Bohanan Says Economy is Turning Around
Posted for Del. John Bohanan
Pax Leader
By Jay Friess
Del. John Bohanan
The Maryland economy is turning around, and the state is still in a good fiscal position, Del. John Bohanan told a gathering of seniors at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center in California, Maryland Friday.
“We continue to be a fiscally well-managed state,” Del. Bohanan told the crowd of likely voters during a question and answer session. He noted that the state has not lost its AAA bond rating, despite the recent recession.
“For most of us, this has been the toughest economy that we’ve ever faced. …Unless you are 85 or older, you have never seen fiscal times like this,” Del. Bohanan said. “For the most part, our economy is beginning to creep back up and recover.”
Del. Bohanan said you can cherry pick statistics to paint a gloomy picture of the economy, but said, “You got to be optimistic about the future.”
Bohanan faced several questions about taxes and retirement. He acknowledged that Maryland is an expensive state in which to retire, but noted that, unlike some other places, “If you want to work, you still have opportunities here.”
He stated, “We have stripped state government down to the point that we don’t have much place to go. …We haven’t had runaway growth in our state agencies in a long time.”
On the subject of slot machine expansion, Del. Bohanan noted that Southern Maryland’s economy is much stronger than it was when it was dependent on gambling and rife with corruption in the early 20th Century. “In 1968, when we got rid of them, our counties were the poorest in the nation. … We now have a strong economy. We have some of the greatest wealth.”
With questions about gambling, gay marriage, immigrant scholarships, redistricting and a presidential election all on the ballot this November, Del. Bohanan noted, “They anticipate the lines might be a little bit long on Election Day.”
