I’ll save the ‘unfinished business’ threads for others. Here. Here. And…oh, never mind, the News Journal didn’t bother.
Neither the House nor the Senate has an agenda today. Which gives me plenty of time to talk about three issues important to me and, I hope, to you.
1. Carney To Do The Right Thing. According to the News-Journal, Gov. Carney plans to propose 12 weeks of paid family leave for state employees. He already has reportedly budgeted for his proposal. Let’s first state the obvious: This is something Jack Markell would never have done. Not only is the proposal humane, it also makes sense as a means of retaining state workers. We’ve been losing quality state workers for years as they have consistently been maligned by both the governor and the Rethuglicans. Not just maligned, but economically-disadvantaged. This comes at a time when more and more corporations offer benefits like paid family leave. I like both the policy and the politics of this proposal, and I hope it’s law by June 30.
2. Bail Reform Could Happen This Week. I got another e-blast from Delaware United today. HB 204 could well be on the Senate Agenda this Thursday. It passed the House with only three no votes back in June of 2017. It has already been voted out of the Senate Judicial & Community Affairs Committee, and is ready for action on the floor. Now is not the time to let up. If you support bail reform that would reduce the disadvantages facing poor defendants, contact your State Senator and urge them to support the bill.
3. Has Anything Sucked Worse Than The Process To Legalize the Recreational Use of Pot In Delaware? What a cluster-fuck. I hate to throw cold bongwater on the legalization push, but whatever passes, if anything passes (which I don’t think it will), won’t be worth the effort. In fact, this should be taught in universities as an example of to how not to make public policy. It should also serve as an example to everyone as to why Delaware should not allow the police, most specifically the State Police, to have a hand in any legislation being considered in Dover. For background, read this article from the Delaware State News. Try to digest the idiocy coming from leading police voices:
If marijuana is legalized, the chairman of the Delaware Police Chiefs’ Council believes users of the drug should be required to have a special driver’s license that would prohibit them from buying a firearm.William Bryson, the chief of the Camden Police Department, made the comment at a Wednesday meeting of a task force looking at the issues around cannabis legalization.
Hey, while I’m in favor of fewer firearms, you won’t find any police chief urging a prohibition on firearms sales for anybody who buys a fifth of Jack Daniels seven days a week, 365 days a year. And then there’s this:
Tom Brackin, president of the Delaware State Troopers Association, agreed legalization would hinder police. Serious cases involving drug trafficking or illegal firearm ownership often start with police detecting marijuana. If cannabis is legal, law enforcement would potentially be unable to get some criminals off the street.
“What we’re doing here by legalizing marijuana is not only we’re taking a tool for law enforcement to impact violent crimes (but also) handing a tool to the bad guys,” Mr. Brackin said.
I want you to roll his statement around in your presumably non-drug-addled brains. The cops have been using marijuana as a pretext for unreasonable search and seizure for years. Brackin just admitted it again. They take property from people even when there are no charges filed and then don’t return the property. It’s known as civil forfeiture and we’ve talked about it here at DL for awhile now. Here’s a primer. And an excerpt:
I didn’t know, betcha that you didn’t either, that police can seize property, money and valuables when they suspect that the owners of said property, money and valuables are involved in drug-related crime. Betcha didn’t know that neither (a) the filing of charges and/or (b) convictions for said offenses were a prerequisite for police just taking stuff. Betcha didn’t know that it’s exceedingly difficult, if not down-right impossible, for innocent victims of said seizures to get their money, property and valuables back. Betcha didn’t know that the ‘proceeds’ go directly to a law enforcement slush fund called SLEAF. Betcha didn’t know that Delaware is the only state in the union that refuses to release the amount of money seized and how the money is spent.
Maybe someone can tell me why the bleeping Delaware Chapter of the ACLU hasn’t taken this to court. If this isn’t illegal search and seizure, I don’t know what it. The police can steal your stuff with impunity, then put the proceeds into a slush fund to benefit the police.
BTW, and this is important, from the linked Delaware State News article:
“The Delaware Department of Justice shared similar views (to Chief Brackin).”
Meaning that our Attorney General and the so-called Department of Justice apparently supports the ability of the police to steal your stuff with impunity and then put the proceeds into a slush fund. Meaning that there is no justice. I want to know how any and all of the candidates for AG feel about this. But, I digress.
Once Rep. Keeley put the brakes on the process to allow yet more input from the most vocal opponents of the legislation, especially the cops, she guaranteed that whatever emerged would be a shadow of what was needed to make Delaware an economic winner in the recreational marijuana sweepstakes. The winner: State cops. The losers: Supporters of legalized marijuana legislation and all those who have had their stuff stolen by the police. Oh, and all those who will have their stuff stolen by the police.