The new priorities

If the next Delaware governor gets eight years, here's what they should try to do.

Looking up the canal with Lewes toward the Broadkill River on a chilly February day. That barrenness is a bit like our state’s economy these days.

The other day I saw an article by Charlie Copeland of the Caesar Rodney Institute talking about the misplaced priorities of the Carney administration. As he said:

To get right to the punch line, state spending has increased by 45% in the last eight years (a historic increase going back at least 60 years). Education, healthcare, and the executive office saw enormous increases, while technology remains a laggard. Despite spending growth, education achievement levels reached decadal lows; the state admits that Medicaid fraud will likely spike, and other state agencies continue to grow bureaucrats. What will be the next Governor's priorities? (Emphasis in original.)

It got me to thinking: what should the next Governor shoot for?

Realistically, in descending order of probability, the next governor will be:

1. Matt Meyer

2. Bethany Hall-Long

3. Mike Ramone

4. Collin O’Mara

5. the field

So there are limitations to what can be done, and, depending on who wins, what will be done. But if you look at just the main point that Copeland brought out regarding improving efficiency (and outcomes) there are several things that come to mind.

First and foremost is education.

The state of Delaware spends a LOT of money trying to educate our children, with local districts (which have taxing authority in the state) adding even more. But the outcomes have been getting worse over the last several decades.

The Left in the state has been complaining about an antiquated funding formula, but I don’t think funding is the issue when one can see the results of students who are homeschooled or go to private schools vs. that of public schools. Yes, there is an argument that motivated parents help lead the charge to better results, but why not encourage that model by having money truly follow the child regardless of where the parents want them to learn? Even if the parents get a half-share of state spending, it would assist them in giving the child a better education at less cost, while at the same time driving public schools to improve. It can both reduce spending and improve outcome.

The next area for improvement and efficiency is energy.

Delaware pays artificially high electricity rates because of government mandates for inefficient and unreliable methods of power generation as well as its scheme for wealth redistribution from utility companies to certain consumers who happen to qualify for government largesse, also known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Drop the renewable portfolio and membership in RGGI and we can start seeing results as utilities get relief from expensive energy sources and the penalties from the state for RGGI non-compliance. Look, I received a note from my electric company the other day announcing a recent modest rate decrease so it is possible, even in this negative environment. Why not make the conditions even better for them to pass savings along to their customers? Certainly it would be a better outcome for consumers to pay less.

Another possibility for improvement is transportation infrastructure.

The first thing the state has to figure out is that people want to pass through it. From north to south there are two primary ways for doing so: Delaware Route 1 and U.S. 13. The long-range goal should be to make those highways interstate-grade: for beach access, Route 1 to the U.S. 9 junction outside Lewes (a goal which the state is advancing on) and, in cooperation with Maryland, U.S. 13 from Dover to Salisbury. Thousands of drivers use that road as a long bypass of I-95 congestion around Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, but improving the route would also make it easier for the poultry industry to supply the Northeast market.

Traffic bound for Ocean City, Maryland should be encouraged to use U.S. 113 south from Milford, for which limited-access bypasses should be completed around Millsboro and Georgetown. East-west highways in Sussex County should be improved as well to assist in local traffic flow. This would be an improvement in efficiency, although it would be quite the “investment.”

I know there has been occasional talk about light rail to the beach, but that should be ignored. The beauty of the automobile is that it provides maximum freedom of mobility at a reasonable speed. A train is run simply from point A to point B on someone else’s schedule, and what family is going to want to deal with having to take luggage on and off a train and hoping to make it to the station on time? If you want to stay for sunrise on the beach instead of making a 7:30 a.m. train, the choice is yours with a car.

Copeland noted in his piece that the state budget went up 45% in eight years. I’ve always used TABOR rules as a measuring stick for the budget - despite the serious wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Left, population increase + inflation is a good guide for the need for a budget increase - and my best guess for Delaware’s population growth over the last 8 years is roughly 11%. Inflation was 29% during the period, though, so Delaware did a decent job in sticking to TABOR rules, mainly due to the rampant inflation of the Biden years. It’s a difference that’s close enough that we can make the gap without working too hard at it - just squeeze more efficiency out of certain areas of the state budget and we can give hard-working Delawareans a reward of lower taxes due to less spending.

Less expensive energy and more efficient transportation will also help increase the state’s moribund GDP, as it declined last year.

All we need are the right people and the will to do what’s right.

Until next time, remember you can Buy Me a Coffee since I have a page there.