O'Malley wants more details on Ehrlich's Roadmap
Gov. Martin O'Malley's campaign deployed an on-line only commercial Friday calling out Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. for failing to provide details about how he will pay for some of his campaign promises.
The big ticket items include repealing a penny from the sales tax, ending furloughs for state workers, returning road construction funds to the locals and exempting military retiree pensions from the income tax. A conservative estimate of the cost is $766 million. (In order: $600 million + $64 million + $60 million + $42 million).
Its true that Ehrlich hasn't said how he'd pay for those ideas, and the commercial is fashioned around a response Ehrlich gave after reporters asked about that. He said: "The more detailed proposals will have to wait for later in the campaign, and quite frankly, for November 3rd." The general election is Nov. 2.
Ehrlich's response is played twice during the ad along with tape from news reports pointing out that Ehrlich hasn't accounted for the costs. O'Malley's team then takes a shot at Ehrlich, saying "Nov. 3 is too late to reveal plans to voters."
Ehrlich camp didn't reply to the substance of the spot, but threw the ball back to the governor. “Martin O’Malley’s hypocrisy has no limits," said Ehrlich campaign spokesman Henry Fawell. "Martin O’Malley refuses to be honest about how he will pay for his own campaign commitments."
Fawell lists "$8 billion in deficits" and "$3.6 billion in mass transit commitments" as O'Malley unpaid plans. The $8 billion figure came from January estimates, though a more current budget document shows the math really comes to $6.1 billion. By that same measure, Ehrlich left O'Malley with projections for $4.5 billion in deficits when he left office.
The transit commitments refer to the projected costs for building the Purple Line light rail connecting Montgomery and Prince George's counties plus a planned Red Line running east-west in Baltimore. O'Malley has said that he would not move forward with those projects unless the feds kick in about half of the funds. But, with the state pushing against its debt levels, it is unclear how the second half would be funded.
The big ticket items include repealing a penny from the sales tax, ending furloughs for state workers, returning road construction funds to the locals and exempting military retiree pensions from the income tax. A conservative estimate of the cost is $766 million. (In order: $600 million + $64 million + $60 million + $42 million).
Its true that Ehrlich hasn't said how he'd pay for those ideas, and the commercial is fashioned around a response Ehrlich gave after reporters asked about that. He said: "The more detailed proposals will have to wait for later in the campaign, and quite frankly, for November 3rd." The general election is Nov. 2.
Ehrlich's response is played twice during the ad along with tape from news reports pointing out that Ehrlich hasn't accounted for the costs. O'Malley's team then takes a shot at Ehrlich, saying "Nov. 3 is too late to reveal plans to voters."
Ehrlich camp didn't reply to the substance of the spot, but threw the ball back to the governor. “Martin O’Malley’s hypocrisy has no limits," said Ehrlich campaign spokesman Henry Fawell. "Martin O’Malley refuses to be honest about how he will pay for his own campaign commitments."
Fawell lists "$8 billion in deficits" and "$3.6 billion in mass transit commitments" as O'Malley unpaid plans. The $8 billion figure came from January estimates, though a more current budget document shows the math really comes to $6.1 billion. By that same measure, Ehrlich left O'Malley with projections for $4.5 billion in deficits when he left office.
The transit commitments refer to the projected costs for building the Purple Line light rail connecting Montgomery and Prince George's counties plus a planned Red Line running east-west in Baltimore. O'Malley has said that he would not move forward with those projects unless the feds kick in about half of the funds. But, with the state pushing against its debt levels, it is unclear how the second half would be funded.
Comments
: "The more detailed proposals will have to wait for later in the campaign, and quite frankly, for November 3rd." The general election is Nov. 2.
and no one in the media called Bob Ehrlich out on that?
Posted by: Anonymous | September 25, 2010 10:17 AM
Oh please - lets go over the Martin O'Malley accomplishment list....
1. We got a 50% rise in electricity rates, which he swore to stop if we made him governor...
2. We got a sales tax increase that was supposed to raise $700 million, but only raises $400 million...
3. We got a idiotic slots bill that is supposed to fund education, but is so badly thought out that nobody opens a slots parlor and NO revenue comes in...
4. We get a 'millionaires tax' that runs people out of the state so that we actually take in LESS revenue.
Go ahead Marylanders - just keep mindlessly pulling the D lever in the voting booth while a few thousand more businesses move into Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania as Uncle Martin and the boys down in Annapolis decide which businesses need to have their services taxed. As I remember their 'computer services' sales tax was such a big hit that they had to repeal it 6 months later.
Posted by: Okay | September 26, 2010 12:46 AM
"1. We got a 50% rise in electricity rates, which he swore to stop if we made him governor..."
O'Malley got a $2 Bil concession on the de-commissioning costs for Calvert Cliffs, whereas Ehrlich simply threw up his hands.
"2. We got a sales tax increase that was supposed to raise $700 million, but only raises $400 million..."
So you are upset that Marylanders have $300 Mil extra in their pockets? Wow.
"3. We got a idiotic slots bill that is supposed to fund education, but is so badly thought out that nobody opens a slots parlor and NO revenue comes in..."
Idiotic? Any specifics about how this is more "idiotic than the Ehrlich plan (or lack thereof)? Of course not. In fact the speed with which slots parlosrs are being built is a direct result of the lack of construction financing available (except for in Anne Arundel, where Ehrlich's Womble group is gumming up the works.
"4. We get a 'millionaires tax' that runs people out of the state so that we actually take in LESS revenue."
Absolutely no proof of this. In fact, just as likely (or more so if you know anything about the impact the financial crisis had) is that people who used to earn >$1 Mil no longer do because of the decline in the stock market.
Posted by: IPFrehley | September 26, 2010 5:45 PM
Of course Bob Ehrlich wants to wait until November 3rd. He will need stuff totalk about hen he is back on the radio.
Posted by: Tony | September 27, 2010 9:45 AM
Of course O'Malley wants more details of Ehrlich's roadmap. He wants to copy it. O'Malley doesn't have any ideas (except raising taxes & fees). He didn't have any 4 years ago when he made all those empty promises you suckers fell for.
I'm voting for Ehrlich.
Posted by: MyXxcellency | September 27, 2010 11:03 AM
He wants more details because he wants to force Ehrlich to say what "fees" he is going to raise to make up for the revenue differential. Last time he was in office, taxes went up $8 Bil between 2003 and 2007.
(check them out if you doubt it, they are all right here:
http://www.dbm.maryland.gov/agencies/operbudget/Pages/OperatingBudget.aspx )
How much will they go up this time?
Posted by: IPFrehley | September 27, 2010 5:03 PM