General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., April 13, 2016

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., April 13, 2016

I don't think it was on yesterday's Senate Agenda, but this was the best, and potentially most important, bill passed yesterday. SS2/SB 130 (McDowell) creates Complete Community Enterprise Districts, and here's the statement of policy as to what they're supposed to do:
(1) Encourage development that maximizes the economic value to the citizens and the government of the State of both existing and new transportation infrastructure. (2) Strategically deploy transportation funds in ways that meet the mobility needs of the people of the State at the lowest total economic cost to the people and government of the State. (3) Encourage transportation solutions that enable the formation of new households in the State that have less than one vehicle per adult worker.
Should the bill become law, local communities could enter into agreements with DELDOT to create districts using the synergies described above. McDowell has been at this issue for virtually his entire career.  Troglodytes like Kermit Justice and a succession of like-minded Transportation Secretaries have kept Delaware far behind the national curve when it comes to innovative mass transportation alternatives.  Justice fought commuter rail tooth and nail.  Until, of course, his conviction for taking kickbacks.  Jason330's new BFF, Colin Bonini, was a co-sponsor, leaving only three downstate Troggs to vote no. Hocker, Lawson and Simpson. It looks like this bill has the strong support of the current DELDOT secretary, so maybe better things are ahead.  I know that this would be a boon for the ongoing Claymont renaissance, so I'm for it.
Wednesday Open Thread [4.13.16]

Wednesday Open Thread [4.13.16]

Last week a lot of the news about the Democratic presidential primary focused on Bernie Sanders’ interview with the New York Daily News. It is worth noting that Hillary Clinton sat down for an interview with the same publication on Saturday. It seems she was much more persuasive and knowledgeable, as the The Daily News' primary endorsement isn't just an endorsement of Hillary Clinton, it's a non-endorsement of Bernie Sanders.
About the poll….

About the poll….

The "Another person wins" is a non-starter. Who is voting for that one, Mike Castle? The only one that worries me is "Trump/Cruz unity ticket". Knowing a little about the personalities involved, I don't think it is going to happen, but still.

The Grift-iest Generation

Former officials of American Legion Post 28 have been charged for taking part in a check-cashing scheme that stole $641,000 in slot-machine proceeds, officials say. The vice commander of the American Legion Post 28, a former post commander, two former finance officers and a past adjutant face charges after police say they wrote checks for cash that was not used for American Legion business. A sixth man involved has since died.
What gets me about these guys, and the other old farts I see stealing lumber from construction sites, is that they are the first to blame everything on the no-good poors. Meanwhile, they act like their stealing isn't a crime because society owes them something.

Tuesday Open Thread [4.12.16]

I have seen Sanders supporters here and there lately, including State Representative John Kowalko, saying the super delegate system is not fair. This newest round of complaining about the super delegates did not make sense to me, since as of right now, Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders by over 250 pledged delegates and 2.5 million popular votes. So Super delegates are not even figuring into this equation and are not relevant. It's not like they are stealing the nomination away from Bernie Sanders. Indeed, only one campaign has made the argument that Super delegates should hand the nomination to someone who is not the pledged delegate leader, and that campaign is Bernie Sanders'. Talk about being undemocratic and hypocritical. So why complain about the super delegates now? It didn't make sense. Especially when you consider, no matter how undemocratic and hypocritical it is, winning over the super delegates really is the only way Bernie Sanders can win the Democratic nomination in 2016. Then I came upon this MSNBC graphic being passed around by some Sanders supporters on Twitter: Cfyla_QWcAE66Yi The graphic is misleading, but at first glance (and after several glances if you low-information independent voter unfamiliar with delegates, super delegates and proportional representation, which happen to be a lot a Bernie supporters), it seems unfair. How does Bernie win 56% of the vote and not win the most delegates??? Come inside for the explanation.
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., April 13, 2016

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., April 13, 2016

The Governor and leaders of the General Assembly, along with the State Chamber of Commerce, are repeating the same strategy they employed so effectively to emasculate a decent minimum wage increase two years ago. The exact same strategy, in fact. Step One: Get some DINO like Brian Bushweller to express reservations about the bill, thus requiring supporters to weaken it in order for it to pass the Senate. Step Two: Have Speaker Pete put it in the House Business Lapdog Committee, instead of the Labor Committee. Step Three: Get a couple of putative D legislators to parrot Chamber talking points and express 'concerns' they have with the bill. Step Four: Either kill the bill in committee or, failing that, make the bill even weaker than the bill that passed the Senate. While states like New York and California have passed bills establishing a $15 minimum wage, and while several municipalities have done the same, what passes for D leadership here seeks to water down a bill that would provide a phase-in of an eventual $10.25 minimum wage.  This, of course, after tossing something like $50 mill to corporate serial polluters to stay here.
Congressional Debate Tonight

Congressional Debate Tonight

No disrespect to Michael Miller, a perennial also-ran from Congressional races in the dark years of Mike Castle's reign in the 90's and 2000's who is also running again this year for reasons passing understanding, tonight's congressional debate hosted by the University of Delaware College Democrats will essentially be a two-man show down between Bryan Townsend and Sean Barney. Yes, we know that there is a third credible candidate in the race by the name of Lisa Blunt Rochester. But she backed out of tonight's debate for scheduling conflict reasons, which seems ... interesting. Anyone, come inside for the details....

Delaware Liberal: Civil War

A reader suggested this to make light of our Primary Wars between Hillary and Bernie partisans on DL. So I threw this together this morning. Take no meaning from the assigning of your names to the various Marvel characters or the Marvel story, because I know none of it and have never seen a Captain America or Ironman movie. I'm a DC Comics Man. LOL. Click on the picture to see a much larger version. DL.CIVILWAR