well Maryland knows that smoking costs everyone in healthcare costs, but accepts money from the sales of cigarettes ($1.20 per pack) AND accepts money from the settlement.

How much you ask? Well back in 2008 the amount was $540.8 million, but that amount increases yearly based on a variable scale based on inflation. The amount now is largely contested but the expenditures aren’t. Maryland spends very little, in fact one of the lowest states in the nation on smoking cessation programs.

The original settlement with the tobacco companies stated that these funds would be used exclusively on treatment of smoking related illnesses or smoking cessation programs. Unfortunately this is where state sovereignty takes over, and through Maryland law the general assembly decides how that money will be spent.

For argument sake let’s say that the yearly income is still at $540.8 million a year, and we have NO idea how much Maryland takes in on taxes on cigarette sales, but rest assured it is massive. We are now half way through the original settlement of 25 years, so we only have 13 years left of the $540.8 million per year income left. Maryland has thrown this money into the general slush fund, and spends little (3% at last reporting) on smoking prevention.

My question is this…….Maryland has become increasingly dependent on Federal funding (Stimulus), and earmarks through Senators Mikulski and Cardin. Add that to the tobacco settlement and you can see we have had it pretty easy in Maryland compared to other states.

Political retribution on the ability to secure federal funds has been no secret in the Obama Administration. If the winds of change happen in Washington according to the general consensus in 2012, funds from the federal government will surely dry up. O’Malley has done his best at “making hay” while the opportunity has afforded itself.

O’Malley doesn’t care what happens in the last two years of his reign of terror, he will be gone in 2014. Maryland will receive the tobacco settlement long after he is gone, but certainly not indefinitely.
The General Assembly has been hooked on money, especially money they never earned. When the federal money, and the tobacco money dries up whom do you think will have to make up the difference in income?

http://alspoliticalview.blogspot.com/2008/04/taxes-on-tobacco-used-for-non-smoking.html

Is Gov. O’Malley Cooking the Books?

Is Gov. O’Malley Cooking the Books?
Al Ritter

It was just a few short weeks ago that the Maryland legislature and the Governor were involved in some serious hand wringing over the legislature mandate of a balanced budget, and the inability to do so.

The federal government grant called “Race to the Top” seems to have cured all the spending woes of the O’Malley Administration. The curious timing involved in the administration’s claim of now having a $300 million surplus, just happens to tie nicely into the announcement only a week ago of the education grant award of $430 million.

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that the grant was tossed into the Education Budget, and now Martin is raiding the education cookie jar to make his spending appear in control.

Unable to control his spending habits, O’Malley has started buying property again, this time 430 acres of prime waterfront acreage on the bay. This Administration is totally unable to curb his spending habits, and property purchases while the value of property is down may be the hedge against inflation O’Malley is counting on.

Eminent domain is widely known as a way the government may acquire property for “economic development.” It’s one thing to basically steal property from individuals in the government name, but very easy for the government to purchase the property cheaply then turn it over for private development later, thus taking a huge windfall profit to fund more social programs, and the O’Malley Administration has purchased more property than any other governor in the past.

It’s time that the people from Maryland wake up and smell the corruption and greed before the debt gets so deep nobody can dig us out! He's laughing at you Maryland.....not with you!

Gov. Martin O’Malley says healthcare reform will save MD $1 billion

Gov. Martin O’Malley says healthcare reform will save MD $1 billion
Al Ritter

Governor O’Malley claims the healthcare reform will save Maryland $1 billion over a 10 year period because the federal government will shoulder some of the costs that Maryland has paid in the past. O’Malley has made his claim of cost savings before he has even appointed a panel to study and make suggestions on implementation of the new healthcare mandates.

The Sunday partisan healthcare reform will be forced through by any means necessary, but even states with Democratic Governors have claimed state sovereignty over the federal mandates on the grounds that healthcare is NOT mentioned in the Constitution thereby granting the right for states to make individual decisions on the program’s acceptance or denial.

Governor O’Malley’s claims fly in the face of 35+ states poised to force lawsuits against the Federal Government’s partisan legislation on healthcare. Many states including Virginia under Governor Bob McDonnell have claimed that the new mandate threatens the fiscal future of their states. Virginia expects to lose $1 billion over 12 years according to McDonnell.

Governor O’Malley hasn’t been able to balance his budget without robbing from other areas of the budget of what he considers to be excess funds, and now makes this baseless claim. Every state has mandates of their own for health care, and Maryland is one of the highest with 66. Virginia on the other hand only has 60 (still high), and yet O’Malley makes claims of saving money while Virginia will see a net loss. Someone is not being truthful, and with 35+ states claiming the same future losses as Virginia, I would tend to side with McDonnell and not with O’Malley.

O’Malley has a past history of poor money management, both as a Mayor and now as the Governor, his past is hardly a glowing endorsement of the future of the State of Maryland, or his personal judgment.

Governor O’Malley’s mixed up priorities

While our unpopular Governor O’Malley travels on his whirlwind multi-country trip to set up foreign offices to attract business to Maryland, his past administration as mayor kept such poor records that Baltimore City stands to lose $8.2 million in stimulus money from the Obama Administration, through what Vice President Biden refers to as the “smell test,” if it smells funny it will be denied. One thing the O’Malley Administration has been known for ever since taking office is their ability to fail the smell test!

O’Malley feels that his foreign offices have the ability to add 250 jobs to the state. Now my question here would be, are these jobs in the private sector or are these just more government jobs to man those offices. If they are jobs to man those offices, will those positions be filled by Marylanders or will they be filled by citizens of the respective countries they represent? It would make good business sense to fill those positions by their citizens, and if they do, how exactly did Marylanders benefit? He now has 12 foreign offices manned and ready to increase business, and has personally enjoyed all the globetrotting needed to set up this new budgetary bleed on our citizens.

O’Malley has found enough extra time to cut a new CD with his musical group O’Malley’s March, but yet he has procrastinated all year to make the necessary cuts in the budget to assure Maryland’s liquidity. His torture of the wealthiest citizens of Maryland has led to a mass exodus of 1/3 of our states millionaires, whom he said, “are willing to pay their fair share.” He sits on the fence of the Constellation Energy regulation problems, offering a combination of re-regulation and new rules, after he admitted that Glendenning’s de-regulation was a bad idea. He ran on the premise that he would fight the “big bad electric company,” then proceeded to abandon us after the election. He had a good teacher in throwing people under the bus, as his savoir in Washington has done that so often himself.

The Stimulus Plan has allowed O’Malley to continue his poor budgetary practices with Maryland’s taxes, and in fact Obama has encouraged it! When faced with serious budget cuts he always throws our educational system under the bus first, while securing his additional social agenda that in actuality should go FIRST! Like his benefactor in Washington, O’Malley thinly veils his short comings to the “past administration.” Eventually they will have to take criticisms on THEIR agendas, and expenditures. Obama and O’Malley share one thing in particular, they have both have increased expenditures to a monumental level, one never seen before.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.stimulus05jun05,0,6760977.story
http://www.gazette.net/stories/06262009/poliras155440_32524.shtml
http://www.gov.state.md.us/pressreleases/090610.asp
http://www.somdnews.com/stories/06192009/weektop115248_32188.shtml

Show us the money!

Show us the money!

Chicago’s Mayor Daley wants his money, and he wants it now. The DNC says they are checking bills before paying them, but it’s been a month and Chicago wants to be paid. Much like other cities and groups, Obama has run up bills from his recent coronation.

Chicago even though they are a majority of democrats, they still have bills mounting to just over 1 million dollars, and with budget deficits being what they are, they want to be paid. Obviously all is fair in love and debts, as the state of Maryland is still owed 11 million.

Chicago’s victory celebration pales by comparison to the debt Maryland has incurred. Governor Martin O’Malley has been mysteriously quiet about the Obama bill in fear that his requests for “stimulus money” will be in jeopardy.

Hoping the citizens of Maryland won’t notice his obvious ignoring of the debt, the Mayor of Chicago has called Obama and the DNC to task, I’m wondering when Governor Martin O’Malley will………(note to Martin) …….most of the president’s
cabinet has been spoken for!