r/maryland • u/Maxcactus • 1d ago
MD News Moore announces $3 million in aid to help small and minority owned business in Maryland
https://wtop.com/maryland/2026/05/moore-announces-3-million-in-aid-to-help-small-and-minority-owned-business-in-maryland/96
u/Angus-The-Dog 1d ago
They should have to name the businesses this is going to and how much they got.
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u/WarbossTodd 1d ago
Congrats to all 4 of the businesses that this helps.
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u/Finchy63 1d ago
That's pretty ambitious. I'd say 1-2 max.
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u/Lonely_Pop_1364 1d ago
It was 6 if you bothered to look it up.
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
They live in Idaho, they don't care about truth, they just want to shit on the black governor.
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u/Much_Job289 9h ago
It’s about policy. Not race. 95% of the people who dislike him, dislike him because of policy. Sure there is 5% or so based on race but no one cares about them.
Isn’t your comment what they call race baiting?
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u/upintheair-where 1d ago
His race is irrelevant. People shit on the governor, since the beginning of the governorship in Maryland.
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
His race is extremely relevant. They cheer Trump stealing billions of taxpayer dollars but then try and claim Moore is doing that. We all know why.
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u/upintheair-where 1d ago
I don’t know anyone cheering Trump stealing billions.
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
Then you don't know any Republicans
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u/upintheair-where 1d ago
Do you know republicans?? I have about 50 people in my orbit who are republicans.
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
Then they're lying to you or you're ignorant about their acceptance of Trump's actions.
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u/Throwawaythekees 1d ago
Moore is more than a black person. Stop being racist.
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
I love when you all try this Uno Reverse. We all know why you hate him. Just be proud of it rather than pretending it's due to something else
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u/Finchy63 1d ago
Voted for Moore in last election.
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u/MrZaptile933 Queen Anne's County 1d ago
“That’s because Gov. Wes Moore announced that the $3 million in financial help, which his office said, will help small- and minority-owned businesses create 72 new jobs and retain 28 more.”
What a shitty investment, 3 million tax dollars for 100 jobs. I feel like money could be spend way better.
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u/Pleasant-Mouse-6045 1d ago
A $3m investment for 100 jobs that are paid year by year is a huge return on investment. Say that the employees make $60k on average, that’s $6 million in salaries alone. Plus all of the money spent on equipment, facility space, and taxes. The government could give 100 people $30k once, or invest that to see an annual investment.
The corporate welfare that allows billion dollar companies to pay no taxes or have their facilities built by tax payers is the problem, not government helping small business hire Marylanders.
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u/HOT-DAM-DOG 1d ago edited 1d ago
That sounds like straight up corruption being admitted to out in the open.
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u/Thanatosst 1d ago
If you do the math, that's 30k per job. Not exactly a huge amount.
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u/rand0m_task 1d ago
Then you factor in taxes and benefits and all that fun stuff.. really isn’t much.
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u/MDFlyGuy 1d ago
$3 million here, $3 there.. it does add up and if you have seen the forecasts, you can not deny Maryland needs to tighten up a lot.
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u/MrZaptile933 Queen Anne's County 1d ago
Oh 100% I don’t trust it at all. That’s why they painted it as a minority program so no one would look into it.
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
Is that the stats so far or will they change down the road?
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u/MrZaptile933 Queen Anne's County 1d ago
Did you read your own article?
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
Yes. I was asking about your statement. The article didn’t say that the program had ended and this was the total accounting on the program. Do you have more info about this? The article said “ It’s part of an investment ”.
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u/Ziplock13 1d ago
Not too mention there is no guarantee that those jobs will be created or retained, aside from the issue of it being clear discrimination.
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u/RowdyRusty420 1d ago
And how much will get washed back into campaign donations to him?
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u/upintheair-where 1d ago
Another concern is the investment in nonprofits that directly influence policy.
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u/landspeed 1d ago
What's the basis for this comment?
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u/RowdyRusty420 23h ago
Just a tale as old as time. I wonder how a business that was given free $$ by a politician will thank him when re-election time comes around ? 🤔
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u/Nutsmacker12 1d ago
This is a headline? You mean he is giving away a small amount of tax dollars with a racial bias? This will be laundered to someone to whom he owes a favor.
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u/Minister_of_Trade 1d ago edited 1d ago
People of any race can be "minority." Most white people are minorities because white women and white Hispanics are minorities. A business need only be 51% minority to qualify.
[They're downvoting facts. This sub and state are full of racists and they prove it every day]
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u/RecordHigh 1d ago
So why don't they just list who can't apply for this funding? It would be a much shorter list, but I'm guessing they don't want to do that because it would sound discriminatory.
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u/SatansScallion 1d ago
I mean, they can’t just come out and say “everyone but
people we hatestraight white men”.They need to maintain plausible deniability, even if it’s paper thin.
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
I hope that they looked at the zip codes with high unemployment, fewest businesses and the most poverty to focus on. Places like Chevy Chase are doing just fine at this point.
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u/HOT-DAM-DOG 1d ago
Those problems aren’t going to be fixed by throwing money at people. It going to make them worse.
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
What would you prescribe doing? Would you do anything at all?
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u/HOT-DAM-DOG 22h ago
Lower taxes for small businesses regardless of race.
Laws protecting small businesses from larger companies.
Tax breaks, and even subsidies for small businesses that reinvest in their employees (so paying for extra schooling, skill based training).
All these things already exist in MD to some degree. The problems from the areas you mentioned are largely cultural. Being a snitch and showing up on time isn’t cool but it raises property value and makes businesses run better.
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u/Ziplock13 1d ago
Low taxes all around is the best business incubator.
We'll never see even moderate taxes because of these buying votes with taxpayers' money antics.
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
So for this $3 million project it comes to about 50 cents per Marylander. The result was a few new businesses and some jobs. That helped those people, allowed them to be better contributing citizens. Some may have gotten off of public assistance and even paid some taxes . My Dad alway used the analogy of, some people are riding in the wagon and others are pulling the wagon. The more pullers and less riders the better.
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u/mikederoy 1d ago
“the state must ensure that every entrepreneur has a fair shot at success.” But only if it is minority owned.
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u/27thStreet 1d ago
Do you understand what the word "and" means?
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u/SerialSection Rockville 1d ago
So if it is a big company, it can be minority-owned and get money?
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u/27thStreet 1d ago
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u/SerialSection Rockville 1d ago
The Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Businesses Account (“SMWOBA”) promotes the viability and expansion of all small businesses in Maryland through greater access to capital for small, minority and women-owned businesses.
This really sounds unconstitutional. White men are excluded because they are white?
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u/mikederoy 1d ago
So I read it. A non small business owned by a non woman and non minority does not get assistance. I repeat, what does everyone mean in the governor’s press release?
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u/Black_Raven_2024 1d ago
Good old Wes Moore finding ways to give away more money we don’t have.
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u/Ziplock13 1d ago
All the while, our bond rating is down, crime is up, high income people moving out, and shitty roads.
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
Crime is not up
Actually none of this is true at all
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u/Ziplock13 18h ago edited 18h ago
Oh yeah, you believe what you want to believe and they feed you exactly what you want to believe.
Like Lemmings falling off the cliff, just sucking it all up
At least 3 MPD officials under investigation over crime stats may be fired
If they did it in DC they're doing it it all over
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u/Black_Raven_2024 6h ago
Maryland parted ways with Moody’s after it downgraded Maryland’s rating last year from AAA, the highest rating, to Aa1.
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u/MarshyHope 3h ago
That was last year. Our bond rating this year is still AAA with the other three firms we use.
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u/Puzzled_Fisherman331 1d ago
How about helping to drive economic growth to all businesses. MD needs a lot of help not just to a few. $3M is nothing. I paid MD nearly 100K in tax last year alone.
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u/OldOutlandishness434 1d ago
You made $2 million last year?
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u/Puzzled_Fisherman331 1d ago
$1.2M. 100K was combo MD and local MD Montgomery tax. Now I need to decide whether I take my residency to another state or continue to pay into this abyss.
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u/unicornbomb Frederick County 1d ago
Thoughts and prayers that your family can make it on a mere 1 million a year~
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u/OldOutlandishness434 1d ago
Ah ok, I thought you meant only MD tax, not county. Unless you are tied here because of family, need the amenities, or just generally like the area, I would move. Or at the bare minimum move from MoCo.
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u/Puzzled_Fisherman331 1d ago
Agree with you. Ive just gotten disheartened after so many years of general decline in MD bond ratings and higher taxes....I dont see an end in sight and I have to look after my family.
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u/emp-sup-bry 1d ago
Yeah it has go to be barely survivable with only a million+
I wish commenters like you could actually see how out of touch nuts your complaint is
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u/Sionfire 1d ago
Nothing wrong with someone wanting to optimize their finances & caring about how taxes are managed
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u/27thStreet 1d ago
There is something wrong with complaining the whole way about how you're not being treated fairly.
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u/OldOutlandishness434 1d ago
I don't think they said anything about not being treated fairly?
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u/27thStreet 1d ago
I assume that's why they are avoiding taxes, because they think their burden is unfair.
Why else would you avoid a legal tax burden?
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
Do you think that Moore isn’t trying to do things to grow our economy? This an article about just one of his programs to help do that for disadvantaged people.
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u/wharfrat100 1d ago
Something needs to change. Maryland ranks near the bottom of all states in economic growth and is near the top in percentage of residents leaving the state.
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago edited 1d ago
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-best-economies/21697
https://usafacts.org/answers/is-the-population-growing-or-shrinking/
Maryland is not losing population and is in the 10th best states for it economy.
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u/wharfrat100 1d ago
Growth is minimal and with immigration shut down will decline. Out migration to other states is the trend: https://www.marylandcomptroller.gov/content/dam/mdcomp/md/media/2025/10-16-2025-maryland-comptroller-releases-report-on-housing-and-the-economy.pdf
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u/Icy_Bridge_2113 1d ago
Best Maryland can do is slap a massive new tax on tech businesses to ensure they never grow here.
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u/NotYoGuru 1d ago
Not defending Moore or this initiative since I haven't dug deep into it. But sometimes it’s not just about job creation. Businesses are shuttering all over the state at an incredible pace. So if this helps some business navigate these tough times while retaining their employees, I would still consider it money well spent.
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u/MDFlyGuy 1d ago
It would do the state better if taxpayers could retain more of their own dollars.
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u/NotYoGuru 1d ago
I was actually thinking yesterday that I wish the governor would do something about the rising property taxes. But to answer your question, businesses shutting down mean less taxpayers.
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u/shecky444 Carroll County 1d ago
This will be paid for with a new small tax of $3 for looking at the bay, $5 if it’s a sunset.
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u/gravybang 1d ago
Hah! Taxes. But you can go and look at the reflecting pools for free! I mean, the current administration overpaid a no-bid contract to paint them with “your tax dollars(tm),” but at least they won’t tax you for looking.
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u/Fun_Ice_2035 1d ago
I don’t want them to raise any more taxes. Also, aid needs to be equitable in all Maryland.
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u/emp-sup-bry 1d ago
Equity is not equality.
This program is the definition of equity.
This is a pretty simple concept guys, if you are going to flail against it, at least learn the difference
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u/RecordHigh 1d ago
People get the word wrong all the time, but they know the difference between the two concepts. The problem is that "equity" in the social justice context doesn't mean what it sounds like to them.
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u/Civil_Exchange1271 1d ago
this amounts to a little less than fifty cents from every resident..... watch the racists freak out.
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
Oh what they would have done if only they had been able to keep those two quarters.
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u/landspeed 1d ago
Was this one thing in a see of many things announced? Are we singling out this one program??
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
This subreddit is quickly becoming a Facebook comment section with how many shitty people complaining about everything good in Maryland.
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u/Throwawaythekees 1d ago
You can goto a more heavily moderated county bubble subreddit if you don't agree with the opinions here
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u/MarshyHope 1d ago
Or I'll just keep calling you out for your bad behavior
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u/NoThru22 1d ago
His administration and policies are horrible for small businesses so this is just lip service and corruption.
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u/Maxcactus 1d ago
What is one of his policies that is horrible to small business? If you would be specific we can all look at it and try to influence our politicians to correct it.
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u/RecordHigh 1d ago edited 11h ago
It's obvious that minority-owned businesses have been historically disadvantaged, but set-asides like this are the programs that have driven a lot of white people away from the Democratic Party. That leads to Republicans being elected, which helps almost no one.
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u/Throwawaythekees 1d ago
Maybe 60 years ago this program made sense, but if you think color is a good way to allocate resources today, you are being hypocritical and taking us all back.
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u/RecordHigh 1d ago
I agree with you for the most part.
There's still an imbalance, but throwing tax payer money on the scale based on race until everything "feels fair" is a pretty crappy way to go about actually making things fair.
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u/SatansScallion 1d ago
Does past discrimination warrant current and future discrimination?
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u/RecordHigh 1d ago edited 11h ago
Nope. That's exactly the problem with these set-asides based on race, someone is going to feel discriminated against.
There are white-owned businesses that could use help, and telling the owners that they already have an advantage, so the government is going to give some of their tax money to support a minority-owned business that might even compete with their own business isn't going to win them over.
I know it's not a popular opinion on Reddit, but that's human nature and it's at least one of the reasons why the Democratic Party has been doing poorly with white people in general. In the end, that's caused them to lose elections.
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u/Complete-Ad9574 1d ago
Am I right in thinking that business loans are more difficult to get if you are not a white Male?
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u/KikoMui74 1d ago
Funding to businesses based on race & ethnicity.
And even the Federal program that was meant to do this hardly went to African Americans and mostly went to immigrants who were technically included.
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u/Ok_Lifeguard7955 1d ago
Does this mean they’ll raise registration fees again its already more than doubled
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u/permaN00bwastaken 1d ago
How long until they spend it all and still fold because they did nothing to change their failing business practices?
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u/Administrative-Flan9 1d ago
I think this is one of the frustrating patterns in Maryland politics. A state agency announces funding, sends out a press release, and the media basically rewrites it with minimal scrutiny. I’m not exaggerating much here — compare the article to the governor’s press release and most of the substance is the same: the dollar amount, the job claims, the approved uses, the governor’s quote, the Commerce secretary’s quote, and the program’s self-reported performance numbers.
But “this is a good goal” and “this program is working” are not the same thing. I can support helping small and minority-owned businesses while still wanting evidence that the program is well run and actually producing results.
The problem is that once a program is attached to a sympathetic goal, criticism of the program can be made to look like criticism of the people it claims to help. That discourages accountability.
We should be asking basic questions: where did the money go, who benefited, what outcomes were measured, and what would count as success? Without that, we’re mostly evaluating press releases instead of results.