Revenue

Democrats in the House of Delegates, who for the first half of this legislative session shied away from the issue of raising money for transportation, will draft a revenue package of their own in answer to one proposed earlier by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. House Speaker Michael E. Busch said his party will consider various tax options in a bid to raise at least $600 million a year for transportation. Democratic delegates have been spurred into action by the Virginia legislature's approval last week of a plan to raise $880 million for transportation through a combination of tax increases and transfers of funds from other budget priorities.

Why does the Republican Party think that blocking government from functioning is a good thing ("The GOP sequester," Feb. 22)? In terms of the "sequestration" issue, they refuse to consider more revenue while insisting on more cuts to spending. Yet, the Budget Control Act of 2011 reduced spending by $1.5 trillion while increasing revenue by only $600 billion. More cuts without additional revenue to sustain economic recovery is simply irresponsible. Don't let the Republican House push the country into recession!

Millennial Media Inc., a Baltimore-based mobile advertising company, reported Tuesday that it earned a $2.6 million profit, or 3 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31. A year earlier, the company lost $1.2 million, or 7 cents per share. Revenue in the quarter reached $58 million, up from $34.5 million the year before. For the year, Millennial lost $6.8 million, or 11 cents per share, compared with a $5.3 million loss, or 32 cents per share, for all of 2011. The company said it expects revenue for the first quarter of this year to range from $48 million to $50 million, and $270 million to $280 million for the full year.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller reported progress in discussions with Gov. Martin O'Malley on the issue of raising money for roads, bridges and transit projects, saying the governor could submit legislation of his own to fund transportation. Miller said the governor assured him in a conversation Tuesday morning that he would work with Speaker Michael E. Busch to develop proposals that might be acceptable in the House of Delegates. "It's definitely progress. It's late in the session for moving forward but it's certainly progress,"  Miller said.

For the fifth year in a row, Del. Eric M. Bromwell has introduced a bill to authorize slot machines at BWI Marshall Airport It's Bromwell's attempt to infuse the state treasury — specifically the Transportation Trust Fund — with gambling money, and the Baltimore County Democrat said he has no intention of giving up. "I consider this to be the ultimate alternative to a gas tax," he said. "This is exactly how we pay for roads. " The bill would authorize up to 2,500 slot machines in the airport's main terminal beyond the security screening area.

Baltimore-based apparel manufacturer Under Armour announced fourth-quarter profits of $506 million, representing a 25 percent increase from the same period in 2011. The company also announced its full-year revenues of $1.835 billion represented a 25 percent increase, year over year. "We closed 2012 strongly, delivering net revenue growth of at least 20% for the eleventh consecutive quarter in Q4 by building upon key apparel technology platforms like Storm Fleece and Charged Cotton," Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement.

With respect to liquor licenses, the state of Maryland is pushing in one direction, and the city of Baltimore in another. Both moves will hurt small businesses, and as a byproduct, if we are not careful, Carroll County businesses could be hurt or destroyed. Carroll's Board of County Commissioners needs to take precautionary action now. The state views alcoholic beverage sales as an income stream. Hence, there is a proposal to open off-sale liquor licenses to grocery stores and such.

When it comes to fixing America's ballooning debt problem, there is one policy option that both Democrats and Republicans should be rushing to embrace. It is the proposal to replace the current Consumer Price Index (CPI) with a more accurate measure of price inflation: the Chained-CPI. If this index were used to calculate cost of living increases in Social Security benefits, income tax brackets and the like, the government could realize significant savings. The current CPI's exaggerated estimates of inflation are a wasteful leak in the fiscal pipeline.

While Maryland lawmakers debate whether to subsidize a large wind energy project in the Atlantic Ocean off Ocean City , an Annapolis company is moving ahead with plans for the state's third land-based wind "farm. " Synergics Wind Energy LLC, which built Maryland's second wind project along a mountain ridge near the West Virginia border, is seeking state and local permits to erect 24 turbines on similar terrain just west of Frostburg in Garrett County. But the proposal is renewing concerns raised by some western Maryland resident about the state's first two wind projects, in particular the towering windmills' proximity to homes and their potential to kill birds and bats, including one listed as endangered in Maryland.