Delaware GOP asked “12 business leaders” ?
Delaware GOP asked “12 business leaders” for their thoughts on how the state can “support economic growth and improve the lives of workers”
That’s great. Whatever. But just check out the failsons and professional grifters that pass for a “business leader” for the DEGOP:
1. “Delaware is an extraordinary place, but the state can do a better job of attracting employers and entrepreneurs. If we care about great jobs, we have to care about better schools and safer communities.” Ben duPont, Founder of Yet2.Com
Deep thoughts. Much better than Ben’s first draft that read “Delaware is an extraordinary place, where any great, great, great, great, great grandson of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours with a measly 20 million bucks in his pocket can make it big!”
2. “The Permitting Processes must be strengthened through streamlined communication between state agencies, transparency, cost predictability, and a fast-track approval program for major projects… as a start. The Ready in 6 Coalition of the Delaware business permitting process needs to be efficient enough to draw those projects looking in, and it’s the critical piece to this.” Bob Perkins, Executive Director of the Delaware Business Round Table
The former Vice President of Global Public Policy at AstraZeneca, thinks we need to make it much easier to funnel tax money to Fortune 500 companies. Awesome!
3. “Demand more of the basics from our public schools. Require Public School Graduates can Read and Do Math at 10th Grade Level. Workforce readiness is a minimum requirement of a Public School System and we are failing.” Tanya Hettler, Director of the Center for Education Excellence
“We are failing” but the checks from the right wing State Policy Network.[5] SPN keep rolling in. Sourcewatch.com notes that the SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party.
4. “Reduce State Sponsored Incentives for Capable People not to work. Jobs in Delaware are simply NOT enticing enough or have such low pay that an increasing number of Delaware’s working-age population would rather stay at home collecting government benefits than hold a job.” Charlie Copeland, Director, Center for Analysis of Delaware’s Economy & Government Spending
Say’s a guy who never worked an honest day in his life and who’s toughest job was getting to the bank to deposit his quarterly dividend checks.
5. “Stop the ‘Delaware Climate Change Solutions Act’ that centralizes control of the Economy inside State Government. SB 305 establishes a statutory requirement of greenhouse gas emissions reductions over the medium and long term. SB 305 failed to clear the committee at the end of this term, but sponsors promised to return with “stronger legislation next year.” David Legates, Economist – University of Delaware – retired
OMG, this fucking chud again? The DEGOP really loves this fraud.
6. “The state government needs to be more small-business friendly and develop a program for start-up businesses – our fastest growing segment. We also need to retract the “temporary” tax increases that businesses are paying, including the Gross Receipts Tax.” Bob Older, President, Delaware Small Business Chamber
He had me and then lost me. Tax cuts. That’s some bold “outside the box” strategy right there.
7. “The Governor and legislature need to create a state “ecosystem” to attract those tech businesses leaving other states, to Delaware. We have very solid tech training programs and extremely capable graduates ready to excel in the tech industry right here in Delaware.” Brandon Brice, Partner, Sarenga Group
“Brice hosts Straight Talk on WDTK The Patriot,[12] where he talks about conservative politics and current affairs.[13]He regularly contributes to local media as a columnist discussing Republican news [14] and was a writer for Hip Hop Republican in 2013, a Conservative-leaning blog site”.
8. “Position Delaware as a Diverse Tech Community building on Tech Impact, ZipCode, and other work readiness programs. “Delaware has a real opportunity to sell the employment base in technology – we have one of the top 5 diverse worforces in the tech industry. We can, and should, attract companies to our region. We have a number of strong tech companies providing technical education to a diverse community.” Patrick Callihan, Executive Director, Tech Impact
What’s Tech Impact? Good question. I read this description of it and I still have no idea:
“Tech Impact, a national technology capacity building and workforce development organization. Dedicated to delivering innovative technology solutions and support to the nonprofit/non-government sector and developing and providing transformational workforce development programs that create a lasting impact on society.”
9. Support Businesses-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Back employment opportunities for second chance individuals and help solve outdated barriers to re-entry. Top Policy Priorities by Delaware State Chamber of Commerce
Wait, what?? How the fuck did this make the list?
10. “We should listen to the business community, both large and small businesses, and hear what they are saying. Three primary roadblocks to business development in Delaware are energy cost, regulatory burdens, and labor issues. We need to implement ideas that will make Delaware’s economy stronger.” Rep Ruth Briggs King
The “regulatory burdens” really get me. I hear it from these robots all the time, but have never heard them mention a single specific regulation that they consider burdensome.
11. “We should emphasize those areas that are the fastest growing sectors such as Technology, healthcare, and logistics, and then focus our academic skills training and business incentive to develop those industries right here in Delaware. ” Mike Harrington, Business Owner/Real Estate Developer
Breaking news – Mike Harrington is still alive. (as of the publication of this post anyway.).
12. “Trust the free market! Enable businesses to compete for workers and reduce interference from the State. Lower taxes, fewer mandates, faster approvals, and a better-educated workforce will spell success.” Jane Brady, Chair of the Delaware GOP
Oh for fuck sake… Jane Brady is a business leader? I mean I guess, if driving the DEGOP off a cliff is a “business” she is crackerjacks at that.
Legates looks like if you asked AI to generate a photo of a youth pastor who is also a Republican Party state official who just paid for his mistress’s abortion, who also happens to be related to Colin Bonini.
I’m dying.
Or Jabba the Hutt, if Jabba let himself go.
Aaagh. Tanya Hettler (we called her Hitler) was the 2021 Brandywine School Board candidate in the group of MAGA candidates that Chris Kenny underwrote with flashy signs and campaign materials. Luckily, a grassroots group of savvy parents saw this for what it was and made absolutely certain she lost.
“who’s toughest job was getting to the bank to deposit his quarterly dividend checks.”
Come on, Charlie has direct deposit. His toughest job (and the most profitable) was getting Democrats to repeal the estate tax (and it wasn’t that hard). Which is actually a kitchen-table issue in Charlie’s family.
Like many jobs made irrelevant by the Internet, depositing his quarterly check dried up as a creative outlet. That’s when he turned to estate tax repeal.
For the record, Legates doesn’t pretend to be an economist. He pretends to be a climatologist.
lol.
Consider the bottom of the barrel scraped.
The 12 “business leaders” and their qualifications as such:
Ben du Pont: Entrepreneur with lots of inherited money
Bob Perkins: Various government positions, PR job with AstraZeneca
Tanya Hettler: Self-employed psychologist
Charlie Copeland: Lots of inherited money
David Legates: Former UD professor
Bob Older: Owned a restaurant, travel agent
Brandon Brice: Lots of jobs on the wingnut welfare circuit
Patrick Callahan: Marketing guy
Delaware State Chamber of Commerce: Not even a person
Ruth Briggs King: HR person, former teacher, hospital employee, Realtor
Jane Brady: Various jobs in government
By my count, that makes zero (0) actual “business leaders.” Lots of government work and self-employment, which apparently qualifies you as a business leader per the DeGOP.
Chris Kenny looks like a titan of industry compared to this lot.
I was going to say that trust fund babies, and people suckling on the government teet sure seem way over represented. But, maybe that list is actually a fair representation of the current DEGOP?
I was wondering why Kenny didn’t make the cut. “Waaah! My taxes are too high” seems like it is always a welcomed addition.
Post Of The Year!
Point of clarification, RBK is not and never was a Realtor. She is a former employee of the Sussex Realtor’s Association. Bad enough in that she was the voice of the leadership of the Association and its positions. Many of us rank and file folks do not support the political postions of the leadership and some of us like myself actively support Tennent’s rights etc. To have access to the tools of our trade we are forced to pay our dues.
Thank you for the correction.
i wonder if they thought that this list was supposed to serve as some kind of recruitment tool for the GOP. If these are their business leaders, it explains the party’s lack of funds. The only potential sources I see there are Ben, Charlie and the Chamber.
Surprised not to see Chris Kenny or the Hudson fellow on the list. Maybe they didn’t want their names to be seen in that company.