996 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

Less than two years ago, I set forth the spirit and objectives of our
administration and, suddenly, it is time to judge the record of that
administration. It is your record as well as mine, so a mid-point
scrutiny shall serve the interest of all Marylanders.

In my inaugural address, I spoke of three broad goals for Maryland
— fiscal reform, administrative reorganization and Constitutional mod-
ernization. The first we have achieved, the second is well under way
and the third has failed.

Fiscal reform will unquestionably stand as the greatest single ac-
complishment of the Agnew administration — and quite probably of
this Legislature, which has worked so cooperatively with me. A pro-
gressive tax structure replaced a regressive one, establishing a far
more equitable sharing of the tax burden and a far more effective
distribution of State tax revenues. For low income families and our
elderly, fiscal reform brought financial justice. For our burgeoning
metropolitan counties, fiscal reform provided the additional revenue
and resources that are essential to finance expanding services.

Fiscal reform recognized the special needs of Baltimore City in such
ways as the allocation of extra millions for inner City schools. It
recognized the need for an infusion of State funds into primary and
secondary education. It paved the way for our first Statewide kinder-
garten system and, subsequently, moved Maryland's educational rank-
ing from the twelfth to the fifth highest in the Union. It recognized
the very real problem of escalating crime and provided State aid to
subdivisions for improved law enforcement. This move was without
precedent, not only in Maryland but throughout the nation. Ulti-
mately, fiscal reform was expanded to move toward equity and a
streamlined structure for business taxation, thus encouraging our
State's economic growth.

While our fiscal restructuring can scarcely be viewed as flawless, it
has stumbled because of money and not because of principles. With
the insight that only experience affords, we now realize that the
political compromises on the legislation were costly; and that the
rosy predictions of surplus by the professional "watchdogs" were
fantasy. However, the concepts which guided fiscal reform — a more
equitable sharing of the tax burden and a friendly hand up for hard-
pressed local governments — remain valid.

In addition to fiscal reform, which accomplished the greatest good
for the greatest number of present and future citizens, I treasure our
strides in the advancement of human dignity. In our first legislative