Archive for June, 2014
‘It’s a Shore Thing’ #2: Packing up for the Shore
The Featherstones pack up everything and prepare for their journey to the Shore. Check out episode 2 of “It’s a Shore Thing.”
Delaware Political Weekly: June 21-27, 2014
Yes, Chris Coons has a Republican challenger. His name is <strong>Carl Smink</strong>. Here's what I know. He's filed, but hasn't announced. He's from Milton. His website is under construction. He has written a few op-eds, or maybe letters to the editor, for the Cape Gazette, none of which are readily available unless you're a subscriber. He <strong>IS, </strong>however, a "Drill, Baby, Drill" kinda guy who hates socialism. Ok.
Two Kent County state reps may not even make it to November, and I must say I'm surprised. Both <strong>Harold Peterman (33rd RD) </strong>and <strong>Don Blakey (34th RD) </strong>are being challenged. Peterman's opponent is <strong>Charles Postles</strong>, who appears to be the chair of…the <strong>33rd Republican RD Committee. </strong>
Blakey's challenger is <strong>Lyndon Yearick</strong>, who doesn't fit a Tea Party profile, at least not on the surface. Active in the United Way, mentoring programs, and also the Chair of the 34th RD, Yearick looks like the kind of candidate R's looking to restore credibility to their Party would seek out. He's currently the Maryland/Delaware Campus Director for Kaplan Test Prep. He has an MBA from Penn State (OK, now <strong>that's </strong>a cult). <a href="http://www.yatedo.com/p/Lyndon+Yearick/normal/a5ff349a0ada08c4fdcb0cf7b1c61be8">By far, one of the more interesting candidate profiles I've come across. </a>
My question is this: Why would two RD chairs primary sitting state legslators? Usually, the legislators themselves have a huge say in who the RD chair is. <strong>Is it possible that Peterman and/or Blakey are retiring even though they've filed?</strong> One would think so. C'mon Kent County, help me out here.
Friday Daily Delawhere [6.27.14]
![Friday Daily Delawhere [6.27.14]](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/14495442414_e95e346cc3_o.jpg "Friday Daily Delawhere [6.27.14]")
Some more Italian Festival at St. Anthony’s in Wilmington. Photo taken by xzmattzx.
Thursday Open Thread [6.26.14]
![Thursday Open Thread [6.26.14]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/TryAndStopUs-240x180.jpg "Thursday Open Thread [6.26.14]")
It’s World Cup Game Day for the Americans and the Germans. So you should be out watching the game right now. Your boss is.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 26, 2014
The Senate approved a new Supreme Court Justice, Karen Valihura, and David Small as DNREC Secretary. I can’t let this go without a comment about Justice Carolyn Berger‘s resignation from the Delaware Supreme Court and her seemingly ‘injudicious’ comments. I don’t know it she’s right on the specifics of Markell not taking her seriously, but she’s right on point when it comes to, well, I guess the operative word is ‘paternalism’, when it comes to women appointees to judgeships.
When I first started working in Dover, the operative word was ‘chauvinism’. I’ll leave it to others to decide whether paternalism is a step up from chauvinism. To me, it’s ‘same old wine in a brand new bottle’. From Philadelphia Business Journal:
Berger’s situation outlines a concern in some quarters in Delaware that women do not have enough of a role on the judicial branch. Berger said women have advanced on the state’s family court, superior court and court of common pleas. She is also the only female to serve on the Court of Chancery, which deals with business litigation.
“Family court is the only court ever to have a woman chief judge,” Berger said. “The court of chancery has had no women judges for the past 20 years, despite the fact that several well-qualified women have applied in the past. And I’ve been the only woman on the supreme court. Many other states have more than one woman justice, and in several jurisdictions, women justices outnumber male justices.”
Maybe it’s the same menfolk arguing that Delaware’s courts are the nation’s most prestigious who, in their own paternalistic minds, don’t want the wimmenfolk messing with that reputation. Perhaps the wimmenfolk who are assuming the leadership role in the State Senate just might have something to say about this moving forward. I hope so. But, I digress. You can as well. In the comments section.
Thursday Daily Delawhere [6.26.14]
![Thursday Daily Delawhere [6.26.14]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3909/14495554842_4ed1848e42_o.jpg "Thursday Daily Delawhere [6.26.14]")
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington’s Rodney Square. Photo by xzmattzx.
It’s Baaaack: The Domino Theory And Iraq/Syria
I’ve lived long enough to see now three iterations of the old Domino Theory; it goes something like…if we allow a country to fall, it will spiral into a cascade of other nearby countries to follow suit and be taken over by nefarious forces.
Check out my new webcomic ‘It’s a Shore Thing’
Today, my amazingly-funny wife Kristen and I launched our new webcomic, “It’s a Shore Thing,” over at the super-cool Newsworks.org.
Wednesday Open Thread [6.25.14]
![Wednesday Open Thread [6.25.14]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Wednesday-240x180.png "Wednesday Open Thread [6.25.14]")
So the teabaggers were all whiny last night because their favorite Nazi candidate, Chris McDaniel, lost to Sen. Thad Cochran (R) in their Republican runoff in Mississippi. The outcome was something of a surprise, as polling of Republican likely voters, which I have posted here over the past weeks, showed McDaniel leading anywhere from 2 to 10 points. But that was the key: Republican likely voters. The conventional wisdom for the runoff was that if Cochran could somehow woo African American Democrats to vote for him in the runoff, he could win. It was a daunting proposition, since Cochran spent the last three decades doing everything he could to make life as difficult as possible on his African American constituents. And yet, that is precisely what happened.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 25, 2014
We also know that the General Assembly will find some way to waste money on the casinos. Casinos that are in the shape they’re in due to disastrous business decisions by its oligarch owners. Didja see the latest? Read the article carefully and see if I come to the same conclusion you do. Those supporting the latest casino bailout, including Jack Markell, are now proposing to use ‘one-time’ funds that were not used for their original purpose:
The casino aid proposal now offers $9.9 million to casinos by using $5 million left over from an $8 million bailout approved by the General Assembly last year (?). The proposal also uses $3.2 million set aside for the Kent County Sports Complex in the the Delaware Economic Development Office’s job infrastructure fund and the remainder would come from other money available from that fund.
Got that? The “Delaware Economic Development Office’s job infrastructure fund“. And just what are these funds supposed to, um, fund?:
The infrastructure fund for economic development, established in 2012, provides assistance for renovation, construction, or other improvements to roads, utilities and infrastructure to attract new businesses to the state. It also can be used for the expansion of existing state businesses to create jobs, according to the fund’s guidelines.
In other words, that Fund could (and I think should) help fund road and infrastructure improvements. Instead it’s going to bail out the casinos. As to the ‘expansion of existing state businesses to create jobs’, we’re not getting job expansion at the casinos. In fact, I think Cassandra’s right. The ink won’t be dry on the Governor’s signature before the alarm bells are once again sounded by the casinos. They are now essentially extorting money from the State. Our public officials are paying.
Wednesday Daily Delawhere [6.25.14]
![Wednesday Daily Delawhere [6.25.14]](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/14310138628_d2cc146024_o.jpg "Wednesday Daily Delawhere [6.25.14]")
St. Anthony’s during the Italian Festival in Wilmington, DE. Photo taken by xzmattzx.
Delaware’s Special Education Program “Needs Intervention”
Public schools are required to provide the educational resources to meet the needs of students with disabilities can make progress in school. Today, the Obama Administration announced that they were tightening oversight and the rules for assessing whether schools were doing what they are meant to do under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Part of today’s announcement was an assessment of the status of various state’s programs according to the new guidelines. […]
In that reassessment, Delaware falls into the “Needs Intervention” category.
Tuesday Open Thread [6.24.14]
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) warned Monday of a deadly ‘trail of tears’ in the unforgiving Rio Grande Valley if the federal government doesn’t act.
“More than 52,000 unaccompanied youths have been caught along the Southwest border this fiscal year, almost double last year’s total. The influx is fueled by danger at home, experts say, and by false rumors that minors and women with young children will be welcomed.”
I agree Governor. Unfortunately, your party has made any other option impossible. We have to send them back. It is your party that wanted stricter immigration controls and more border security. Well, this is the result. You must embrace it because it is what you wanted. If you do not want to embrace it, then come out loud and proud for immigration reform and convince your party to pass it now.
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