In reply to the letter written by Tom Hanrahan wanting to know why he should vote for any Republican this coming Election Day, my answer is simple and the same as was once asked by my favorite President, Ronald Reagan: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”
The answer in most cases is an astonishing Yes. After 43 tax increases implemented by the O’Malley Administration and the Democrat super-majority in the state legislature that resulted in 8,000 businesses closing and our state losing 100,000 jobs, it’s now the dawn of a new era in Maryland.
Governor Hogan and General Assembly Republicans successfully negotiated and passed four straight budgets without a tax increase. This is something that was never accomplished during the O’Malley years. Bringing fiscal responsibility back to the State House allowed us for the first time in Maryland state history to fully fund programs we all care about like the Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund, Program Open Space and record funding for the K-12 school system. The reduction of regulations and fees, so that business owners are not being raked over the coals, has given them the confidence and security to invest and hire, thereby giving more people throughout our state more opportunities to find jobs and become more financially secure.
In St. Mary’s County, our Republican State Delegates passed every bill that was asked of us by our Republican County Commissioners. 33 bills in total, which is 10 more than the previous Delegation, proving we maintain a good working relationship with our local colleagues. I feel I have had great success passing or amending legislation that benefits for my constituents. I am proud to say I put my district over the party and voted in my district’s best interest, not in some votes but every vote.
Absolutely one of my biggest accomplishments was stopping Maryland Democrats from making Maryland a sanctuary state for criminally convicted illegal aliens. I have also noticed that none of the state Democrat candidates in District 29 have come out against making Maryland a sanctuary state, harboring non-citizen, violent offenders. The public should demand an answer to that.
When you consider our legislative accomplishments, our great constituent services, plus the long-needed infrastructure projects we were able to secure for the people of St. Mary’s County, I think our opponents will have a very hard time justifying how they could do this job better.
We know there are still many problems to fix in Maryland, but we are undoubtedly the best team to handle that task. And as far as President Trump goes, he is not on the ballot this year in Maryland. I believe we have the bigger task of finding and implementing solutions to the issues we have that affect our daily lives here, locally, and I am committed to continuing to do just that.
Matt Morgan, State Delegate for District 29A, North St. Mary's County
