Breaking Political News (As If You Needed More…)

Breaking Political News (As If You Needed More…)

Octogenarian Sen. Bob Venables (D-Mars) has sent a letter to his Senate colleagues announcing that he will seek reelection. This is the opposite of what he was telling his colleagues and constituents two years ago, when he said he'd run for one more two-year term.
The 62 Project: #’s 27 & 35

The 62 Project: #’s 27 & 35

Rebecca Walker has, on paper, the kind of background I look for in a legislator--demonstrated accomplishment in arenas other than politics. She's both a nurse and an attorney, and has practiced in each field. Ernie Lopez first ran for office in New Castle County. I voted for him. Why? Because he was clearly the better candidate when he ran against the ghastly Paul Clark for County Council President in 2004.
15 years ago, Congress kept Mickey Mouse out of the public domain. Will they do it again?

15 years ago, Congress kept Mickey Mouse out of the public domain. Will they do it again?

15 years already? I remember when this money grab went down. If you ever want to get pissed off at the BILLIONS in welfare that gets doled out to wealthy individuals and corporations, just look at copyright law. It is a sick joke. I distinctly remember writing to Senator Joe Biden's office to tell him that extending copyrights on books that should be moving into the public domain (like the Great Gatsby, for example) amounted to a HUGE tax on schools and school districts. His response was, "Go fuck yourself. The Gershwin's and Disney just wrote me some fat checks. What have you contributed?" Something to that effect. Maybe that's a paraphrase.
Record Gun Violence in Wilmington

Record Gun Violence in Wilmington

As of today, there were 137 incidents of gun violence in Wilmington (not quite 11 months into the year) which surpasses last year's incident total of 119. Deaths as a result of gun violence (see the NJ article) is down (14 homicides vs 25 -- 15 vs 25 as of Sunday) from last year though. We've seen lots of reports of armed robberies, which seem to be up (but no data) and if there was any confidence in the Williams' Administration's ability to get a handle on Wilmington's violent crime problem, that confidence is now waning. Alot. Sunday, the 136th victim of gun violence was shot at 7th and Washington. Just a few blocks away from the Market St patrols that manage panhandlers. Also on Sunday, the 137th victim of gun violence was shot at 24th and Washington.
Monday Open Thread [10.28.13]

Monday Open Thread [10.28.13]

We have a lot inside here today. A nice little chart that shows us when most people in Massachusetts signed up for the Exchanges in RomneyCare back in 2007. Some new polling showing that the Republican Governors in Kansas and Wisconsin may be in a little trouble. A picture of a classless and racist Halloween costume regarding Trayvon Martin. And it seems that Pot is the new culture war wedge issue, which of course means, we won the culture war.

State Rep. Paul Baumbach on Student Testing

State Representative Paul Baumbach and Senator Bryan Townsend recently took the 10th Grade version of Delaware State Student Test. Luckily, they passed. Rep. Baumbach appeared on Comcast Newsmakers to talk about his experience and the correlation between education funding and test scores.