Delaware

Delaware Republicans
by Paul F. Demarinis

           Delaware is typically known for being the first state to adopt the U.S. Constitution and having a relatively small population, roughly 718,000. Its capital is Dover and the largest city is Wilmington. The demographics of the state are roughly 80.3% white and 16.9% black, its two most predominant religions are Methodist and Roman Catholic. The state of Delaware is divided into three counties in which case they are governed by a council headed by either an elected executive or an appointed administrator.
           The state of Delaware has three electoral votes for presidential elections and has recently tried to hold their primary prior to New Hampshire in order to obtain media coverage and political importance. Due to the states small population it has three national seats of representation, two of which are currently occupied by Republicans; Senior Senator William V. Roth and their sole representative Michael N. Castle.
           Delaware’s per capita income is roughly $28,493 compared to the national which is 25,238. An average worker earns about $31,000 in a year and a business owner earns about $37,500 annually. Delaware’s taxation laws are second to none; the state has no sale tax, corporate taxes are 8.7% of net income and individual taxes graduate to 6.4% plus “a set amount of income above $60,000. Many people wonder how a state like Delaware can operate when they do not resort to heavily taxing corporate and individual incomes in order to obtain funds for the state. The concept is somewhat apparent, Republicans sort after attracting corporations through tax incentives and laxed corporate law, in turn the state receives many high paying jobs for the people of Delaware. These jobs and the income that they provide allow Republicans to drastically cut back on social programs like welfare and job training. One example of how the Republicans entice corporations to make Delaware their home is by offering them a low percentage of taxes that they have to pay and giving them the ability to increase their corporate profits, such as giving them the opportunity to practice usury [excessive rates of interest on funds that were lent].
           Despite Delaware’s small size, the Republican politicians have a great amount of competitive edge nationally. This is mainly the product of one or two factors; the first being that liberal banking laws as well as laxed corporate law have attracted many large corporations to the state. Because of this, the corporations supply the Republican politicians with monetary resources in order to preserve these laws well into the future. This enables the Republicans and or any future politicians to have a great deal of leverage over fellow politicians. Despite the advantage, Delaware Republicans must maintain a precise balance between the wants and needs of corporations and, the constituents who voted them into office.
Now that we know what Delaware Republican politicians are faced with, it is best to move onto what they have in store for the future, the main area of focus will be their party platform for the 2000 elections.
           The Republicans’ primary concern for post 2000 election is to overhaul and improve the public education system through incentives as well as redevelopment. One such incentive is known as “HB-1” whereby the Republicans proposed a $250 million tax cut and require the state to take on local “mandated” share of school costs in exchange for an equal reduction in local school taxes. Aside from incentives, redevelopment is a key essential to the future existence of an outstanding public education system. As we see a large portion of our professional teachers head toward retirement, it is essential that we attract “top notch” teachers through competitive salary benefits along with an array of other incentives. Yet, at the same time, we take proper measures to insure that these hirees are trained in the best methods of social sciences.
           There is one other aspect of education that should and will become a major target of the Republican party, and that is discipline. The legislation is designed to improve school attendance and their conduct requirement. The legislation sole purpose is to create a “well ordered school environment “ in order to assist those that want to learn. Another piece of the puzzle that is a significant part of an outstanding public school system is parental responsibility to account for students accountability as well as an end to social promotion. Students will be promoted to the grade level that follows based upon a pupils performance and understanding of the study material within that grade, no longer will students be put in higher grades because of the notion, that at a certain age you belong in a certain grade.
           Republican tax relief and financial proposals are of great concern because these need to be reconfigured in order to better suit the manner in which we save and the way we live after retirement. One such relief focuses on increasing the amount of income that is excluded from taxation for seniors. Simplification taxation, also known as a state flat tax, would not only create a simpler taxation method, but a great deal of savings for our citizens. We see privatization of social security as an means of individuals investing more productively for their future retirement, and we owe it to future generation of workers. Tax relief and financial proposals must focus on both the individual as well as the corporation. Corporations contribute a great deal of income in the form of jobs; therefore, we must contribute some of our legislative resources to them in return. One such resource in the form of tax relief is known as the cap gross receipts tax liability, which enables multi-state manufactures located within Delaware to be competitive with other competitors from other states.
           In the mist of our state’s rapid expansion, it is crucial to preserve our open spaces and natural areas in order to maintain them for future enjoyment; this will be done by providing tax credits for land preservation.
            Health and welfare is something that should never be jeopardized, and the Republican proposals for improving the health and welfare of Delawareans is an attempt to enhance the quality of life we all live. One such proposal is improving the State Services to children needs. Essentially wanting to make sure that children who were once neglected by their families will not fall through the “cracks” of the system. Control and containment of diseases the seem to be spreading like epidemics, one such disease is HIV. This is accomplished through mandatory HIV testing for babies. Some laws must be changed in order to have a common objective in preventing underage smoking and creating stricter regulations for the possession of the substance. We must concentrate effort to those who have HMO Insurance coverage and recognize the difficulties they encounter and assist in a meaningful role to alternative coverage.
           These, along with many other reforms and proposals, are the core of the Delaware’s Republican party platform for the 2000 election. Do not be mislead because the Republican party on both the state and national level are relatively consistent and have few variances, for the most part the variances exist because of a diverse target audience.
           One of the main focal points behind a state party platform is that it gives us the ability to address issues that are of great concern to our fellow citizens within the state. This in turn creates a party along with its agenda that is subjected to a great deal of constructive criticism and positive feedback.