Can't control spending? Furloughs and taxes should do it.

The waning economy evidently has caused governments to raise taxes and give it's workers furlough days to help balance the budget.

Hmmmm.

Maybe they should consider reevaluating current spending.

For this post I will address a situation close to my heart. The State of Maryland government.

I have a working knowledge of this as  I worked for the State for 18 years.
I made an adequate income. While not comparable to the private sector.
I didn't mind taking my furlough days. I was doing my part. I didn't mind not receiving my guaranteed step increases, or cost of living increases. I was doing my part.
But when my department of six managers and directors eventually became compiled of Two of us that had worked to attain our positions and the wife of another director, and three mayors of Maryland towns, it was getting a little too politically driven and obviously not result driven.

Finally I was informed that they wanted a new face on my department and my position was abolished. The mayor that took my duties is two grades higher than mine, and still calls to find out how to do the job.
Ultimately the majority of my duties were passed onto my staff of two hard working and dedicated State employees.
Saving dollars?

Gov. Martin O’Malley defeated Gov. Bob Ehrlich  in the 2006 Maryland election. People wanted another political party in office.
Gov. Ehrlich inherited a massive budget deficit and turned it into a $670 million surplus.
Gov. O'Malley inherited this surplus and quickly turned it into $2 billion deficit.
Two separate groups found that O'Malleys budget for Maryland had $250 million in wasteful and duplicate spending on the first 15 pages. The budget was over 800 pages long.


Martin O’Malley  spearheaded the passage of a $1.4 billion tax increase in 2007.
Minimum of 3 furlough days for all State employees.
Also eliminating hundreds of State positions.
He included an increase in the number of employees assigned to his office as well as an increaseof the salaries for his appointees.

Of course the political sheep followed and passed this budgetary wonder.

 Meanwhile the Governor said "I will take my furlough days too".
What a guy. While eating the food, living in the house, heating and cooling it, and riding around in his assigned limo, all at the tax payers expense.

Several State agencies had employees that took their furlough days and worked overtime during the same week to achieve this governors image driven agenda.

A Cato Institute study found Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley to be  the worst governor in America on fiscal issues.

O'Malley is a great example of politics in this great contry adding to spending but not reducing current "comfort" spending  on existing wasteful and duplicate spending.

Please help. Pay attention and remember in November.