Similarly, few believe it when you say taxes have been reduced. The General Assembly and the administration of Gov. Parris N. Glendening lowered the state income tax by 10 percent in the 1990s. The cut was made over several years, so it was hardly noticeable. Also, because wages have hardly risen for the middle class in recent years, no one felt much relief. Tax cuts for the wealthy at the national level have redoubled the feeling that high-rollers are the only ones who matter.
Though governed for decades by Democrats, Maryland is a very fiscally responsible state that must, by law, balance its budget every year. Many just don't believe it. And they're not ready in the current crisis to accept the solutions.
"People can't understand that when they lose their house, it's their problem," says Senator Rosapepe, "but when a bank loses its collateral, that's also their problem."
But he does not think specific issues of that kind signal a fundamental loss of faith in leadership. "It's not that the public doesn't trust anyone," he says. "It's that people don't trust George Bush. I think it will be different by a mile six weeks from now, when Barack Obama or even John McCain is president-elect."
Maryland, in particular, has seen breathtaking losses of faith in politicians before. In the 1970s, a Marylander who was vice president of the United States, Spiro T. Agnew, was forced to resign to avoid criminal charges; a governor, Marvin Mandel, served 20 months in federal prison for political corruption (although the conviction was later overturned); and an assortment of local officials went to jail.
The state survived. Voters demanded change and found new leaders who served well and honorably. Something similar may be going on now at the national level. A new president is about to be elected, and last week, reacting to angry constituent mail, Congress passed a bailout bill at least somewhat more helpful to Main Street.
C. Fraser Smith is senior news analyst at WYPR-FM. His column appears Sundays. His e-mail is fsmith@wypr.org.
