Maryland has become an even worse state to do business in over the last year, according to CNBC's Top States for Business 2026 list, which the cable TV business channel unveiled today. Moribund Maryland dropped four spots to #36 this year based on CNBC's criteria, which examine each state's infrastructure, economy, workforce, quality of life, cost of doing business, and technology and innovation. Virginia, by contrast, moved up to #3, and is perennially in the top 5 on this list.
Why is Maryland once again a bottom dweller, and sinking? The primary new factors are the state's IT tax, which has not only massively increased IT costs (including my own) for Maryland businesses, but has only increased the exodus of companies from the state. Maryland's highest profile infrastructure project, the Key Bridge replacement, has stalled out. That missing highway link not only remains a logistical nightmare for businesses large and small that relied on it, but only adds to Maryland's national notoriety as a state with inadequate infrastructure, and an ideological hostility to road construction. And after Maryland Governor Wes Moore and the state legislature used Zohran Mamdani slight-of-hand tactics to raid precious funds for a desperation one-year budget fix, S&P downgraded Maryland's long-term outstanding debt outlook from stable to negative.
Continuing to plague our state are our own elected officials. For another year, Montgomery County and Maryland officials failed to take any steps toward construction of the long-delayed new Potomac River crossing, which would give us the critically-needed direct access to Dulles International Airport that corporate executives demand (and currently get in Northern Virginia). In fact, our leaders proudly stand against the new bridge, which was supposed to have been constructed 50 years ago. Multiple highways planned to handle explosive housing growth that has already taken place over decades in Montgomery County not only remain unbuilt, but have been criminally removed from the master plan, a blatant dereliction of duty by our elected officials.
Electricity costs continue to skyrocket, again the direct result of actions by our elected officials. They forced the closure of 8 power plants statewide, and implemented clean power mandates. These buffoonish diktats brought us where we are now: not only unable to provide cheap and abundant energy for business, but unable to even provide sufficient electricity capacity to meet existing demand. This has required Maryland to import electricity at inflated boardwalk prices from out of state.
Maryland has only increased the tax burden on business, when our corporate tax rate was already not competitive for business. The Montgomery County Council not only implemented multiple tax hikes this year, including yet another property tax increase, but actually created new taxes amid an affordability crisis. And despite their minimum wage increases having been an utter catastrophe, ushering in the age of restaurants using touchscreens and fewer employees, the Marxist radicals on the Council are now poised to join the national bankruptcy movement that is calling for a $30 minimum wage.
Yet another chance to change direction is quickly slipping through the fingers of MoCo and Maryland voters. Turnout in last month's primary election was humiliatingly small. The Banner, whose billionaire oligarch owner puts his news behind a paywall(!!) and is a well-known Democratic operative, actually posted a story on Facebook claiming Democratic Montgomery County Executive nominee Will Jawando "is expected to be sworn in as the next Montgomery County executive in December." In fact, The Banner wrote, Jawando "will almost certainly be sworn in as the next Montgomery County executive in December."
The November general election hasn't even taken place, folks. This is classic voter suppression by The Banner: make voters feel hopeless. Why bother to vote when The Banner has told you the outcome is already known? "Democracy," right? At The Banner, democracy dies in a $50 million grant from the billionaire Democratic operative owner to run that propaganda outlet, which was warmly welcomed in Montgomery County by the very politicians who would fear a true journalistic examination of their true crimes and corruption. Fortunately, the Montgomery County and Maryland cartels don't control CNBC, and the results truly speak for themselves.
10 comments:
Wes Moore is a disgrace. The stolen valor story is very real but will never gain traction in deep Blue MD. With an overall anti-business mentality, MD will drop even further under Moore. He'll run for president eventually. Bus sadly for us, is a shoe in two term governor.
You really think a Republican could ever win the County Executive vote in strongly Democratic Montgomery County? I think the Banner is just stating the obvious. By the way, do you know the number one state in CNBC Top States for Business 2026 list? Rustbelt Ohio! Perhaps the last place I would ever want to live, unless I wanted to start a Rustoleum paint store.
There is a doom loop coming to MD that Moore and all the liberals in charge are ignoring. The current exodus in real taxpayers being replaced by illegals on entitlements all while they're doing nothing to attract businesses and spending the state into huge deficits because of the miscalculation of incoming revenue which is decreasing. We do know what everyone in charge is doing, gerrymandering the eastern shore into Baltimore County and setting up the ICE hotline. One would think it hurts to be this stupid but apparently not.
6:32: Do you really think James Talarico could ever win statewide in strongly Republican Texas? Yet he, like Beto, is considered even or ahead of his GOP opponent. The difference? Media narrative. In Texas, the press is telling voters Talarico has a real chance, thereby boosting Democratic turnout, and giving Talarico...a real chance. Here, The Banner - and other local media - are hammering home a message that there's no chance, thereby suppressing Republican and independent turnout.
I came to the conclusion back in 2022 (right before Moore was sworn in) that the only effective remedy was to leave MD. Which is what I did. After 60+ years. I encourage others to follow. Let them try to finance their support of thousands of illegal immigrants without the folks who pay the taxes.
"Stupid is as stupid does" --Forrest Gump
Towns in both Arlington and Fairfax Counties do have a greater density of small businesses and eateries compared to Montgomery county. The parking lots have cars too so people are patronizing them. My impression is that PG county is a little better also. Maybe the rents are cheaper in PG? Montco wants to cluster businesses in developments like PIke and Rose and the Federal Reality rents.
Democrats out number Republicans 4 to 1 in MoCo. Not really just a strong majority, but a bright American Flag Blue county. Of course voter suppression is not a healthy thing at any point. Republicans and any other party are certainly free to attempt to change this, but a news outlet stating the Jawando is the likely new County Executive is really just their editors opinion, and stating the likely outcome.
And your the nickname for a mule. Nothing holding you back, unless you can't get out of your basement, leave.
6:38: That's a key point - an editor's opinion should be limited to the editorial page. News articles need to be objective. Another key point, again, is that a Republican statewide office victory is also "the likely outcome" in Texas. But that's not how most media outlets are covering the Talarico-Paxton race. To listen to the press, it's a real horse race and Talarico is neck and neck with Paxton in a bright American flag red state. I guarantee that the MoCo executive race would be closer if local media sustained a similar narrative regarding Jawando and Esther Wells.
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