The “Just cut everything by 1% and meet me at Wild Quail by noon” plan

The “Just cut everything by 1% and meet me at Wild Quail by noon” plan

What to cut? What to cut? That is the question. In these days of bipartisanship, we can all agree the government is bloated. A huge festering blob of puss. It is disgusting really. Governments...yuck! All full of losers who couldn't hack it in the private sector, sponging up all our tax dollars. Lazy shitbag bus drivers, and stupid park rangers with their dumb hats. Christamighty, get a real job! And teachers, ugh...don't get me started. How can we pick "winners" out of this sad sack collection of losers? And yet, we need a balanced budget. What's that you say? Raise taxes? Oh please. How much can we really ask of smokers before they start leaving for Pennsylvania? It is a quandary. Enter Brian Pettyjohn. He is the man with the plan. And it is a plan you can fit on a Wawa receipt, even if you have large childish handwriting. 1) A 1% across the board cut to everything (but not jobs or state payroll). 2) A "right-to-work" law. I'm not sure how a right-to-work law that would allow non-union members to enjoy the benefits of being in a union, would help balance the budget, but Republicans seem to view "right-to-work" as some kind of economic development miracle cure.
Friday Open Thread [2.13.15]

Friday Open Thread [2.13.15]

Republicans are getting a taste of their own medicine and they do not enjoy it. From the AP:
A month into their newfound control of both chambers of Congress, it wasn't supposed to be like this for Republicans. Instead of advancing a conservative agenda and showing voters they can govern, they are confronting the very real possibility of a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department later this month. That's because they can't overcome Senate Democrats' stalling tactics in a dispute over immigration. "I suppose elections have consequences except in the United States Senate," complained GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina, summing up the frustration for many House Republicans. "Tell me how it would be different if Harry Reid were still running the place," he added, naming the Senate Democratic leader who was booted into the minority in November's midterm elections. [...] The predicament is so frustrating to House Republicans that some conservatives have begun advocating changing Senate rules to limit the use of the filibuster, an idea several Senate Republicans have already dismissed. For many, the fear is that their deadlock over the Homeland Security bill is merely a taste of things to come for the next two years.
Here is a crocodile tear for ya. Democrats are pleasantly surprising me in their use of their recently discovered spine. Don't become cowards now. Stand up to these treasonous assholes and continue to demand a clean DHS Funding bill.
Game of Thrones, Episode Two: Volunteers for Exile in Washington

Game of Thrones, Episode Two: Volunteers for Exile in Washington

There will be a lot of potential candidates for an open Congressional race, and there is a good reason for it. If John Carney were to vacate this congressional seat for a run for Governor, this would be the first truly open race for Delaware's At Large Seat in 40 years, since 1976. Think about it. When Representative Pete du Pont retired from Congress in 1976 to run for Governor and was succeeded by Tom Evans, there has always an incumbent or a far and away favored frontrunner. Evans held the job until he was defeated by Treasurer Tom Carper in 1982. Carper held the job until he and Governor Mike Castle traded jobs in 1992. Castle held the job until he retired to run for Senate in 2010, but that year, everyone expected John Carney to run and win.
DEGOP to call out Dems failure or something…?

DEGOP to call out Dems failure or something…?

According to John Fluharty Democrats lie. They are contemptible shitbags. Liars. Failures. Etc. If you are a Delaware Republican this news will move you to send money to the DEGOP. Or that seems to be the plan anyway. Substance doesn't seem to be Fluharty's strong suit.
Game of Thrones, Episode One: Rules of the Game and the Governor.

Game of Thrones, Episode One: Rules of the Game and the Governor.

The rumblings have started. The game of musical chairs begins as potential candidates start eyeing a particular chair and then nervously eye each other while the music plays. So in working through this, let's make some assumptions: 1. Governor Markell will not be a candidate for any of these upcoming races. This is because I assume, no matter who wins the Presidential election, Markell will be in the Cabinet. He is the perfect Democrat a Republican President would chose for Secretary of Education or Secretary of Commerce, and I can see President Hillary Clinton likewise tapping him for Commerce, Education or Treasury. 2. Treasurer Ken Simpler is not running for Governor, but for reelection in 2018. 3. In the same vein, and much to my personal chagrin, Attorney General Matt Denn will not be running for Governor either, but will run for reelection in 2018. For you see, Mr. Denn is the most progressive statewide official and has been since his arrival as Insurance Commissioner back in 2004. But, and this goes for Simpler too, two years on the job is not enough of a platform to run for a new one. Beau Biden recognized this back in 2010, back when he had been on the job of AG for 4 years, but spent 18 months of that in Iraq. And it is a shame too, since that was likely his last chance at higher office. But I digress. For Denn, and I am sure he is aware of this, a run for Governor so soon after a switch of office to AG from LG, coupled with his history of jumping from IC to LG after one term, an uncomfortable reputation might emerge. 4. Insurance Commissioner Stewart and Auditor Wagner will not leave their respective jobs voluntarily until they die. They will not retire. And they cannot be defeated in a primary. For Wagner, having an elected statewide Republican is still a rare enough thing that I am not sure another Republican can be found to challenge him. For Stewart, the only way she can be defeated is if you limit her primary challengers to 1. If she has more than 1 primary challenger, her 32% inexplicable base support in the party will allow her to win. But that will never happen because Tom Gordon and Dennis Williams will step again with their City-County-Stewart unholy tripartite alliance and save him with one or more primary challengers. 5. Beau Biden will not run for any office in 2016. His announcement that he was foregoing a 2014 reelection race and would instead run for Governor in 2016 was a smokescreen, a place-holding statement to preserve his political capital and position in the Party and politics should his health and/or prognosis improve. It was a wise, smart move on that front. But it is not our reality. Beau Biden is not running for Governor, or any office. And I am not going to pretend that he is. If he starts making public appearances, if he starts speaking at these public appearances, and if he releases information as to his health scare, treatment and prognosis, then I will take him seriously as a potential candidate. 6. Tom Carper has a one more election cycle in him before he turns into Bill Roth and someone Carpers him. And I say that wanting Carper to retire to the Florida beach with Castle with every fiber of my being. So, having said all that, let's look at who are the candidates for Governor first, because the candidates for this highest office will determine, in a trickle down that actually works, the candidates for the other offices.
Thursday Open Thread [2.12.15]

Thursday Open Thread [2.12.15]

The Washington Post begs the question, should the leader of the free world, the commander in chief of the planet's largest military force, and the person who makes life and death decisions on almost every possible topic, thus necessitating some complex analytical and thinking skills usually taught at an institute of higher learning, have at the very least a college degree:
“What is clear is that if Walker ascended to the White House — he’s holding his own in most GOP primary polls — he’d be the first president in more than 60 years without at least a bachelor’s degree. Of America’s 44 presidents, just 11 didn’t graduate from college.”
The answer to the begged question is yes, you fucking idiot moron, of course the President of the United States must have a college degree at the very least. Even George W. Bush had a college degree, and if that brain jackass could do it, so too should have Scott Walker if he wants to President. A lack of a college education is probably the reason Scott Walker does not believe in evolution (and no, I will not accept his dodging indirection, as this is an issue that you either believe in evidence, science and facts and you loudly proclaim it, or you don't and thus don't). He doesn't believe in evolution because he never learned about it. I wonder what else he never learned about. History? Math?
Common Core and Uncommon Profits

Common Core and Uncommon Profits

The US education market has always been huge, but it has also always been highly fragmented. That fragmentation made it largely unprofitable and not worth the attention of huge multinational corporations. When you consider trying to sell to 50 idiosyncratic states, each of which contains (on average) 300 school districts, and each of those mostly autonomous districts contains (on average) 380 schools broken up by student ages between elementary, middle and high schools, further divided by the demographics of various communities, you can see that it is not a coordinated market that can make billions for someone with a "one size fits all" product line. "Education reform" has changed that. Pearson has been able to change that. "Common Core" has brought some predictability and uniformity to a chaotic marketplace. If you doubt that Common Core was wired for Pearson, this Politico investigation should disabuse you of that notion.
Wednesday Open Thread [2.11.15]

Wednesday Open Thread [2.11.15]

First Read:
“With about two weeks to go before the Department of Homeland Security runs out of funding, congressional Republicans appear to be stuck. You have House Republicans saying they’ve done their part by passing their DHS spending bill, which includes language rolling back President Obama’s immigration actions. And you have Senate Republicans throwing the ball back in the House’s court, because the House GOP measure — due to Democrats’ successful filibusters — can’t get 60 votes in the Senate. And right now, no one knows (or at least is telling us) how we get out of this mess.” “Now two weeks is a lifetime in Washington politics. But if cooler heads are going to prevail, they need to start working on a solution ASAP. Don’t forget this reality of governing in times of divided government: For legislation to become law, it needs to get 1) 218 votes in the House, 2) at least 60 votes in the Senate, and 3) the president’s signature. In other words … compromise. And that’s something that’s been missing all too often over the past four-plus years.”