New Castle Republican Committee Chairman Chuck Boyce responded to Governor Carney’s State of the State Friday, saying he agrees with the Governor’s intentions for education investments, but his declaration that Delaware is “strong and getting stronger” paints a picture that misrepresents the struggles Delawareans are facing.
“Every year the Governor delivers a wish list to the state legislature, and like years past, this wish list is out of touch with the people he was elected to represent.”
Boyce praised the sentiments Governor Carney made regarding Delaware’s opioid crisis, but am disappointed by the lack of details in his plan to tackle mental health issues and substance abuse. “It’s nice that we as a society have evolved from imprisoning people with drug addictions, but it’s been years since we acknowledged the problem. The Governor has a responsibility to propose actual solutions.”
Boyce also took aim at the Governor’s promise to bring an assault weapons ban and other gun control measures to the Senate floor for debate. “Despite his insistence that the political games played in Washington have no place here in Delaware, Governor Carney is in lock step with D.C. Democrats. Mass shootings are tragic and are very rarely carried out with legally possessed firearms. Putting additional laws on the books to play to his base won’t prevent a mass shooting in Delaware, and only infringes on the Constitutional Rights of all Delawareans. Fluffy, feel good legislation that ignores the real cause of gun violence. For Democrats like Carney to use Parkland as an excuse for gun control, but ignore the terror families are facing every night in our cities, is hypocrisy at its finest.”
The Governor reported on economic development, praising a deal that sold the Port of Wilmington, but Boyce insists that cutting deals with large, foreign corporations misses the mark on how best to tackle Delaware’s struggling economy. “We have one of the slowest economic recoveries in the country, and that in large part is due to chasing the dangling carrot of large corporations like Amazon’s HQ-2. If we really want to see lower crime rates in places like Wilmington and Dover, we need to foster an entrepreneurial spirit that instills a sense of pride in small business owners in our state.”
Boyce continued, “The only way to make progress with gun violence is to tackle poverty head on. Delawareans that earn enough income from good paying careers, Delawareans employed by fellow Delawareans or are self employed, don’t turn to violent, illegal activities on the streets to feed their families. We need to foster a sense of ownership and self reliance in our communities. It’s time for the Governor and other Democrats in Dover to stop playing to the national DNC rhetoric, and to get their priorities straight.”
Chuck Boyce is a former U.S. Senate candidate, and current Republican New Castle County Chairman. He is the owner of United Agent Services, a corporate services company based out of Newark.
###