Wednesday Open Thread [6.19.13]

4 Comments
I have been ambivalent on the proposed construction of the Keystone Pipeline. It was one of those balancing issues where protection of the environment went up against concerns for new sources of energy and jobs. If you forced me to decide, I would have decided against it only because the US was not the recipient of the oil. It may just be me, but if we are going to build the thing, and give up our land, and take the risk that we are going to damage forever our environment in nearly half the states, then I want the freaking oil to stay in the US for our use and not export it to China. Well, what opponents of the Pipeline long feared would happen to US if the pipeline was built has happened to Canada....
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 19, 2013

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 19, 2013

40 Comments
The Great Grubby Gold Rush of 2013 has begun. Millions for an Archmere mansion(?), $8 mill for racinos w/no strings attached(?), more $$'s down the aglands preservation rabbit hole(?), $2.2 mill to buy a Sussex hunting preserve(?). A disproportionate number of these requests for downstate projects. The News-Journal covers it here. And the racino $8 mill rationalizations here. Enjoy (or despair of) Bloviator Colin Bonini's contradictions within mere paragraphs of each other. Must be Bond Bill time. The idea of giving $8 mill to the racinos that were already given legal monopoly status with no licensing fees and slot machines video lotteries subsidized by the state is brain-dead. What other casinos in this country received such a sweetheart deal? As Al Mascitti pointed out on our show yesterday, it's not our fault that idiots at Dover Downs somehow decided that theirs would be a 'destination resort' that required hotels and restaurants. Nothing says destination resort quite like anonymous concrete strip malls and traffic lights every 20 feet. Why in hell should they get even a penny of bailout money? In this case, true to Markell form, this lame cash dump doesn't even require the racinos to forestall layoffs, which is just what they're threatening to do if they don't get relief. Markell is simply doubling-down on someone else's bad bet. With our money. Let's see...$8 mill earmarked for racinos, $7.5 mill pissed away on agland preservation, you could more than pay for a 1% increase for state employees with that money. Jack, Jack?

24-17

7 Comments
Still can't believe there are 17 Delawareans elected to the House that voted FOR discrimination. Each one of them must be shamed and then defeated. Kudos to Sarah McBride, who…

Tuesday Open Thread [6.18.13]

8 Comments
The GOP Civil War continues apace. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) told World Net Daily radio that Speaker John Boehner should be ousted if he rams through an immigration bill without majority Republican support. LOL, well, that is the only way an immigration of any kind can get passed through the House of Representatives, and that is if Boehner allows another violation of the Hastert Rule, which provides that the only bills that will be voted on on the floor of the House of Representatives while under Republican control are bills that are supported by a majority of the Republican caucus. But Boehner has allowed several bills to be passed this year and last with minimal support from Republicans and majority support from the Democrats, including the Fiscal Cliff deal and Hurricane Sandy relief. I guess the GOP is so racist that they will not allow Boehner and the Dems to save their asses again, and instead want to go down in a hail of bigoted flames.
Said Rohrabacher: "If Speaker Boehner moves forward and permits this to come to a vote even though the majority of the Republicans in the House-and that's if they do-oppose whatever it is that's coming to a vote, he should be removed as Speaker."

Conflict of Interest by 3 Wilmington City Council Members

5 Comments
Or at least the appearance of a conflict of interest by 3 Councilmembers who work for or have recently worked for Connections CSP in Wilmington. Sunday's NJ has a great article by Andrew Staub and Beth Miller detailing the concerns that quite a few people have had over what appeared to be conflicts of interests between the roles of City Council members and Connections employees or consultants for Hanifa Shabazz, Mike Brown and Darius Brown.
John Carney Joins the SNAP Challenge Protest — UPDATED

John Carney Joins the SNAP Challenge Protest — UPDATED

10 Comments
The House of Representatives is getting to vote on its version of the Farm Bill -- this GOP led version cuts 2.5% of SNAP funds. It is estimated that this might throw about 2.5M Americans who need food help off of the program. As a protest -- 26 Democrats in the House have started a week-long SNAP Challenge (some reports have some of their staff joining them), where they pledge to live on the $4.50/day subsidy SNAP provides. Our representative, John Carney, is on the list of Democrats doing this challenge.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 18, 2013

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 18, 2013

29 Comments
Conspiracy Theory of the Week: DSEA Sells Out Public Schools, Secures Raises for Teachers. If you were wondering why DSEA agreed to support charter schools' grubby grab of public cash earmarked for public schools, we may now have the answer. Included in the Governor's budget is "$8.5 million for 'step increases'  for  school employees, gradual pay raises teachers get as they gain experience and education", according to Monday's News-Journal article by Matthew Albright. Considering that the first $2 mill of the charter schools cash grab is also in the same budget bill, we can see how Markell bought off public education officials. Another $2.6 million is for 'state testing computers', yet more money down the rabbit hole of standardized testing. Need I remind anyone that we've got $8.5 mill for teachers' increases, $0.00 for state employee increases. While I'm fine with raises for teachers, Strongly supportive in fact, I'm not fine with the Deal with the Devil that enabled them. Ladies and gentlemen, your Democratic governor. And the purported protectors of public education. BTW, time for, IMHO, an important digression. Is it possible, just possible, that Jack Markell is campaigning...for CIA Chief? I'm (sorta) serious about this. The man who ran on the issue of government transparency has made secrecy the defining touchstone of his second term. First, the Port machinations. Then, the Charter Schools debacle, where his administration literally dared doubters to file a FOIA lawsuit. And, just this Sunday, an incredible piece by Jeff Montgomery in the News-Journal, which effectively lays out a strong case that Gov. Markell deliberately suppressed environmental data casting serious doubt on the environmental safety of the Delaware City oil refinery. Deliberately suppressed. Anybody getting angry yet? Meanwhile, SB 97(Henry) "adds the term “gender identity” to the already-existing list of prohibited practices of discrimination and hate crimes. As such, this Act would forbid discrimination against a person on the basis of gender identity in housing, employment, public works contracting, public accommodations, and insurance, and it would provide for increased punishment of a person who intentionally selects the victim of a crime because of the victim’s gender identity." SB 97 received the bare minimum 11 votes required to pass the Senate. I think it will likely have a more comfortable margin in the House.

Monday Open Thread [6.17.13]

11 Comments
Tales of Security Theater -- the NFL has posted new security rules for attending their games starting next season. These new rules include size limits on purses, a list of prohibited items and a requirement for carrying what you do bring into the stadium in a clear bag. You get a bigger bag if you buy the special ones (with or without branding!) from the NFL or you an use a gallon-size ziplock bag. You can still have anything you want in the parking lot. The one that slays me is the prohibition against bringing in seat cushions. I don't think that this is about security -- I think that it is about making it quicker to get people in the gates. But I'm definitely rolling my eyes at this BS.

Late Night Video — Labor Pains for Dads

This is a great Father's Day Video (even though it was made for Mother's Day) -- where two Dads take the challenge of experiencing simulated labor pains. A doctor rigged up electrodes that she strapped to the abdomens of these guys and then started the simulation. Love that their wives stroll into this thing, drinking coffee and being utterly nonchalant. Then the wives drop right into birth coaching mode. Hilarious! (Approx. 3 and a half minutes long.) More boys need to try this out.