Comment Rescue – Schwartzkopf really is a terrible human
Just read this comment from John Kowalko and marvel at the horrendous “Democrats” he has to contend with:
john kowalko says:
May 18, 2017 at 12:11 am (Edit)Today 5/18/17, a bill to repeal the “estate tax”, has been placed on the House Agenda by Speaker Schwartzkopf. It will require a suspension of rules due to notification inadequacies but more importantly it will guarantee less revenue for the state and amounts to a giveaway to the Republicans and the wealthy. This tax garnered $9.3 million in revenue in 2016 and to date there have been no suggestions from leadership of either party or the JFC as to how that revenue loss will be replaced. I have asked this question of all of my Democratic colleagues and have not received one suggestion. This bill should not receive one Democrat vote but it will as deals have been cut to the detriment of Delaware’s taxpayers to ensure passage. This is irresponsible and abhorrent behavior that contradicts true Democratic party principles and ideals and all Democrat legislators should reject this or be held accountable.
Representative John Kowalko
Not sure about ‘notification inadequacies’. The bill was released from committee on May 3, and has been placed on the agenda from its spot on the Ready List. That’s pretty much standard operating procedure. Don’t know what rules need to be suspended.
It’s a terrible bill, but Kowalko’s overstatement of what happened does the bill’s opponents no favors.
9.3 million from the estate tax in 2016? Did Ebola hit Chateau Country?
Bane: Only a few rich people need to die to generate $9.3 million in estate tax revenues.
By overstatement I presume you mean disclosing the actual $9.3 million in revenue recovered although it was originally projected at $3-$3.5 million the last time the recommendation to repeal came from the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and some suspect Dems. who play in the same sandbox. Or perhaps you can assure that the revenue will be in line with the estimates of $3 million lost. You may wish to check out the DFAC report of $24 million less in revenue from PIT then originally projected. Hello— higher brackets, (so sorry),- not allowed on the agenda under suspension of rules or otherwise. But let’s assume that you mean my “Chicken Little” persona will hurt the argument so let me just offer some actual proposed cuts that probably will be made despite the assured loss of $3million and up in actual revenue.
1) Elimination of the General assistance fund (saving $5m) that provides a whopping $3 per day to a few thousand qualified recipients (including homeless and single moms) who are unemployed and do not qualify for other (S.S. etc) benefits.
2) Elimination of the Delaware Prescription Assistance Program (saving $2.5 m) available for a means tested destitute senior population that cannot afford their food and medicine at the same time.
3) $2.6 M saved by reducing the Medicaid Dental reimbursement (say goodbye to your rare dentist who is willing to see those poor children and pregnant moms)
4) $1.4 million reduction to TANF
5) $5million reduction in school tax credit currently allowed to seniors (approx. $100 each—means test you say? heaven forbid just cut across the board and that medicine or food choice for Auntie Destitute will solve itself when she starves to death or has a fatal stroke.
6) $3.5 million Pupil Transportation increase for traditional schools–shifting State/Local share from 90:10 to 85L:15. And if you are curious at all then rest assured that Rep. Melanie Smith and Sen. Bushweiler will be placing epilogue language into the budget to allow Charters to keep unspent transportation money (they’re not getting cut) despite taxpayers losing $1.25 to $1.5+ million each year. And the sop offered is that they will do the same for Districts. I reiterated a dialogue I’ve had with the esteemed representative that “THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MONEY LEFT OVER IN TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS BUDGETS AND IT MUST BE SUPPLEMENTED WITH LOCAL TAXPAYER MONIES” Even though TPS get approximately $550 per student while Charters get approx. $850 per student.
So Chicken Little, alarmist or unduly harsh critic “that’s the facts Jack”
Representative John Kowalko
I’m glad it’s such shared sacrifice
Rep. Kowalko, El Som was referring to this part of the original rescued comment:
“It will require a suspension of rules due to notification inadequacies”
El Som pointed out that the bill proceeded to the House agenda through the normal route and does not understand what rules would need to be suspended or why. The overstatement he refers to is the assertion that normal rules would need to be suspended, not that $9.3 million would be lost.
I am at Legislative Hall and I saw with my own eyes on a rep’s Agenda that there WILL be a Suspension of Rules for HB16.
They do not have ANY updated House agendas for today sitting out here at Leg. Hall. The website does NOT indicate an SOR for this bill, but I did see it on paper.
Dishonest POS legislators. This really makes me mad