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Unity Is Urged as Assembly Convenes
Paul Hnarakis of Gaithersburg, holding sign, was part of a gathering of about 250 protesters near the State House.
(By Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post)
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The Democrats' plans to raise taxes were also the target of a rally outside the State House earlier in the day in which some in the crowd of about 250 held signs calling for O'Malley's impeachment and deriding "Socialist Politicians Posing As Democrats."
"What we're witnessing today is the flight of common sense from Maryland," Del. Warren E. Miller (R-Howard) told the crowd.
During his address to a packed House chamber, O'Malley appealed for the cooperation of both parties and said the challenge facing lawmakers was "as timeless as the human condition itself."
"Will the circumstances we've inherited change us, or will we change our circumstances?" O'Malley said. "It's time for us to correct our course. It is time for us to pass a long-term budget solution that's fairer to middle-class families."
House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery) praised O'Malley for providing "clear goals" last night. "But it's the details that are going to be complex," Barve said. "The call to action is always the easiest part of these endeavors."
The governor argued that the shortfall will only grow if his call is not heeded during the special session.
To balance the budget in the coming years, O'Malley is counting on increased collections from income, sales, corporate and tobacco taxes starting in January. If the legislature waits until next year to raise those taxes, O'Malley has said he will be forced to propose more than $500 million in additional spending cuts or tax increases.
The governor's proposal for a slots referendum appears to have significantly improved the prospects for resolving an issue that paralyzed Annapolis during much of the tenure of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R).
Under O'Malley's plan, the state would authorize up to 15,000 machines if voters approve a measure on the 2008 presidential ballot. A state commission would award licenses to operate slots parlors in Baltimore and in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties.
. O'Malley last night blamed Maryland's budget problems largely on an income tax cut initiated a decade ago and passage of a landmark education plan in 2002 without new revenue to pay for it.
He balanced this fiscal year's budget by using nearly $1 billion from the state's rainy-day fund, a move he said would provide time to search for long-term solutions and to let wounds heal after four years of partisan battles between lawmakers and Ehrlich.
As a result, Maryland's budget is projected to remain balanced until June, when the current fiscal year ends.
Staff writers Philip Rucker and Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.
