Commentary: Taxpayers must voice opinions to legislators

Well, it certainly wasn't the citizens of Maryland. And at this point in time there weren't any winners in the Maryland state legislator or the governor's office.

What appeared to have been a legislation slam-dunk for Gov. Ehrlich's slot legislation turned out to be a horrible miss.

Just as the Maryland Terrapin's Steve Blake missed his easy slam- dunk against Michigan State in the NCAA tournament, which the Terps went on to lose, the governor too wasn't prepared for the easy slam- dunk that he had created for himself.

The governor had the wind at his back after defeating his Democratic opponent for governorship this past November. This Republican governor won in a state that has two-to-one Democratic bias. Great accomplishment, but just as in Blake's case, there wasn't great execution when it counted the most.

As far as House Speaker Michael Busch is concerned, I am not so sure he won either. Only time will tell.

People never like tax increases that he is pushing for in order to balance the budget. So at this time I see three losers ... the citizens of Maryland, Busch and Ehrlich.

Politics, slots, investing

Now, once again you are probably saying, I thought this was an investment column. What does politics and slots have to do with investing? In two short words ... a lot!

Generally when we talk about investing we normally relate investing to the buying and selling of stocks, bonds, commodities and real estate.

Yet one area of investing we tend to overlook is our investments in our federal, state, and local government. Unfortunately, the government refers to these investments as taxes.

Anytime I am spending my money I call it an investment. I don't care if I am buying groceries, attending a concert, or planning a vacation, these are all investments because I am looking for the best return on my purchases.

The same is true with taxes. I want a reasonable return on the taxes I pay. I want optimum utility. I want the government to make productive expenditures. I want our elected officials to act on our behalf and not those that perhaps they owe favors to.

We don't need politicians with hidden agendas.

And when you consider what we pay in federal, state, and local income taxes, plus social security, Medicare, property taxes and sales taxes, I think we have a right to expect our elected officials to do what is in our best interest, not theirs. If you include the additional taxes we pay on cigarettes, liquor and gasoline, it is a wonder we as taxpayers have anything left for ourselves.

Fortunately, we as citizens have the ability to make our wishes known just as we do in the corporate world as stockholders. If we don't like what we are observing, we can vote our elected officials out of office at the next session just like we can vote out directors of the companies we hold stock in.

Now the point of this article is not whether we should have passed slots legislation or not. The point is that we can and should tell our legislators how we feel about their actions in the next election by either voting for or against them.

Power over the people

One thing I do know is that when the voters of Maryland voted Ehrlich into office they knew he stood for slots and no new tax increases. That was the main thrust of his campaign.

Did he make errors in promoting his slot bill? Absolutely!

Could things have been worked out if the two sides wanted to do what was right for the citizens of Maryland? Absolutely!

After all, the definition of politics is compromise.

Did they? Absolutely not!

Why? Personal politics.

Why do I say personal politics? Because our leaders weren't content to do what was right for the people. Unfortunately, some of our current politicians have put their own agendas ahead of those they supposedly serve. This is a classic example of power over the people.

So once again, just as you can make your opinions heard by voting your shares of stock in a public company you can also be heard by voting for or against your elected legislators.

After all, look at the amount you pay in taxes, you should be heard.

We have the right to expect the best from our officials. They work for us and not the other way around.

So just who were the winners? States of Delaware and West Virginia and any other state that attracts our gambling dollars.

David R. Clogg, ChFC is an account executive at Chapin, Davis. He can be reached at 410-435-3200 or visit his Web site at www.theeducatedinvestor.info.

Copyright 2003 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.