Today's Delaware State of the State Address highlights very fundamental confusion by the Markell Administration on how to fix Delaware's ailing economy, schools and transportation departments. Let's address these one-by-one:
Markell Proposes Job Creation Infrastructure Investment Fund
The entire premise behind this concept hinges on offering tax credits. Rather than utilizing more taxpayer funds for this fund, why not just lower the corporate tax rate? Delaware's corporate tax rate as of 2010 stands at 8.7 percent. Regional competitors such as Virginia offer a corporate tax rate of 6.0%, which is more business friendly.
Another recommendation is to reduce and eliminate the gross receipt tax. This tax punishes businesses, as it taxes them on goods produced or services rendered in the state. Punishing businesses on what they must do to thrive is a deterrent to stay in business and create jobs.
Announcement of Joint Effort with Delaware Manufacturing Association
Only after General Motors, Chrysler and Valero shut down operations and shed thousands of manufacturing jobs does the light bulb go off with the Markell Administration. Talk about being a day late and a dollar short.
While this is a step in the right direction, this is a reactive measure by an administration that was elevated to office by union labor that was employed at at least GM and Chrysler. Where was this administration when they were losing their jobs?
Education Proposals on Language Requirement and Science/Technology/Engineering/Math Focus
Governor Markell should be commended for realizing that educating Delaware's children is a driving factor to having a workforce that businesses want to hire. The language requirement is essential to have a workforce competent of global perspective and conversant with another non-English nation. While Delaware may be home to several non-US businesses (e.g. Astra Zeneca) it does have businesses that conduct business globally. This is step in the right direction.
Markell's second proposal to create Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was sorely need and refreshing to read and hear. This focus has been long overdue and there is no reason why Delaware cannot be a STEM hub to complement what the chemical giants have done to make Delaware home.
State Employees Health Care and Pension Cost Obligations
With the revealing that taxpayers have been bearing the burden of the explosive health care and pension cost obligations, Delaware leaders can now focus on reducing this burden. It was very startling to hear that the health care burden by taxpayers explode by 594% and the pension costs exploded by 257%. This clearly is unacceptable.
Delaware needs to address health care costs by increasing competition by allowing more health insurers to compete in Delaware, implementing tort reform and asking state employees to share the health care cost burden just like it done in the public sector. It is not fair for private citizens to fund their own health care for themselves and also that of the state employees. For this, the state must act like a business and ask employees to share more of the cost after they improve competition and availability of more choices for health care coverage via the private sector.
Markell must make a stand and reject Obamacare. Join the other twenty-six states and demand that we inject state reforms on health care to diffuse the unconstitutional federal government mandate. This issue commands leadership, and now is the time. Compel Attorney General Beau Biden to do his constitutional job and invoke nullification of Obamacare, for this legislation is violation of the U.S. Constitution on the mandate requirement.
The explosive pension cost burden borne by taxpayers is no different. It is not fair that private citizens must finance their own retirement and that of state employees. Delaware must do a multitude of things to address this problem. The first is to switch from a defined benefit pension plan to a defined contribution plan where state employees contribute to their retirement. This is the same decision many private sectors firms faced, and government employees should be no different.
Markell must renegotiate all union employee contracts to reign in employee costs. Consult with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on tactics on how to negotiate with the DSEA and other unions. It won't be easy, but it must be done.
Conclusion
Delaware's fiscal picture is bleak due to state health care, Medicare and pension cost obligations. Delaware'[s schools need reforming. While recognition of these areas is a first step to recovery, the road to sanity is a long one. The time for tough and unpleasant decisions is now. The time of the public's financing of fiscal recklessness and failed leadership is over.
Showing posts with label fiscal responsibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiscal responsibility. Show all posts
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Friday, September 17, 2010
Who is Chris Coons? - Marxism
Chris has graciously said that he would like to keep this campaign about the issues and not about smears and personal attacks. I appreciate that and I hope he continues that position. This campaign SHOULD be about the issues that Americans and Delawareans specifically, care about. It should be about how to get the economy back on track and growing, how to stop reckless spending, what role the government should have, the most effective way to stem the rising tide of healthcare costs, how to best manage our energy resources and what the tax policy ought to be. There are other important issues but these are what I hear about the most. All of these issues come down to a difference in ideology. On one side you have those who seek to continue spending, often recklessly, your tax dollars, increasing those taxes to spend more and increasing government control. On the other, you have those who understand the need for a limited government, emboldened AND restrained by the Constitution who will control spending and lighten our tax burden.
Now I said before, that Chris wants to keep this campaign about issues and I agree, it should be about issues and not a few sound bites from someone's past. We have all made mistakes...yes, even me...especially when we were young. However, there is something about Chris' past that concerns me, and many of you as well. Back in 1985, he wrote an article entitled "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist". When I saw this I was hoping for a satire or some sort of joke. But as J.E. Dyer from Hot Air's Green Room tells us, Coons was quite serious.
Upon returning from a trip to Kenya, Chris wrote:
He also wrote:
However, it wasn't as if just the trip to Kenya aroused some deep part of Coons' questioning temporarily. Before Chris even left for Kenya, he was questioning America:
Although Chris does say that upon returning to Amherst for his senior year, he accepted that had "returned to loving America" despite discovering the nations faults, one must ask what faults he has determined America has. If Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan Marxist leader is any indication, our faults are many and great and the only pathway out is financial slavery and redistribution of wealth. There is reason to believe that Coons and Obama have much in common.
On September 16th, at a debate in Wilmington, Delaware, Coons reiterated his support for Obamacare as currently written and indicated that there is little going on in Washington that he would change. He also indicated his support for extending Miranda rights to terrorists. In fact, Coons sounded eerily like the "pet" that Harry Reid described him as. Coons did try to move to the center around fiscal issues but despite his polished debate skills (remember, he is a 2 time national debate champ) his record unfortunately doesn't bear out his claims. He made the obligatory reference to his TV Commercials which portray him as a fiscal conservative. Sadly, Chris has raised taxes three times ('05,'07 and '09), raided the county's reserve fund and increased water and sewer fees. He also references the corruption rampant during the Tom Gordon administration in his television commercial and suggests that he fought corruption. What Coons fails to mention is that the Democrat Gordon/Freeberry scandal took place while Coons himself was on county council. Additionally, what is not mentioned in Coons' commercials is that when Coons took office, the Gordon administration had left him with a balanced budget and a reserve surplus.
Currently, Chris Coons is presiding over his own scandal. County Council President Paul Clark is advocating for a project which he personally stands to gain from. His wife Pam Scott (liberals apparently love to keep a different name than their spouse so as to create doubt in issues like this) is a lawyer in the case. Clark has said he would recuse himself from any vote regarding the proposal but his involvement in lobbying for the case stinks. Coons has thus far not stepped in to suggest that Clark stop lobbying for the deal his wife stands to gain from. He's certainly no corruption hound.
Finally, Coons consistently calls on people to recognize that he was able to give County Council a AAA bond rating. There is truth in that statement but he doesn't tell you how Fitch Ratings gave New Castle County that rating. The fact is that Fitch only granted that bond rating to NCC because the County raided the reserve fund and decreased its value by more than 30% while Coons raised taxes 25%. The size of County government has grown every year under Coons and the budget has steadily increased. In 2009, Coons did make some cuts...he cut county employee pay by 5% and cut their benefits by 3% while the state cut worker pay even further. Meanwhile, county spending plans stayed in effect and other cuts were "avoided".
Now I said before, that Chris wants to keep this campaign about issues and I agree, it should be about issues and not a few sound bites from someone's past. We have all made mistakes...yes, even me...especially when we were young. However, there is something about Chris' past that concerns me, and many of you as well. Back in 1985, he wrote an article entitled "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist". When I saw this I was hoping for a satire or some sort of joke. But as J.E. Dyer from Hot Air's Green Room tells us, Coons was quite serious.
Upon returning from a trip to Kenya, Chris wrote:
“I became friends with a very wealthy [Kenyan] businessman and his family and heard them reiterate the same beliefs held by many Americans: the poor are poor because they are lazy, slovenly, uneducated,” wrote Coons. “I realize that Kenya and America are very different, but experiences like this warned me that my own favorite beliefs in the miracles of free enterprise and the boundless opportunities to be had in America were largely untrue.”
He also wrote:
“My friends now joke that something about Kenya, maybe the strange diet, or the tropical sun, changed my personality; Africa to them seems a catalytic converter that takes in clean-shaven, clear-thinking Americans and sends back bearded Marxists,”
However, it wasn't as if just the trip to Kenya aroused some deep part of Coons' questioning temporarily. Before Chris even left for Kenya, he was questioning America:
A course on cultural anthropology, noted Coons, had “undermined the accepted value of progress and the cultural superiority of the West,” while a class on the Vietnam War led him to “suspect…that the ideal of America as a ‘beacon of freedom and justice, providing hope for the world’ was not exactly based in reality.”
Although Chris does say that upon returning to Amherst for his senior year, he accepted that had "returned to loving America" despite discovering the nations faults, one must ask what faults he has determined America has. If Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan Marxist leader is any indication, our faults are many and great and the only pathway out is financial slavery and redistribution of wealth. There is reason to believe that Coons and Obama have much in common.
On September 16th, at a debate in Wilmington, Delaware, Coons reiterated his support for Obamacare as currently written and indicated that there is little going on in Washington that he would change. He also indicated his support for extending Miranda rights to terrorists. In fact, Coons sounded eerily like the "pet" that Harry Reid described him as. Coons did try to move to the center around fiscal issues but despite his polished debate skills (remember, he is a 2 time national debate champ) his record unfortunately doesn't bear out his claims. He made the obligatory reference to his TV Commercials which portray him as a fiscal conservative. Sadly, Chris has raised taxes three times ('05,'07 and '09), raided the county's reserve fund and increased water and sewer fees. He also references the corruption rampant during the Tom Gordon administration in his television commercial and suggests that he fought corruption. What Coons fails to mention is that the Democrat Gordon/Freeberry scandal took place while Coons himself was on county council. Additionally, what is not mentioned in Coons' commercials is that when Coons took office, the Gordon administration had left him with a balanced budget and a reserve surplus.
Currently, Chris Coons is presiding over his own scandal. County Council President Paul Clark is advocating for a project which he personally stands to gain from. His wife Pam Scott (liberals apparently love to keep a different name than their spouse so as to create doubt in issues like this) is a lawyer in the case. Clark has said he would recuse himself from any vote regarding the proposal but his involvement in lobbying for the case stinks. Coons has thus far not stepped in to suggest that Clark stop lobbying for the deal his wife stands to gain from. He's certainly no corruption hound.
Finally, Coons consistently calls on people to recognize that he was able to give County Council a AAA bond rating. There is truth in that statement but he doesn't tell you how Fitch Ratings gave New Castle County that rating. The fact is that Fitch only granted that bond rating to NCC because the County raided the reserve fund and decreased its value by more than 30% while Coons raised taxes 25%. The size of County government has grown every year under Coons and the budget has steadily increased. In 2009, Coons did make some cuts...he cut county employee pay by 5% and cut their benefits by 3% while the state cut worker pay even further. Meanwhile, county spending plans stayed in effect and other cuts were "avoided".
Sunday, September 5, 2010
The Differences Between Castle and O'Donnell
Mike Castle shows up with fanfare and streamers at GOP Headquarters to meet with the people.
Christine O'Donnell seeks out the people by attending TEA Party/9-12 meetings.
Mike Castle has a voting record a thousand miles long that shows his true positions.
Christine O'Donnell is a relative newcomer to politics.
Mike Castle SAYS he's a fiscal conservative but he's voted for Cap and Trade, Cash for Clunkers, Union Bailouts, $3 Trillion in spending and TARP.
Christine has opposed spending increases and called for Washington (and Dover) to tighten their belts and address fraud, waste and abuse.
Mike Castle is a multi-millionaire who has never struggled in his life.
Christine O'Donnell has faced adversity financially just like most of us have.
Mike Castle does not have a problem lying about, distorting and destroying his opponents.
Christine O'Donnell believes in campaigns about the issues, not mudslinging.
Mike Castle and his campaign has attacked Christine with rumors and lies.
Christine O'Donnell has pointed out the facts about Castle's votes and his record.
Mike Castle refuses to debate Christine because he feels that she is beneath him.
Christine O'Donnell has called for debates consistently and has accepted every invitation offered by 3rd parties.
Mike Castle has been in Washington since 1992 and believes he is entitled to your support.
Christine O'Donnell is working for every inch of support she gets.
Mike Castle is supported by Greenville millionaires, unions, law firms and huge corporations.
Christine O'Donnell is bringing in money from everyday Delawareans and Americans who believe in her message and want to see our nation restored.
Mike Castle has an F-rating from the NRA.
Christine O'Donnell has recieved the endorsement of the Gun Owners of America association and is strongly pro-2nd Amendment.
Mike Castle has refused to support a repeal and defunding of Obamacare.
Christine O'Donnell has promised that she would make defunding and repealing Obamacare one of her legislative priorities.
Mike Castle believes in big government and big business making the rules for the people.
Christine O'Donnell believes in small and limited government that supports the private market and while ensuring the safety of the people, leaves business otherwise free to create jobs, goods and services.
Mike Castle expects the vote of every Republican on September 14th 2010.
Christine O'Donnell is asking for the vote of every Republican on September 14th 2010.
Where will you be when the dust settles?
Christine O'Donnell seeks out the people by attending TEA Party/9-12 meetings.
Mike Castle has a voting record a thousand miles long that shows his true positions.
Christine O'Donnell is a relative newcomer to politics.
Mike Castle SAYS he's a fiscal conservative but he's voted for Cap and Trade, Cash for Clunkers, Union Bailouts, $3 Trillion in spending and TARP.
Christine has opposed spending increases and called for Washington (and Dover) to tighten their belts and address fraud, waste and abuse.
Mike Castle is a multi-millionaire who has never struggled in his life.
Christine O'Donnell has faced adversity financially just like most of us have.
Mike Castle does not have a problem lying about, distorting and destroying his opponents.
Christine O'Donnell believes in campaigns about the issues, not mudslinging.
Mike Castle and his campaign has attacked Christine with rumors and lies.
Christine O'Donnell has pointed out the facts about Castle's votes and his record.
Mike Castle refuses to debate Christine because he feels that she is beneath him.
Christine O'Donnell has called for debates consistently and has accepted every invitation offered by 3rd parties.
Mike Castle has been in Washington since 1992 and believes he is entitled to your support.
Christine O'Donnell is working for every inch of support she gets.
Mike Castle is supported by Greenville millionaires, unions, law firms and huge corporations.
Christine O'Donnell is bringing in money from everyday Delawareans and Americans who believe in her message and want to see our nation restored.
Mike Castle has an F-rating from the NRA.
Christine O'Donnell has recieved the endorsement of the Gun Owners of America association and is strongly pro-2nd Amendment.
Mike Castle has refused to support a repeal and defunding of Obamacare.
Christine O'Donnell has promised that she would make defunding and repealing Obamacare one of her legislative priorities.
Mike Castle believes in big government and big business making the rules for the people.
Christine O'Donnell believes in small and limited government that supports the private market and while ensuring the safety of the people, leaves business otherwise free to create jobs, goods and services.
Mike Castle expects the vote of every Republican on September 14th 2010.
Christine O'Donnell is asking for the vote of every Republican on September 14th 2010.
Where will you be when the dust settles?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Governor Christie...Seriously?
So you said in your Weekly Standard video endorsement of Mike Castle (RINO-DE) that
Really? I mean, have you even had a staffer SNIFF Congressman Castle's record or are you already willing to sell out those conservative values that got you elected? Here's why I ask that question."Mike understands that our nation's most urgent priority is the economy and that
the path to restoring America's prosperity requires making tough, responsible
decisions," said Governor Christie. "He is the strong voice that the people of
Delaware need in the Senate to get our fiscal house back in order and get
Americans back to work."
So again Gov. Christie, where is your consistency? Where is your intellectual HONESTY? Then again, I did find this interesting tidbit. Governor Christie plans to use Cap and Trade funds to pay down the New Jersey debt. This story cites his plan to do it using the state money. Why not also work to pass national cap and trade legislation so he can pump even MORE money into his scheme? Who better to support for U.S. Senate and to ensure Cap and Trade passage than the man who already voted for it in the U.S. House, Congressman Mike Castle? I guess the Constitution, limited government and lower taxes only matter to Gov. Christie when he needs votes.I thought, maybe I'm WRONG about Congressman Castle. Maybe he IS a budget hawk. This is what I found:
FACT - Castle voted for TARP (the $700 Billion bailout of the financial industry in 2008
FACT - In 2008 the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth (Fiscal conservatism) rated Mike Castle at 28% and 26% respectively.
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Auto-bailout that resulted in GM being owned by the unions and taxpayers
FACT - American for Fair Taxation rated Mike Castle as a -1 against the FairTax measure
FACT - Castle Voted FOR permanently raising taxes on businesses
FACT - In 2008 the National Tax Payers Union gave Congressman Castle a D rating
FACT - Voted AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending at $973 billion and imposing a moratorium on earmarks
FACT - Congressman Castle supported the interests of the National Small Business Association 60 percent of the time from 2007-2008
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Obama Omnibus spending bill that increased spending 8% on TOP of the Stimulus packages
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Rumors Percolating
I've heard rumors and rumblings from an otherwise recently quiet Christine O'Donnell camp. The campaign has recently picked up support from renowned T.E.A. Party activists from across the country who helped push Doug Hoffman to prominence, Scott Brown to victory and propelled Rand Paul in the Kentucky GOP primary. These same activists have ousted incumbents and unprincipled party favorite RINO's across the country and after victories in NY, NJ, VA, MA, KY, CO, HA and FL they turn their attention to Delaware.
Christine's race has been drawing money, support and volunteers from across the country because her race with Congressman Mike Castle (whose record paints him more like an Arlen Specter Democrat than a Republican). They understand the kind of machinery she is up against. Mike Castle and his cadre of pawns, namely Priscilla Rakestraw (a.k.a. Prissy Rakes), Tom Ross (a.k.a. Tommy Boy) and Basil Battaglia (a.k.a. Bates) have recruited an army of elite GOP leadership thugs to smear any and all candidates who challenge him. They've tried to do it to Ms. O'Donnell.
Castle and his cronies have claimed that Christine has no job despite her being a freelance PR and Marketing Consultant who has worked for the Vatican, the World Education and Development Fund and Mel Gibson to name just a few of her clients. She's helped to orchestrate pro-family legislation in Washington and has participated in White House and Capitol strategy meetings. Additionally, Christine is a gifted political commentator who is called upon by Fox News and other major news outlets frequently and has appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor", "Hannity", "The Glenn Beck Show", "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "Entertainment Tonight".
Christine has been an invited guest of the Royal Jordanian government and has met with former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. She has travelled the world meeting with leaders and dignitaries, seeing first hand what Socialism, Radical Islamic Terrorism and Communism leaves in their wakes. She's been endorsed by Atlas Shrugs editor Pamela Gellar, documentary film maker David N. Bossie and numerous national bloggers and T.E.A. Party activists. In fact, the Wall Street Journal even highlighted her race with RINO Castle as part of a growing national trend of incumbents and GOP establishment candidates who stand to lose their bids in 2010.
All that has been missing is an opportunity for her to show that she can beat Castle and Coons. Thus far both Mike Castle and Chris Coons have avoided a debate with her. Castle has instead resorted to tactics akin to domestic abuse. At the Delaware GOP convention, Castle instructed his goons to disrupt the convention during Ms. O'Donnell's nominating speeches, hired the Dover High School Band (a publicly funded school whose children wore Castle campaign T-shirts and while using public instruments emblazoned with the High School name and logo) which is a violation of campaign ethics in most states and attempted to embarrass Christine by shouting disparaging (and untrue) comments.
Despite all of the Castle campaign's attempts to smear Ms. O'Donnell she remains as viable as ever. With her new national help and much needed funding she is poised to strike back at RINO Castle and make public is record of voting with Democrats more often than with Republicans; to spotlight his votes for Cap and Trade and bailouts; and to call him to explain his fiscal record before the people of Delaware. Christine is THE T.E.A. Party candidate for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat and she is the PEOPLE'S candidate. Visit her website to learn more at Christine2010.com
Christine's race has been drawing money, support and volunteers from across the country because her race with Congressman Mike Castle (whose record paints him more like an Arlen Specter Democrat than a Republican). They understand the kind of machinery she is up against. Mike Castle and his cadre of pawns, namely Priscilla Rakestraw (a.k.a. Prissy Rakes), Tom Ross (a.k.a. Tommy Boy) and Basil Battaglia (a.k.a. Bates) have recruited an army of elite GOP leadership thugs to smear any and all candidates who challenge him. They've tried to do it to Ms. O'Donnell.
Castle and his cronies have claimed that Christine has no job despite her being a freelance PR and Marketing Consultant who has worked for the Vatican, the World Education and Development Fund and Mel Gibson to name just a few of her clients. She's helped to orchestrate pro-family legislation in Washington and has participated in White House and Capitol strategy meetings. Additionally, Christine is a gifted political commentator who is called upon by Fox News and other major news outlets frequently and has appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor", "Hannity", "The Glenn Beck Show", "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "Entertainment Tonight".
Christine has been an invited guest of the Royal Jordanian government and has met with former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. She has travelled the world meeting with leaders and dignitaries, seeing first hand what Socialism, Radical Islamic Terrorism and Communism leaves in their wakes. She's been endorsed by Atlas Shrugs editor Pamela Gellar, documentary film maker David N. Bossie and numerous national bloggers and T.E.A. Party activists. In fact, the Wall Street Journal even highlighted her race with RINO Castle as part of a growing national trend of incumbents and GOP establishment candidates who stand to lose their bids in 2010.
All that has been missing is an opportunity for her to show that she can beat Castle and Coons. Thus far both Mike Castle and Chris Coons have avoided a debate with her. Castle has instead resorted to tactics akin to domestic abuse. At the Delaware GOP convention, Castle instructed his goons to disrupt the convention during Ms. O'Donnell's nominating speeches, hired the Dover High School Band (a publicly funded school whose children wore Castle campaign T-shirts and while using public instruments emblazoned with the High School name and logo) which is a violation of campaign ethics in most states and attempted to embarrass Christine by shouting disparaging (and untrue) comments.
Despite all of the Castle campaign's attempts to smear Ms. O'Donnell she remains as viable as ever. With her new national help and much needed funding she is poised to strike back at RINO Castle and make public is record of voting with Democrats more often than with Republicans; to spotlight his votes for Cap and Trade and bailouts; and to call him to explain his fiscal record before the people of Delaware. Christine is THE T.E.A. Party candidate for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat and she is the PEOPLE'S candidate. Visit her website to learn more at Christine2010.com
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mike Castle - Fiscal Responsibility Fact Check
On his website Mike Castle claims to be Fiscally Responsible. I decided to do some Fact checking. I thought, maybe I'm WRONG about Congressman Castle. Maybe he IS a budget hawk. This is what I found:
FACT - Castle voted for TARP (the $700 Billion bailout of the financial industry in 2008
FACT - In 2008 the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth (Fiscal conservatism) rated Mike Castle at 28% and 26% respectively.
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Auto-bailout that resulted in GM being owned by the unions and taxpayers
FACT - American for Fair Taxation rated Mike Castle as a -1 against the FairTax measure
FACT - Castle Voted FOR permanently raising taxes on businesses
FACT - In 2008 the National Tax Payers Union gave Congressman Castle a D rating
FACT - AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending at $973 billion and imposing a moratorium on earmarks
FACT - Congressman Castle supported the interests of the National Small Business Association 60 percent of the time from 2007-2008
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Obama Omnibus spending bill that increased spending 8% on TOP of the Stimulus packages
Castle's website states:
The $787 Billion stimulus package (which is projected to cost $3.27 Trillion) has resulted in $514, 012, 482.38 in Delaware dollars or put another way 6 one hundredths of one percent of the total stimulus package (assuming $787 Billion is correct). The Stimulus package has resulted in 1,174 jobs gained however, by December of 2009 Delaware had lost 11,400 jobs which resulted in a net loss of 10,226 jobs. Home foreclosure filings are still averaging 13 per day.
The website also states:
This committee failed to stop Fannie and Freddie from bringing down the entire national housing system, failed to properly regulate and evaluate the banking industry and is largely responsible for the financial services bailouts (which Castle voted for).
Finally, Castle's website states:
Despite this statement Mike Castle has voted against PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) amendments. The most recent of which was on February 14th 2010. He has a 2008 rating of 26% from the Club for Growth and has voted AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending and imposing a moratorium on earmarks 3 times since 2005. He's also voted FOR Cap and Trade, the auto bailouts, cash for clunkers, the 2008 stimulus package, the Omnibus spending bill (increased federal spending 8% ABOVE stimulus package) and believes that Social Security works relatively well despite the fact that it owes more than $14 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities and is the second largest budget item in federal spending (2nd only to Medicare/Medicaid which he has also praised).
Congressman Castle is CLEARLY not fiscally responsible with the people's money. He has time and again voted in ways that go against what is "fiscally responsible". His votes tend to contradict his campaign promises in the area of fiscal responsibility.
FACT - Castle voted for TARP (the $700 Billion bailout of the financial industry in 2008
FACT - In 2008 the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth (Fiscal conservatism) rated Mike Castle at 28% and 26% respectively.
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Auto-bailout that resulted in GM being owned by the unions and taxpayers
FACT - American for Fair Taxation rated Mike Castle as a -1 against the FairTax measure
FACT - Castle Voted FOR permanently raising taxes on businesses
FACT - In 2008 the National Tax Payers Union gave Congressman Castle a D rating
FACT - AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending at $973 billion and imposing a moratorium on earmarks
FACT - Congressman Castle supported the interests of the National Small Business Association 60 percent of the time from 2007-2008
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Obama Omnibus spending bill that increased spending 8% on TOP of the Stimulus packages
Castle's website states:
Economic Stimulus - Mike Castle has supported the federal initiative to return millions of taxpayer dollars back to individuals and families, spur business investment, and expand refinance options for homeowners.
The $787 Billion stimulus package (which is projected to cost $3.27 Trillion) has resulted in $514, 012, 482.38 in Delaware dollars or put another way 6 one hundredths of one percent of the total stimulus package (assuming $787 Billion is correct). The Stimulus package has resulted in 1,174 jobs gained however, by December of 2009 Delaware had lost 11,400 jobs which resulted in a net loss of 10,226 jobs. Home foreclosure filings are still averaging 13 per day.
The website also states:
Financial Services Committee: Mike Castle serves on the House Committee on
Financial Services, which has jurisdiction over banking and the securities and
insurance industries. In this capacity, he has worked to ensure the viability of
low income housing programs and has introduced legislation to shield consumers
from identity theft.
This committee failed to stop Fannie and Freddie from bringing down the entire national housing system, failed to properly regulate and evaluate the banking industry and is largely responsible for the financial services bailouts (which Castle voted for).
Finally, Castle's website states:
Budget Reform: One of the reasons Mike Castle first ran for the United States
Congress was to bring to the federal government the same principles of fiscal
responsibility that he practiced as Governor of Delaware. Castle has fought for
solid budget reforms in Washington, including a presidential line item veto,
rainy day accounts, pay as you go for both tax cuts and spending, and a
no-excuses balanced budget process.
Despite this statement Mike Castle has voted against PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) amendments. The most recent of which was on February 14th 2010. He has a 2008 rating of 26% from the Club for Growth and has voted AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending and imposing a moratorium on earmarks 3 times since 2005. He's also voted FOR Cap and Trade, the auto bailouts, cash for clunkers, the 2008 stimulus package, the Omnibus spending bill (increased federal spending 8% ABOVE stimulus package) and believes that Social Security works relatively well despite the fact that it owes more than $14 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities and is the second largest budget item in federal spending (2nd only to Medicare/Medicaid which he has also praised).
Congressman Castle is CLEARLY not fiscally responsible with the people's money. He has time and again voted in ways that go against what is "fiscally responsible". His votes tend to contradict his campaign promises in the area of fiscal responsibility.
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