Governor O’Malley spoke about the choices Maryland faces in 2012 during the 14th annual Legislative Luncheon. The Governor emphasized that we must choose to move forward by reelecting Barack Obama
In every heart there is a yearning to be recognized, to be seen, not to be looked through.
That’s what we built in the state in the last five years and that is what we are willing to do in the next three years; on health care, extending health care to 300,000 people that did not have it before, and actually increasing what we do in Maryland Food bank, rolling up our sleeves and fighting for every home as if it’s our own home, this is what it means to be a Marylander.
It’s about the dignity of every individual, the dignity that exist in every one of those Piscataway kids that gathered in the circle of our rotunda yesterday, the dignity that exists in every family in our state including families that are headed by gay parents. The dignity that exists in the eyes of every American child of immigrant parents who want to develop their full skills, who want to able to go onto college, who want to pledge allegiance to a flag that they’re helping make better and stronger, with more jobs and more opportunities.
These things don’t happen by themselves, this is what we need to do, and yes a modern economy requires modern investments, and we are going to have to have our discussions and our disagreements on how best to move forward with that, but what there is no disagreement about is this, we will move forward, we will re-elect Barack Obama, we will make Maryland an even better and stronger state, and in so doing make our country better and stronger.
As you probably know by now, Maryland created more than twice as many new jobs as neighboring Virginia from January to November 2011 (26,700 vs. 10,900.)
98.5% of Maryland’s new jobs were created in the private sector. Only 30% of Virginia’s new jobs resulted from private sector job growth.
So what truth are we to draw from this?
Republicans, conservative think tanks, anti-labor activists and proponents of radical anti-tax dogma have long claimed that Maryland relies too heavily on federal spending, while DC’s southern neighbor Virginia is described as a bastion of private enterprise (at least when there’s a Republican in Richmond.)
All of this predictable economic fiction is flatly contradicted by the economic reality of last year’s job creation.
Maryland created twice as many new jobs in 2011, 98.5% of them in the private sector. And while Virginia created far fewer jobs, more than two-thirds of them depended on government spending.
Virginia is a big place, and it has a larger workforce to match. Which means that job for job, Virginia must not only create as many jobs as Maryland, but significantly more if it hopes to keep pace with the rate of economic growth in Maryland and push our region forward.
Before we can do that, we must acknowledge the economic facts of a changing economy. While we’ve come to accept that Maryland’s GOP sees greener pastures in neighboring states, lately this economic fiction has taken root beyond the shadows of right-wing blogs, and has been heard from the lips of politicians, pundits and newspaper columnists.
It’s surprisingly easy to detect economic fiction when you hear it. The economic facts are simply too accessible and clear to ignore. Perhaps that’s why Bob McDonnell is hoping to flee the Commonwealth to join forces with another great perpetrator of economic fiction – Mitt Romney.
Today State Senator Nancy Jacobs becomes the latest opportunistic, out of ideas Maryland GOP lawmaker wishing to abandon permanent minority status in Annapolis by running for Congress. Jacobs announcement confirms that the leaderless Maryland Republican Party will continue to support far right, tea party candidates who put party ideology ahead of middle class families.
Nancy Jacobs has set her ambitions on higher office after 13 lackluster years in the State Senate and three failed terms in leadership, where she oversaw the Republican caucus dwindle to barely a dozen members. Jacobs tenure in Annapolis has showcased her radical devotion to extreme and divisive positions and unwillingness to come together. Jacobs has voted against unemployment benefits, a greenhouse gas reduction plan, a living wage, and balanced budgets.
If allowed to bring her failed obstructionist tendencies to Washington, Nancy Jacobs would actively contribute to the political dysfunction. Jacobs would join the GOP in voting against repairing our roads and bridges, keeping teachers, cops and firefighters in their jobs, giving middle class families a tax cut, and fulfilling our promise to veterans and seniors. That is the last thing Marylanders need.
Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger is a proven and effective advocate for Maryland families. Representative Ruppersberger and Maryland Congressional Democrats seek to bridge the partisan divide and consistently support common sense solutions to move our country forward.
