MoCo Councilman: Respect Us, O'Malley!

Rich county tired of paying for poor counties

By JIM NEWELL

Updated 7:00 AM EDT, Tue, Aug 18, 2009

Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK

EPA

As Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley puts the finishing touches on his last $470 million in mid-year budget cuts, at least one elected official in the Montgomery County government is making vague threats along the lines of, "Don't take any more of our money, because... well just because!"

The Examiner reports on County Councilman Mike Knapp's plea for respect:

Montgomery County Councilman Mike Knapp said he wants Maryland leaders to remember where much of the money they are about to cut in aid to local governments comes from.

"We are the economic engine of the state," said Knapp, a Germantown Democrat and chairman of the county's committee on economic development. "How far do you want to push to find out that your economic engine doesn't work anymore?"

Why to the brink, of course! Besides, what kind of powerful "economic engine" breaks under temporary cuts in state aid during a recession? (An American one.)

But Knapp does have reason to demand respect, in whatever form that comes! As the Examiner notes,

For every dollar the county's residents and businesses spend on state taxes, the county gets 17 cents back in the form of direct state aid and contributions to teacher retirement funds, according to the most report from the Department of Legislative Services that looked at data from fiscal 2006. Prince George's County got 55 cents back for every $1 it pays in state taxes, and the city of Baltimore received 96 cents.

On the other hand, Montgomery County is (and will always be) one of the very wealthiest counties in America, so boo hoo.

Jim Newell writes for Wonkette and IvyGate.