Thursday Open Thread [12.20.12]
ABC News’ Sam Donaldson got arrested for DUI in Lewes. Once again, Washington’s elite play too hard at our beaches. The man is 78 years old in our human years. What is he doing driving?
A new CNN/ORC poll finds a majority of Americans sees the Republican party’s policies and views as too extreme, 53% to 37%, a first for the GOP.
“It probably doesn’t help that House Speaker John Boehner, who’s leading GOP fiscal cliff negotiations with the president, is held in fairly low regard, particularly in comparison to Obama. According to the poll, 34% of the public approves of how the top Republican in the House handling his job. By contrast, the president’s approval rating stands at 52%.”
Do you want to check out the cool Christmas light displays around Delaware? The News Journal and DelawareOnline have a nifty map for you to look at.
Good economic news: according to the Department of Commerce, GDP is estimated to have grown by 3.1% in the the third quarter, besting estimates everywhere by large margins. So, President Obama, don’t be afraid of going over the cliff. The economy can take a 1% reduction in growth.
Cory Booker running for Senate.
Is anybody surprised?
Plan B would raise taxes on low income earners:
If anyone has a hard to buy for Green on their list: https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1741/t/6886/shop/shop.jsp?storefront_KEY=1049
Did you know that Lewes was voted Delaware’s most overrated town?
True fact.
Jason-
LOL@ “True fact”.
I visited Lewes last summer for the 1st time in 25+years. I completely agree that the town is overrated. Hockessin should be right behind it. Lived there from age 10-20. Never saw anything special about it & it stinks like mushroom soil.
I agree with you about Hockessin being number 2.
I am so glad you said Hockessin. Bunch of wannabes, as in the 80’s-90’s Stepford version. BTW, Christmas is over, just returned from RiteAid and Valentine candy is out. Hope you all had a lovely holiday, and safe New Year. 🙂
Delaware Dem wrote:
Well, maybe it’s because he’s still healthy enough to drive? That doesn’t excuse driving under the influence, but your statement leads me to ask if you are advocating simply taking away the driver’s licenses of people 78 years old.
I lived in Hockessin from June of 2000 to June of 2002, at the old llama farm on Brackenville Road, and yeah, if the wind was blowing the right way, you could smell the fragrant aroma of the mushroom farms.
At age 65 you should have to start taking a driving test every two years, until age 75 – then every year.
I know some good people who live in Hockessin and seem to like it. For me… it seems like there is no “there” there.
I know plenty of good people who live in Hockessin. I just don’t see the big deal about it. Brandywine Hundred is the basically the same, minus the stench of manure. A bunch of housing developments. BFD.
“At age 65 you should have to start taking a driving test every two years, until age 75 – then every year” – I would agree with your point, but I think 65 five is a little off. Maybe starting at 75. But mostly, I think you shouldn’t be allowed behind the wheel of a car until you are 18. The maturity and common sense of a 16 year old seems worlds away from the maturity of an 18 year old.
So what places would be ‘under-rated’ in Delaware?
Hockessin a”bunch of wannabes” Wanna be what?
Or we could experiment with, I dunno, SCIENCE when setting these standards. http://articles.philly.com/2001-05-27/news/25302603_1_accidents-older-drivers-elderly-driver
My own opinion is that young drivers who drive badly tend to die, thereby making them never old drivers.
However, makes no difference. I’m gonna take paratransit all over hell and gone as soon as I’m old enough. Hope you whippersnappers are fully employed.
@heragain-
I drove like a complete moron when I was 16. I smashed the front suspension of my car on a curb in what is now Geezer’s neighborhood 2 weeks after I got my license.
I have no problem w/ limiting licenses until the age of 18. I also have no problem w/ testing those over a certain age, be it 65, 70, 75, whatever. I know people in their 90s who are excellent drivers. I also know people in their 60s who should have had their licenses revoked about 10 min. after they were issued.
Personally, 4 teens later, and 1 tween away–I like our graduated licensure approach. It gave teeth to my threats of driving/not driving to the kids–and the best–automatic JP or Family Court for driving violations. I consider myself an involved, willing parent–but really–picking a kid up from every practice (and at one point w/ district growth around here, I had 5 kids in 5 different buildings), I was RELIEVED to have help with the route. And the quick gallon of milk. And the ride to their 3 hr. job. Some kids could be graduated from high school and not be 18. Really? I think we’ve hit a good compromise in this state, and I’m glad it was in place for my new drivers.
My bigger fear is the removal of driver’s ed from school districts and/or fees for that charged to students. And that of recent years has always been a topic in budget debate.
I could entertain, when you begin to collect Social Security, then exam time begins too. Lots of great drivers are seniors, no doubt. But lots of subtle aging changes add up that should keep the 88 year old off the road with the limited, inexperienced, 16 y.o.. And, the State would be helping lots of families out who KNOW their elder shouldn’t be out there–but that conversation falls on deaf ears (no pun intended), met with defiance and obstinance, or just plain never happens because of family dynamic. I’m OK letting the State be the bad guy on this one. MANY family fights over this unresolved issue in homes.
I just did some night driving tonight with our teen to help toward his 10 hours. I love the graduated license, and still can’t believe someone in Dover handed me a full-blown license at 16.
I do like the graduated license but will always believe they should be 18 to drive. The common sense part of your brain isn’t even developed until you are around 19 or 20. (There’s some science for you “heragain”). I was in a different car behind my kid one day when I witnessed him pull out onto a highway right in front of a speeding with it’s lights and sirens ambulance. I asked him later why he pulled out in front of them and he said ‘I dunno, I saw them but I had a green light, I guess I wasn’t thinking’. No common sense.
Jason, we told our son we would buy him a car if it could be painted yellow with black bold NOVICE DRIVER painted all over it. Good luck 🙂
I hear you jason—AND–get this–back then we got speeding tickets, and paid them ourselves w/o parents finding out–AND—didn’t wear seatbelts, rode with kids on the roof, sat on laps, pulled intertube sledders in snow, and on and on. That’s some of the stuff caught doing, and no legal/licensure question or ramifications around it. The policeman said–do you know you have 3 boys on your roof? I said WHAT? Hey, you guys better get back in the car…and it was over. Now, I’d be booked at WoodsHaven Kruse (is that place still open?). And that’s just the pranky stuff……Yup, I’m glad as a parent they’re facing a more serious approach, than the amusement ride era we grew up in. And there are a whole bunch more cars now, and kids with cars. We drove junkers–and were darn glad to have one. So were your friends without cars.
Not to worry P-mom. DMV will give you a HUGE magnet for free saying exactly that when you take your kid down there to get that “first part” of the license. You can refuse it too if you want.