February 2nd was Groundhog Day.

How appropriate that Governor Martin O'Malley chose Groundhog Day for his fourth State-of-the-State address.

In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, comedian Bill Murray plays an egocentric TV weatherman who is sent on assignment to cover Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog weather prognosticator. Murray's character unravels when he wakes up the next morning only to repeat the same day over and over and over again.

Maryland citizens must feel like they live in a perpetual budget Groundhog Day under Governor O'Malley. For the fourth year in a row, Governor O'Malley introduced a budget plan that papers over deep deficit spending by one-time transfers, fund swaps and "found money."

Governor O'Malley continues to plug the hole in the dam instead of providing the long-term structural repairs that are needed to solve the state's gaping black hole of deficits. The next Governor will need to resolve over $8 billion of deficits caused by O'Malley's misguided budget policy.

To add insult to injury, these deficits were rolled up by O'Malley after he promised Maryland taxpayers that the 2007 special session historic tax hikes would solve Maryland's future deficits.

Moreover, the Governor's recent "found money" fund transfers are questionable practices according to Warren Deschenaux, the legislature's chief budget analyst. In a budget hearing last week, Deschenaux warned that "the roughly $442 million in cash infusions from previously untouchable parts of the budget that O'Malley uses to help close the revenue hole 'amounts to an erosion of accounting standards.'" (for the full Baltimore Sun article, click here)

Citizens of Maryland have seen this act before - in fact, annually for the last four years. Perhaps on Election Day, they will decide that this is a Groundhog Day that they don't ever want to see again.

For regular updates on the 2010 Legislative Session, sign up for email alerts at www.mdsenategop.com.

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