The Mantra of $3.2 Billion Budget Cuts 11/09

You will frequently hear the mantra of $3.2 billion in state budget cuts as the Democrats' rational for budget solutions in the pre-session messaging leading up to the 2010 legislative session.

It was included in the commentary by every Democrat legislator who spoke at the Maryland Chamber of Commerce fall legislative conference this week.

However, if the issue is Maryland's chronic overspending, this mantra begs the question: How much did Governor O'Malley raise the budget before he had to cut it because of his poor budget planning?

Even leading Democrats in the state have criticized O'Malley budget policy, such as these comments from Doug Duncan:

 “He’s in over his head, you know, this every-three-months-we’re-going-to-make-cuts-to-the-budget, he’s reacting; he has no vision ... he’s not engaged.”

The fact is that even in these tough economic time, Governor O'Malley's budget's have increased at an average rate of 3.6% every year.  There has not been a flat-line, there has not been a reduction in year-to-year spending - O'Malley has forged ahead with budget growth of over 4% per year only to then have to cut $3.2 billion.

After the reductions, Maryland is still faced with unsustainable spending and a $2 billion O'Malley deficit to be addressed by the General Assembly during the 2010 legislative session.