Tag Archives: Delaware

Delaware: The Next Colorado?

Yes, Delaware is highlighted on the map of states where it is possible marijuana could be legal relatively soon. The LA Times reports says that now that we have achieved marriage equality, marijuana legalization is the next big progressive reform movement:

The latest sign was the full-throated call last week by Sen. Bernie Sanders to end federal prohibition. With that one move, the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination plunged into uncharted territory — and, arguably, so did the presidential race. Never before has a contender with so much to lose so unequivocally suggested that smoking a joint should be viewed the same as drinking a beer, at least in the eyes of the law.

….Hillary Rodham Clinton has told small audiences in the pot havens of Oregon and Colorado that marijuana businesses in states where it is legal need relief from federal restrictions that can make it impossible for them to operate.

Hillary Clinton has not said no to legalization, but she did not say yes either. She said in the first debate among the Democrats that we need more time to see how it is working in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon. It is typical Hillary caution, but this is the type of issue where it is good that Bernie Sanders is in the race so that the issue is brought up and Hillary is moved further left. But I digress.

The point is we are at a tipping point in this reform movement, just as the Hate Amendment in California was the tipping point in the marriage equality movement. The latest Gallup poll shows that 58 percent of American favor pot legalization. Kevin Drum predicts that marijuana will be generally legal by 2019. And 24/Wall Street is now out with an article that predicts the next 11 states that will legalize marijuana. Where does Delaware rank among the most 11 most likely states? LOL, 11th:

11. Delaware
> Max. fine for small amount: $575
> Marijuana related arrests in 2012: 2,912
> Marijuana arrests per 100,000: 318
> Minimum penalty classification : Misdemeanor

According to a 2014 survey conducted by the University of Delaware, 56% of respondents in the state agreed that “the use of marijuana should be made legal.” Governor Jack Markell signed in June 2015 a law officially making Delaware the 20th state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Though the law will not take effect until January, when it does, Delaware residents will face a maximum penalty of a $100 fine for possession of up to an ounce of the drug. Before the governor signed the law, marijuana users in Delaware faced up to three months of jail time, a $575 fine, and a misdemeanor on their record for the same offence.

There were 2,912 marijuana-related arrests in 2012 in Delaware, the 12th highest rate of all states per capita. In 2012, about eight out of 10 adolescents in the state did not perceive light marijuana use as dangerous, a fairly lax view.

Yeah, Massachusetts, Nevada, California, New York, Vermont, Minnesota, Connecticut, Maryland and Rhode Island all get to get legal before Delaware. But sadly, given the pains some took to say during the Decriminalization debate that they were not pushing for legalization, it is probably accurate prediction. Unless, like in history of passing civil unions in one session of the GA and marriage equality in another, we just chuck perceptions to the wind and not care about what we said. But if that pattern holds, where we pass legalization one session after passing decriminalization, we are probably still looking at 2017 at the earliest.

A Look Inside The Mind Of A Charter Advocate

Over at Kilroy’s an interesting comment from Publius e decere was posted laying out his/her vision concerning charter schools and vouchers.  It is quite enlightening.

Kilroy,

A $2500 voucher is no voucher at all. A full-cost voucher ($11,000+ comparable to today’s expense level) is something to support. So how about this:

. Vouchers for all — $11,000+ per student — funded by the fed, state and local funds collected today through taxes. For use at any establihsed DE school. Provided that such school commits to delivering student reslts and if they fail will forfeit their right to receive vouchers for some period in the future.
. No more limits on charter school enrollment — let schools which are in demand enroll everyone who wants to attend.
. Force districts to REALLY make unused space availabel for charter schools. In a district with two school buildingls operating at 70% capacity, move kids from one to the other to fill it and let the residual-building open space of 60% be made available for charter schools at a lease rate which recovers district cost pro rata. No gouging.
. Don’t like that? Then make it a requirement that referendum capital money be spent in strict proportion to the number of students in public (i.e., TP and charter) schools. So if a charter school attracts alot of students, they get alot of the capital money (from referendum) for their building.

The premise you have to accept is that maybe, just maybe, the TPSs will not attract enough students to be viable.and will have to close. A capitalist dream scenario. A Darwinian solution. A school of hard knocks answer to fixing schools.

TPSs are merely one form of education. Thy are not the only way. And they are not entitled to survive if they don’t deliver value in the form of measurable student results. Just like charter schools: Close them if they don’t deliver student outcomes, and triage them (not close them) if they deliver student outcomes BUT have management challenges at the adult level. Like Pencader.

Publius

Stunning.  So stunning I had to reply:

Let’s look at Publius’ suggestions:

. Vouchers for all — $11,000+ per student — funded by the fed, state and local funds collected today through taxes. For use at any establihsed DE school. Provided that such school commits to delivering student reslts and if they fail will forfeit their right to receive vouchers for some period in the future.

For all? I don’t need a crystal ball to see how that would work out. Children in CSW, NCS, AP, IB, Cambridge will leave their charters/public schools and be welcomed into many private schools. Higher needs children will not be welcomed – they’ll end up at all the new Voucher Schools that will be springing up. So, academic results will be delivered at desirable private schools, since tax payer funded skimming will move from charters to private schools.

. No more limits on charter school enrollment — let schools which are in demand enroll everyone who wants to attend.

First, there is a physical space limitation, but we’ll address that later. Second… I keep writing my thoughts to this point, but then stop because I keep picturing charter advocates’ heads exploding. Take everyone who wants to attend? I’m all for this, but it isn’t reality. It also isn’t the “in demand” charter school model. Altho… having to take everyone would finally demonstrate if a charter school’s success was based on what they did inside a classroom or who they let in a classroom.

. Force districts to REALLY make unused space availabel for charter schools. In a district with two school buildingls operating at 70% capacity, move kids from one to the other to fill it and let the residual-building open space of 60% be made available for charter schools at a lease rate which recovers district cost pro rata. No gouging.

So, we would move public school kids out of their neighborhood schools to make room for a charter? I don’t think you meant to sound callous, but… wow. We aren’t talking about consolidating and downsizing a business here. We are talking about children.

No gouging? I could be wrong, but the only example we have of a charter school renting space from a district is CSW. Remind me, again, of how much they were gouged in rent for years? It would be helpful if you weren’t so ready to paint everyone who didn’t agree with everything about charters as the enemy, out to gouge charters.

. Don’t like that? Then make it a requirement that referendum capital money be spent in strict proportion to the number of students in public (i.e., TP and charter) schools. So if a charter school attracts alot of students, they get alot of the capital money (from referendum) for their building.

I actually miss the days when charter school advocates proclaimed, “We can do better with less money!” Their point was (and I heard this ad nauseum) that charters didn’t have all the “waste, fraud and abuse” that public schools had. Since we’re now throwing that out the window and money is obviously a big concern with charters, then you guys probably owe public schools an apology – either that or charters are full of waste, fraud and abuse, too. Can’t have it both ways.

I’m not in business, but I know many who are and not one of them would pay for building they didn’t own unless they were guaranteed a return on their investment. Do you plan on having a failed charter write every tax payer a check? Would tax payers get their money before unpaid vendors or the lease/mortgage holders?

Capital referendums are very specific. School districts have to convince tax payers to pay for very specific things, and many times tax payers say no. Should we tell tax payers, “We know you voted for a new science lab addition to your school, but since we lost students you won’t be getting what you voted for? Should we now simply put a big Question Mark on the ballot? This is already happening with operational referendums – tax payers are voting for programs/smaller class sizes and not getting them due to their tax dollars going to charters. (That needs to be fixed, btw. Tax payers are entitled to know exactly what they’re voting for.)

So much for accountability and transparency.

Steve Newton responded, as well:

Just reading this. At last we get the true Publius Manifesto.

First

The premise you have to accept is that maybe, just maybe, the TPSs will not attract enough students to be viable.and will have to close. A capitalist dream scenario. A Darwinian solution. A school of hard knocks answer to fixing schools.

Public education as a Darwinian exercise is not public education. Once again, as in virtually all of Publius’ writings there is a complete lack of any concern, compassion, or even mention of the children in the schools that won’t be “viable.” To Publius children in inner city schools, children who cannot afford the transportation costs, or do not have the parental support to go to charters or public schools are simply the necessary collateral damage in establishing his new, alternative school system around charters. “A school of hard knocks” means that Publius feels no public responsibility whatever for high-risk student populations today.

Then

In a district with two school buildingls operating at 70% capacity, move kids from one to the other to fill it and let the residual-building open space of 60% be made available for charter schools at a lease rate which recovers district cost pro rata. No gouging.

Here Publius admits the underlying truth of his philosophy: public schools are secondary in importance to charters. No matter that he would deprive a neighborhood of its school–if a charter school wants a free building, it should receive it. Those public school children don’t count as human beings to Publius–they are little moochers on the societal teat who can be warehoused anywhere.

I was supposedly odious for suggesting that Publius hearkens back to the days of Plessy, huh? Well, by using “Darwinian” in a social policy context, Publius has proved my point, and–more importantly–proven his incapacity to serve in any position of responsibility with ANY school.

As for his ridiculous no gouging comment, it is worse than you think, pandora. You are right that CSW is the only charter being charged for use of a school building, but they are not being charged rent. They are being charged their portion of the building’s debt structure–their portion of the loan maintenance. That’s the lower minimum of the real cost of keeping the building open. But to Publius, that’s gouging the only entities that matter.

In other words, Publius is the real deal: a charter school zealot who believes that public schools should be phased out, and that any intrusive small children who are inconveniently unable to participate in his charter school Darwinian experiment should be sent to public workhouses.

kilroy, by using his charters are an expression of choice meme, you further his legitimacy, and advance his cause of eliminating public education rather than fixing it. And be sure (as the Publius Manifesto makes clear)–to Publius education is about “survival of the fittest,” and only charter schools students are fit by definition.

Let’s change odious to loathsome.

Ladies and gentlemen, Publius laid out the Charter Manifesto for all to see. What brought about this discussion (altho Publius rarely responds to any counter arguments on blogs – which makes his comments very close to blog graffiti) was the possible closure of Pencader Charter School – which Publius believes deserves yet another chance to remain open.  Please notice his sympathy, and lenience, extends to charter schools only.

Read that one sentence of Publius’ again because it’s a doozy:

The premise you have to accept is that maybe, just maybe, the TPSs will not attract enough students to be viable.and will have to close. A capitalist dream scenario. A Darwinian solution. A school of hard knocks answer to fixing schools.

And there you have it.  Non-viable public schools will have to close.  Pencader? Not so much.

(Note: This post isn’t really about Pencader.  It’s about a mindset, and different set of rules, Charter advocates apply only to themselves.)

Not Gonna Happen

I just got a press release from DelDOT that has a lot of good information about storm prep, including road projects that have been postponed due to the impending conflagration (95 @202 will NOT be closed this weekend).

Among the suggestions for storm safety was this gem:

DelDOT is requesting that political campaigns do what they can to remove political signs along state roadways prior to the arrival of the storm; especially large signs that may become airborne

Good luck with that.  Nonetheless, for those of you that have control of signage, please take heed.  The last thing that you want is a front-page picture of your plywood campaign sign sticking out of the chest of a dead motorist.

The Polls are Closed: Primary Election Results Thread

The polls are now closed. The poll workers are tabulating results and phoning them in.  Hopefully the candidates are having their signs gathered in hopes of reuse in two months.

The Department of Elections website is here.

Post the results you find interesting below.

UPDATE FROM DELAWARE DEM: I am here at Timothy’s. Come out and drink. Also, be sure to check out the #votede Twitter feed.

Great States to Live in for the Future

Gallup developed what it calls the Gallup-Healthways Wellbeing Index to try to determine the states with the best expectations for future livability. Sad to report, Delaware is not in the top 10. We are in the bottom 10, though.

This index assigns scores for 13 different metrics of future well-being (their selection), including: Full-Time Employment for an Employer; Economic Confidence Index; Job Creation Index; Supervisor Relationship; Standard of Living Optimism; City Optimism; Daily Learning; Easy Access to Clean, Safe Water; Easy Access to a Safe Place to Exercise; Obesity; Smoking; Dentist Visits; and Future Life Evaluation. The scores for each of these were averaged to determine overall ranking. 530,000 US adults were interviewed over 6 months (January til June 2012) to get the actual index rankings. The Top 10 States in Future Livability:

And then the bottom 10:

Delaware scored low or towards the middle of the pack in pretty much all of the metrics. Anyone as surprised as I am? Seriously, I thought folks were abit more optimistic than this — although I understand where people come from in some of the health statistics.

Big Idea Wednesday: The New Jim Crow

I have wanted to do a regular post to motivate myself to come up with content that would stimulate discussion and make my brain move. I’m hoping that this will be that vehicle.

This week’s big idea comes from my friend Phillip Bannowsky.  Some day I’ll be drummed out of the corps for having him as a friend, but his wit, wisdom and creativity will make my eventual dispatch to the Gulags of Alabama all worth it.

He has a post up on his blog that uses a book review of the new book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander to analyze the State of Delaware’s disproportionate number of black and brown citizens impacted by incarceration and it’s after-effects. It is timely, to me, because I am reading Slavery by Another Name about the Jim Cow era slavery that hinged on the systematic incarceration on petty (and often bogus) “crimes” and the indentured servitude of the deep south’s prison industrial complex.

In Delaware, this may still be an issue, since there has recently been a scandal in the Sussex prison involving a large number of inmates that have been sent out on work details for YEARS without any record of it having been done. One of the benefactors is even a legislator. If there is no records, who paid whom for the prisoners time and effort? How much did they pay? How much of it went to the inmates and their restitution that they may owe to victims or for their pocket upon release?

Phillip’s solution is to end the failing “War on Drugs” and abolition of the prison system. I am certainly on-board for te first part. The War on Drugs has been a massive failure that our politicians can’t seem to admit, for fear of looking weak on crime. The abolition of the prison system is perhaps clumsily worded, but on it’s face seems like a bridge too far to me.

What do you think?

Local Music Scene Report 7/27

Sorry this blog is so ridiculously late this week. I’ve been in NYC for my day job and, well, needless to say I haven’t really had a lot of time to sit in front of a computer screen doing personal things. Nonetheless, here we are again. Thank you to everyone who came out to last week’s Ladybug Festival! It was a huge success and we are definitely doing it again. Also, lest you thought I was joking about being the redhead losing her mind at the front of the crowd for OK Go’s set at Firefly last week, take a look at this photo from the Firefly Facebook Page. Purple shirt, next to the guitarist’s mic stand.

On to bigger and more local things, however. I’d like to recommend two Wilmington shows tonight and I believe the adventurous among you will be able to make it to both. First of all, Todd Chappelle and Hot Breakfast! are playing at the Bellefonte Café (Facebook Event Page here). The Bellefonte Café has delicious food and drinks and a great atmosphere; I have played many a show there and I love the place. The artists are some of the funniest musical acts you will find in town. Todd Chappelle is most notable for his song “I’m From Delaware,” a parody of Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere.” [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQcpennlSic[/youtube] However he has many other hilarious tunes, my favorite being one of his new ones, “More Than Bacon.” Hot Breakfast! is Delaware’s Premiere Dork Rock Duo. They insist that they are NOT an 80s cover band, but they do some seriously good covers of 80s tunes. Their originals are very funny too. My own husband prefers their music to mine. This does not bother me. Here’s their cover of “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrLEm-sWmJs [/youtube]

Also this evening at Kelly’s Logan House: The Splashing Pearls, The Hold Up, and New Sweden (Facebook Event page here) New Sweden is one of Delaware’s most notable up and coming bands. They played the Non-Comm festival at The Queen last year, being part of a lineup that included some of the biggest indie acts in the country. They caught the attention of indie radio stations across the country at this event. Tonight will be a great celebration, too. Both New Sweden and The Hold Up will be saying goodbye to band members tonight; New Sweden’s Violist Caroline and The Hold Up’s Bassist Tak are exiting their bands. Plus The Hold Up is releasing their first CD, a long awaited event.

Other events for the weekend:
TONIGHT:
Lickety Split, South Street, Philadelphia: Covered, an evening of Philly artists covering other Philly artists. Show starts at 8. I’m playing this one, covering songs by Venice Sunlight and IKE, and happily sharing the bill with Karley Cohen, Boy Wonder, Nathan Weigert, Emily Marston, Donovan Rice, and Tuba Dan (who is covering one of my songs on the accordion), among others. If you’re up to heading out to Philly this will not disappoint.

Headhouse, Lombard Street, Philadelphia: Rockstar Fridays! On this bill, Mary Scholz, Steve Marchion, Victoria Spaeth & The Spaeth Cadets, and AlyCat. This promises to be a very chill, soulful evening.

TOMORROW:
Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park, Wilmington: People’s Festival Tribute to Bob Marley. This is a huge yearly event. It is a family friendly, full day of music, food, arts, and crafts to celebrate the legacy of a great musician. Details are at www.peoplesfestival.com

World Café Live, Philadelphia: Mid Summer Classic 2012. Doors are at 4pm to see The Better Half, Jackson Rider, Stolen Rhodes, Modern Colour, Half Past Seven, Ray Ward, Rotary, Peter Joseph, and Rodger Delany. This is going to be a kick ass rock show.

World Café Live at The Queen, Wilmington: Revolution, I Love You with The Last Dinosaurs and Sends. R,ILY is a very buzzworthy local band. Think MGMT plus The Cure (they do a killer cover of theirs, too). Show is at 8, Upstairs.

The Grape Room, Manayunk: The Great Socio are playing at 9pm. I like to think of them as a mix of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against The Machine, but throw in a bit of The Doors (they have a great keys player). This is guaranteed to be a party.

See you all next week, when I’ll be back in Delaware and more on schedule!