After an unsuccessful attempt to nearly double Maryland's gas tax Senator Rob Gargiola is using disingenuous election time rhetoric by saying he "does not support" Governor O'Malley's 6% sales tax on gas tax.

However Garagiola says he'd still support a "scaled back" gas tax proposal.

The truth is even a scaled back gas tax increase, such as Garagiola's proposed 10 cent increase from 2011, still damages the middle class, is a job killer, and will evaporate too much money from Maryland's economy.

Now running for Congress, Garagiola says "We have to be sensitive to the economy. We have to be sensitive to people's pocketbooks."

But Sen. Garagiola supported Governor O'Malley's irresponsible budgeting that stole hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Transportation Trust Fund and voted for the massive 2007 middle class tax hikes that got us into this fiscal calamity.

Where was this concern and sensitivity throughout the years?

Maryland needs consistent fiscally responsible policies, not election time rhetoric that protects the status quo of failed tax and spend policies.

Americans for Prosperity Maryland is calling on Governor O'Malley and the Legislature to abandon any attempt to raise the gas tax.