According to sources and published reports from The Washington Post, Hometown Annapolis, Maryland State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (enough with that long name already) has held the Maryland budget hostage because he didn’t have the votes to pass gambling legislation.
By all estimates, even if the gambling legislation passed, it wouldn’t go into effect until 2016, so what’s the big push? Why would a legislator of Miller’s long tenure hold an entire state budget hostage because he wants to add table games to existing Maryland casinos and a brand new casino in Prince George’s County? Could it be because Miller’s family built Rosecroft Raceways in the 1940s and maybe he stands to gain? Or could it be just as the reporters and other legislators are saying, it’s time for State Senator Thomas Miller to go?
I’m not well acquainted with Mr. Miller and this is no way for me to come to know him. Sure I’ll go back and check his record, but for right now, I’m totally appalled that he would be so slack concerning the people he allegedly represents. Maryland voters have in no way signaled that gambling or gay marriage, for that matter, are crucial issues. According to published studies by Opinionworks and Gonzales Research, the top concerns for Marylanders are the economy and jobs, and Democrats & Republicans oppose increasing the amount of slot machines and gambling establishments.
If Governor O’Malley doesn’t call a special session of the General Assembly to pass a budget, a “Doomsday” budget goes into effect. I think the “doomsday” title was attached to scare everyone into believing their trash would never be picked up and the county would stop teaching children to read during the day hours. In reality, the budget would see $512 million dollars in cuts. Prince George’s County would foot $63 million of those cuts, and $13 million of that would be direct aid to schools. I don’t want there to be cuts to education nor do I believe it’s required. I KNOW that there is enough waste, fraud, and abuse of funds for those cuts to be made elsewhere SO DO IT. There are millions of dollars in child support owed to County residents, back taxes owed by County residents, Medicaid/Medicare fraud, and general mismanagement of funds. If County officials pursued just those four areas, we could easily save $13 million dollars.
But back to Maryland State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (enough with that long name already) and let’s add County Executive Rushern Baker: GET YOUR COLLECTIVE ACTS TOGETHER AND SERVE THE PEOPLE. Maybe a “doomsday” budget is just what the state needs. This might be just the vehicle to force politicians and officials to come up with innovative, cost-effective plans to better the County in the best interest of the residents.
Every Marylander and especially residents of Prince George’s County need to become a poll of one, deliver the results to O’Malley, Delegates, State Senators, et. al.: GET TO WORK ON MY BEHALF OR GET OUT!
