“The budget is broken,” said Delaware Sen. Harris McDowell, a Wilmington Democrat who co-chairs the General Assembly’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. “The options to fix it are to recognize that we have gotten to the end of the line of tricks.”
That’s the truth. Some of the tricks upon which we relied to balance the state budget, ‘abandoned property’, gambling revenue, even our incorporation fees, have peaked, and will soon be in decline, if they’re not in free-fall already.
Of course, if you read the linked article by Jonathan Starkey, you have to wonder if the proposed solutions can or will in any way address the broken budget. I think there’s no chance in hell that they will. First off, whose bright idea was it to create a bipartisan committee with at least as many R’s as D’s, with some of those D’s being Markell appointees? Uh, they’re the same as R’s. Oh, it was Markell’s idea, executed in an Executive Order he issued back in January. I guess he wants to assure that his legacy of kowtowing to his wealthy Greenville buds is locked in for decades.
Here are some of the ”solutions’ this bipartisan committee is considering, according to Starkey’s article:
“The bipartisan panel is considering revenue-neutral recommendations that include lowering personal income tax rates while reducing tax breaks for wealthy seniors-so far undefined by lawmakers…”
Lowering personal income tax rates? Nothing balances a budget quite as effectively as that.
Committee members also are considering recommendations to reduce corporate income tax rates to 7.7 percent. While that would subtract $33.7 million in annual revenue from state coffers by 2020, according to revenue estimates, it would increase Delaware’s competitiveness with surrounding states, officials say.
I assume these are the same officials who continue to pay bribes and extortion to huge corporations to bring or keep paltry numbers of jobs in Delaware?
The panel also plans to recommend repealing Delaware’s estate tax, which would cost $4 million annually.
These proposals are Reaganesque in their simplistic simplicity. This so-called bipartisan committee does nothing but provide cover for failed Rethuglican policies. Jack Markell is irrelevant and must now remain irrelevant. D’s should summarily dismiss these proposals as soon as possible. 35 years later, and Markell and the Rethugs are still touting trickle-down? Backwards reeled the mind (tip of the sombrero to Dorothy Parker). Not only are the proposals disasters, but the committee is also defined by what hasn’t been proposed. A return to a progressive income tax structure, for example.
OK, I’ve showered, most of the stench has temporarily dissipated. Let’s see what’s on this week’s legislative docket.
Today’s unlinkable House Agenda (seriously, can we fix this, it’s not that hard to fix, now is it?) features the bill giving everyone the vapors, HB 5(Heffernan, or is that Huff-ernan? Sorry, couldn’t resist). This bill would add e-cigarettes to the list of banned ‘smoking delivery systems’ under the Clean Indoor Air Act. Exemptions for ‘vape shops’ have now been proposed. It remains to be seen whether the bill is or is not yet ready for prime time. There are also three bills on the agenda that I support, and that I’ve previously discussed here: HB 102(Barbieri), HB 109(B. Short), and SB 47(Townsend). Only one senator voted no on SB 47, which streamlines services for indigent defendants. Do I really have to tell you that the ‘no’ was Colin Bonini? I wonder if anyone in the House will follow suit.
Today’s equally-unlinkable Senate Agenda features HB 59(Rep. J. Johnson), which removes from the list of violent offenses several acts which never should have been considered violent offenses, most notable, low-level drug possession. Of course, b/c nothing gets done w/o the cops having their input, two new offenses have been added: Promoting Sexual Solicitation of a Child and felony Resisting Arrest with Force or Violence. Because there are never enough charges for the AG to use. Pete Schwartzkopf’s attempt to rein in the ambitions and grasp of Sussex Vo-Tech is also scheduled for consideration. I think it’s a good bill.
Senate Committee Meeting highlights for this Wednesday:
The Education Committee considers bills mandating training of all education personnel in suicide prevention; requiring more classroom teaching experience for future Secretaries of Education; and protecting the privacy rights of students and parents.
Well, here’s a bad constitutional amendment. Designed solely to codify ‘tradition’. In the Executive Committee. Why would we need to codify tradition unless there is some fear that said traditions could change? And why would we want to discourage such change w/o a clear public reason for it? I think the ‘best’ (as best as human beings can determine ‘best’) should be on our highest courts. I mean, admit it, there’s at least the possibility that no one from Sussex County, for example, would rank in that pantheon. Hmm, Jack Markell sure appears to be in a hurry to pack both the Public Service Commission and the University of Delaware Board of Trustees with his nominees. For the second consecutive week, he has nominees before the Executive Committee:
Kim Drexler-Public Service Commission
William DiMondi-University of Delaware Board of Trustees.
DiMondi has no background in education, other than attending school. He’s a big-time R fixer and GM of the Delaware State Fair. Who better to help select the next university president?
Two notable House bills in the Health & Human Services Committee: HB 60(M. Smith) “enabl(es) the creation of savings accounts with tax advantages…designed to be used by persons with disabilities to save for qualifying disability and education related expenses”. HB 70(Baumbach) is the new-and-improved midwifery bill.
SB 68(Blevins) “creates the Delaware Online Privacy and Protection Act, which expands the legal protections available under Delaware law to individuals, in particular children, relating to their online and digital activities.” I suspect that this bill was drafted by the AG’s office, perhaps using model legislation from elsewhere. Especially since the enforcement authority falls under the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice. Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee.
The killing of the grey fox may (or may not) meet its Waterloo in the Natural Resources & Environmental Control Committee. Based on the membership, it could be a 3-3 vote.
This week’s House Committee highlights:
An interesting vestige of the past is likely on its way out. Did you know that, since 1935, Delaware Code prohibits the sale of alcohol to persons with a mental condition or mental disability? Isn’t that pretty much everybody? Anyway, HB 119(Matthews) would eliminate what is now termed an ‘overly-broad’ legal definition. In the Business Lapdog Committee.
Cursive writing will become mandatory if HB 61(Hudson) passes. Me, I’d mandate it for medical school students. So that, for perhaps the first time, doctors’ prescriptions could be legible. Education Committee.
Well, maybe decriminalization of marijuana possession is ready for its close-up. I hope the bleeping cops haven’t totally rewritten the bill, but they indeed might have. In the Public Safety/Homeland Security Committee, which I consider to be the wrong committee. Should be in Judiciary. As it is, I only count a sure 5 Y’s among the 11 committee members. I count 6 out of 11 in Judiciary. Coincidence? Was Speaker Pete a state cop? Asked and answered. State cops should not be in a position to dictate public policy here. They’ve been wrong on this…well, forever.
I guess I should close with a few brief thoughts re Gov. Markell saying that he does not support HB 50. People have taken that remark to mean that Markell will veto HB 50. They’re correct. Here’s the point: It doesn’t matter.
Passing the bill matters although it is more symbol than substance. While HB 50 doesn’t really do much, passage of the bill is a legislative repudiation of Markell’s obsession with testing. Whether he vetoes it or not, and whether the veto is overridden or not, passage of the bill would mark the demise of this governor’s official influence on Delaware education policy. I think that close to a majority of legislators have now recognized just how disastrous Markell’s policies have been, and they’re pushing back hard. So, whether Markell vetoes the bill or not, the message is the same: Gov. Markell’s education legacy cannot be salvaged. He will be most remembered for his wrongheaded chase for $$’s for bureaucrats, while treating teachers with disdain, and damaging Delaware students. I’m not even sure the Rodel Foundation would touch him now. Hillary might, though…