The Oxford Dictionary defines a lie as a noun to be “an intentionally false statement” or “used with reference to a situation involving deception or founded on a mistaken impression.”. (See The Oxford Dictionary, www.oed.com)
During the seventh annual State of Business Address in Anne Arundel County hosted by the Maryland Free Enterprise Foundation Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said that Maryland was ranked as the “fourth best economy in America with the best recovery because we got everybody back to work.”(Gov. Larry Hogan, 10/26/2021).
Maryland Commerce Secretary and gubernatorial candidate Kelly M. Schulz (R) continues to promote Governor Hogan’s statistics to Marylanders and her theme that Maryland Small Businesses are thriving due to Covid-19 relief and grants as a result of Covid grants is now subject to scrutiny.
No one knows what are the sources of data that Governor Hogan relies on when he paints rosy picture of economic conditions in Maryland, but anyone living in Maryland and listening to his Commerce Secretary – a Gubernatorial Candidate for Governor of Maryland, Kelly Shultz may find that someone is living in an alternative reality.
U.S. News and World Report placed the state at 35th of 50 for its economy and 39th of 50 for GDP growth. (See U.S. News and World Report.)
According to the U.S.News and World Report “We publish independent reporting, rankings, data journalism and advice that has earned the trust of our readers and users over our nearly 90-year history.”(See www.usnews.com)
“The states’ economies were ranked by employment, business environment and growth. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economy, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents.”id.
“Job growth and the overall growth of each state’s gross domestic product were measured between 2016 and 2019. Unemployment rate and participation in the labor force for everyone 16 and older were measured. The number of people moving in and out of a state was taken into account, as was the growth of the youngest cohort of citizens. Business environment was considered, measured by overall tax burden, the number of top company headquarters per capita, venture capital disbursed, entrepreneurship and patent creation. “Id.
Entrepreneurship was measured as a “business birth rate,’’ while patents were counted per 1 million population.
The economies of each state are viewable at a glance in the Best States platform. The interactive tools there enable you to contrast any one state’s economy with another’s – your own, for instance, and how it stacks up nationally. The thousands of charts available here offer a clear and compelling way of sharing this information with others concerned about the economy.
Maryland is nowhere near the “top” or the Best State for economic growth.
In measuring how well the states are meeting their citizens’ healthcare needs, the U.S.World Report ranks Hawaii, Connecticut and Massachusetts at the top 3 states in America.
“Maryland employs the largest number of government workers between federal, state and local governments than any state and has more than 60 federal agencies.” Id.
Maryland’s score card is far from successful:
What Kelly Shultz, and Larry Hogan will not disclose is that Maryland Ranks Top Ten states who’s residents fled their state according to the Annual 2020 National Van Lines Movers Study. (See unitedvanlines.com)
The top outbound states for 2020 were:
- New Jersey
- New York
- Illinois
- Connecticut
- California
- Kansas
- North Dakota
- Massachusetts
- Ohio
- Maryland
Moving In
The top inbound states (with 250 moves or more) of 2020 were:
- Idaho
- South Carolina
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Arizona
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Florida
- Arkansas
No-one in their right mind leaves the state which has favorable economic, educational and health care conditions.
That leaves us with the question: What facts is Governor Hogan relying on and what is the purpose of his Candidate, Kelly Shultz to represent to Marylanders fake news?
Governor Hogan’s State Board of Education promotes so called “Social Justice Seed” Lesson plan as stated on its website:https://mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/INSTRUCTION/StandardsandFrameworks/ela/Pages/Gr_10/the_journey_for_social_justice/Seed01.aspx
Many parents in Maryland express serious concerns that one sided political indoctrination may be reflected in children’s learning plans.
Such concerns have been vocally expressed by Dan Cox, Maryland’s Delegate from Frederick county and Gubenatorial Candidate for the Governor of Maryland and his running mate, Attorney Gordana Schifanelli, an immigrant from Yugoslavia and the lead opponent of Marxist indoctrination of Maryland children imbedded in so called Critical (Race) Theory in Maryland Public Schools.
While Kelly Shultz denies that Maryland children are forced to learn Marxist collectivism and social justice doctrines of equity, Ms.Schifanelli produced overwhelming evidence to the contrary: from slides used to train teachers on Social Justice Concepts of Collectivism to inappropriate pornographic school books approved for public school children in Maryland Counties during her public meeting with parents of Howard County on November 9,2021
Governor Hogan’s 8 years of failed leadership produced these results. Racial hostility is at it’s peak – Baltimore violent crime of 77.8 per one thousand residents ranks Baltimore as one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes – from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One’s chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 17. (www.bestplaces.net)
According to the CATO Institute, Maryland is 45 out of 50 states based on Freedom or it’s citizens: (See https://www.freedominthe50states.org/overall/maryland)!
“Maryland is one of the least free states in the country”, and it has had this status since the beginning of our time series in 2000.
According to the World Population Review, in 2021 Maryland keeps steady 45th place out of 50 States on Freedom Index to wit:
Freedom in the 50 States is a report that ranks each state based on a combination of personal and economic freedoms. The report defines individual freedom as “the ability to dispose of one’s own life, liberty, and justly acquired property however one sees fit, so long as one does not coercively infringe on another individual’s ability to do the same.” These include fiscal policy, regulatory policy, and personal freedom.
Fiscal policy includes:
- State taxation
- Local taxation
- Government consumption and investment
- Government debt
- Cash and security assets
Regulatory policy includes:
- Land-use freedom
- Health insurance freedom
- Labor-market freedom
- Lawsuit freedom
- Occupational freedom
- Miscellaneous regulatory freedom
- Cable and telecommunications
Personal freedom includes:
- Incarceration and arrests
- Guns
- Gambling
- Marriage
- Education
- Alcohol
- Asset forfeiture
- Marijuana
- Tobacco
- Mala prohibita and civil liberties
- Travel freedom
- Campaign finance
Maryland is the second worst state on the most important component of regulatory policy, land-use freedom.
Zoning restrictions are extensive, eminent domain abuse is mostly unchecked, and there is some local rent control.
Chesapeake Bay pollution is another sore spot for Marylanders and the last 15 years the pollution of the Chesapeake Bay went from bad to the worst. Flesh eating bacteria is prevalent in the Chesapeake Bay. Sports fishermen are disenchanted with the current state of affairs in the Chesapeake Bay: bottom fishing of bluefish or spat and Crocker is at the lowest point. Phosphate nitrogen from the local chicken farms are dumped straight into the Chesapeake Bay.
Healthy population of fish is Maryland’s economic engine. Sadly, this issue has been buried in the same mud as is the oyster killing harvesting with a dredge and heavy machinery destroying the ability of oysters to filter the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters filter 50 gallons of water per hour during feeding time. Today he Chesapeake Bay is filtered once every 6 months which is not enough to sustain healthy fish population of the Chesapeake Bay.
Occupational freedom is extremely low and Hogan’s Administration further threatened freedom of health care workers, police officers and teachers with a “job or a jab” ultimatum. His “ wear the damn mask” and “get the damn jab” during his August 5, 2021 press conference confirms why Maryland is at the bottom of economic freedom for Marylanders.
Maryland has one of the highest figures for licensed occupations in the country and is one of the most cronyist states.
Maryland is an average state on criminal justice, the most important category of personal freedom. Prison collect call rates are quite high so in order to get a lawyer an exercise your due process.
Educational freedom is among the lowest in the country also. Homeschools and private schools are tightly regulated and the “school of choice” is virtually non existing.
The state has one of the lowest 2nd Amendment freedoms in the Union and it is now a bottom-five state in this category. It mandates locking devices, registers handgun owners, requires licensing with safety training for handgun purchasers, licenses dealers, bans possession for those under 21 years of age, bans certain types of guns and magazines, and makes it extremely difficult to get permission to carry in public.
Gambling freedom however has expanded.
Dan Cox, a Gubernatorial candidate for Governor issued a comprehensive plant to restore Freedom in Maryland: from No Political Indoctrination in public schools, promote School of Choice and allow money to follow the child to any schools they wish to attend; end devastating Critical Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation Theories, end Marxist teaching of collective rights not found in Maryland’s Declaration of Rights or the United States Constitution, end fiscal burdens on citizens and overarching regulations that suppress the growth of small businesses, ensure that Parents’ Rights are not subservient to any other authority over their children, relax burdens on 2nd Amendment and any other individual right, promote American patriotism and support Maryland’s First Responders, fund and defend the Police officers, protect cultural heritage and Maryland monuments, ensure restoration of Chesapeake Bay to it’s glory, protect endangered species, promote recreational fishing, end abusive vaccine and masking mandates in Maryland and conduct an audit to ensure transparency of healthcare costs and services and complete full comprehensive health care review to ensure that Marylanders are not overburdened with hidden healthcare costs or services they do not need and much more.
It’s is about the time to Restore Freedoms in Maryland and push Maryland to the top of individual freedoms from being at the bottom of the freedom scale!
