ISSUES FACING OUR REGION...
Albert Nalley has your values and needs your support to affect positive change for our communities.
EDUCATION
Albert Nalley will:
-- Ensure adequate funding for school construction to expand existing schools and eliminate the need for trailers and temporary classrooms.
-- Tie state funding to test scores; successful programs will receive priority funding.
-- Establish meaningful merit pay for teachers.
-- Hold the line on college tuition.
ENVIRONMENT
Albert Nalley will:
-- Expand wastewater treatment facilities.
-- Continue to reduce nitrogen pollution.
-- Protect the Chesapeake Bay, plant bay grasses.
-- Protect our open space.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Marylanders suffered the largest tax increase in our state's history in late-2007. Citing a so-called budget deficit, legislators ignored the will of most of us and voted to increase revenues. Once again, bureaucrats in Annapolis failed to live within their means and opted to take more of your money to fund services outside our region.
Did you know that about 85 percent of the funds we give the state never come back to Baltimore County? Instead, our wealth go to other jurisdictions like Baltimore City and Prince Georges County.
Democrats opted to close the doors to public input and scrutiny -- something that citizens enjoy during normal legislative sessions. At 2am during a closed-door special session, legislators enacted a 20% increase in the state sales tax, expanded the types of goods and services that can be taxed, and increased the corporate tax by 18%. My opponents implemented our state's largest-ever tax increase at the worst possible time when we all have less money in our pockets to pay extremely high BGE electric rates, gas prices, and grocery bills.
Democrats continue to rely upon a strategy of “tax and spend;” however, several years ago, they also adopted a policy of “spend and tax.” An example was the $1.2 billion Thornton Education Plan, which included no funding source. In Governor Ehrlich’s first year in office, the Democrats proposed a $1.2 billion tax increase.
In 2005, my Democratic opponents started “they pass, we pay.” An example, medical malpractice insurance to be paid by a tax on HMOs; and Democrats ignored the reality that HMOs would pass the cost on to subscribers. A second example, they forced BGE to borrow millions of dollars and require you and me to pay interest and deferral charges for 10 years to cover BGE’s interest costs.
The notion of the “they pass, we pay” must stop. Democratic plans of “tax and spend” and “spend and tax” must stop because these strategies have only produced failing schools and a crumbling infrastructure with fewer services to the community. We need to apply commonsense business financial practices to the budget.
Albert Nalley will:
-- Work to repeal the massive tax increases.
-- Reduce out-of-control property taxes.
-- Eliminate wasteful government spending.
-- Reduce the size of state Bureaucracy.
HEALTHCARE
Healthcare is a fundamental right of all Marylanders. Maryland has some of the best hospitals and emergency care in the nation; however, these services are in jeopardy because of skyrocketing malpractice insurance costs for doctors and rampant billing fraud throughout the industry.
Albert Nalley will:
-- Tighten controls on Medicare practices to reduce fraud.
-- Enact responsible tort reform to decrease costs and direct savings towards expanding other health needs.
-- Support efforts for small business to provide affordable healthcare.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Albert Nalley has completed Baltimore County Police's public education program called the Citizens Academy. It is obvious that our first responders are under-funded and unappreciated in Towson and Annapolis.
Albert Nalley will:
-- Toughen penalties on sex offenders and all criminals.
-- Give our law enforcement the tools they need, including state of the art crime labs, and expanded drug and gang enforcement programs.
-- Overhaul our Juvenile Justice system.
Authority: Citizens for Albert Nalley - Dave Amann, Treasurer