Koinos

Koinos's Journal

June 11, 2015

O'Malley Improved Maryland's Tax System

O'Malley didn't just talk about about raising taxes on the rich; he did it:

At a time when many governors stubbornly rejected new revenues despite their states’ weak fiscal positions, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s was one of only a few governors who championed tax increases to preserve his state’s public investments even during the Great Recession.

Early in his term, O’Malley made a substantial revenue increase the centerpiece of his economic agenda.

The most notable piece of this package was a progressive measure, the “millionaires tax,” which temporarily created a slightly higher new tax bracket applicable solely to taxpayers with taxable income in excess of $1 million. This change raised millions in much-needed revenue from the very wealthiest Marylanders—a group that could clearly afford to pay more since, at that time (PDF), the top 1 percent of taxpayers in Maryland paid just 6.2 percent of their income in state and local taxes compared to an effective tax rate of almost 10 percent for the bottom 20 percent of earners.

These taxes were progressive and unpopular among the wealthy. As were these:

Five years later, O’Malley moved to increase the sustainability and progressivity of the tax code by raising income tax rates and limiting tax exemptions for Marylanders earning more than $100,000. According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), these changes only affected 11 percent of Maryland taxpayers and a majority of it was borne by the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers in the state.

Some tax increases were regressive and unpopular, such as tax increases on gasoline, cigarettes, and sales. Yet even these helped to maintain services throughout the state:

Each of these tax increases disproportionately affected low- and middle-income taxpayers. However, these increases were part of a broadly progressive package and were critical in maintaining public services that benefit all families in the state.

O'Malley has also called for an increase in capital gains taxes:

In addition, he has recently argued in favor of raising the capital gains tax rate, which would make the tax system significantly more fair considering that capital gains receive a preferential rate compared to wages and primarily are received by wealthier Americans. This move could potentially position him to the left of Hillary Clinton, who has been mum on raising the capital gains tax rate so far this election and has expressed skepticism of increasing the rate in the past.

http://njtoday.net/2015/06/11/progressive-grous-says-omalley-improved-marylands-tax-system/

June 10, 2015

Martin O'Malley on the Need for Cybersecurity

The U.S. Government – and the Next President – Needs to Take Cybersecurity Seriously

The latest Chinese hack proves the danger of cyberwarfare. But more can be done to bolster American security, while strengthening privacy protections.

By Martin O'Malley

Read the full article by O'Malley here:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/09/the-u-s-government-and-the-next-president-needs-to-take-cybersecurity-seriously/

June 9, 2015

Martin O'Malley's Gary Hart Connections

Interesting Washington Post background about Martin O'Malley's support for Gary Hart way back when and Gary Hart and friends' support for O'Malley in the present race:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-omalleys-longshot-candidacy-a-chance-to-reclaim-gary-harts-dream/2015/06/08/dd1cd29c-0492-11e5-a428-c984eb077d4e_story.html

June 8, 2015

"Why I Oppose the Death Penalty," by Martin O'Malley (Washington Post: February 21, 2007)

"Why I Oppose the Death Penalty," by Martin O'Malley (Washington Post: February 21, 2007)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/20/AR2007022001292.html

He states many arguments against the death penalty and concludes his opinion piece with this paragraph:

Human dignity is the concept that leads brave individuals to sacrifice their lives for the lives of strangers. Human dignity is the universal truth that is the basis of ethics. Human dignity is the fundamental belief on which the laws of this state and this republic are founded. And absent a deterrent value, the damage done to the concept of human dignity by our conscious communal use of the death penalty is greater than the benefit of even a justly drawn retribution.

"Human dignity" is the recurrent thread woven through all of Martin O'Malley's speeches and actions.

June 8, 2015

I agree completely.

People are feeling Hogan fatigue already. Hogan is cutting money for schools and putting money into prisons. Brown ran a terrible and passive campaign; he was not half the campaigner that O'Malley is.

O'Malley was a successful mayor of a very difficult, diverse, and crime-ridden city. He was a successful governor who made one of the best states even better. He was not a perfect executive, but he was a damn good one, considering the challenges he was faced with. The things he accomplished, with the support of the Maryland legislature, are amazing and numerous. Anyone open to learn can read this exhaustive list in the O'Malley Group on this forum.

There are always things to find fault with, even in the case of successful executives. Governors will always have mixed reactions from their electorate, as presidents have.

He even had the guts to raise taxes progressively in order to rebuild infrastructure, improve schools, and provide better health care for all. Raising taxes and fees made him unpopular among those most affected (cigarette smokers, top 15% of income earners, and gas guzzlers), but it made public schools and services better in Maryland. I'll take the taxes any day, as long as they go to the common good.

Why do I prefer O'Malley to the other candidates? So many reasons, so little time... But here are a few:

I prefer his religiously grounded moral principles of social justice. Though affiliated with no religion myself, I can appreciate where he is coming from. He is a Pope Francis Catholic without the war on women and gays.

I prefer his view that solving economic problems will not be enough. We have to change the way we live together and work together with others. We have to learn to negotiate, both with our fellow Americans and with "like-minded" people abroad.

I prefer his emphasis on pragmatism and common sense. I believe there is too much fighting over left and right. We need problem-solving. We need to "play well with others" who disagree with us in order to work together for common goals.

I prefer O'Malley's youth and energy. Being elderly myself, I understand the effects of aging, no matter how healthy a person may be at the present time. It is tough being president. Campaigning is exhausting as well. Moreover, one of the consequences of aging is both positive and negative: You don't give a damn about what other people think.

I prefer the fact that O'Malley calls himself a democrat. That means a lot to me. I regard both socialism and capitalism as economic systems. As dependent as democracy is on economics in many ways, it depends even more on changes in attitude toward openness, respect for the dignity of each unique person, habits of dialogue and communication, scientific method, and rejection of authoritarian tendencies in our culture and nature.

I prefer O'Malley's inclusiveness and belief in the dignity of each and every human being. I like it when he talks about compassion, generosity, and love. I like the fact that he realizes how awful things are right now for most of us, yet still believes that we have reason to hope if we listen to our "better angels," what is good in our human nature.

I prefer the company of O'Malley's supporters. They are more in sync with my personality and temperament. I dislike authoritarian types, who try to bully others into seeing things their way (or the highway). I have met few O'Malley supporters I wouldn't enjoy having a cup of coffee with.

ETA: I am a Marylander who likes Martin O'Malley.

June 2, 2015

Lincoln Chafee to Announce His Candidacy on June 3

Lincoln Chafee to announce presidential run on June 3

Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee will officially enter the presidential race on June 3, a source with knowledge of his plans told POLITICO.

He’ll make the announcement in a speech he’s scheduled to deliver next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the George Mason Center for Politics & Foreign Relations in Arlington, Virginia. Following the announcement, Chafee will travel to New Hampshire on June 4 for a previously scheduled event with local Democrats in Grafton County.

June 1, 2015

Martin O'Malley vs. Wall Street

With apologies for posting a news clip from Fox TV:

"Charlie Gasparino on Fox News Business discussing how Martin O'Malley's entrance into the 2016 race is bad news for Wall Street":

&feature=youtu.be

June 1, 2015

From Ecowatch.com, on O'Malley and Climate Change

"Martin O’Malley Enters Presidential Race Calling Climate Change ‘Greatest Business Opportunity to Come to Our Country in 100 Years’"

http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/31/omalley-presidential-race/

Excerpts:

On the “vision” page of his campaign website, he says, “Clean, renewable sources of energy represent one of the biggest economic opportunities in a century. And the threat of climate change is real and immediate. We must make better choices for a more secure and independent energy future—by limiting carbon emissions, setting renewable energy targets, driving innovation, seeding new industries and creating good local jobs.”

But he also has a track record of action. As governor, he established a statewide Commission on Climate Change shortly after taking office in 2007. “Protecting our communities from climate change is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue—it is a Maryland issue,” he said at the time. “This executive order charts a path for the future—one in which we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and work to prevent sea level rise and coastal flooding.”

In his executive order, he said, “As reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ICPP) in March 2014, the effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents and across the ocean, and numerous opportunities exist to respond to and mitigate associated risks. Human activities, notably the burning of fossil fuels, continue to contribute to the causes and consequences of climate change.”

Lots more to read at the link.

June 1, 2015

Christian Science Monitor on O'Malley's Candidacy

"Martin O'Malley broadens Democrats' field for 2016 White House race"

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2015/0530/Martin-O-Malley-broadens-Democrats-field-for-2016-White-House-race-video

Quoted in the article:

"Martin O'Malley's entrance into the race will be one more factor that incentivizes a race to the top on economic populism issues,” the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which claims nearly one million members, said in a statement. “He has already taken strong stands in favor of debt-free college, expanding Social Security benefits, and Wall Street reform – and so far is the only candidate to be outspoken about accountability for Wall Street bankers who committed crimes and crashed our economy. The more Democrats compete to be the biggest hero on popular issues like these, the better it will be for Democrats and for America."

May 28, 2015

"I’m younger than they are."

Age (old ways of thinking versus new ways of thinking) is going to be a big issue in this primary. O'Malley is looking beyond left and right to problem-solving (pragmatism). I am tempted to go on, but I better not. Well, maybe a little... American Pragmatism (as exemplified in the philosophies of William James, Charles Peirce, and John Dewey) is, to my mind, the best expression of the spirit and method of democracy. It is about community, cooperation, working together for common goals. It is not about money or capitalism. It is about people trying to find common ground together in order to solve real problems.

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