Following up from this post, the Maryland budget has cleared the state senate and advanced in the House set for a final vote today, we have some choice reactions from some of the state’s democrats:

First up is Delegate Benjamin Kramer of Montgomery County: “I’m concerned there’s a lack of understanding about the implications. Are we making Montgomery County uncompetitive with Fairfax? There is a tipping point, and I think we are perilously close to it right now.” He is referring to Fairfax County, Virginia – the county just across the Potomac river from Montgomery County, MD.  A likely and easy destination for MoCo residents to move in protest, anger or avoidance of the higher taxes and disproportionate taxing of the county (note that with the higher taxes proposed, MoCo residents will bear 40% of the additional revenue forecasted by this plan but only has 18% of the state’s taxpayers).

“The irony is, I don’t hear fellow Democrats criticizing Rep. [Chris] Van Hollen, Sen. [Benjamin L.] Cardin or Sen. [Barbara A.] Mikulski because they are not standing up to President Obama because our county is going to pay too much in taxes,” said Senator Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery County) referring to Maryland Democrats in Congress.  “It’s funny that as progressive Democrats, we value it at the national level, but at the state level, it’s like ‘whoa,’ ”

Of course, it’s all about being fair (for a side discussion on fair, I refer you to the esteemed ‘Puter, who is always right).

Senator Roger Manno (D-Montgomery), who drafted the income-tax plan, said he knew few would be pleased with the outcome and said, “My guiding principle in this whole thing is to try to do what’s fair, whether it’s popular or not.” He acknowledged he had heard from many constituents, including his next-door neighbor, with concerns about the tax increase. Senator Allan H. Kittleman (R-Howard) said he was confused why so many Montgomery County Democrats would support the plan. “If they vote for the income tax increase, they’re voting against the interests of a lot of their citizens.”

The real question is, if this passes, whether Montgomery County and Maryland voters will make this felt in the next elections.

GorT

GorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the future and return it to the past for retroinvention. The profits from this pay all the Gormogons’ bills, including subsidizing this website. Some of the products he has introduced from the future include oven mitts, the Guinness widget, Oxy-Clean, and Dr. Pepper. Due to his immense cybernetic brain, GorT is able to produce a post in 0.023 seconds and research it in even less time. Only ’Puter spends less time on research. GorT speaks entirely in zeros and ones, but occasionally throws in a ڭ to annoy the Volgi. He is a massive proponent of science, technology, and energy development, and enjoys nothing more than taking the Czar’s more interesting scientific theories, going into the past, publishing them as his own, and then returning to take credit for them. He is the only Gormogon who is capable of doing math. Possessed of incredible strength, he understands the awesome responsibility that follows and only uses it to hurt people.