General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., April 26, 2012
Someone in Sussex County is going to get killed, either by a delusional deputy sheriff who thinks he’s a policeman, or by a stopped motorist who refuses to heed the instructions of someone impersonating a police officer. In a county where there are likely far more guns than people, this is inevitable today thanks, in large part, to Rep. Dan Short and the entire General Assembly Sussex County delegation refusing to place peoples’ lives ahead of some perceived political downside. It is small wonder that Sussex County is best known for chickenshit b/c that’s what Dan Short proved he was full of.
For those of you who may have just moved to Sussex and are reading this story for the first time, Sussex County voters elected a sheriff who is acting like the chief law enforcement officer for the County, which he is not. The Sheriff of Nuttingham, Jeff Christopher, and his Posse Comatosis, are illegally pulling people over, and they are armed and dangerous. This is against the law. Even Dan Short knows this. Everybody but Christopher, his posse, and some total unrequited Sussex County nutjobs knows this. In order to clarify some perceived ambiguities in our law, Rep. Dan Short introduced HB 290, which would have made it clear that the county sheriffs and their deputies do not have arrest authority. That’s all it would have done. For this tiny vocal minority, this seems to threaten the very sovereignty of…someone or something. So much so that Dan Short struck his bill yesterday rather than have it considered in a committee meeting. Instead, he’s pushing a concurrent resolution which would ask the State Supreme Court to rule on whether the State Constitution grants sheriffs arrest powers. How weak is that? A concurrent resolution has no, repeat, no legal impact whatsoever. It would have no legal standing before any court. Concurrent resolutions are generally reserved for congratulating a state championship sports team, that kind of stuff. Now, a Joint Resolution does carry legal imprimatur, but that must be signed by the Governor, who no doubt thinks that a reasonable legislature should handle this expeditiously on its own. Especially since someone will probably get killed in Sussex County in the meantime due to the lethal antics of unlawful vigilantes claiming police powers they don’t have. Clip, save, and let’s all hope I’m wrong.
Anyone who thinks that the principles of the Democratic Party are alive and well in Delaware should take a look at what went down in Dover yesterday. The House Business Lapdog Committee (from now on, I’m calling it by the name it deserves) voted to indefinitely table legislation increasing Delaware’s minimum wage. Legislation which, BTW, has already passed the Senate. This is squarely on Gov. Jack Markell, aided and abetted by Speaker Gilligan, and Committee Chair Bryon Short, yet another politico off the assembly line at Carper Cryogenics. Or, in Short’s case, a spin-off company, Carper Telegenics. Bottom line: What passes for Democratic leadership in this state screwed the working poor. I’m sure they’ll all feel great when they’re stuffing themselves at the J-J Dinner, slapping each other on the back, and singing each other’s praises during their respective empty remarks at the dais.
The Senate performed only slightly better during committee consideration of the DREAM Act. The Senate Education Committee didn’t reject it, and it will be up to the bill’s prime sponsor to get the required signatures to let it out of committee. Sen. Dave Sokola, who chairs the committee, will be one of the four. From today’s News-Journal article:
“This deserves to get to the [Senate] floor, and the public should get the chance to hear what everyone thinks of it,” said Sokola, D-Newark.
Got that? Sokola isn’t committing to vote for the bill, just to give it a fair public hearing, something which shouldn’t be too much to ask. Something that Markell and B. Short have decided that a minimum wage increase doesn’t deserve. BTW, let’s hear just how our fearless governor feels about the DREAM Act:
Brian Selander, Gov. Jack Markell’s spokesman, said the governor supports the idea of in-state benefits for undocumented students, but he has not yet decided if the bill is “the best way to accomplish it. “The governor believes that people who were brought through no choice of their own who have worked hard, finished high school and stayed out of trouble deserve an opportunity for higher education,” Selander said.
Makes you wonder if, for the past four years, the Governor has ever spent a moment’s thought on figuring out “the best way to accomplish it.”
What an awful, awful day. Makes me wonder why I do this.
One reason I do this is b/c we’re not alone. I must call your attention to some utterly essential reading. It’s an incredibly comprehensive analysis of HB 290 by Sussex County government and, more importantly, it lists the disasters awaiting both Sussex County and the State should nobody put a stop to these people playing cops down there. Yes, it’s a PDF file, but it’s simply brilliant. I do not know the author of this report, but he/she should be our next State Auditor, regardless of political affiliation. I thank Anon, who posted the report, and all of you from Sussex County who have commented on this report. It’s why we do the blog. Read it!
Not much on the Senate Agenda today. The only bill of note is one that Joanne Christian blistered on our blog yesterday, SB 193, which would provide for the development of a statewide, fact-based cyberbullying policy to be adopted by local school districts and charter schools. It also provides a means for the Department of Justice to assist in the defense of a district or school whose use of that statewide cyberbullying policy is subject to legal challenge. While I don’t agree with JC on this, I encourage you to read the comments. When they’re basically troll-free, they are informative and often lots of fun. They’re not only troll-free, but toll-free.
Helene Keeley’s payday loans bill, HB 289, is on today’s House Agenda. It deserves passage because it will lead to the accumulation of data that will prove what we already know: That this is a predatory industry that feeds off of the most desperate among us. The bill would also limit to five the number of payday loans any customer may take out annually, which is a key piece in putting an end to month-to-month dependency that leads to 500% annual interest payments. Relentless lobbying has jettisoned an interest rate cap from the bill, which is unconscionable. But whores like uber-lobbyist David Swayze have no conscience and neither do most legislators, so it’s not unexpected. Something I’ve never understood is how people like David Swayze, in other words, people not hard up for bucks, can look themselves in the mirror when, day after day, they represent clients who succeed only by screwing the population at large. I mean, Swayze and his (ilk alert) ilk don’t need the money, so do they just like oppressing the masses? I’ve never figured out that pathology, but I’m open to suggestions. But, enough: OK, D’s you have a chance to redeem yourselves, if only momentarily. Pass this bleeping bill, willya? Maybe the Governor will take a brave stand on its behalf at some point yet to be determined.
Yesterday *was* a bad day, legislatively speaking. We live in a Blue State and we have a Governor who keeps claiming progressive cred yet doesn’t have to deliver on much of that progressive label. An increased minimum wage obligation might help to balance the river of taxpayer funds going to support casinos, banks and other businesses who apparently need taxpayers to fix their balance sheets.
Is there any way of knowing the details of the Committee vote, El Som?
Cass, remember yesterday when I wrote that the committee would either consider or ‘consider’ the minimum wage bill?
My guess is that they ‘considered’ it. In other words, brought it up for discussion, there was a pre-planned motion to table it indefinitely, and that was that. Probably done within 30 seconds. They HAD to consider the bill due to House rules, but Markell and Pete no doubt made sure it wasn’t going anywhere.
Wait a minute El Som–I didn’t say a blasted, blistering thing about SB 193. That one is fine, and we have already aligned school policy to have that overlay of back-up in defending.–it’s 268 from Schooley that I’m all over–and every parent should be too. It’s unsubstantiated, but reportable. Now won’t you agree w/ me?!!!!!
Wow, that really was “utterly essential reading”. A total smackdown of the way the Sherrif has been acting written by someone working for Sussex County Gov’t.
Markell isn’t a progressive on business/fiscal issues. He is a center left corporatist democrat (like Carper). On social issues he may be progressive, but on everything else, its business. Including education.
Because thats how much of this state rolls.
It seems like the report provides more than enough to take Christopher to the woodshed.
This part alone, I would have thought, would be enough for the residents of Sussex to say, “okay, cut the bullshit.”
It is only a matter of time until a member of Christopher’s tin badge posse gets a little too full of himself.
And yet Jason what I can’t understand is how Danny Short and the rest of the GA had this report before yesterday, yet Short still killed the bill. That was the way I understood it anyway.
If that is true Short should have released the bill and brought it for a vote as soon as he finished reading.
Short’s “problem” was that he claims there wasn’t any Democratic support for his bill, which is utter bullshit. Pete told him and the other members of the Eunuch caucus that the D’s were not going to carry the water on this, but would vote for it. And now we again see that Short and Simpson have no balls or backbone and we are the ones who are going to suffer.
Oops, sorry, JC. I was trying to make the point that you’re worth reading even when I disagree with you.
Goes w/o saying that you’re worth reading when I DO agree with you.
(Yes, I’m shoveling as fast as I can.)
Well quit shoveling, and start shouting!! 268 will be an albatross around the neck of public/charter schools.
And looks like the DREAM ACT has been put to bed. Good night!!! Eternal rest.
I spent the day talking to the legislators and an armada of payday lobbyists yesterday. First the lobbyist are trying to gut the bill., They want no database and suggest it will kill their business even though they are still operating in 12 other states that have one. Lobbyists have convinced some Democrats that the consumer should have personal responsibility for reporting. In addition, some Democrats have weakened on limiting the number of loans. One representative told me that we do not limit the number of credit cards so it would be unfair to limit the number of payday loans. If this bill delays much longer it could be in trouble since lobbyist are convincing enough legislators that this industry is really the good guys and it is only the offshore lenders who are sleazy
At election time those who supported payday lenders should be held accountable.
Paul: I started out the legislative week pointing out what a REAL Democratic Party would do with four pieces of legislation facing them.
By week’s end, three were dead and the fourth on life support.
Killed by people wearing the Democratic label, but lacking any consideration for the long-standing principles of the Party. Lacking one iota of human empathy.
On payday loans, real Democrats would be playing offense, strongly making the moral case for this bill, and pointing out the real pain this industry causes. Instead, what passes for leadership appears to be willing to deal away even the most modest reforms in the bill.
The Democratic Party has become Carperized and Corporatized to the extent that I can no longer support it after the single worst legislative week I can recall. A select few individuals, yes. This empty shell of a Party, no.
Another good read regarding the sheriff and his supporters. It seems they have been labeled as a “Hategroup” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Christopher makes comments in this article I have never seen or heard him make locally.
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2012/04/26/antigovernment-patriot-movement-takes-up-delaware-sheriff-crusade/
Another article that gives a glimpse into sheriffs dream world.
http://www.wnd.com/2012/04/police-state-fears-grow-in-delaware/
Hi, I wrote the Southern Poverty Law Center’s blog post on Sheriff Jeff Christopher, which can be found at this link:
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2012/04/26/antigovernment-patriot-movement-takes-up-delaware-sheriff-crusade/
I just wanted to clarify that the Southern Poverty Law Center has NOT named the sheriff or his supporters a hate group, as commenter “anon” mistakenly wrote above.
Rather, what I said in my blog is that some of Sheriff Christopher’s supporters are active in, or echo the sentiments of, the “Patriot” movement — whose adherents generally define themselves as opposed to the “New World Order,” engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme antigovernment doctrines.
The SPLC lists Patriot Groups separately from Hate Groups. At the end of 2011, we counted 1274 active Patriot groups in the United States, including 334 militias.
Thanks.
Thanks for that. The dangers posed by the “Patriot” movement are real, and anti-government zealots like Jeff Christopher and Timothy McVey don’t need to be blurred into the KKK for us to be wary of that danger.