Thursday (mini) Open Thread [5.7.15]
You know where I get my news? Not from WDEL, or the NYT or even the Rachael Maddow Show. Nope. I simply read Delaware Dem’s open thread post everyday. He is just so freaking good at boiling the important stuff down, and I need time for all my youtube ‘Star Wars’ trailers, and “man punched in nuts” video viewing.
Anyway… the preamble is you notification that today’s open thread is gong to suck. If I think of it, I’ll update it through the day. Cheers!
Pandering, not baseball, has always been Smyrna’s pastime. It is good to see Lumpy is keeping the tradition alive.
Delaware lawmakers score political points by offering free fishing tags to firefighters and discounted annual park fees to seniors.
But those giveaways cost Delaware’s parks system more than $750,000 in uncollected revenue each year, according to state figures.
Now lawmakers have introduced new legislation that would expand those freebies, offering surf fishing tags at no cost to active members of ladies auxiliary crews at Delaware volunteer fire companies.
Gabrielle Giffords to speak today at Leg. Hall. Delaware gun nuts who are under restraining orders are outraged about this.
It’s Fitzmas!
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2015/05/06/former-wilmington-trust-execs-indicted/70903808/
Opt-out bill on the House schedule today. Either way this could be Markell”s Waterloo. Defeating the bill will only publicize the right to opt out which will still exist. If you don’t think it already exists, just ask any legislator if they would support a bill making the test mandatory.
Those freebies are a disgrace. We create ‘special’ classes that are not special at all, provide them benefits they shouldn’t have, and take the money and resources from our parks.
Yo, legislators, the people who use our parks are constituents, too, and I betcha that they would not be happy if they knew about these unwarranted giveaways.
Volunteer firefighters already get special benefits.
In true bureaucratic fashion, he wants to add to an already bad freebie program.
Pay for your own damn beach tag.
Even Charlie Pierce is starting to believe in Hillary as a Fightin’ Liberal:
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a34832/ms-rodham-clinton-is-running-the-campaign/
Oh you guys just want to get me going…….firehouses are the country clubs in Delaware. And FWIW, all these surf fishing tags, and skipping and jumping in the park, tax deductions, and niche liquor/gambling status, with cell phones allowed in both hands while driving…….who’s covering the firehouse?
But I guess the argument could be made the Ladies Auxiliary needs the fishing tag, to cook up the bluefish they’ll serve, as a fundraiser to offset the cost of the really cool decal they want to place on the window of the 2nd 2951 foot extension cherry picker in Liepsic the JFC spent 2 nights working into the budget. Never know, when 2 kittens at once are stuck in a lilac bush on opposite sides of town—AND—-the first truck is only 2945 feet.
But the REAL cost will be the first yahoo who catches on to the bonanza and sues the State because the freebie is for “ladies”. And our State will defend their position.
Depressing.
JC…For the Win!
JC left out one word that would have made her hypothetical case even stronger.
Make that “white ladies.”
The idea that all those with surf tags are fishing is a joke.
Most of them are tail gating
I agree it’s party time out there
And one can barely walk along the surf along the whole length of State Park without dodging fishing lines, hooks, and an endless line of trucks. I’m sure its fun to have a truch, cooler, grill, tent, chairs and such but its way too much
Most serious anglers would not be out there on a bright sunny afternoon or in the summer when fish tend to be in inlets or backwater.