I am pleased to let you know that the Maryland General Assembly has recently adjourned for the year [2004], so the taxpayers are safe for another nine months! This year brought new challenges and some surprising successes for conservatives.
The Democratic left in the House of Delegates continued to obstruct the will of the people of Maryland. The people of Maryland elected Governor Ehrlich on his platform of smaller, common sense government.
People were tired of the Glendening administration rapidly increasing the size and cost of government!
Despite the fact that Governor Ehrlich won by a substantial margin, the liberal House Democrats see it as their job to thwart the will of the people. Candidate Ehrlich promised NOT to pay for Maryland's out of control spending by increasing taxes on income, sales or businesses, a pledge that I strongly advocated and support.
Speaker Mike Busch and the liberal House Democrats are committed to doing everything possible to make the Governor break this promise.
They held up much of his reform minded agenda including tort reform and urgent help for the horse racing industry, while trying to BLACKMAIL him into accepting MAJOR TAX INCREASES.
I have spoken to the Governor about this and I am happy to report to you that Governor Ehrlich is absolutely unwilling to break his campaign promises for any reason.
The Governor is steadfastly remaining true to his promises not to force overtaxed Marylanders to pay even more in taxes because of the reckless spending of the previous administration.
The liberal House Democrats forced through a massive tax increase package that would have cost hardworking families in the state about $1 billion dollars!
One of my OWN DELEGATES, DEMOCRAT MARY-DULANY JAMES caved in to the Speaker's pressure AND ACTUALLY CHANGED HER VOTE IN COMMITTEE TO BREAK A TIE VOTE.
AMAZINGLY, HER COMMITTEE VOTE FOR THIS 20% INCREASE IN THE SALES TAX WAS THE REASON THE BILL GOT TO THE HOUSE FLOOR! If she had voted against it in Committee, the bill would have died. Instead this vote passed the entire House of Delegates along partisan lines.
Luckily, we were able to stop this from becoming law in the Senate. The enormous tax increases would have raised the sales tax 20% in one year, expanded the sales tax to various services like health clubs, and "temporarily" increased the income tax on thousands of Maryland families.
Fortunately, we were able to stop it in the Senate this year, but the liberals in the legislature will not be content until they take more of your hard earned money. This is why they must be stopped! They don't recognize that hardworking individuals deserve to keep the fruit of their own labor.
We are very fortunate to have a Governor that understands the proper role of government. Governor Ehrlich has balanced the budget in a very conservative fashion.
Together, we have cut state spending by $1.3 billion dollars. Additionally, there are 5,000 fewer state workers than at the height of the Glendening administration.
We have done all of this without tapping the state's $500 million reserve fund so we can preserve our pristine AAA bond rating which saves us money in the long run. We are continuing to find efficiencies in government, and it is a beautiful thing TO WATCH THIS ADMINISTRATION IN ACTION.
The GOVERNOR is keeping his promises and making Maryland a more family friendly state. We are fast tracking road-building projects, to help with the horrible congestion problems created by the Glendening administration's LACK OF ACTION.
The Glendening administration wanted to control you. That's right, with your tax dollars they "encouraged" people to get out of their vehicles, take their state buses, trains etc… They wanted you to live in the cities, and not buy or build houses in the suburbs. They misused all the powers of the Governor in order to try their intellectual goals of "smart growth", "mass transit" and other follies.
They thought businesses were bad guys that needed to be punished with higher taxes and forced mandates because they brought pollution, growth, road congestion and other social ills.
In fact, while roads grew more and more congested, they purposefully did nothing. While you were sitting in traffic, they did not build one new road in eight years!
Now, because of the Governor's transportation package, dozens of NEW and sorely needed roads are being planned and built and expanded to accommodate Maryland's traffic.
We must keep this momentum going, we must keep this administration and its allies in office. That's why I am turning you as a trusted friend. I am asking you to stand beside Governor and me with a gift of $200, $100, or even $50.
The liberal Democrats would love to have another obstructionist in the Senate. The Montgomery County liberals and financial backers are plotting right now how to recapture Senate seats. Now is the time that I need your contribution of $500, $250, or $100 to ward off their looming threats.
I am grateful for your past support and I know I can count on your continued friendship. We cannot return to the tax and spend policies of the past. Please show your support today for the ideas of smaller government and lower taxes by giving a gift of $500, $100, or even $50.
I am grateful to count on you as a friend and ally. If I can ever be of assistance to you or your family, just give me a call or email me.
Sincerely,
Nancy Jacobs
Maryland State Senate
Cecil / Harford District 34
