What do you call it when your state spending rises 3X as fast as inflation, and you have $1 billion in hidden, off-budget spending? “Shortfall”?

Photo Above - Wayne's World (1992). Mike Myers gives the state of Delaware an impromptu shout-out. No relation to current Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, who has big tax increase plans.

As unofficial state mottos go, Delaware may have the most hilarious: “The Delaware Way”. (Their runner up is pretty good too: “Welcome to Delaware – watch your hat and coat”). Today’s poster child for The Delaware Way: progressive governor Meyer got called out by the state's (progressive) newspapers for falsely claiming that out of control budget was the result of “Trump tax breaks for the wealthy”. The newspapers, which endorsed Meyer for Governor in 2024, have now turned on him (see link below)/

$1 billion in spending may not sound like a lot. Especially if it’s “off budget” and doesn’t even need to be shown on the state budget website. But that’s $1,000 per man woman and child – off budget. Above and beyond the nearly $6,000 per man woman and child which is officially spent. That’s just the state budget of course. It doesn’t include school districts/taxes, county taxes, city/municipal taxes. I gave up trying to do a deep dive on how much additional THOSE add up to.

Let’s get back to the billion. That’s NOT part of Delaware’s current $400 million budget crisis. The $400 million in unaffordable expenditures is the result of 13% annual increases in state spending, year after year. The state’s population growth is virtually flat, up only 1% annually in recent years, so nobody can claim this is due to migrants from California, New York, Mexico, or wherever. The blame was shifted to the White House. For 13% annual increases in state spending, Before Trump even took office.

If you guessed that all this hooting and hollering is a prelude to Governor Meyer asking for a huge tax hike, go to the head of the class. So, what’s the plan? Increases in everything from state income tax to road tolls to park admission to tobacco tax to marijuana tax to . . . .

Well, you get the idea.

Bizarrely, Matt Meyer’s 2024 campaign website is STILL up, and still soliciting donations from the unwary. (see link at bottom). Candidate Meyer’s website contains unexpected, amazing and irrelevant information about his entrepreneurship in Kenya (a company to make recycled sandals) and his tour of duty in Iraq (no shots fired). But not one word about his planned tax hikes. Either Governor Meyer had no clue about his state’s actual spending, or he deliberately concealed his future plans.

He wouldn’t be the first, of course.

I’m just sayin’ . . .


Stop calling it a shortfall, governor. Delaware is overspending | Opinion

Matt Meyer - Democrat for Governor

Del Gov. Meyer proposes raising taxes, fees in budget speech - WHYY