General Assembly Pre-Game Show For Tues., June 6, 2017
Let’s try to figure out what’s going on with this shutdown of JFC. Whether or not the Joint Finance Committee intended it as such, I think the result was the Kabuki Theatre we now see. By announcing these draconian cuts, JFC wittingly or unwittingly created the firestorm of public outcry that resulted. Which led to the unprecedented demand from Senate and House leadership that the JFC flat-out stop its deliberations. It’s not as if they couldn’t have continued work and proceeded with the budget markup. But ‘leadership’ apparently decided that the public outcry had gone far enough and called a halt. The Budget Dance (which may end up as a Sword Dance) has begun.
Once the severity of these cuts surfaced, so did public outrage. The very idea that Carney’s shared sacrifice formula would pass w/o public outrage was never gonna happen. His tone deafness, which rivals incuriosity as his defining trait, remains intact. It happens when a ‘Democrat’ is not a Democrat. This fucking guy is not a Democrat. Can at least all Democrats agree on this now?
Let’s look at the details. Gov. Carney’s ‘shared sacrifice’ budget called for an equal mix of revenue enhancers and budget cuts. Meaning, about $200 million in cuts and $200 million in revenue enhancers. The corporate tax increase will yield about half of the revenue enhancers. Carney’s phony shared sacrifice tax hikes would represent the other half, with no sacrifice being asked of Delaware’s wealthiest. In fact, they’d realize the repeal of the Estate Tax. Which, if one believes Pete Schwartzkopf was the price he had to pay to get the corporate increases through. Which is also total BS. You can’t run a bill hiking corporate taxes and, if the Rethugs resist en masse, make them suffer the electoral consequences?
Of course, the Rethugs are playing brinksmanship on raising the PIT at all. Even the jot and jiggle Carney stuff. What do they want? Word on the street is that they want, wait for it, ‘right to work for less’. Because destroying unions and making sure that blue-collar families earn less is one of their obsessions.
On top of that, you’ve got a House D caucus where many members, perhaps a majority, prefer adding upper income brackets instead of adopting Carney’s thin gruel unamended. Which they should absolutely do. As reader Paul Hayes pointed out, Delaware’s top bracket was at 11% in 1984. It’s somewhere around 6% now. Meaning that Delaware’s wealthiest/highest earners have been enjoying quite the tax break for…(square root of 17 divided by pi=) 33 years now. They got the biggest breaks when times were good. It’s only fair that they share in the sacrifice now that times are not so good. Carney’s BS meme that we need to remain competitive when it comes to keeping our beloved wealthmongers right here came right out of two BS ‘reports’ (propaganda) prepared by and for the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable and embraced by Jack Markell. As has been pointed out, Delaware’s tax rates are far below most surrounding states, so we’re more than competitive and would remain so if top brackets were added. If you need any more proof that Carney doesn’t think for himself, just look at how he’s adopted the Chamber memes as fact. Hey, if it was good enough for Jack, it’s good enough for The Jellyfish.
Bottom line: All the oxygen will be used up trying to devise a budget plan. Unless more than 50% of the deficit is closed by revenue enhancers, a lot more, IMHO, there will be grief, and I mean electoral grief, to follow. DINO’s, take notice.
Well, maybe not all of the oxygen. Today’s House Agenda most notably features SS1/SB 5(Townsend), which codifies the Roe v Wade decision protecting a woman’s right to choose. That we’ve come to the point of even having to consider such an eventuality underlines why the bill is necessary. I also like SB 48 (Townsend). Here’s the synopsis:
A pharmacist who dispenses narloxone under an established set of circumstances is not subject to disciplinary or other adverse action under any professional licensing statute or criminal liability, or liable for damages related to injuries or death sustained in connection with administering the drug, unless it is established that the pharmacist caused the injuries or death wilfully, wantonly, or by gross negligence.
My wife, who is a pharmacist, points out that Delaware is one of the very few states that doesn’t have this provision. This bill, which unanimously passed the Senate, would make pharmacists, who are on the frontline of health care, key contributors in the fight against opioid deaths. As they should be.
Today’s Senate Agenda features HS1/HB 1, which bars certain employment practices that leads to wage disparity between men and women. Also on the Agenda is the annual corporate law legislative package.
I’ll be back tomorrow with a painfully-detailed look at this week’s committee hearings. Including the latest proposed giveaway to Exelon. Plus whatever other giveaways I might uncover.
While Carney’s Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable masters let him off the leash in joining the State Climate Coalition, I can’t see them softening on the rightful place to find new revenue.
Also, I’m not surprised to hear that ‘right to work for less’ is their key objective. No doubt Acting Governor Pete is onboard with that already.
I’m shocked you didn’t mention the BIGGEST bill on the Senate Agenda today: Senate Bill 69. It is very easy to overlook this bill if you don’t know what a gamechanger it really is:
https://exceptionaldelaware.wordpress.com/2017/06/06/townsends-death-of-public-education-bill-gets-a-senate-vote-today-say-what/
While I’m glad that Carney joined the Climate Coalition, it must be pointed out that, at this time, there are no additional environmental protections required of the State to belong. Good, yes. Impactful, no.
I’m not sure I see the connection that Kevin sees, but “Blockchain” does sound a lot like Skynet.
Blockchain will not destroy education any more than SQL and TCP/IP did.
gee, What can any state do on climate control.The President negotiates all treaties and accords,the Senate needs to approve all treaties.Obama, never bothered to submit it to the Senate.Mr.Trump ran on killing the deal.What did you expect would happen? I agree with the President that it is a bad deal for our country. I also object to our governor trying to run his own foreign policy. I find it really annoying that our governor us show boating for political.purposes.
Please explain why it is a bad deal for our country.
They can’t, just parroting mindless crap
Did JFC cut June 6 out of the budget?????
Don’t think so, but maybe they should have.
Alby, Simple it us a raid in the US treasury.It will cost 400,000 jobs, take 2 percent of our GNP and does nothing to go after China,India and Russia.They will continue to burn dirty coal and businesses in the US will close plants in this country and open shop in this same countries with the lower costs if energy. Also consider when we pulled out if the Koyto accords, the world was going to end.We actually beat the assigned goals by using the Free Enterprise system,rolling back to 1992 levels. This was the results of fracking,natural gas and cleaner coal. Technology, free enteprise and not the government is the answer.
@Gerald: Thanks for answering. I take issue with a couple of your statements.
There was no move to “cleaner coal”; it’s the price of natural gas that made coal obsolete, as you noted thanks to fracking. That’s a one-time carbon savings, welcome but hardly the answer long-term.
The number of jobs compliance would “cost” varies with every study of the issue. All such computations ignore the fact that clean technology creates jobs even as it destroys others — and because existing extraction industries are so mature, the job growth is in green tech, not fossil fuel tech.
Also, the cost of energy is never enough of a factor to influence where an industrial plant is built. Governments give away in tax breaks far more than the companies pay for energy.
As for “free enterprise” being an “answer.” That depends on the question, doesn’t it? Do you think the greatest industrial achievement in the country’s history, the output that won WWII, came about because the captains of industry decided tanks and planes were more profitable than automobiles and trains?
I have more faith in the ability of industry to adapt to the public good than you apparently do. But because of your beloved system, they won’t do it unless they’re ordered to. Otherwise they will put profit for shareholders ahead of the good of the country or its citizens every time.
“The cheapest possible energy” is not my definition of the public good, mainly because of the tragedy of the commons, of which climate change is a perfect example.
Meanwhile, you might like this fact-check on Trump’s speech from Scientific American:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/factcheck-shows-trumps-climate-speech-was-full-of-misleading-statements/
Albie, I know for a fact that in my industry that is heavily reliant in electricity,that the cost in our state due to the bloom deal, is about to cause some store closings. The high cost if energy when it can’t be passed in to the consumer is a game changer. Also, Look at what has been invented in the last 100 years.You and I ,if it were possible to live that long would be amazed what free Enterprise has invented. Sooner or later some new invention will come in the seen to replace the combustion engine. Remember, the steam boat, replaced sail, The horse was replaced by the train,the train was replaced by cars and the airplane.It only is logical that their days are numbered. Take Care
There is no such thing as clean coal:
Pounds of CO2 per million BTU
Coal (anthracite) 228.6
Coal (bituminous) 205.7
Coal (lignite) 215.4
Coal (subbituminous) 214.3
Diesel fuel and heating oil 161.3
Gasoline 157.2
Propane 139.0
Natural gas 117.0e
@Gerald: What business is it that you’re in, if you don’t mind my asking?
Macroeconomic policies drive technology and free enterprise