States of the State: A Retrospective
Gov. Martin O'Malley has now delivered four years' worth of State of the State addresses. I've mined the Baltimore Sun archives for highlights from previous years. Let's start with the one he delivered at noon today:
2010
Quotable line: “... A dark thing that has penetrated deep into our collective soul ... that somehow we are destined to decline, backslide and fail.”
Notable theme: Jobs, jobs. jobs. About 30 mentions, in fact.
Republican reaction: “There seemed to be a disconnect with sincerity and a disconnect with reality,” said Del. Anthony J. O’Donnell, the House of Delegates minority leader. “People have struggled mightily over the past three or four years, as he has raised every kind of tax imaginable. And now he wants sympathy and to form some kind of bond with those people?”
Full speech
Note: MarylandReporter.com has created a snazzy word cloud with this year's speech.
2009
Quotable line: "Two reasons. Barack ... Obama." O'Malley delivered that line as he told lawmakers the final budget they consider in April will likely be better than the one he submitted to them.
Notable theme: The new president will help us.
Republican reaction: Senate Minority Leader Allan H. Kittleman described the address as "the most partisan speech I have ever seen from the State of the State." Del. Warren E. Miller, a Howard County Republican, called the address "heavy on partisan rhetoric, light on relief for our taxpayers."
Full speech
2008
Quotable line: "The people of our state deserve a state government that works as hard as they do."
Notable theme: "The most important days in life are not always the easy days," he said three times in his address, acknowledging the pain many Marylanders are feeling from a slowing economy and the state's efforts to balance its budget.
Republican reaction: Del. Christopher B. Shank, a Western Maryland Republican and the minority whip, said O'Malley was right to say Marylanders are hurting. "But what he failed to do is recognize that one of the reasons for the hurt is that he pushed one of the largest tax increases in Maryland's history through the General Assembly," Shank said.
Full speech
2007
Quotable line: "We cannot resolve every unsettled issue in just 90 days, nor can we heal in 90 days divisions that were four years in the making. But we must do all that we can to maximize the effectiveness of this session and these four years for the people of our state."
Notable theme: Let's work together.
Republican reaction: Shank said O'Malley has taken no real steps to close the projected budget shortfall this year, and that will only make the problem worse next year. "It's setting the stage for a massive tax increase next session. I didn't follow the metaphor about bread and fishes, but it sounded like taxes to me."
Full speech
Comments
Lofty rhetoric with zero results. Higher taxes, higher unemployment, more foreclosures, fired state employees (working Marylanders), higher tuition, cuts to education spending. In honor of Super Bowl week, O'Malley moves the field goal farther down the field in hopes that Obama will bail him out.
Posted by: Julia | February 2, 2010 4:50 PM
O'Malley has made his last State of the State address. Good riddance. He has failed as Governor in every way imaginable.
Posted by: Frank Rizzo | February 3, 2010 8:12 AM
So,,,,,,,
What is the point you are trying make here? I heard the rebuttal by Kitterman and he did not give any plan on how to fix problems only to say that O'Malley had no plan. What about the flush tax that was implemented by Erlich was that not a tax? Would that not effect everyone. O'Malley raised sales tax. Everyone talks about "Big Governmaent" whether you like it or not you have to have government in your lives, ie; Police Firefighters ,infrastructure, miltary. What about Toyota? Is that not a service of the government who made the recall to protect the consumers?(that is you and I if you do not know)Does anyone remember the 1930's and GOVERNMENT stepping in to create jobs since there was no such thing as unemployment,that is when our infrastucture was built and our national parks. Did we not pay back that deficit and get the economy going?
Posted by: Chuck | February 3, 2010 11:53 AM
Chuck,
What I think people are trying to see once the federal gov't stilmus money is gone.
How is the State of Maryland going to keep the jobs or services going after that?
More than likely if this same bunch is in again. It means more of our tax money going to goverment.
As you seen in the news the federal government is asking the banks for a fee for bailing them out.
What makes you think since we took some of that money that we have certain requirements to keep up.
Becuase if we do not the feds could easily ask us for the money back and we be more worse mess then as compare to what we are facing now.
There is saying there is nothing free in this world. Everything has a price tag.
Just remeber that if this bunch in Annapolis get sent back again after this Nov election.
I expect another increase our taxes just like the last time.
Even with the tax increase the last 3 years deficit has been 2 billion. How can that be if the tax increase saved us.
You can in increase tax every year but if people are not working and not recieving wage increases you lose that tax dollars.
Posted by: Les | February 3, 2010 10:35 PM