Six-term State Delegate, Democrat, John ‘Johnny’ Wood stopped by Baynet Radio and TheBAYNET.com to discuss his feelings on the issues facing Marylanders and his district in the coming election and the following four years.
Wood, during his 24 years in office has been involved in many areas of the legislature including chairing the Chesapeake Bay Commission and serving as Committee Chair of the Commerce and Government Matters Committee for six years. When asked about the Chesapeake Bay Commission, Wood stated, “That is the Legislative Committee which consists of seven members from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland that brings issues before the governors of the three states responsible for maintaining the health of the bay.”
Wood’s origins are in the grocery business which he owned for 43 years before selling and starting his own insurance company with a partner. He has seen the various economic ups and downs over the years and how it affects individuals and businesses. “The toughest issue facing the legislature in the coming years is the economy. Frankly the economy is not good,” said Wood.
The Delegate acknowledges that St. Mary’s County is in better shape than many areas of Maryland, but the economy needs to be righted before that situation changes. “The other area of concern is jobs,” said Wood.
“Right now, statewide, Maryland stands at better than nine percent unemployment. That is a major, major problem. When you get people working, the economy will get better,” said Wood.
When asked about his ideas to begin correcting the economic situation in Maryland, Wood stated that the one thing the legislature is not doing is paying attention to the old adage, ‘if you don’t have it, you can’t spend it.’
“Everyday people working from paycheck to paycheck; they don’t go out and spend more than they make, but the government does.” He continued stating that the state has to start being realistic and start saying ‘We’d love to help, but right now we can’t’ when it comes to spending money.
Wood also feels that some of the taxes which have been levied are counter to economic growth. “Take Maryland’s Cigarette Tax,” said Wood. When you tack on $2 to every pack, people will just go out of the jurisdiction to buy cigarettes, whether you agree with smoking or not, when they are elsewhere, they also buy cheaper liquor, gas and more,” he continued.
As an example, he cited the U.S 301 corridor coming from Virginia into Maryland. “There is now only one truck stop and a couple of motels. There are no convenience stores, no service stations until you get to La Plata. Years ago that was not the case. The tax structure here in Maryland has made it so people would rather shop in Virginia than in Maryland.”
As to the way the government operates and spends money, Wood thinks that every area has to be dug into to decide if the related expenditures are necessary. “We need to see if there are duplications, decide whether or not we need it and can we live without it. However, whatever we do, we can’t continue to go farther and farther into the hole.”
Wood stated that the last thing to look at should be taxes. “An example is the ‘millionaire’ tax that was enacted. After that tax was levied we lost over 1,000 wealthy individuals who simply moved across the border where there was no such tax. These are people who have big jobs, presidents of corporat
