Following are the changes in various state of Delaware performance measures since Governor Markell took office. Where possible the data is from January of 2009 through November of 2011. Otherwise the data compares the year 2008 to 2010.   THE ECONOMY   Employment                        -3.6% (- 15,100 jobs)       Unemployment Rate                     0.6 percentage points                         Total persons unemployed                     1,607 people                 Initial

The University of Delaware, in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Lab, is seeking a grant from a $180 million fund established by the U. S. Department of Energy for a wind turbine research project to be built off the coast of Delaware. The effort has the full support of Delaware’s congressional delegation, the Markell Administration, and the tacit agreement of Delmarva Power to buy the electrical power output from the project, albeit it must be “competitively” pri

As governments in Delaware and throughout the Northeast and Midwest struggles with writing checks that they now are unable to cash, perhaps it is time to consider a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). Colorado was the first state to introduce a TABOR in 1992. The provision, approved by voters, capped state government spending at the growth rate of population and inflation. While other amendments have been made to the reform, the basic cap remains in place. How would government

According to the 2010 FBI Uniform Crime Report, the violent and property crime rates in Delaware are well above surrounding states and the nation. Surprisingly, except for the City of Wilmington, the highest 2010 crime rates are concentrated in Sussex County towns and cities. Expressed as incidents of crime per 100,000 population, nine out of the top ten highest violent crime and property crime rates occur in Sussex County communities in 2010. These crime rates are well above

Delaware’s Goods Producing sector, like manufacturing and construction, declined 24% from pre-recession levels to 2012! The rest of the country was only down 2% and is on the way to full recovery. There are policy barriers that can be fixed to get manufacturing and construction moving. I offer a few suggestions below:               We need to reform our three vocational technology schools that have transformed into quasi-college preparatory schools. We also need to provide pa

In August of 2009 Delaware raised its cigarette tax from $1.15 to $1.60 per pack of 20 smokes. The consequences were predictable.   State revenue from the cigarette tax fell between 2009 and 2012. In part this was due to the higher price discouraging smoking. In addition, however, Delawares position in the region as a source of cigarettes for smugglers fell.According to recent data from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 62% of cigarettes sold in Delaware in 2006 was brou

With a budget battle about to begin, what does the data suggest as the direction Delaware should take?   Let’s start with a quick look back and compare the year 2005 to the year 2015.   Since 2005 Delaware has added a total of 12,000 jobs. This is an employment growth rate of three-tenths of a percent per year (0.3 percent). The unemployment rate has risen from 4.1 percent to 4.8 percent and the percent of the adult population participating in the labor force has dropped from

This article first appeared at Delawareonline.com on November 18, 2015 , and in the News Journal November 19, 2015. As noted by The News Journal, a recent report by the Center for Public Integrity and Global integrity rated Delaware State Government as 48 th among the states in accountability and transparency.   On the face of it, this sounds like Delaware public officials might be trying to hide something. Perhaps, however, Delaware public officials exercise a level of int

This article originally appeared on Delawareonline.com on October 11, 2015 , and in the News Journal October 12, 2015.   Despite their coordinated public relations splash on The News Journal’s Opinion pages, both Sen. Coons and Gov. Markell demonstrated a surprising lack of knowledge on the subject of manufacturing. Current currency challenges aside, America can be attractive when competing for global manufacturing jobs. The country-decision, where to place a world-class man

The Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis has released the first quarter 2015 personal income data for Delaware and the changes since 2005 are striking.   Total personal income for Delawareans rose 39% over the latest 10 years. Adjusted for inflation, real personal income has averaged growth of 1.8% per year. Personal income grew 8.4% during the first year of the decade and 3.7% during the last year.     Of the components of Delaware personal income, transfer payments clearly l