Maryland is the fourth highest taxed state in the nation.Recovery will come only through allowing the private sector the freedom to create jobs while the public sector responsibly cuts unnecessary spending.A constant voice for you, Ron fought the enormous raising of your taxes by those in government who feel you can afford it. It was wrong to increase taxes and increase spending when it was shown the economy was sinking.Gov. O’Malley falsely claims to have cut $5.6 billion over four years when he actually increased the Budget from $28 billion when Gov. Ehrlich left office to $32.8 billion in January of 2010.While unemployment rose, he succeeded in protecting government positions and the executive branch’s pay raises. Ron George fought back an additional 125 new taxes that were proposed before his Ways and Means Committee these past four years. That is exhausting work. Ron received 100% Rating from Maryland Business for Responsible Government (MBRG) in 2009 and he received the John Shaw Award in 2010.
“Ron George was the leader in the fight for requiring Lawful Presence for a Maryland Drivers License. The press constantly sought him out to understand the issue.It was never about being against immigration; Ron had the respect of many recent immigrants. It was about respect for the law. He built a bi-partisan coalition and it is because of him that we now require Lawful Presence in Maryland”(Delegate Rick Impallaria, BaltimoreCounty).
I led the successful fight to put an end to awarding those unlawfully present from being awarded a Maryland Drivers License.My reason for putting an end to the practice was because Maryland was the only state east of the Rockies to do it.The number of illegals coming here to get that first official American identification document brought serious consequences: 1) to our emergency rooms (Prince Georges Emergency Hospitals were closing until your tax dollars bailed them out to the tune of $50 million per year); 2) Some new schools were over capacity a year after opening; 3) increased taxes to award more free services to name a few, and 4) security dangers to Washington from terrorists. Now, the MVA has said there is a 20% drop in applicants.
I fully support immigrants that come here legally. I support helping immigrants to become naturalized citizens as my Italian Grandparents did. I also recognize that the federal government has caused this problem by not having a workable and less burdensome, legal immigration policy in place.
Therefore:
Ron George’s Immigration Policy
There are an estimated 11.8 million illegal immigrants in the US today.People who seek to live a better life and to integrate into the US economic system need to do so in accordance with the law, not outside the scope of the law.Our immigration policy should balance the need to secure the borders by limiting access to the US while continuing to welcome new immigrants who apply to enter and work in the US through the proper legal channels.
I support a policy built around the following principles:
The US has a duty and obligation to protect their citizens from harm or potential threats. It is important to secure the borders and the ports.
The U.S. should create a clear and comprehensive legal policy for immigration
where the law is easily understood, stringently enforced, and the violation thereof will not be encouraged. A clear policy of legal immigration procedure is fair to those seeking permanent residency.
Likewise, states should not encourage those that come here illegally and those who have become illegal due to expired visas or are undocumented.States must resist providing these illegal aliens Driver’s Licenses, In-State Tuition, free public services, or the allowance for over capacitated group houses in neighborhoods that are otherwise zoned.Encouragement of these activities strains the infrastructure of communities while perpetuating a larger increase of illegal immigration.
All legal immigrants must become, 1st and foremost, U.S. Citizens, learning English as a first language and embracing the history of our founding while pledging to defend our principles.
Once these are in place, all U.S. Citizens should welcome those that chose the correct channels to become a naturalized Citizen of the United States of America.
I came into office promising to propose and promote good environmental legislation that does not punish the very people that live and recreate here precisely because of their love of the environment; specifically water-front homeowners, businesses, boaters, farmers, and watermen. Too many bills are passed that do not have the proper economic component which is needed to make them work. That is what I bring to the table as shown in the following 4 examples:
1)I was the lead sponsor of the Wetlands and Waterways Fund Management bill in 2008, a top environmental bill. The bill passed both houses and was signed into law. The hearing brought together Homebuilders, Aggregates, and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, sitting next to the Maryland Department of the Environment, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Terrapin Institute, and others.The Chair of the Environmental Committee was shocked. She never saw these groups on the same page. I believe the true sign of a leader is the ability to build coalitions without sacrificing principles.The bill stopped the illegal encroachment of development into the waterways only to be slapped with a fine, stopped the cost of delay for legal projects waiting for inspectors, increased the number of inspectors for this purpose, and created a waterways fund (a first).
2) Two years later, it was discovered that the Maryland Department of the Environment was charging a $750 permit fee per piling for piers and boatlifts instead of one $750 fee for the total project.I believed this was heavy handed and not what was proposed in law.It appeared the Department was applying the fee in this manner in order to make higher revenue in a down economy.In effect, they were close to putting Marine Contractors and boat lift installers out of business.After months of requesting a response, I scheduled a meeting with Shari Wilson, Director of the Department.From that meeting, Ms. Wilson has put in the register exemptions to correct the Department’s abuse. I also sponsored the Marine Contractors bill which passed and was signed into law.Again, the Chair of the Environmental Committee saw all concerned parties, business and environmental, in favor of the bill. It helped make the Marine Contractors a player instead of a villain.
3) I surprised many people with a proposal to put Wind Energy on Greenbury Point at the northern side of the mouth of the Severn River, where the radio towers are. It is one of only a few places in the state where the wind is strong enough. The turbines would be ½ the height of the current radio towers and would produce up to 24 megawatts of energy.To put it in perspective, the entire city of Annapolis uses 18 megawatts. There will be no de-forestation as in Western Maryland. The grid is already in place from the radio towers and will need to be upgraded. The new technology spins slower yet produces more power so harm to any birds is nearly non-existent, but that will be part of a study.Working with the Navy toward approval of the project has taken over two years, but I believe it is well worth it.The Navy has just approved the money to begin the official study. Professor Karen Flack of the NavalAcademy has won federal funds to use her students to assist with the project as part of a working lab. Unlike oil and coal, the cost of wind will not increase over time.
4) My Energy Net Metering for Municipalities bill passed the house unanimously.It allows for a second meter that will show how much energy was actually used, any excess will be credited toward renewable energy projects such as the AnnapolisRenewableEnergyPark. It has no cost to taxpayers. The bill, along with one I proposed for non-profits was folded into our 2010 Net Metering package. As with the Wind Energy proposal (see #3), energy costs are lower over time as the cost of wind and sunlight do not increase.
Ron co-sponsored legislation to protect our schools from gangs. He worked to ensure our public schools are fully funded and that the funds flow more directly to the classrooms. He fought off an attempt to change the funding formula for Charter Schools that would have ended their success in helping minority and lower income children.He co-sponsored the BOAST tax credit for private schools as it did not take from public funds. Ron’s Proof of Lawful Presence Bill (we were the only state easy of the Rockies to give licenses to those unlawfully present) eased a large influx of illegal immigrants migrating here that put a large burden on our classrooms.
Ron is the consistent voice for small business and free market economics.Maryland was ranked 24th nationally in economic competitiveness in 2006. By 2009, Gov. O’Malley had us down to 45th.The way out of a recession is not with policies that over-tax, over-regulate and chase good businesses out of state.Becoming business friendly will help spur small business growth, create jobs, strengthen Maryland’s economy and therefore create more revenue for the State without raising taxes. Ron led the fight to successfully repeal the Tech Services Tax which would have driven our Tech industry out of state.Delegate Ron George was selected The 2008 Legislator of the Year by the Annapolis/Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce.
Ron co-sponsored legislation such as Jessica’s Law to keep child predators away from our youth. He was the lead sponsor of legislation to create Drug Free Zones around Annapolis’ Community Recreational Centers.The bill had increased penalties and led to our Safe Streets Program.Ron fought for keeping the State Police Barracks in Annapolis. He discovered the Maryland Pension System was unwittingly investing in foreign companies that sponsored terrorism and so introduced one of the first Divest Terror Bills in the nation, thus Divest Terror became a reality in 2008. He was the lead sponsor and built a bi-partisan coalition for ending the practice of giving those here illegally a Maryland Driver’s License (Proof of Lawful Presence Act of 2008). He co-sponsored a bill that helps in the prosecution of gang crimes.
Concerned over Maryland’s impending physician shortage, Ron founded the bi-partisan Doctors Caucus and The Physicians Advisory to assist the legislature in understanding health care needs in this state.Thus, two landmark bills were passed this year that improve the reimbursement rate, the first moves to save our doctors. Ron supports a free market approach to health care which would allow competition in the insurance industry, because competition is consistently the best regulator of pricing.
Ron co-sponsored HB1, increasing the maximum for a Subtraction Modification Under the State Income Tax for Military Retirement Income from $5,000 to $10,000 of military retirement income received.Currently, Maryland unfairly over-taxes military retirement income. Our veterans return home to find they must consider living elsewhere when they retire. However, house leadership once again stalled the bill in committee. Ron George is a member of the Veterans Caucus and consistently supports our veterans.Ron received a 100% rating from Institute for Liberty.
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