The Delaware News Journal came out with an article yesterday which stated the 1% of Delaware’s wealthiest citizens saw a 15% rise in their individual wealth since the 2009 recession while the remaining 99% actually dropped 1.6%. This is all under Governor Markell’s watch. He has ignored this cold hard reality while allowing millions and millions of dollars spent trying to close an unrealistic fantasy, the proficiency gap.
Governor Markell and his corporate education reformers in the Delaware Department of Education actually believe that by osmosis and rigor, all students can perform the same on standardized tests. Minorities, low-income, and special needs children can be the same as their “regular” peers because they said so. There is no evidence, data, or research to back this up. But if they keep saying it, we have to keep trying.
Jonathan Dworkin, Governor Markell’s Spokesman told Jonathan Starkey with the News Journal:
“…the report “makes clear the long-term challenge facing Delaware and our country as middle class jobs of the past have been outsourced to new technology or other countries over many years.”
Price blamed the unequal economy – in Delaware and across the country – on the reduction of well-paid manufacturing jobs, falling union representation and a minimum wage that has not kept pace with rising costs, among other factors.”
El Somnambulo with Delaware Liberal wrote this:
“The policies he put into effect during the so-called ‘recovery’ led to more, not less, inequity in income growth. Actually, you can’t call it income growth for the 99% who saw their income shrink by 1.6%. This is obscene.”
Maybe if Markell redistributed the millions of dollars he wasted in his thirst for power in education, this gap would not be so wide. He allowed the Delaware Department of Education to beef itself up into a power mad unit of the Delaware government which has remained virtually unchecked until recently. He did this in front of all the citizens of Delaware, and most of us didn’t even notice.
Governor Jack Markell doesn’t answer to citizens anymore, he answers to foundations: The Rodel Foundation, The Longwood Foundation, and The Gates Foundation.
Today, Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy will appear before the House Education Committee in Delaware to explain how his Department spent the Race To The Top funding. As well, he also has to appear before the Joint Finance Committee to detail the 2015-2016 budget. The fun begins at 1pm before the JFC, and then at 3pm for the House Education Committee.
The rest of the article is found here: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2015/02/17/delawares-top-percent-claims-income-growth/23579767/?fb_ref=Default while El Somnambulo’s take on this can be found here: http://www.delawareliberal.net/2015/02/18/guess-who-pocketed-all-of-delawares-income-growth-during-the-recovery/
The Season Of Myths 