OK, kids, say you’re a green-eyeshade governor who suddenly has something like $200 mill in unexpected revenues fall into your lap. Your obsession is to ‘never grow the base of the budget’ under any circumstances, so what do you do? You gift the money to two worthy projects and enable every legislator to join you in an Election Year Victory Lap. However, to quote Gilbert & Sullivan, “Things are seldom what they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream.”
To wit, the Clean Water Initiative receives $50 mill from the state, and possibly $50 mill from other sources. Great! I support it. But the project will cost $500 mill and there is no provision as to where the other $400 mill will come from (remember that ‘don’t grow the base of the budget’ thingy). So, while perhaps not even John Carney’s speechwriters can screw up the applause line for today’s State Of The State Address, they’re not gonna tell you where the rest of the money can be found. If our fiscal fortunes take a downturn, it may never be found. At least not under the blinkered leadership of this guy.
To wit, Part Deux, John Carney’s gonna build a new school! In Wilmington! He is generously proposing $50 mill to build it! Great! I support it. Well, more of a replacement school than a new school. But, great! This again will be $50 mill in one-time funding so as not to, repeat after me, ‘grow the base of the budget’. Call me a skeptic, but I just have to ask myself, ‘Would our green-eyeshade governor be doing this if he wasn’t facing the prospect of a mandatory statewide reassessment due to lack of adequate state funding for public education?’ Hey, who am I to question his motives? Especially since Mayor Mike, who of course has no skin in this game, proclaims, and I quote:
“I’ve never seen anybody so committed to this issue of educating our kids,” he said.
OK, kids, time for a musical interlude to relay my reaction:
If that’s too subtle, Mr. Mayor, allow me rephrase, “Are you fucking kidding me?” I mean, that guy? I know he’s a constituent and all, but you’ve already got his vote.
But, I digress.
Here’s yesterday’s Session report. Gratified to see that SB 96, which we discussed yesterday, passed the Senate. Uh, that’s about it for yesterday’s activity.
I will be at work during the Governor’s State of the State address. So I encourage any of you who might be home to share your thoughts on what he said. If someone wishes to post the address once it’s made available, I’d appreciate it. I pledge to read it in its entirety this evening. Oh, the things I do for you.
The House will not run an agenda today. Here is the scheduled Senate Agenda.
Did I mention I’m working today? Gotta take a quick shower. I take at least one every week whether I need it or not…