Carney to Begin Budget Tour of Delaware
John Carney is about to begin meeting with Delawareans to get our input on the budget. This is a great time to talk to Carney face-to-face. Forget about the tele-conference though. So if you want Carney to raise taxes on Delaware’s richest aka Greenville residents or legalize marijuana, you really should go. Also, sign up here to get Carney’s updates as well as tell him what you think.
7:30 a.m. – January 30 – Timothy’s on the Riverfront, Wilmington, with Representative Stephanie T. Bolden
7:30 a.m. – February 15 – Drip Café, Hockessin, with Senator David Sokola
8:00 a.m. – February 21 – Drip Café, Hockessin, with Senator Greg Lavelle
9:00 a.m. – February 22 – Downtown Dover Partnership, Dover, with Senator Brian Bushweller
February 22 – *TELE-TOWN HALL
9:00 a.m. – March 1 – Nanticoke Senior Center, Seaford, with Representative Daniel Short
8:00 a.m. – April 5 – Café Gelato, Newark, with Representative Paul Baumbach
Tags: John Carney
The Network/Delaware United Wilmington kickoff is also Monday at 7pm. Anyone know when Carney’s deal begins?
This is a great opportunity for the new Indivisible-type groups to flex their muscle. The new networks will hopefully be used to get people to these events in numbers, and on message. Resistance is not just about Trump – all politics is local.
If you haven’t connected with Delaware United or Network Delaware, do it today. Or find another group, or start your own group. Come with friends to Carney’s meetings.
If you’re thinking “Wait, Carney is a Democrat – why do we need to resist his agenda?” – then you don’t know John Carney.
No show in Eastern Sussex. Wonder why
Eastern Sussex progressives should caravan to Seaford on March 1.
Shit, RE Vanella, nice catch. So, Carney’s doing a Wilmington meet and greet when most progressives will be busy. But if you live in Hockessin, things are cool as he is coming twice out there.
“So, Carney’s doing a Wilmington meet and greet when most progressives will be busy.”
Maybe Network Delaware could convene at the Carney meeting that night.
I hope they read that suggestion.
Carney still hasn’t set the time of day for these meetings. If it’s in the daytime, it is likely to be dominated by FOX News-loving retirees, or organized conservative groups. In that case it is even more important for progressives to drop what they are doing and show up in numbers.
Times are listed here: http://governor.delaware.gov/budgetreset/
Monday’s event is 7:30 am.
7:30 am at the Riverfront? I’d expect plenty of bankers.
Thanks SussexWatcher. Updating the post now.
So no conflict with Network Delaware. You just have to be unemployed in order to go to Carney’s events.
I’d also expect Carney to use some tactic to block ad hoc comments. Like making you hand in your comment on an index card up front, and then selecting the ones the moderator wants to talk about. Or something like that.
Progressives need to be prepared to break format and shout out. It only takes a few people to create an outraged hubbub sound. And there must be at least one camera capturing progressive questions and the responses.
Groups should come prepared with a list of 3 or so “must” comments, so whichever progressive gets called on, they make the comments in priority order.
If you plan on badgering the governor at one of these events remember the golden rule: ask one question and keep it concise. The more words and questions you ask, the more wiggle room you give Carney when answering
Yes. Comments should all be one-liners, preferably ending with a question so the moderator is forced to respond on camera. Carney himself is unlikely to respond directly and will probably defer to his legislator co-host.
The dynamic here is that Carney will be wanting to talk about spending cuts, but I hope the crowd suggests an upper-income tax bracket enough times that it will be reported on by WDEL and the News Journal.
“You just have to be unemployed in order to go to Carney’s events.”
Or retired.
@puck: Why not crowdsource those questions here?
1. When are you going to start campaigning for Stephanie Hansen to keep your party’s majority in the Senate?
2. All the income gains in the recent recovery have gone to the top 1%, while incomes for the 99% declined. Would you support a new upper income tax bracket?
3. Delaware needs a minimum wage increase. Would you publicly work to get the current minimum wage bill passed in the General Assembly?
It’s actually a perfect time for me. I’m going to grab coffee at LOMA around 07:15 then head down to Timothy’s. Any opportunity to resist, confront, complain, protest or question in person cannot be missed.
@Rob: I’ll try to be there too (it’s way earlier than I like). Be sure to post a report here.
Is this an apology tour?
Weak, even for you.
If we want to be effective at having our proposals considered seriously, I suggest that we agree on a few key proposals and bring them up relentlessly at every one of his events.
So what are your top ideas for generating new revenue, and/or ideas about what can be cut in the budget?
I’ll start:
Raising New Revenue:
1. Legalize marijuana, and tax the heck out of it.
It’s going to happen eventually, as states are seeing how successful it has been in states like Colorado.
We can legalize now, and reap massive incomes from it for about five years,since we’ll be the only state in the region where it’s legal.
Or, we can wait and follow everyone else, and it won’t be much of a boon.
2. Speaking of sin taxes, we could legalize single-game sports betting. Not that three-game bet thing we have now, but people could bet on individual games and NASCAR races. Once again,we’d be the only state east of the Mississippi that could offer this. Yes, it’s distasteful to raise money this way, but we already do it, so we lost that moral high ground a long time ago.
However, to be honest, I’m not sold on this one. I’m mostly presenting it as an option. Yes, the state would bring in a lot of money, but like many of you I’m sure, I’ve seen good people have their lives destroyed by gambling. I’m not sure I’d want to live in a state that’s a haven for sports betting.
3. Asses a massive fine to anyone caught driving in the left lane when they are not passing anyone.
Then confiscate the person’a car and say they may never, ever drive in Delaware again.
Okay, maybe not. That’s more of a pet peeve.
Budget Cuts:
1. Before the legislators begin discussions on what to cut, their absolute first cut must be to end their own travel reimbursements that they receive for traveling from home to legislative hall.
Seriously. This should have been cut years ago. I’ve heard almost those exact words from more than one legislator.
It wouldn’t result in much savings, but it would be an important, symbolic gesture.
2. Pass a bill that says no state employee may earn more salary than the governor.
That would mean significant pay cuts for many people, but too bad. You’re a public servant, you’re their to serve your neighbors; not to get rich.
Notice that the first two cuts start at the top. That’s by design. Before cutting services to those who have the least, we should insist that they first cut from those who have the most.
Lastly, I have to apologize in advance for the following, rather tedious, disclaimer. The reason I’m writing a disclaimer is because in the past when I put my name on some political opinions, people questioned if what I saying was the position of my employer. Since I’m fond of my job, and since my little girl will need braces soon, I better be careful.
So here’s the disclaimer — The suggestions and opinions I have presented on this website are my own, personal opinions, a private citizen, just some dude from Greenwood.
In the case of the above opinions, I am in no way speaking on behalf of my employer. These comments were typed on Friday night, at about 10 p.m., using my own resources.
I hope that prevents any misunderstandings.
And, before anyone asks; No, I don’t gamble and I don’t smoke pot.
Hope that you all have a great weekend
— Jim
These kinds of meetings are all too often dominated by “pet peeve” issues with little fiscal impact. And that is exactly the kind of public input Carney wants, so he can proceed with his Republican-driven austerity agenda.
Think of it this way: If WDEL features only one clip of a comment from the meeting, what do you want that comment to be about?
We “tried” to legalize single game sports betting early in Markell’s first term. As I recall, it was shot down by the US Supreme Court but because of the timing, it allowed the GA to use the $40 odd million projected income as a part of the budget that year.
@Jim: The “massive” incomes from legal pot would come to about $15 million at best. That’s about one-fifth the amount Colorado makes, and its population is about 5 times as large as ours. If we “tax the heck out of it,” people won’t buy it legally — they’ll just keep buying on the black market, which will easily continue to exist because we’ll be surrounded by black-market states.
There might be good reasons to legalize pot, but a tax revenue windfall is not one of them.
Delaware’s consumer base blooms far past our state’s borders.
Visitors from out of state could pay an added tax under one model I am hearing.
Tax it like tobacco or alcohol and adopt cannabus regs similar to existing state regulations.
“Delaware’s consumer base blooms far past our state’s borders.”
So would Colorado’s, except for the fact that federal law bars people from leaving with any. It won’t work like liquor and cigarettes, which are legal in other states.
Pot tourism, however, has really taken off:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/travel/colorado-weed-marijuana-tour.html?_r=0