Sometime tonight, Maryland Governor Martin O' Malley will make a live appearance on the season finale of the HBO show, "Real Time with Bill Maher," at which time we can declare he has officially "jumped the shark." 

That phrase has its origins in an episode of TV's "Happy Days" when the Fonz got over his fear of sharks by jumping over one while water skiing. The episode was widely panned as a desperate attempt by a once-great show to salvage itself from falling ratings. Since then, any circumstance where a failing program or person resorts to stunts or gimmicks to try and win back the public's affections is called "jumping the shark."

O'Malley's appearance on Bill Maher's program is ironic given that he is a devout Catholic, his support for abortion on demand notwithstanding, and Maher is an irreligionist whose contempt for people and institutions of faith is well-documented. It could make for some "must-see" TV.

This trip out west to mug on Maher's show is his second out of state foray in less than a week. I guess the kitchen's too hot back in Maryland where his fiscal irresponsibility has the state teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. He was in Miami Beach on Sunday for a fundraiser held at an establishment called - get ready for it - the Meat Market. 

This place is known for its genuine Japanese Kobe beef and attractive female staff, so it's apparently named appropriately. The people who eat there must have a lot of cash since a Kobe fillet is around $95. It's a good thing O'Malley has such well-heeled friends out of state since his millionaires' tax in Maryland chased away a lot of well-off people, the businesses they owned and the jobs they created. 

Besides, the state with the 4th highest individual state/local tax burden in the nation has less discretionary income than a state with the 3rd lowest and no income tax. People in Florida also have jobs since their business tax climate ranks them 5th best in the nation compared to Maryland's ranking of 45th. Yes, Florida is indeed the place to go if you're a governor looking for campaign cash because "That's where the money is." It certainly isn't here in Maryland.

O'Malley's star turn on "Real Time with Bill Maher" is probably par for the course for a man who fancies himself a celebrity. Besides being a political wunderkind for the Democrats, at least until he rode the wrong horse with Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign and has been kissing up to President Obama ever since, he is a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in his own band which makes him cool and hip. 

The advances for his appearance on Maher's show list him as a "scholar," but his spokesperson chimed in that he is also a "musician" and a "poet."

I have a suggestion - how about being a governor and leading back here on the home front for a change? His current budget came up almost $1 billion short of being balanced as required by law, and he had to do something he's not done in any of his budgets since taking office - cut spending. The projected deficits for the next fiscal year and the year after that are $2 billion and $2.7 billion respectively. The state's unemployment rate is the highest it's been in 26 years. 

His personal vendetta against Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E), a major state energy provider, has him holding up a deal between Constellation, which owns BG&E as an independent subsidiary, and Electricite de France, in violation of an agreement he signed with the company after they made rate concessions previously. 

His insistence on doing his "Martin of the People vs. the Evil Corporation" schtick ignores the fact other businesses will stay away if the government can't be trusted to live by the agreements it signs, and by blocking this transaction, he's costing Maryland jobs, tax revenue and a much-needed source of energy.

With the highest tax increase in Maryland history happening on his watch, including corporate taxes that dropped Maryland overnight from 25th to 45th in the nation for its business tax climate, perhaps he thought doing a few tricks outside the state would make us remember what a great guy he is. 

Frankly, his posh fundraiser in Miami Beach and his cable TV appearance in Los Angeles are the ultimate in insensitivity given the hard times we Marylanders are enduring right now. I hope he enjoys his TV appearance tonight; he's shark bait back home.