Jack Markell Offers Another Phony Choice. Just In Time for Christmas: Coal for the Laborers.
OK, kids, take some time and read this article. It’s not long. I’ll wait.
Markell sets up a completely phony choice as the supposed upcoming battle for the ‘soul of the Democratic Party’. According to Markell, the choice is middle-class jobs vs. ‘income redistribution’, aka a living wage:
Markell said Democrats should pursue an “agenda around growth rather than an agenda around redistribution,” saying that “there aren’t a lot of people with middle class jobs who are aspiring to an increase in the minimum wage.”
So, on behalf of this state’s economic overlords, our putative Democratic governor wants to set up a battle of the middle class vs. those who need a living wage. Uh, by the way, in such a battle, neither the middle class nor those in need of a minimum wage wins. The economic overlords do. BTW, Jack, there’s no reason whatsoever why you can’t or shouldn’t pursue an agenda that promotes both growth for the middle class and a living wage. Geez, some of those people earning a living wage could become, dare I say it, middle class.
“My view is that this has to be around an agenda for growth,” Markell said. “We have to make sure we are continuing to work hard and protect those at the lowest ends of the scale. But in the end our only chance, if we really want people to achieve their full potential and opportunity, is to have an agenda around growth rather than an agenda around redistribution.”
Well, this Governor has thrown tens of millions of state dollars to huge corporate interests while fighting against requiring that many of these self-same corporate interests pay their employees a decent wage. The ‘middle class’ is just a ‘rope-a-dope’ to once again try to get people to vote against their own self interest.
Plus, based on past performance, Markell has proven that he doesn’t give two shits about protecting the people at ‘the lowest ends of the scale’. Take away their health benefits, deny them a decent wage, give millions to companies like Walmart who then put their workers on the state dole. Markell has worked to do all that and more.
Memo to the Delaware General Assembly: We know what Markell is trying to do here, and now so do you. Introduce a meaningful minimum wage increase in January and WORK IT. Force our putative Democratic governor to act like a Democrat.
We’ll be with you every step of the way. Unless you chicken out.
Tags: El Somnambulo, Featured, Gov. Markell, Steve Tanzer Delaware
Markell’s comments reach Carperian levels of cynicism and repulsiveness. In the war for the soul of the Democratic party, Markell has chosen sides.
Markell said Democrats should pursue an “agenda around growth rather than an agenda around redistribution,”
Minimum wage is now redistribution? Which other Democratic proposals does he think are “redistribution?” In case Jack hasn’t noticed, all the redistribution is happening upward. The US economy is currently functioning as a giant funnel sucking money upward into the pockets of the 1%.
Notice Markell never gets around to explaining what he thinks a “grpwth” agenda is. I think a livable minimum wage IS an essential part of a growth agenda. But Markell has apparently bought into the RNC definition of “growth.”
I guess it depends on where you want the growth to happen. Growth in incomes of the 1% Or growth of the middle class and their wages?
saying that “there aren’t a lot of people with middle class jobs who are aspiring to an increase in the minimum wage.
The cynicism burns. Increases at the low end have ripple effects all the way up through the income brackets in both income growth and job security. All those people making increase minimum wage are somebody’s customer – maybe not mine, but somebody’s business will expand and mine will benefit up the chain. I don’t make minimum wage, but I expect to be doing better with a significant minumum wage increase.
Or you could have quoted this part, which makes clear you can do minimum wage increases AND focus on the middle class:
“On the one hand, minimum wage matters,” said Markell, who has about two years left as Delaware’s governor. “But I think it’s also fair to say that there aren’t a lot of people with middle class jobs who are aspiring to an increase in the minimum wage. There are a whole lot of people….who have not seen any kind of wage growth over the years. It’s not just the folks at the lowest end, it’s also people in middle class jobs. The question is how do we address that?”
Lawmakers passed and Markell signed legislation in January that raises Delaware’s minimum wage to $8.25 by June 1, 2015. But the governor said economic policies cannot focus solely on improving working conditions for those in the lowest-income jobs.
What an utter disappointment this guy has been. And to think all of his fanboys were talking about him running for President one day…. give me a break.
Markell…….said as if he actually talks to the democratic party about anything.
If we just grow the economy by huge grants and tax breaks….well paying middle class jobs will magically appear.
Nice plan, Gov. Got anything else? That idea didn’t work out so well.
And his quote in “support”of the minimum wage is a little disengenuous. He didn’t want to raise the minimum wage, he had to be dragged to it just like Pete Schwartzkopf. $8.25/hr, feel the economic momentum!
Where are these mythical Democrats who want “redistrbution-only” economic policy? I don’t know of any, but Markell seems to think they are itching for battle. The straw man is worthy of FOX News. In fact, the very word “redistribution” is a FOX/RNC frame.
Like I said, puck, Markell isn’t exactly a man of the people or his own party.
He is in a bubble like most executives. That bike he is so fond of riding isn’t a Made in China Schwinn from Wal-mart.
Merry Christmas to all of you Fast-Food and Walmart minimum wage earners and let’s not forget a special Merry Christmas to our own State employees like the education para-professionals, many of whom are forced to apply for food stamp assistance since I’ve conveniently not provided an above poverty level wage for you in any of my budget proposals. Rest assured that once I’ve waved that magic wand of wage increases for the middle class through my policies of multi-million dollar grants to Bank of America, Astra Zeneca, RODEL, Bloom, Innovative schools and any charter school applicant with a corporatist agenda or sponsor, than, you, the peons at the bottom can pick yourselves up by the bootstraps and get in line for one of those good-paying jobs. In the meantime take heart in the fact that as long as you are making slave-wages for your forty hours of labor you’ll have to work eighty hours to survive ensuring that you have less leisure time in your day to spend that excess money that you don’t have anyway. Merry Merry Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho!
your friend and benefactor “The Gov.:
That comment is satire, right?
An actual legislator (who shows up for any press conference in Dover he can squeeze into) didn’t just write that and compare state employees to slave-wages, did he?
Well, let me just point out that Markell weakened the minimum wage bill in exchange for promising to sign it, then went across Leg Hall and got it buried in a House committee for six months thanks to Speaker Pete.
He not only didn’t help pass minimum wage, he tried to kill it. Might’ve succeeded if the General Assembly didn’t get shamed into passing it.
Educational Paras in Delaware are paid a wage that keeps many of them below the poverty level and I, and some others, have fought to have that wrong righted over the past four to five budget cycles. I show up ant any press conference anywhere that is convened on behalf of people, families and children in need, low-wage fast-food workers et al. and suggest that you and others members of the “concerned” public join me so that those types of people do not feel like nobody gives a damn. “Satire” no, not at all, “honest” yes. I am a proud, unabashed and vocal supporter of a fair wage for an honest days work and a livable wage for all. Are you?
He is cool with the gays though…
It reads like someone is angling for a banking lobbyist job or maybe a Chairman of the Board appointment. If this is the Democratic Party, there is – at long last- no Democratic Party.
That’ll do, pig. That’ll do!
Jack Markell believes in redistribution too:
In this instance, it is from you to Bloom Energy, but this is incredibly re-distributive and there doesn’t seem to be much growth from it.
I love the idea of the growth economy. It works like this: Jack is fine with a permanent underclass; wants to raise taxes on the middle class to pay for infrastructure repairs and environmental clean-up; and continues to pursue tax breaks for all his crony corporate buddies who actually polluted the rivers and streams in the first place.
See, in Delaware you have the Republican Party and the other Republican Party that likes the gays and tolerates a few progressives for ornamental purposes.
Steve Newton for the win!
Who the hell is supporting this “redistribution” agenda, anyway? I know a lot of people with “middle-class jobs”, which I define as “jobs where your education entitles you to sit down, occasionally”. Probably the Governor defines them in terms of their annual purchase of items from the Harry & David catalog, I dunno. But, using MY definition, the people I know with middle-class jobs support an increase in the minimum wage, which directly impacts their children, their brothers in law, and every person they encounter in an average week. If you have childcare, you’d like your provider to make a living wage and have healthcare…because if they don’t they’ll either get your kids sick by coming in, or leave you with a hole in your system by being unable to get a substitute. If you’re a parent, would you rather have a 3% increase in income, or kids who move out and support themselves? It’s insane. The only redistribution of money we’ve seen in the last 20 years has been from the pockets of people who work to the oligarchs. Don’t speak for MY middle-class, Jack. We can count.
Hear Hear dammit!
He’ and his type are playing to middle class people who fear and resent the people below them. Republican trick
Getting people to vote against their interests is the new big thing.
I would have to agree with cassandra_m:
Some of the profit that Bloom makes; should go back into DE’s education, job training, etc. We are paying for it, why not re-distribute those earnings back into DE. I wonder what will happen to Bloom wants the competition gets started??
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/ge-threatens-to-enter-fuel-cell-market-compete-with-bloom