Early this year, Gov. Wes Moore acknowledged that Maryland’s economy has been mired in stagnation and that our great state is hemorrhaging people and jobs. Statistics prove these words to be sad and true. A state whose politics have been dominated by single-party rule has a population burdened by the natural manifestation of a liberal-minded ideology that radiates from Annapolis. The state has been characterized by strangulation, Californification and dereliction.

The strangulation of our economy is rooted in a toxic mix of spending, taxing and regulating that leaves our population, our workers and our businesses gasping for relief and grasping for alternatives. This past year, Moody’s downgraded the outlook for our state, seeing a negative future as Maryland lingers at the bottom of major economic indices while clinging to radical fiscal irresponsibility.

In the last few years, reckless politicians with a supermajority in the State House have increased the budget by nearly a third, never lacking in their creativity in how to spend taxpayer money. By tapping into our emergency fund which had been carefully cultivated by former Gov. Larry Hogan, they are stealing from the past and ransoming our future.

Maryland’s numbers are dismal. We are lingering at 45th in the country for tax climate, 47th for cost of doing business, and 49th for job growth as compared to our peers. Yet, the controlling politicians still see taxes, fees and regulations as the answer. Such suffocation is causing people and businesses to move to locations that are far more friendly to their pocketbooks and conducive to their dreams.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board recently published a commentary entitled “The Californification of Maryland” with Gov. Moore’s picture adorning the cover. As a former resident of California myself, this matched my observations about the trends in both states. Both are in the bottom six in domestic migration, meaning their biggest exports have become people, jobs and finances.

A vicious cycle continues in both states, with taxes, fees and regulations actually driving away tax revenue producers and only attracting tax dollar consumers. In Maryland’s case, the regional disparities in state fiscal policies make transitioning away from the state easy for those with the means to do so. It stings the worst when our neighbor across the Potomac River — whose welcome signs include the reminder that they are “Open for Business” — is ranked at the top in the nation for economic and business vitality. Their policies beckon as a capitalist utopia when compared with Moore’s Maryland.

Meanwhile, Maryland’s welcome signs are plastered with the governor’s slogan, “Leave No One Behind,” while his policies are leaving us all behind. Catchy as a military slogan, it hearkens to images of Soviet-era stagnation as government-driven constraints put the brakes on progress. It also signals dereliction by Maryland’s political leaders, and especially by our governor.

More than two years into his tenure as governor, Moore continues to obsessively lament his inherited fiscal situation. He errantly blames Hogan, who had actually created financial conditions for Maryland’s sustainable long-term success until Moore and the legislature embarked on a reckless spending binge. Now Moore is proactively blaming President Donald Trump, grasping at straws to deflect the blame. Our governor must have missed the day at Army training where soldiers learn that responsible leadership means owning failure and sharing success.

Amid this strangulation, Californication, and dereliction, Governor Moore loudly proclaims that the solution is growth. It’s too bad for him that the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board sees his statements as meaningless platitudes accompanied by policies that are actually anti-growth. Meanwhile, Marylanders are struggling, suffering and fleeing.

John Teichert is a retired brigadier general and the former commander of Joint Base Andrews. He writes and speaks extensively on leadership, innovation, and national security. He can be followed at johnteichert.com and on LinkedIn, and he can be reached at teichert@alum.mit.edu.