O'Malley's Raising Taxes

I guess it's no surprise that the governor of Maryland is proposing tax increases -- bees gotta buzz, birds gotta sing, and Democrats gotta raise taxes, right? But the shear scope of the plunder proposed by the Old Line State governor is impressive for its audacity. As reported in WaPo:

O'Malley is pushing the largest overhaul of Maryland's tax code in four decades. He has proposed raising the sales tax, the corporate income tax, the tobacco tax, the titling tax on vehicles and income taxes on upper-end earners.

The Post does note that O'Malley is seeking a "modest" tax cut for "most other people" and a reduction in the state property tax rate. Yes, well that's a lovely thought, I suppose, but the bottom line is that Gov O'Malley has decided to close a $1.7 billion budget shortfall by taking it out of the hide of his constituents. Must be nice to be a democrat governor in the bluest state in the country.

Republicans Poised to Lose VA Senate?

RealClearPolitics has an interesting article analyzing the prospects of the Republicans losing their six-seat majority in the Virginia Senate.

10/30 UPDATE: WaPo provides its take on the Virginia Senate race in a front page story highlighting Gov Tim Kaine's efforts to unseat Republicans. Buried in the article is an interesting angle that explains why the Republicans should lose:

Kaine's push to defeat Republicans in the General Assembly began last year, his first as governor, when he was trying to enact a statewide tax increase to pay for transportation improvements. Although he found GOP allies in the Senate, the House leadership balked, which prompted a budget impasse that almost forced a government shutdown. During the battle, top Senate leaders tried to get assurances from Kaine that he would not target them in 2007 if they continued to work with him to enact his transportation proposal.

So the Republicans were happy to go along with Kaine's proposal to raise taxes, as long as he agreed to let them keep their seats. Wow. Good for Tim Kaine for not going along. Here's hoping they all lose.

Alumni Pork

Hey guess what? You sent a hefty contribution of $6.4 million to Marshall University in West Virginia. You also made a generous donation of $11 million to the University of Alabama. Bet you didn't even realize it. The Examiner has a useful article shedding light on the ethically questionable practice of Senators earmarking funds for their alma maters. I guess the earmark reform that Congress vowed to pass has yet to kick in.

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