Tax Policy

WASHINGTON - To those who came to know him along the way, what made Pat Moynihan such a special figure in American public life was less the distinction of his career than the enormous pleasure he drew from it. Whether arguing foreign policy or welfare reform or highway design, he enjoyed himself immensely. He saw politics as a way to achieve great purposes, not just the self-aggrandizement so obviously prized by so many men and women who achieve high office. In his four terms in the Senate and the staggering list of appointive posts he held under four presidents, Pat loved the game.

What follows may sound like a message from the Dead Horse Beatings Division of The Aegis editorials operation, but it's a message that bears repeating: Government spending should be based on anticipated tax revenues, or, to put it another way, tax policy should not be adjusted simply because more government spending is approved. For the past several years, the state government, through a single term of a Republican governor and a term and a half from the current Democratic governor, has had the attitude that planning to spend more than is being brought in constitutes a "structural deficit" that can be resolved only by bringing in more revenue.

Vice President Joe Biden was stronger in Thursday's debate than challenger Rep. Paul Ryan, but the matchup didn't produce the kind of clear winner that the debate between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney did. Joe Biden was Joe Biden - garrulous and heartfelt, yet unabashedly aggressive in defending the administration and attacking the opposition. Paul Ryan was Paul Ryan - wonkish, earnest and controlled. Mr. Biden largely dominated the exchange in a way that will appeal to some and may turn off others.

WASHINGTON -- As President-elect Bill Clinton searches for ways to cut the budget deficit, invest in the economy and provide tax "fairness," keep an eye on your gasoline pump.At both the federal and state levels, the sales tax on gasoline is an increasingly attractive answer for politicians seeking a quick infusion of cash without resorting to a broad-based rise in the income tax.The federal government has more than tripled its gasoline tax in two big bites over the past decade, while the Maryland General Assembly has approved four separate gas tax increases over the same period.

Maryland lawmakers appear to have more than a few quibbles with Gov.Martin O'Malley's proposal to raise taxes to help eliminate a projected $1 billion shortfall next year. So, with six weeks left in the legislative session, they are preparing to rewrite the budget game plan through some combination of spending cuts and new taxes. Uh-oh. Marylanders will recall the last time the General Assembly decided to take the initiative on taxes - specifically, a plan to broaden the sales tax base.

WASHINGTON -- For all the talk about President Clinton's TC shaky beginning, a scorecard on what he's done in his first two weeks, or reaffirmed he will do, compared with campaign promises already broken, is overall a favorable one.In the two issues that have created controversies -- his nomination of Zoe Baird to be attorney general and his determination to end discrimination against gays in the military -- he actually kept promises made in the late campaign.Baird's...

Visitors to Ocean City are often struck by the contrasting fortunes of the vacant Ocean Plaza Mall on 94 t h Street and the bustle of development along U.S. 50 in West Ocean City , with its new Walmart and other big-box stores. There are a number of reasons for this, but one in particular sticks in the resort town's collective craw: double taxation. In essence, property owners in Ocean City have been subsidizing sprawl development outside town limits, a self-destructive policy that can only be described as dumb growth.

Dan Rodricks turned his editorial fire on me for standing up against income tax increases passed by the state Senate that would hit nearly all Marylanders in this sluggish economy ("Maybe Bobby Zirkin should be a Republican," March 20). Mr. Rodricks seems to believe that any Democrat who dares to speak against taxes or challenges party orthodoxy in any way is worthy of his scorn. Mr. Rodricks also apparently sees no problem with the type of divisive rhetoric that pits citizen versus citizen.

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.

After T. Rowe Price executives recapped last year's highlights at Tuesday's annual meeting, a shareholder raised concerns about the loss of a top money manager, competition from exchange-traded funds and an Obama Administration tax proposal that could dampen Price's retirement business. President and CEO James A. C. Kennedy said that Kris Jenner, the former manager of T. Rowe Price Health Sciences Fund, left "millions" in deferred compensation on the table by leaving the company in February.