Letters to the editor: Trim per capita spending

Trim per capita spending 

After learning of the $350 million state budget deficit, I researched state of Delaware spending per capita. Delaware spends nearly $10,000 per year for every citizen. Maryland spends $6,700, Pennsylvania $5,700 and New Jersey $6,100. The national average is $5,700. The quality of schools, infrastructure and government services in Delaware is no different than our surrounding states, making $10,000 an excessive expenditure.

In regard to the projected deficit, $350 million is roughly 3.5% of the budget. Balancing the budget must be accomplished with spending cuts, not increased taxes. Future budgets should continue to decrease until expenditure per capita is more in line with other states.

Delaware's heavy reliance on revenue from abandoned credit card, gift certificate and similar properties is unsustainable. Those revenues are likely to decrease sharply when other states press the issue in court.

The consequences of excessive per citizen expenditures will lead to ever higher taxes making Delaware less attractive for businesses and residents.

Michael Poirier

Bear

Voter fraud is a valid problem

Anyone who thinks that voter fraud is not a problem in this country has their head in the sand. I don't think there is anyone who would not admit that there is Medicare fraud or that there is no one stealing Social Security numbers to get benefits. Many states do not require photo IDs to vote so it would be easy to use a stolen Social Security card to vote illegally. And many of those states who do require photo IDs could have people voting who have used stolen Social Security numbers to obtain photo IDs and vote illegally. Perhaps the mainstream media should connect the dots and do some real investigative reporting on voter fraud instead of saying that there is no voter fraud.

Richard Lovekin

North East, Md.

Right-to-work targets Democrats

Right-to-work via theTaft/Hartly Act was created for one thing: To lessen workers' rights and power in the workplace. RTW permits the membership of a union to receive the representation without having to pay for the service. This legislation, by design, was created to eliminate funding for organized labor. It's simple. Without funding, organized labor's ability to speak for the worker, via the Democratic Party would be hampered. Imagine this scenario. YMCA membership fee is $96 per month. I only want to use one swimming lane at my local YMCA and should only have to pay for the swimming lanes cost. I shouldn't have to pay for security, personnel at the front desk, janitors, a life guard, heat, building maintenance, childcare and so on. The YMCA would not exist to serve the many other noteworthy functions.  Right-to-work is only introduced by Republican legislators. It is their way of eliminating support for the Democratic Party.

Jim Viscount

Middletown 

Kaufman's observation

In Sunday's News Journal, Ted Kaufman used Bette Davis's quote from "All About Eve" to predict the future.

Watching "Casablanca" this past week and remembering the disgraceful behavior of our president kissing another man's wife twice reminded me of Bogart saying "He's like every other man even more so."

I think Ted Grouch found a way to both voice his displeasure and to make clear his independence of Trump influence. It is impossible to know now whether the whole thing was rehearsed and played out for some future advantage only time will reveal.

Marlin Johnson

Claymont

Lavelle misses mark on DNREC

In your Feb. 11 opinion section, Delaware Senator Greg Lavelle blasted the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control as a rogue agency that has failed to do its job. The term “rogue agency” is getting a lot of use lately in the divisive national political debate, often in regards to the EPA. No doubt DNREC has room for improvement, yet the two regulatory “failures” pointed out by the senator were from facilities that provided false information to DNREC.

The senator also ignored DNREC’s recent successes, including the transformational cleanup of the polluted Yorklyn NVF company site in his district, the fact that Delaware’s State Park system won the National Recreation and Park Association’s 2016 National Gold Medal Award, the establishment of a world-class trail system, and -- in spite of climate change, a growing population and continuing run-off pollution -- improving water quality in Delaware’s inland bays.

The senator’s choice of national-level divisiveness and one-sided bashing of a whole agency is not good for Delaware. We’ve got to come together as respectful people to solve our environmental problems.

Maggie Rowe

Newark