A 'Lean' Budget With an 4% Increase in Spending

Baltimore Sun:

Governor proposes lean operating budget

After a bruising special session to address Maryland's chronic deficits, Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed one of the leanest state budgets in the past two decades, relying on cuts in open space and road maintenance and a slowdown in an education spending initiative to place the state on sound financial footing.

The governor proposed a 4 percent increase in the state's operating budget - the lowest in five years and one of the lowest in the past 25 years. A 7.5 percent increase was approved by the General Assembly last year.

Lean? A 4% increase counts as lean? It might be a modest reduction in the growth of government spending, but certainly it isn't 'lean budget'. Especially during a time when the taxpayers have been told to suck it up and pay more, due to the dismal financial situation of the state.

Full article here.