New Taxes

Howard County is launching a volunteer program this year to help people of limited means prepare and electronically file their taxes for free. The county has started the service this tax season as a pilot program, said Rebecca Bowman, administrator of the county's Office of Consumer Affairs. "We are hoping to interest the nonprofits to take on doing it in the future," she said. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, is part of a program operating across the country.

Nobody asked me, but ... Now that University of Maryland researchers have found a threefold jump in deaths and injuries among pedestrians who don't hear trains and cars because they're using headphones and earplugs, I'll make a prediction: Eighty percent of Americans won't hear this news because they'll be listening to music on their iPods. Of the remainder, 5 percent will take it as a warning to stop listening to music as they walk, and 15 percent will take it as a cue to stop walking.

Just doin' the Google and putting the pieces together, in an attempt to determine Christopher H. Lee's political affiliation (without actually asking the man), and the good guess was Republican. Years ago, after his graduation from the Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Lee wrote speeches for two Republican lawmakers from Ohio, and in 1998, when he started his Highstar Capital investment company, he did so with uber-lobbyist and GOP insider Wayne Berman. Plus, he lives in Ruxton. So that pretty much marks Mr. Lee as a Republican, and probably a mainstream Romney Republican as opposed to the tea party kind of Republican.

Recently, The Sun challenged my decision to vote against a proposal to raise the State of Maryland's debt ceiling from $925 million to $1.075 billion in the upcoming fiscal year ("Franchot drifts right," Dec. 26). While I appreciate that others may not share my point of view, I was surprised that The Sun would resort to name calling in expressing its disagreement. The accusation that I had "gone over to the side of anti-government activism" was simply outrageous, as was the suggestion that I was now in philosophical alignment with the tea party.

Conservatives sure like to whine about everything all the time like a bunch of overgrown babies, but I really had to laugh at the recent letter from Al Eisner ("Maryland's proposed gas tax increase is a travesty," Oct. 17). I mean, c'mon, a measly 15-cent gas tax? Last time I checked at the pump, gas has fallen about 50 cents in the past few months. Adjusting for inflation, the price of gas is now cheaper than it was when I started driving 30 years ago. And look at the lousy condition of the roads.

During the Republican presidential candidates' debate at Dartmouth College the other night, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was asked his choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve. Grinning, he replied: "I haven't chosen that person. I haven't even chosen a vice president. I'm not sure I'm the nominee yet. " But he clearly acted as though he were. A frequent target of the other hopefuls, the previously benign Mr. Romney dealt with them this time like the knowing adult in the roomful of snappish school kids.

In approximately six weeks the Maryland General Assembly will meet in a special session to perform its constitutional duty to reapportion the state for congressional districts. The reapportionment is necessary so congressional districts reflect the new population data from the 2010 census. During the special session it is important state legislators not waiver from their task of approving a reapportionment plan. For that reason, they should not consider any new taxes or major policy initiatives.

I find it absolutely incredible that any politician in a sound state of mind would consider implementing new taxes and/or raising existing taxes. The governor of this state hinted last week that additional taxes would be considered in 2012 ("O'Malley puts tax increases on the table for 2012 legislature," Aug. 20). With unemployment hovering around 10 percent and much higher in urban areas, record high food prices, high gasoline prices, high electric rates, and high natural gas and fuel oil prices, most families and small businesses are just making ends meet.

Word has it that the Maryland General Assembly wants to meet this fall, raise some new taxes, and hope we don't notice. Well folks, we will notice. We will notice if you want to tax our repair services when people are getting things fixed that they can't afford to replace. We will notice a tax on our health clubs at a time when Americans are trying to fight obesity. We also notice if you want to tax engineering services at a time when building is already suffering. Cable TV is already too high, and you want to tax that too?

In his commentary ("GOP: Tax the poor, protect the rich" Aug. 21), Dan Rodricks indicates that Republicans are saying that it may be time to tax the poor. We are already taxing the poor in Maryland. The state sales tax was raised, and the tax on beer was raised. These are taxes that are paid by everyone, but they hurt the poor more than the wealthy people. Gov. O'Malley now wants to raise the gas tax, and that again will hurt the poor the most. The Democrats control the Maryland House and Senate.