We listen so you don't have to.
Wondering whatever happened to Bob Ehrlich, our former governor? Well, since he lost in 2006, he and his wife have been working as right wing radio talk show hosts on WBAL. Really. Every Saturday morning, the Ehrlichs take to the airwaves to offer red meat to the Rush Limbaugh / Sean Hannity crowd. We’ve been listening, and, honestly, the show’s not half bad: Ehrlich says some pretty wacky stuff! So we’ve decided to start this regular installment on our blog chronicling the highlights, just on the off chance that you have something better to do on Saturday mornings.
Last weekend, radio talk show host Bob Ehrlich said, “The Republican brand is still in my view tarnished. People have not forgotten that Republicans have screwed up when it comes to spending, scandals and all of that.”
Ehrlich is right without a doubt — period, exclamation mark — and his failed record as governor, including spending abuses and other unforgettable scandals, is why the Republican “brand” in Maryland remains problematic for him and all Republicans who served in his administration.
However, he seems to have forgotten that in Maryland it was HIS spending that earned his party a tarnished brand. As a result, Ehrlich was the only governor to lose in the 2006 general election. To remind him, I sent him a letter last recently outlining a few of those spending habits and the tax increases that supported his spending habit, such as:
• Increasing spending by almost 22% in his last two years in office – exceeding the Spending Affordability guidelines;
• Raiding Program Open Space dollars instead of making difficult decisions to balance the budget;
• Raising more than $3 billion in hidden taxes, tolls and fees on Maryland families;
• Raising taxes on income from manufacturing;
• Raising state property taxes 57%;
• Raising the corporate filing fees by $188 million during his first three years in office; and
• Raised college tuition by over 40% during his term in office.
In contrast to Ehrlich’s term, spending levels in the State of Maryland are lower today than they were during his last year in office.
I rarely agree with anything Ehrlich says but this time he was dead on. I just find it a bit hypocritical. I guess he doesn’t remember his flip flop on slots, which he supported for all four years of his Administration as the centerpiece of his budget program, only to oppose in last year’s referendum, which passed with 59% of support from Maryland’s voters. I don’t listen to Ehrlich’s radio show but maybe I should start because I think I found something we can agree on.
