What's the situation with the deficit?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

I don't live in Maryland any more, but I try to still keep appraised of the news there. I know there has been an issue lately because of the budget deficit and the likelihood of having to raise taxes.

I like Martin O'Malley a lot. However, I'm worried the Republicans are going to make a big stink about the taxes (which from what I heard are mostly aimed at the higher brackets), and that they will try to blame the deficit on him. My gut feeling is that the deficit is a leftover legacy of Ehrlich. Is that in fact the case? I hate to see a smear done to O'Malley like that was done to Grey Davis in California, where the situation created by his Republican predecessor was unjustly blamed on him.

So what exactly is the budget deficit situation?

[nealzonwheelz]

1. to be frank we are

in a 1.7 billion dollar hole, and the only way to cover some of that debt is to raise the taxes of that 5%, who ALWAYS threaten to go to VA because their taxes are to high. Yet they seem to always stay and pay what they should to assist with the MD economy.

[CC]

2. They were going to smear O'Malley no matter

what. That is all they have is smear, well that and hiding the R when they run for something. Ehrlich left a structural deficit, O'Malley is trying to balance the budget the repukes are screaming like it will kill us all.
One good thing is O'Malley tackled it in his first year in office so people that refuse to use their brains have a few more years to get used to it and over it. Hell the letter writers that wrote complaining about the flush tax are now writing how Ehrlich never raised taxes.:rofl:

[LiberalEsto]

3. Part of it is the ICC

The state is spending much of its road budget this year and the next few years to build this stupid 18-mile InterCounty Connector.

Lots of people don't want it, and it will mess up the environment significantly. And to top it off, after it's finished, this highway built with our tax dollars will charge at least $7 toll each way. That's a hell of a lot of toll money.

If the state government were serious about cutting the budget, they could postpone the ICC for a few more years until the economy improves.