Presenting the choice
There are two paths Delaware can follow. Let's allow the voters to choose wisely.
I was reading the other day about the entry of Mike Ramone into the Delaware governor’s race. No, he’s not a reject from the Rock Hall of Fame musical group (at least that I know of) but the current representative of House District 21. District 21 is a seat that, by rights, a Republican shouldn’t win as the district’s registration numbers skew heavily Democrat, and as such he’s not always been a predictable vote on the Delaware Accountability Project - his lifetime rating of 24 is the lowest among all Republicans, meaning he’s the most moderate one out there.
Having said that, though, it’s worth pointing out that only two centrist Democrats out of the entire 41-strong Democrat delegation approach that sort of territory. Most of them fall into single digits, meaning that there are a lot of important issues where Ramone does make a difference.
I’m sure it’s that sort of thinking and potential attraction to crossover Democrats which has led Ramone to seek the governor’s chair, as the state hasn’t elected a Republican statewide since 2014 (Treasurer Ken Simpler, who served one term) and has limped along for over 30 years without a GOP governor - instead, we’ve been treated to the likes of Tom Carper (who moved on to become our soon-to-retire U.S. Senator), the late Ruth Ann Minner, Jack Markell (who got an ambassador gig from Joe Biden), and now John Carney, who is looking to enhance his pension by becoming mayor of Wilmington. In the last election, Carney knocked off Republican Julianne Murray, who had recently announced she, too, was trying again in 2024 - only to back off earlier this week, essentially leaving the current field to Ramone, who has much more money and name recognition than fellow GOP hopeful Jerry Price.
In a note regarding Ramone’s run on a local radio website, one commenter fretted about losing Ramone’s House seat. So I decided to chime in and this is what led to my post today.
Seems to me the key is finding good candidates for ALL seats. There is a certain percentage of Democrats in Delaware who fit in the "my daddy was a Democrat so I'm a Democrat" mode, and there are others who can be persuaded to vote R despite their registration. Make this election a referendum on the direction Delaware should go - the status quo of failing schools, a sluggish economy, high utility rates, and forcing electric cars on us or the freedom to choose better education, creation of more good jobs, reliable utilities, and the cars you want, not the ones California would have you drive.
That's the choice to present.
And to me, that is the choice.
When my wife and I finally recovered enough from the Great Recession to be able to afford a decent home for the family, we knew we wanted a home in a rural area. Certainly there are rural areas all around Salisbury in the state of Maryland, but we were attracted to Delaware by the tax situation and lower overall cost of living. Indeed, we have that, but one thing we have found about living in this state is that its leadership seems to have its cranium stuck into its rectum just as much as - if not more than - Maryland’s does. But we don’t feel like moving again so I’m going to fight to make it better. The nice thing about Delaware is that it’s a small state so there are fewer people I need to set straight.
I presented four issues up above. Now I’m sure I could make this into a “compare and contrast” of ten or more issues, but let’s just talk about the four I brought up for now.
Failing schools: A week or so ago one of my other odds and ends was about a billboard campaign sponsored by the Caesar Rodney Institute. Overall, the state spends (if I’m reading this awful summary correctly) just under $2 billion a year on education and if I’m reading this chart right (hard telling) my home district has the highest property tax rate in the state. I’m not sure we’re getting much bang for our buck.
So let’s present the alternative: imagine a state which is a leader in school choice because money follows the child. Delaware already has open enrollment and a reasonably decent vocational program, but why not supplement that with the options of state support for homeschooling, sending a child to private school, or even having parents combine forces to hire their own teacher? The possibilities are as endless as the imagination.
Of course the teachers’ unions would object and perhaps try and nationalize our race because of it. Just smile and tell folks they represent the status quo of failing, overly expensive schools and that we can choose better.
Sluggish economy: This end of our state by the beach does one thing well - attract retirees. They sell their $700k houses in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and buy a $400k house here minutes from the beach, living on the proceeds and taking advantage of our sales tax-free status. So most of the jobs that are created by those retirees are in the health care, building, and service industries. On the other hand, Wilmington is best known for its manufacturing, but they’ve lost most of that base and attempts to revive it with green industry, such as Fisker and Bloom Energy, have been a flop.
So why not do what other states, particularly down south, have done, and make Delaware a right-to-work state? We already have the workforce and facilities, so why not see if that will goose some business? It doesn’t matter so much in the southern part of the state, which isn’t known for manufacturing much but chickens, but it’s worth reminding people that the minimum wage of someone who doesn’t have a job is zero.
High utility rates: There are certain types of power generation that are inexpensive and reliable and others that sound inexpensive but will bury us. Unfortunately, the state seems to be hellbent on getting rid of the former and saddling us with the latter. So the choice to present is whether we want reliable energy that’s proven to be less expensive or unproven “green” energy that requires the additional expense of backup power and messes up the power grid.
A few of my suggestions would be to drop out of the RGGI that serves only as wealth transfer from the utility companies (read: you who pay the ever-increasing rates) to government as well as eliminate all of our “green energy” carveouts (a.k.a. the renewable portfolio requirement) and promises to cut carbon emissions by a certain date. Then tell the offshore wind people to pound sand.
And if we can site and build some natural gas and nuclear generation plants, that would help even more. (It also would work to create jobs.)
The cars you want: This is really simple: should we in Delaware follow what California does or listen to our own people? Simply decouple ourselves from following California emission rules and, if people want to buy EVs and set up their own home charging stations, more power to them. But don’t make the rest of us do it. In two years we can elect an AG who will fight the federal government’s EV mandates because, quite frankly, they’re crap.
Just these four sets of solutions will make Delaware a much better state, but our job is to present the alternative to the Delaware Way that has made Delaware a laggard when compared to other states. We were the First State, so let’s work to get that rank back for those who live here.
Remember you can Buy Me a Coffee since I have a page there.
Slower lower Delaware has its charm!