From the News Journal:
Rep. Bryon Short’s recent Delaware Voice column was misleading.
Much like our governor, he says one thing but does something completely different. During their campaigns, both Jack Markell and Short said they were the ones who could handle the state’s huge budget deficit. They would increase government efficiency and reduce government expenditures. With their business backgrounds, they were uniquely qualified to reduce business taxes and bring more jobs to Delaware.
But when crunch time came, they equivocated. Their first inclination was to raise taxes to keep their campaign-donating union leaders happy. The only effective way to reduce government spending is to reduce the size of government through reducing the number of state employees, not by temporarily reducing state employee salaries in exchange for additional days off.
Rearranging the deck chairs won’t prevent the ship from sinking. All Markell and Short need do is look around them – businesses are laying people off. Why isn’t the state government? In comparison to other states, our state government is clearly bloated. Only when Republicans forced their hands did they grudgingly agree to reducing the size of the work force through attrition. It has become painfully apparent that our governor, even with his compliant House and Senate majorities, isn’t up to the task of leading this great state.
Jim Bowers, Wilmington
They are in a box. A very small box. It’s an election year so to raise the unon ire is very scary, especially when the GOP elephant has finally remembered 1994 and will herd through the state like Hannibal did when he marched from Carthage, through Spain, over the Alps and terrorized Rome for two years.
So they can’t lay off which means they raise taxes and unlike last year there are no more easy taxes to raise such as gross receipts.
The G W Bush card which Dennis Williams (North Wilmington) plays, fell like a two ton brick yesterday at the CPA annual luncheon. He stumbled and everything was because of “George W Bush”. It was so bad that one well known D donor said, “this guy is clueless”
(Paging Bob Valihura)
So they can’t cut their union boys which means raising taxes. Unlike before state GOP chairman Tom Ross has an ed by ed printout which analyses various issues and in the 8 swing RD’s he knows how tax hikes resonate. So will his candidates.
The elephant walk is coming.
Markell is ready to drop to his knees for Arne Duncan who is comming to town on the 27th. Education represents one third the state budget about 1.2 billion dollars and dropping to his knees for Arne Duncan to get some of the Race to the Top funding which is about 4.5 billion in total will help. I call the plan Race to the Bank.
The Fed’s education stimulus money is a two year deal and there will be hell to pay. Markell is willing to give the fed’s greater local control beyond two years for a little $$$ fix now.
Markell isn’t to blame for the recession before he came into offfice but he did write a book on how to get out of it.
No doubt he’ll be face / forced to make major cuts in education including jobs. Perhaps Teach for America can start a new program called Govern for America and put some bright newly graduated kids in Government for half the salary 🙂
State employees: You were rightly fearful when Markell proposed an 8% pay cut. But now you see why you don’t want to turn to Republicans, who are proposing 100% pay cuts for some of you.
“State employees: You were rightly fearful when Markell proposed an 8% pay cut. But now you see why you don’t want to turn to Republicans, who are proposing 100% pay cuts for some of you.”
Shame on Republicans. They should know by now that the state government is a jobs program. Effort, necessity and effectiveness should not matter. It’s far more important that your brother-in-law’s mother is a legislator and that your compensation is over $100,000.
Government: “I’m going to take a chunk of your money with the threat of the loss of your freedom if you don’t pay. And I’m going to waste a large part of it.”
noman: “You sure you don’t need more? Surely there’s more you can find to waste money on.”
I’m not saying state gov’t is a jobs program. Layoffs by attrition are fine for the most part.
I am pointing out that Republicans tried to sweet-talk state workers before the election, posing as their best friends to take advantage of their fear and resentment of the Markell proposals.
It was a short romance.
Attrition is a poor indicator of what needs to be eliminated. Someone reaching retirement age has no bearing on the necessity of that job. It simply saves politicians from making real decisions.
Also, on your most recent comment, there was no election between Markell’s proposals and today.
Attrition is a poor indicator of what needs to be eliminated. Someone reaching retirement age has no bearing on the necessity of that job. It simply saves politicians from making real decisions.
True to some extent. But the idea is that once you get headcount down you can move people around. It is the most painless way.
Sorry if that doesn’t satisfy your dreams of Democrats weeping and gnashing their teeth as reams of pink slips are handed out.
Also, on your most recent comment, there was no election between Markell’s proposals and today.
Right. I meant the budget deadline, not the election.
Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
Carry on.