[snakeoil]

The rationale appears to go something like this: an awning casts a shadow on public property and therefore you must pay to use that property.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-2 ... ng-shadows" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[johnforbes]

Wow, that is nutty.

In Maryland, under that leftist nut O'Malley, they even taxed rain.

It was a bit more complicated than that, but the net effect was that they actually taxed rainfall and its runoff.

[snakeoil]

As I've stated before, I'm from Maryland. Our new Gov. Hogan, is running into the same problems that Obama has. He has proposed cutbacks on much of the craziness of O'Malley but the legislature is fighting him tooth and nail.

I would never hold Maryland up as the shining example of how a state should be run. It used to be that bar owners would run for legislature for extra cash. They would raise the tax on a barrel of beer (42 gallons) 10 cents every year or so. The price of a glass of draft (12 ounces) would go up 10 cents in the bar. When the customers complained the bar owner would shrug and say that he had to raise the price because of the new tax. Remember that Agnew went from the school board to Vic-President in eight years. The GOP is just as bad. One license I have to have went from $100 a year to $1600 under Republican Governor Ehrlick.

Don't raise taxes because the people will vote you out of office. Increase the tolls and fees and they won't notice it.

[snakeoil]

I heard the other day someone on TV touting O'Malley as a possible Presidential Candidate. This drives me crazy. It seems that O'Malley feels that any problem can be solved by raising taxes. He never met a tax he didn't like. I shudder to think what he would be like as President.

While he was Gov. he was out of the state much of the time trying to get Hillary and then Obama elected.