Acting Gov Pete Must Bring HB 107 to the House Floor
Whatever happens today, it should include a vote on HB 107:
This bill creates two new tax brackets at $125,000 with a rate of 7.10%, and $250,000 with a rate of 7.85%. Also, the bill provides a tiered reduction of the otherwise available itemized deduction based upon the individual’s taxable income.
Bring up up with HB 101 (Grant-in-aid). Andria Bennett has given the Democrats a great opportunity to expose the Republicans for the scoundrels that they are. The problem is that Acting Gov Pete has played the bigger scoundrel so far.
Multiple sources have painted a picture of Acting Gov Pete’s heavy handed treatment of the Dem’s in the closing hours of Friday’s session. His bullying style, his unwillingness to entertain any ideas that did not come from his own head are hall marks of terrible leadership. It is time the Acting Gov takes another approach and backs away from his Republican allies and take a more Democratic stance regarding the mix of revenues and cuts required to balance the budget.
“But it will not pass in the Senate”. some “Democratic” chamber of commerce quislings will say, and to that I so – so? Why should the house pre-exempt a couple of Republicans in the Senate from doing their job? It isn’t the job of the Democratic Caucus to make the Republicans lives easier.
If the GOP Senators don’t want to fund their local Fire Companies and Senior Centers by raising the taxes on the wealthy buy a tiny amount, allow them to have that conversation with their local Fire Companies and Senior Centers.
I will also note that this is the sort of instance where it would be helpful for Gov Carney to have a political philosophy. Simply being on record and vocal about the fact that “government” is not the bogeyman that the GOP wants to pretend it is would help the Dem caucus operate, by putting a little cultural pressure on Acting Gov Pete.
Carney’s complete vacuousness is part of the problem.
The NJ and WDEL are both leading their stories with the video clip of Warren Jones of the Volunteer Firefighters Associatio in dress uniform addressing a crowd of (presumably) firefighters and other first responders. In funereal tones, Jones said something like “Last night the House voted on a bill to restore grants-in-aid funding. Unfortunately, they attached it to the personal income tax increase. It didn’t pass.”
Jones’s tone of lamentation says it all. Presumably his membership is opposed to tax increases and want the grants-in-aid funding paid for by cutting other services instead. Which tells me he is speaking to a crowd of Trump voters and knows his audience.
I noticed that. Pretty sickening. That said, this is the right way forward. Keep making the case that stuff costs money.
My new working theory is that Carney does believe in Democratic programs; he just won’t tax the rich to pay for them. For Carney, services for the poor and middle class must be paid for by taxing the poor and middle class.
I haven’t seen any evidence that he even thinks about it that deeply.