Delaware GOP's Weekly Message
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The GOP is taking aim at Gov. Jack Markell and the Democratic majority over their handling of the economy in their weekly message.
State Republican Party Chair Charlie Copeland says Markell’s depiction of an improving economy is misleading.
Copeland points out that private sector salaries haven’t rebounded since the governor took office in 2009 at the onset of the great recession.
He says Democrats won’t consider options from the other side of the aisle.
“Right-to-work zones designed to combat Delaware’s 28 percent decline in manufacturing jobs, reform of the state’s outdated and burdensome prevailing wage provisions and legislation to reduce the regulatory burden on Delaware businesses are all options that Republicans have put forward, and yet, Democrats have refused to consider any of these,” said Copeland.
Copeland adds that with one party in control the both chambers of the legislature and the executive branch, it is unlikely such proposals will receive consideration.
Full text of Delaware GOP Party chair Charlie Copeland's weekly message
"Jack Markell and the Democrats in Dover want the citizens of Delaware to believe that the economy is improving. They want us to believe that they have a credible roadmap for putting citizens back to work and improving the lives of Delaware families.
"Unfortunately, the facts tell a different story.
"When Jack Markell took office in 2009, Delaware citizens working in the private sector earned an average of $733.17 per week.
"Almost six years later that weekly figure has dropped an astonishing 3.8% to only $709.92 per week.
"What makes these figures more disturbing is the fact that they do not include the annual 2% rate of inflation.
This means that Delaware’s private sector employees actually have witnessed a staggering 14% decline in their weekly paychecks.
"This is far from economic recovery.
"Republican legislators and Republican Party candidates in 2014 simply find this unacceptable, and are committed to bringing change to state government. Right to Work Zones designed to combat Delaware’s 28% decline in manufacturing jobs, reform of the State’s outdated and burdensome prevailing wage provisions, and legislation to reduce the regulatory burden on Delaware businesses are all options that Republicans have put forward. Yet, the Democrats refuse to even consider these alternatives.
"Unfortunately, one party government controlled by the Democrats in Dover has ensured that these pro-economic growth policies never see the light of day. Perhaps that’s why CNBC’s recent survey ranks Delaware one of the worst states in the nation for business.
"It’s time to bring an end to the current reckless state of governing in Dover that continues to kill economic growth, and return to a time when Delaware was top in the nation for new business and new jobs."