Wilmington Budget Follies

Wilmington Budget Follies

13 Comments
For the past few weeks, the back and forth over coming to some agreement over the Wilmington budget for the next fiscal year has been a source of a great deal of cynicism, exasperation and a fair amount of entertainment. While there is not alot to be proud of here -- at bottom we have a new administration who seems to think that they can get things done by fiat. For all of the yelling and screaming about what the Wilmington City Charter says -- it still gives the Administration the power to spend the money that City Council allocates to it. That is pretty basic everywhere. Even though the Council spent much of its time rubber-stamping much of the Baker Administration's work, I wish I could be more hopeful in a more energized Council who will actually do what the Charter expects of them.

Wednesday Open Thread [5.29.13]

2 Comments
NY Congressman Peter King (R):
"We know the type of suffering that people go through during these types of crises and we're not going to hold - I'm certainly not going to hold the good people of Oklahoma hostage because they may have some hypocrites in their delegation. [...] We had to wait over 100 days before we even got the aid approved to New York and New Jersey. Now, we find the senator from Oklahoma who voted against aid to New York and New Jersey saying that aid should be sent to Oklahoma because there's a difference between tornado assistance and hurricane assistance. This is absolute hypocrisy."
And we have some polling goodness inside..
BREAKING: State GOP Chair John Sigler Resigns

BREAKING: State GOP Chair John Sigler Resigns

23 Comments
.... for personal reasons. The News Journal alert I just received described the decision as being abrupt. From the First State Politics blog over at the NJ, Sigler resigned via a letter to party leaders this morning, saying:
“It is with deep regret and a profound disappointment that I must inform you that, due to newly emergent and totally unexpected circumstances that are completely beyond my control, I am unable to continue to serve you as the Chairman of the Republican State Committee of Delaware,” said Sigler, a former National Rifle Association president who took over the party after the devastating 2010 elections.
This feeling… a mixture of celebration and sadness… I felt it in 2009…

This feeling… a mixture of celebration and sadness… I felt it in 2009…

11 Comments
when a certain failed vice presidential candidate decided that she craved money and fame more than she craved political office and you know... doing the job she was elected to do. When she quit, I felt happy enought to dance in the streets for she was not in government anymore and could no longer hurt her constituents and damage the country with her Christofascist theocratic politics. But I also felt sadness for two reasons: 1) she was no longer going to be in office which meant it was likely she was not going to be a presidential candidate and thus a very easy opponent to destroy in a 45 state landslide, and 2) it meant that she was going to be more present in our culture than less (i.e. Dancing with the Stars, reality shows, constant appearances, her role in the 2010 elections). Former failed presidential candidate and radical right Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is retiring. She will not seek reelection.

Tuesday Open Thread [5.28.13]

1 Comment
As we get closer to the 2014 midterm elections, you are going to start hearing more and more about the generic ballot. It is a poll question where polling organizations ask their respondents whether they are voting for the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate as their Representative in Congress. Now, generally, this question only tells so much if the results are relatively close together, for example, Dems 42, GOP 40. Because in that instance, local politics, gerrymandering, and the incumbency advantage all play a part in deciding the race no matter the national preference for one party over the other. However, when the disparity between the two parties on this question becomes wider, it often indicates that a wave election is coming where one political party gets their candidates elected over the other. For example, in 2006, the ABC/Washington Post poll right before the election showed the Dems enjoying a 6 point lead over the GOP on the generic ballot question. The Dems won 30 plus seats and the House. A new Washington Post/ABC News poll found that the Democrats lead Republicans on the generic ballot by 8 points, 48% to 40%. Meanwhile, the Republicans are really going to regret naming the Affordable Care Act... "Obamacare."

Yuck — A 4th Grader’s Short Documentary About School Lunch

This all started when young Zachary Maxwell wanted to start packing and taking his lunch to school. His parents, however, thought that the school lunches as described and pictured on line looked like they would be just fine. So young Zachary smuggled in a camera to school in order to show his parents the reality of those school meals. He kept filming (even got busted once) and made a short documentary called Yuck -- A 4th Grader's Short Documentary About School Lunch. Love this kid. Anyway, this doc has won some awards and has been playing the festival circuit. I'm posting the trailer and another piece with clips below. It sounds as if this entire film will be online shortly, but I don't know when:
Here is the thing about Jack Markell

Here is the thing about Jack Markell

12 Comments
Bob Yearik was kind enough to include me along with a bunch of other luminaries (like that goddam idiot from Caesar Rodney Institute, "Doctor" John Stapleford) in this Delaware Today piece about Governor Markell. Yearick does a pretty good job collecting a bunch of puzzle pieces but never really tries to fit them together. So, what the hell? I'll put them together here. ...

Memorial Day Open Thread [5.27.13]

8 Comments
Memorial Day has come to be a day when we are all urged to remember those armed services members who have served and who are currently serving the country. This is important and I hope we all have some time to reflect on the sacrifices made by these men and women on our behalf.