Correct grammar, rich language and content? What’s the blogging world coming to?
Broken Turtle
Literature and Politics from a microcosm called Delaware. Here all the multifaceted players across the great capitalist contradiction are reduced to a few actors: a handful of banking and chemical oligarchs squatting in châteaux, a stable of artists downwind who either take inspiration for amnesia and roses or take a stand, challenging the living to repair a polluted world.
Check it out here.
Courtesy of the indispensable Crooks and Liars (via the Delawareliberal twitter feed):
That just about captures the party of Family Values, yes? Wonder when we get to see this new logo on Mike Castle’s literature?
Use this thread to point and laugh.
Better late than never.
No, no, not the post-game show from last Thursday’s session, but House Resolution 38, introduced and passed Thursday (March 25), “PROCLAIMING FEBRUARY 21-27, 2010 AS FOOD CHECK-OUT WEEK IN DELAWARE.”
Memo to Rep. Pam Thornburg: If you’re gonna do a resolution like this, it might be more effective to do it before the event, not a month afterwards. Doesn’t matter. She’s gone after November regardless. Just didn’t think she’d already retired.
Thursday was the day for Strangulation ‘N Strawberries. The only two notable pieces of legislation to pass the Senate were SB 197, which makes strangulation a stand-alone crime; and Rep. Hocker’s ode to Strawberry Fields Forever.
The House passed several bills that had been on the agenda for some time: Rep. B. Short’s door-to-door sales regulations; Rep. Keeley’s consumer protection improvements package; and Rep. Barbieri’s bill strengthening no-contact requirements for domestic abuse orders.
Here’s the entire session report from Thursday.
Time to feed the frenzy for today. OK, frenzy is too strong a word. Unless regulating golf carts in Bowers Beach gets your pulse a-racin’. Here’s today’s Senate agenda.
Today’s House agenda once again features Sen. DeLuca’s SB 60. Last week, the News-Journal finally awakened to just how ill-advised this bill is, something that DL has written about for two months. Whether it makes a difference or not, we may find out today. Or the bill may continue to languish, which I’d be fine with. Has the Beaudhisattva attained enlightenment yet?
The big news, covered in depth by DL yesterday, is that Pete Schwartzkopf will try to run his Two New Casinos bill this week. I doubt that he’ll bring it up unless he knows he has the votes in the House. I suspect that this is one of those works-in-progress where you really don’t want to ‘see the sausage made’. Meaning, one would hope that the press corps is trying to see how the sausage is made. Which likely ain’t happening.
I don’t know how closely you’ve been following the developments in the pedophilia scandal surrounding the Catholic Church lately. He’s facing charges that he not only ignored the problem, but also personally intervened to stop the canonical trial of a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting 200 deaf boys.
Obviously the pope is under a lot of pressure but this kind of response won’t help him:
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan was greeted with applause after finishing Palm Sunday Mass by defending Pope Benedict XVI against suggestions he aided coverups of reports of child abuse.
The standing-room-only crowd at St. Patrick’s Cathedral applauded for 20 seconds after Dolan read a statement calling the pope the “leader in purification, reform and renewal that the church so very much needs.”
…
The leader of the nation’s second-largest diocese urged his congregation to pray for the pope, saying he was suffering some of the same unjust accusations once faced by Jesus.
I guess I’ll let John Cole at Balloon Juice sum up my reaction:
Can someone show me in the bible where Jesus was unjustly accused of covering up systematic pedophilia?
Apparently not if the new voter registration numbers are to be believed. As with the registration figures during the 2006 and 2008 election cycles, the Democratic Party enjoys not only increasing number of state citizens, but also an increasing disparity between itself and the supposedly reinvigorated DE GOP.
From the News Journal:
Numbers released Monday by Elections Commissioner Elaine Manlove show that the Democratic Party outnumbers the Republican Party by a 3-2 ratio — having added more than 25,000 voters since mid-summer of 2008 for a total of 289,520 of Delaware’s 614,644 voters. The GOP has added about 3,000 voters in the same period. In New Castle County, the ratio is 2-to-1 Democratic.
So over the last 18 months, the Democratic Party has added eight voters to its rolls for every one the GOP has added. That is astounding. And supposedly this came during a time when Americans and Delawareans in particular are “fed up” with Democrats running the state and country, if you believe David Anderson, Hube and the other stellar prognosticators on the right.
Also in the article is the list of political parties in Delaware, which in find interesting:
American, 81
Federalist, 6
Citizens, 30
Democratic, 289,520
Liberal, 158
New Frontier, 5
Non Partisan, 337
Green, 561
Unaffiliated, 137,888
Working Families, 512
A Delaware, 79
Libertarian, 822
Reform, 127
New Alliance, 26
Others, 421
US Taxpayer, 93
Constitution, 283
Republican, 181,050
National Statesman, 1
Conservative, 89
National Unity, 25
Natural Law, 158
Independent of Del., 1,794
Rights Of Life, 2
Blue Enigma, 304
Socialist Workers, 272TOTALS, 614,644
I want to meet the one member of the National Statesman Party. Is it Joe Lieberman?
We all know that Republicans have been going on about how much they want to work in a bipartisan way with Democrats, but we always figured they were doing it with their fingers crossed behind their backs. It turns out, though, that we were wrong — Republicans really do want bipartisanship. Yesterday, on FOX News Sunday, rising Tea Party prince Marco Rubio spelled out exactly how he sees bipartisanship working:
“I’ve been more than happy to work across the aisle to do things like lower the capital gains tax, lower the corporate tax, flatten the tax rate, lower all these other taxes that make America increasingly unfriendly place to do business. And if the Obama administration tomorrow announces that is their agenda or the leadership in Congress does, I’ll be more than happy — I’ll be thrilled to work with them,” he said.
So basically, Republicans will be more than willing to work in a bipartisan way with Obama just as soon as he becomes a Republican. Somehow, I fear they’re still confusing “bipartisanship” with “capitulation”. Gee, I hope no one calls their bluff and introduces a major piece of legislation based almost entirely on ideas championed by Republicans and right-wing think-tanks. That could get awkward.
That is going to be the proposal from Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf in an amendment to House Bill 194 that he is filing today for debate on Thursday. This is the entirety of the Press Release from the Delaware House of Representatives House Majority Caucus:
Amendment would allow two additional
casino venues in DelawareRep. Schwartzkopf amending his House Bill 194 in advance of Thursday’s debate
DOVER – With a floor debate on gaming expansion legislation scheduled for Thursday, House Majority Leader Rep. Peter C. Schwartzkopf filed an amendment on Monday that would allow for two additional casino venues in Delaware and establishes criteria and a transparent process for selecting locations.
The amendment to House Bill 194 would essentially rewrite the existing bill and authorize the addition of a casino in Sussex County and the city of Wilmington. The five-page amendment grew out of a report commissioned by the state earlier this year that determined that two additional venues would increase revenue to the state.
“When I filed House Bill 194 last year, I was dealing strictly with amending harness racing licenses,” said Rep. Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach. “The Video and Sports Lottery Study Commission authorized a study that came back in January favorable to two more casinos in Delaware. After listening to people on all sides, I decided that a more competitive, open and transparent process for determining the locations is the best way to proceed.”
Under the measure, two separate five-member committees would be established to determine the feasibility and select casino locations in Sussex County and Wilmington. The Sussex panel would consist of the director of the Delaware Economic Development Office, the secretary of finance, and a retired judicial officer of the Delaware courts, a retired banker with at least 12 years of experience and a retired law enforcement officer, all appointed by the governor. The Wilmington committee would consist of two appointments by the mayor of Wilmington, one member chosen by the Wilmington City Council president, the secretary of finance and the director of DEDO, who shall be designated as chair.
Applications must be submitted within 60 to 75 days of enactment of the legislation. The committees would review each application and judge them based on multiple criteria, including at a minimum:
Overall anticipated revenue of the Delaware Lottery at each location;
Capacity of the project to create the maximum number of permanent and temporary jobs;
Business plan for the project and the experience of the owners, developers and video lottery operators;
Financial viability of the project and the financial investment made to date;
How soon a project could be open for business;
Effects on the surrounding community.“We want to make sure that applicants are capable of following through on their proposals and that they build what they say they are going to build,” Rep. Schwartzkopf said.
Rep. Schwartzkopf noted that the amendment also allows for the consideration of a licensing fee for each new venue, but that would need to be enacted separately. Adding a fee to the bill would increase the margin for passage from a simple majority – 21 votes – to a three-fifths majority – 25 votes.
In addition to revisiting the issue of a licensing fee, Rep. Schwartzkopf said the amendment calls for reviewing ways to help offset some of the expenses that the existing casinos have.
“I’m not sure everyone will be happy with the final product, but I think this is a much fairer approach than the original House Bill 194. It incorporates ideas and addresses concerns from several people on all sides of the issue,” Rep. Schwartzkopf said. “I look forward to a lively and spirited debate on Thursday.”
So there it is. Two more casinos proposed. With fig leaf “Selection Committees”. This should be interesting to watch and may be worth a trip to Dover to watch the fireworks.
So what do you think about two more casinos in Delaware?
Some of you will recall that #2 on my list of Most Vulnerable Delaware Republicans is/was State Sen. Cathy Cloutier.
For those of you who missed my Magnum Opus on this race, or who just want to relive the snark, here is my analysis.
That seat is far more vulnerable today as the Democrats have found a strong and serious challenger for the seat in the person of Chris Counihan. I met with Counihan last week at Brew Ha Ha, and came away with the distinct sense that the race is now his to lose.
Counihan has filed, has been working on the campaign for several months, has put together a very strong campaign team and, most importantly of all, will make a very positive impression with voters. Already, he’s bridged any Democratic Party gaps. He was a Markell supporter, a strong one at that, but his campaign manager is a big Carney backer. His campaign team also features people who worked on different sides of that political divide. He has already begun attending civic and community meetings.
He has a PhD. and teaches international relations at the University of Delaware. In addition to his business background, outlined at his website here, he has also taught at St. Joe’s, Immaculata College, and West Chester University. He will be in a position to wage an aggressive door-to-door campaign, and says that he loves to do so. He has done door-to-door on campaigns, most recently on behalf of Mike Migliore in the 6th R. D. Special Election. He is a member of the 6th District Committee, but has previously lived in Windybush, which is in the 7th R. D., the heart of the senatorial district. He has already reached out to most of the key players in the Brandywine Area Democrats, including all the elected officials.
Based on our discussion, I think he can be a real leader when it comes to economic development. He is very involved with the Claymont Community Center and the Claymont Renaissance, and is working on a very exciting project that could prove to be invaluable to Claymont’s economic recovery. I wish I could say more about it, but it wouldn’t be appropriate right now. Suffice to say that this is not a ‘Secret Plan’, but rather something that will surface well before the election.
As I predicted in my article last year, D registration now outnumbers R registration by over 3000 in the 5th S. D. Cloutier had to make a deal with organized labor, which was stupid enough to fall for it, last time in order to squeak by against Pat Morrison. It looks highly unlikely that she’ll be able to pull off something similar this time, especially with the registration deficit.
For those of you jonesing for some political action, check out his (still in development) website and get in touch with him. You can also e-mail him at counihan5th@gmail.com. D’s have a great chance to replace someone who, at best, is just ‘there’ with someone who can really help Delaware create jobs and the opportunity for long-term economic growth.
It’d be a shame to leave this seat in the hands of an invisible back-bencher. Time to ‘git ‘er done’.
Welcome to a dreary Monday open thread. What can we do to brighten your day? Perhaps an open thread will work?
Bachmann, who is by most measures stark raving mad, didn’t disappoint. Given the national spotlight, again, the Republican extremist made a variety of ridiculous. To its credit, “Face the Nation” published a sort-of fact-check piece online after the program.
“[N]ow we have the federal government taking over ownership or control of 51 percent of the American economy. This is stunning. Prior to September of 2008, 100 percent of the private economy was private.”
Ms. Bachmann offered no facts to back up her assertion that the government owns or controls 51 percent of the U.S. economy.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis data since 1929, the highest percentage of government spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product was during World War II when government spending was 47.9 percent (in 1944). The lowest level of government spending as a percent of GDP was 9 percent in 1929 at the outset of the Great Depression.
At no time during this period was the United States’ GDP 100 percent private.
The TV news is not about informing anymore, it’s only about ratings. I assume they think Bachmann will bring her flying monkey brigade to watch the show.
Speaking of fact-free lunatics, Palin spoke at the “conservative Woodstock” event in Nevada. She loves the Constitution, but hates Constitutional law professors.
In her speech at the rally, Sarah Palin of course paid homage to the Constitution. “Our vision for America is anchored in time-tested truths that the government that governs least governs best, that the Constitution provides the path to a more perfect union — it’s the Constitution,” she exclaimed. And so it’s extremely puzzling that Palin introduced this new attack line against President Obama yesterday:
In these volatile times when we are a nation at war, now more than ever is when we need a commander-in-chief, not a constitutional law professor lecturing us from a lectern.
Ironically, the crowd cheered wildly at Palin’s line. Watch it:
She’s saying to the crowd he thinks he’s smarter than you.
It’s just been announced – Delaware and Tennessee are the first awardees of the Department of Education’s “Race To The Top” Grant.
Update: The New York Times has a story up now. There’s not much more detail on how much the grant is and what it’s going to be used for.
Delaware and Tennessee beat out 13 other finalist states and the District of Columbia to win a share of $4 billion in federal Race to the Top education grant money, convincing the Obama Administration that they have bold plans for overhauling their public school systems, an Obama Administration official said on Monday.
The Department of Education did not immediately announce the size of the awards. But Delaware had asked for $107 million, and Tennessee for $502 million.
…
The president’s goals include expanding the number and quality of charter schools, reworking outdated teacher evaluation systems, improving the sophistication of states’ student data tracking systems, and turning around thousands of the lowest-performing schools.
…
Delaware already has a statewide annual teacher evaluation system, and has recently adopted regulations requiring that those evaluations be based on growth in student achievement, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality, which rated the finalists’ proposals.
If Republican donors were mad about the Palin family clothes grab on donor’s dimes, I wonder how they’ll feel about this:
The Daily Caller examines the Republican National Committee’s FEC filings, and discovers a few things that are not likely to go over well with GOP donors. Such as:
Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.
Today’s installment of GOP bamboozlement comes via the News Journal, where they are now trying to convince people that they want to constrain government spending. You should read the whole thing, but I’m not so sure who this convinces:
The proposal, co-sponsored by Rep. Deborah Hudson, R-Fairthorne, would require a three-fifths majority vote to approve the state’s budget if it expands faster than the rate of inflation.
Huh?
I’m not thinking that this addresses anything germaine about our current budget situation. And why would they want to do this now — it isn’t as though they were concerned about the growth in spending when they ran both chambers.
So in response to more budget shortfalls, all these guys can come up with are procedural moves that do absolutely nothing to constrain said spending. One of these days someone will ask them to put their budget proposals on the table and get them to stop showboating on this thing. What is fun about trying to index the government to the rate of inflation is that much of what the government does almost always rises faster than the rate of inflation and how do you fit genuine emergencies into “inflation”? How do you pay for the snow removal if the Feds don’t kick in? How do you pay for beach replenishment if the Feds don’t? The state runs landfills, whose operating costs almost always go up faster than inflation. I could go on, but you get the idea.
What I know for a fact is that government is not free. I also know that there are probably ways to get additional efficiencies from this government (hey — what about a unicameral legislature? How much would that save?), but at some point if you want to be taken seriously about constraining spending, you need to start putting real solutions on the table. Man up and tell Delawareans what — exactly — services now enjoyed by Delaware taxpayers that you would eliminate in an effort to ratchet down on spending. It is well past time to stop letting these bamboozlers pretend that government is free, to stop letting them get away with avoiding the political risks of actually enumerating what they would cut. And until they do — it just isn’t possible to consider them serious about dealing with either spending or budget challenges.
The FBI conducted a raid on a Christian militia group called Hutaree.
Sources have said the FBI was in the second day of raids around the southeastern Michigan city of Adrian that are connected to a militia group, known as the Hutaree, an Adrian-based group whose members describe themselves as Christian soldiers preparing for the arrival and battle with the anti-Christ.
Of course they’re preparing for the anti-christ. What else?
The Hutaree group was turned in by other militia groups in the area.
Lackomar said he heard from other militia members that the FBI targeted the Hutaree after its members made threats of violence against Islamic organizations.
“Last night and into today the FBI conducted a raid against homes belonging to the Hutaree. They are a religious cult. They are not part of our militia community,” he said.
…
One of the Hutaree members called a Michigan militia leader for assistance Saturday after federal agents had already began their raid, Lackomar said, but the militia member — who is of Islamic decent and had heard about the threats — declined to offer help. That Michigan militia leader is now working with federal officials to provide information on the Hutaree member for the investigation, Lackomar said Sunday.
Other news stories reported that the Hutaree had pipe bombs and were trying to sell them. The group is fairly ridiculous, check out their MySpace page. Of course, it only takes a few ridiculous people bent on violence to cause a lot of problems for everyone else.
I’m certainly getting that feeling from the 90s, when all these so-called patriot and militia organizations came into existence and mysteriously disappeared when Bush became president. This is one reason why it is so irresponsible and dangerous for Republican leaders to use the paranoid rhetoric they’ve been using. Let’s just hope that we don’t see the tragedies that we saw in the 1990s.