The apology you’ll never hear from Bob Ehrlich:
- “I promised you moderate government, yet I raised your taxes and grew government to record levels.
- I promised you a socially compassionate government, yet I gave tax money to private corporations so they could boost profit margins while experimenting with human embryos.
- I promised you an environmentally friendly government, yet committed billions of tax dollars to a privately-run roadway that will stimulate local development beyond the county infrastructure’s ability to support it.
- I promised you streamlined opportunities for students to get a better education, yet buried charter schools under greater bureaucracy so public schools could limit competition. I raised college tuition at universities beyond the capacity for average families to afford it, then spent tax money on targeted scholarships to pander for middle class votes.
- I balanced the budget on the backs of state employees by reducing health care options and passing more costs to them.
- I promised you a constitutionally aware government, where all gun laws would be studied so ineffective restrictions could be targeted for repeal, yet I implemented my own gun control, closed shooting ranges and issued carry permits not based on what is fair but as favors to political friends.
- I promised my party I would lead it, strengthening offices we hold and nurturing a farm league so we will have stronger candidates in the future, yet I exposed young legislators to attack by demanding they vote for my liberal agenda, I jeopardized our House caucus by raiding experienced Delegates from it, and I taxed candidates’ campaign accounts to run my own re-election effort.
- Worst of all, I promised issue groups the opportunity to advocate for conservative causes so after four years of education, more voters would recognize the right position and vote accordingly. In spite of this, I squelched debate on conservative issues, let my people attack those who advocated them and channeled public attention towards soft topics to serve my re-election themes. I avoided making the hard public policy decisions that come with governing, purely to boost my ‘positives’ over a four year PR campaign, that ultimately failed."