I just got the call from Bill Lee to be in a town hall meeting. I’m going to liveblog it as it goes.
So far he sounds a little tired and apparently Markell is personally wealthy.
7:27 talking about small businesses. The questioner sounded like a plant.
7:30 Angry Red Clay school district grandparent calling in complaining about how referenda go to pay for administrators, not classrooms. Lee is pimping Vision2015. He also just quoted Obama about how we have to challenge public school unions.
7:35 Cancer is bad in Delaware. What is your plan? Bill says his ex wife died of cancer and a friend is dying now. It is caused by polluters and they need to be punished for polluting. Now busting on IRPP for not using better scrubbers.
7:40 Will you have an open door policy. Yes, but don’t be lining up on my lawn. I just planted it and you kids keep running across it! Busting on Minner for no press conferences.
7:41 There’s too much crime in our neighborhoods. We need vests and walkie-talkies. We need money and support, what can you do? More Americans are going to be killed in Wilmington this year than in Baghdad. In Wilmington the drug gangs take over the street after dark. Perhaps we can create a task force.
7:43 Conservation: DNREC is a bloated bureaucracy. What will you do to preserve open land? We need to help farmers and give them support in bad years. Even when I agree with DNREC, I disagree with the process.
I don’t know how long I can take this.
7:46 wife of a correctional officer that is now disabled and retired… Oh this is an insurance issue. I don’t get it. Now it is a DSTP question about her kids. this call is all over the place. OK, it is now a about the FEED program… That’s what Lee is addressing. The FEED program will stay, DSTP will be gone. Replace with a simple test. I presume that this would be a question about how old the earth is…
My wife is going to start getting bitter in a moment.
7:50 We are in debt, will you get rid of the State jet and other waste? How will you handle State police lawsuits? Minner has screwed the State police up through political appointments. We were found of discriminating against blacks, asians, hispanics and even whites. At least we are discriminating against everyone…
7:54 The latest guy is off his meds. Teachers are indoctrinating kids, how can we break the teachers union? 1/3 of teachers think that the union is crazy. Charters are great! The union wants to destroy charters and homeschooling. Again grabbing onto Obama.
7:58 Horse racing/slots question. Why can’t we use the slots $$$ to pay for more teachers? I think this is Matthews with a high voice… He is going off on unit count. The State is going to have to eat some costs… Need to stop RIF’s.
2 more questions to go…
8:02 Beach Replenishment. Why don’t we own the replenishment equipment? We have to do it every other year. He doesn’t know. He’ll find out when he’s Governor. LOL.
8:05 The questioner accidentally referred to him as Governor Lee. How will you stimulate business growth. Lee will cut regulation, taxes, waste… I plan to cut taxes, but maintain programs at their current levels… Sounds like trickle down to me. Taxes and red tape makes it hard to do business here. Medical jobs are a good strategy. He agrees with Markell that the good jobs are already here and need to be grown.
8:10 Less government and less taxes. Jack is a tax and spender…
Lee had to go. Must be happy hour somewhere. 🙂