Tax And Spending

WASHINGTON - The head of Congress' auditing arm warned yesterday that "imprudent and unsustainable" federal borrowing is driving the nation toward a fiscal crisis. The comments by David M. Walker, head of the General Accounting Office, come as a number of conservatives have begun to criticize the Bush administration and the Republican-led Congress for failing to hold the line on spending. Both branches of government are blinded by political "nearsightedness and tunnel vision" and are failing to see that government borrowing is out of control, Walker said at a breakfast meeting with reporters.

We will win, but then lose the gulf warWe would do well to read Rami Khouri's column (Global View, Jan. 24), as we will have many occasions in the future to recall his prophetic words.In winning the war which we will against Iraq (or is it against Saddam, Mr. Bush?), we will have lost everything in the Middle East! Every opportunity which we may have had to establish the right of each Arab country to self-determination and self-fulfillment, unfettered by our own greedy interests, will have been squandered.

When Maryland's General Assembly ended its 90-day session Monday night, it was as if lawmakers consciously tried to capsulize their four-year term in one long, final day.They killed any bill too complicated or controversial. They buried anything that might interfere with their re-election plans. They passed a handful of "feel-good" measures that neither did much nor hurt anyone.When the midnight adjournment arrived and confetti was dumped on the presiding officers, an epitaph for members of the legislative class of 1991-1994 could have been written: "They treaded water."

Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget proposes a $1.4 billion increase in spending over last year ("O'Malley offers $37.3 billion plan," Jan. 17). Spending has increased 26 percent since 2008, taxes have been raised 24 times and high-income earners have fled the state due to unfriendly tax policies. Bechtel and Northrop Grumman have moved to Virginia, along with hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now a 15-cent increase in gas tax? Florida, Tennessee and Texas have no income tax, Indiana is calling for a 10 percent tax cut. New Mexico's governor has called for slashing corporate taxes to 4.9 percent.

It is good to see a Democrat - Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot - who does not pay homage to the tax and spend (as much as they can get away with) economic philosophy of the left ("Franchot drifts right," Dec. 26). Hopefully, he is keeping our alabaster nanny, Gov. Martin O'Malley, awake at nights. Common sense (and not political vote buying) has to prevail at some point. Lyle Rescott, Marriottsville

There is just no end to Gov.Martin O'Malley's tax-and-spend program. Recently, he indicated that he will propose a 6 percent sales tax on all wholesale gasoline purchases. His excuse now is that wants to use the money for transportation projects. As the price of gasoline is likely to surge toward $5 per gallon this summer, there just is no relief in sight. This makes it the second time that Mr. O'Malley has proposed a major tax increase this year, as he floated the idea of raising the retail sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent on the opening day of the General Assembly session.

Shame on Gov, Martin O'Malley and the General Assembly for talking about raising taxes and fees during a major recession. With gas prices hovering around $3.50 per gallon, we don't need any more burdens placed on us. It appears the only way Maryland residents and businesses can escape the clutches of tax-and-spend Democrats is to vote with their feet and move to a more fiscally friendly state. John A. Malagrin, Baltimore

Regarding your story on the legislative session that opens this week ("Big 'to do' list in Annapolis," Jan. 9): You gotta love House Speaker Michael Busch: He's so tenured, so entrenched and so oblivious to the nonsensicality of his own words when he says things like "I'm going to pass a tax increase," and "we're going to put people back to work. " His is a truly warped understanding of how a free market economy is supposed to function. To think that by taking ever more money from citizens the government can engineer sustainable economic growth is both presumptuous and doomed to failure.

It's not surprising The Sun stands with the Democrats' proposal to cut $1.2 trillion from the deficit by imposing a $1 trillion tax increase ("Next, the voters' turn," Nov. 23). But to claim, as you do, that the public agrees with this never-ending tax-and-spend policy is proof of how far the newspaper will go to prop up the Democrats. Your claim that President Obama and the Democrats on the supercommittee offered up plans in line with the Bowles-Simpson commission is totally baseless.

Baltimore County Executive Roger B. Hayden has appointed his former campaign treasurer and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for state comptroller to head key advisory panels on taxes and spending.Larry M. Epstein, a certified public accountant who was defeated last fall by Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein, will head a Tax Equity Committee. The panel will seek ways to make taxes more equitable and recommend "how a new [tax] system could be implemented through the legislative process," said Carol Hirschburg, a spokeswoman for Mr. Hayden.