MARCH 25, 2004

Mr. Chairman and committee members, my name is Spear Lancaster, and I live in Crownsville Maryland. I am a life-long resident of Maryland. I have been a businessman for fifty years, and am now a full-time taxpayer advocate.

I have seen taxes grow at a rate that is far greater then the population growth. I have seen the never-ending pressure applied by public employees and other special interest groups for more and more taxpayer money. And I have often thought of how difficult it must be for an elected official to try to balance the relentless pressure and demands put on them. Having been a manufactures representative for most of my life, representing companies like Rubbermaid Commercial Products and selling to users like Marriott, General Motors, and McDonalds, I have some first-hand familiarity with day to day pressure.

Last fall I attended a meeting of the Anne Arundel County Council. There I witnessed just how easy it was to intimidate our elected officials. The room was filled with policemen and firemen in red t-shirts with a slogan that said something like, "We have done our job now you do yours." They were a referring to a pay raise that had been negotiated under duress. By that I mean that they had negotiated the pay raise just before the elections and of course threatened to punish any official who did not support their demands. However there were insufficient funds to pay this raise, owing to the slowdown in the economy, and if the raise had been allowed, something else would be cut.

The county council, not being politically suicidal, caved within minutes and the protestors left feeling very satisfied with the results and the evident success of their bullying tactics. Such coercive methods have become the norm for many public employee groups in their labor "negotiations" with elected officials.

Organized state and county employees threaten to deny our children an education while at the same time fighting to the death any attempt to reform education. They suggest that police protection might be wanting if they don't get their way. They raise fears of a slower or inadequate response if they are not given their entire wage and hour demands.

Isn't it amazing that we let so many groups get away with threatening and bullying ordinary citizens and their elected officials. Why do we do this? I am not sure, but I believe that the special interests feel that the state has a blank check and if they don't get it someone else will.

There seems to be little or no concern for the ordinary working person, the retired person, or the folks who are not part of a public union or some other formidable organization. A large number of people seem to have no qualms about taking other people's property or their wages or both. They really do seem to feel that they are entitled to a blank check.

This attitude breeds public apathy and frustration. It is not surprising that so many citizens feel that there is nothing that they can do. Many conscientious elected officials, I believe, share this same feeling. People often tell me that they will never consider going into politics because they do not want to have to prostitute themselves for all the special interests. It is a shame, as many of these people are talented and have a proven record of using good judgment.

Our proposed Maryland Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) can put a lid on the public employee feeding frenzy. SB 601 --- HB 1130 are similar to the Taxpayers Bill of Rights in the Colorado constitution. The proposed provisions do not set absolute limits on how much can be spent but link them to population growth and inflation. TABOR allows the citizens to vote to raise taxes if the majority of Maryland voters find it necessary.

TABOR takes a free-for-all at the public trough and replaces it with an orderly and fair process that has benefits for ALL the citizens of Colorado.

The proof is always in the pudding. Colorado is one of a handful of states not experiencing a so-called fiscal crisis. From 1998 to 2002 Colorado refunded $3.25 billion to the taxpayers, or about $3,200 for a family of four. It is for this reason that many states are now in the process of copying the most successful tax program in America. Our state should be among them. Please give a favorable vote to SB 601 - - - HB 1130 so that the citizens of Maryland may decide themselves whether they wish a Taxpayer Bill of Rights.