Take a good look at how your Delaware State Senate performed yesterday. You can expect a lot more of this if the Senate redistricting plan goes through: Bully-boy Tiny Tony DeLuca kicking sand in the face of would-be opponents, regressive votes on gun bill legislation, and a pathetically timid opposition.
Let’s make it real clear. Tony DeLuca was Tom Sharp’s hand-picked successor to become…Tom Sharp. And DeLuca has performed like Tom Sharp on steroids. Having been through two redistrictings with Sharp, I can tell you that Sharp never would have drawn such a blatant set of maps. For all of his faults, Sharp would never have placed other Democratic senators at risk like this. If the Governor and/or the Democratic State Committee choose not to intervene, the R’s will have a legit chance to take control of the Senate some time during the upcoming decade. The D’s could easily face the loss of three seats in 2012 alone: Bunting, Katz, and Sokola. Make it four if/when Venables retires. In any reasonable plan, neither Bunting or Sokola would be in serious jeopardy, and Cathy Cloutier would. And Dori Connor would be out of a district entirely. Never thought I’d make a plea to the so-called Democratic Party establishment: Save the Senate from their would-be leaders. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
As to yesterday. Tony DeLuca’s mockery of an open government bill, SB 4, passed with the minimum 11 votes. Allow me to quote the Napoleonic Martinet, courtesy of Chad Livengood’s News-Journal article:
“You’re either on the clock when you’re here or you’re off the clock when you are here,” said DeLuca, an administrator of labor law enforcement at the Department of Labor.
Except that Tony DeLuca refuses to provide proof as to whether he’s on the clock at DOL even though such proof is readily available, his ridiculous claims to the contrary notwithstanding. Until he releases his DOL card swipes for the six years he’s ‘worked’ at the Labor Department, he is both a liar and a hypocrite. SB 4 is merely his attempt to change the subject, and he has 10 other sheep willing to follow the Sicilian Shepherd. And then there’s Dori Connor, who owes her district to DeLuca, who can’t even decide how to vote. While I suspect that the House will bury this, the latent anarchist/yippie in me kinda hopes that they pass it. Lawsuits, recriminations and frivolity will likely ensue, and that will assuredly provide me with great subject matter for quite some time.
My fellow blogger Delaware Dem has written a great piece on the defeat of SS1/SB 29(Henry), which would have made it illegal for individuals to possess firearms outside of their homes while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 10 yes, 7 no, 4 not voting. Read the piece, then hold your Senators accountable. Flood Senators McBride’s, Hall-Long’s, and McDowell’s offices with calls and demand to know why they didn’t support this bill. Feel free to let them know that you won’t support them for reelection either.
The Bond Bill Committee approved an additional $50,000 annually for each legislator’s Community Transportation Fund (CTF), which would bring each Honorable’s discretionary ‘street’ money from the existing $175,000 to $225,000. That represents an additional $3.1 million for road repair. Nice, but kinda small. I hope that the Bond Bill Committee will dedicate more money to worthy ‘shovel-ready’ projects. That has a lot more direct impact on jobsjobsjobs than paying blackmail to the banking industry. Here’s a full report on yesterday’s Bond Bill deliberations.
Let’s now all pause and take a look at yesterday’s Session Report.
The Senate confirmed Leo Strine to be the new Chancellor of Chancery Court. He will begin serving a 12-year term in that position.
Rep. Short’s HB 144 passed unanimously. Sen. Katz presumably kept his mouth shut. Time to move on.
The Senate also defeated legislation that might have had the impact of limiting rental increases in manufactured housing communities. While that might seem like a slam-dunk, I sorta understand a ‘no’ vote, as an ‘advisory’ body would have been given discretion to determine whether the proposed increase is appropriate. I don’t see how an advisory body can issue edicts that have the rule of law.
The House passed several bills discussed yesterday, including SB 70 and HB 163, both unanimous; SB 63, with one inexplicable ‘no’ vote from Rethug auto dealer Willis; and SB 125, which got 12 no votes from those climate change deniers.
The House Administration Committee released HB 210 (Schwartzkopf), the redistricting bill, to the entire House. I was surprised not to see it on today’s House Agenda.
Nevertheless, today’s major action is all in the House, almost certainly the meatiest agenda we’ve seen all year.
We’ve got the Budget Bill, the fast-tracked Bloom Energy bill, and legislation to prevent the Reach Academy embarrassment from ever happening again. All this, plus lotsa leftover bills from yesterday’s agenda. Look for the House to go deep into the night tonight.
I find today’s Senate Agenda less compelling, but YMMV. However, I send out this Urgent Alert to Dana Garrett. The anthropecentric hubris legislation to which he refers is third on today’s agenda. Me? I’m thinking of relocating to Athens, GA, and starting up a band called ‘Anthropocentic Hubris’. Not merely good, but a great band name.
HJR 3, which gives the telecom industry the chance to revise its own tax laws, also appears to be racing through the Senate. No doubt soon to be followed by campaign checks from Verizon and Comcast. The Delaware Way at its worst and most predictable.
Which means we go out the same way that we came in. The Delaware Way at its worst and most predictable.