Delaware casinos bailout

Gambling News Not ALL Bad For Delaware

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We're attracting lots of degenerates from NJ and PA who just have to get their fill of betting on NFL games: From the Philly Inquirer:
The total wagered on NFL games in Delaware _ with barely one-tenth the population of New Jersey _ was $31.5 million last year, more than triple the mark set in 2009, according to Vernon Kirk, the director of the Delaware Lottery. Kirk added that the state's share was $5.2 million, with casinos and the state's horsemen also getting a portion of the net revenues after expenses.
El Somnambulo Predicts ‘Em All For You!

El Somnambulo Predicts ‘Em All For You!

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The tough races are really tough, the easy races are really easy. I know I'm not running the table, but I don't know where I'll falter. I just know that I will. If there's a unifying theme, I think it's that D's will struggle in Delaware more than usual, which is exactly what I expect to happen nationwide. Hope I'm wrong. These predictions are also going up a week out, and there's plenty of movement in some of the races. With that depressing, but not hopeless, forecast out of the way, here we go: United States Senate: Chris Coons over Kevin Wade, 58-40%, with Andrew Groff of the Green Party at 2%. I'll be among the 2 percenters. US Representative: This provides the true measure of how many people will vote Republican no matter what.  Does Rose Izzo get over 30%? I'm going Carney 67%, Izzo 29%, with the Green and Libertarian candidates maybe getting 4%.  For me, it'll be August in November. Attorney General: Matt Denn will win, does he break 60%?
Will Phils Hire Best Manager in Baseball?

Will Phils Hire Best Manager in Baseball?

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Well, if not the best, at least 1 or 1A along with the Giants' Bruce Bochy. Joe Maddon  opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay today. He has taken that chronically-underfunded team to great heights, four times in the playoffs and one World Series appearance. This is not a pipe dream. He is from the area. In fact, his mom is still a waitress in his home town of Hazleton, PA. He's a Lafayette grad, and he comes back here often. This is Pat Gillick's call, not Ruben Amaro Jr's. Pat, for the sake of what's left of my sanity, Make That Call!
KWS Goes to Bat For Mega Insurance Company

KWS Goes to Bat For Mega Insurance Company

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Our purported insurance regulator, Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart, is instead trying to run interference for Met Life.  Check out this article from the state government website: fer cryin' out loud:
DOVER, DE  – In a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and other federal regulators, Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart has urged them to reconsider their vote to propose that MetLife be labeled as a “systemically important financial institution” (SIFI) and therefore subject to tougher federal regulation. “Based on my experience as an insurance regulator (insert joke here), and a regulator of one of MetLife’s larger insurance subsidiaries, I do not believe that MetLife’s businesses and corporate structure create the kind of systemic risk that Dodd-Frank’s SIFI designation process was designed to address,” she said. Stewart argues explicitly against the designation of MetLife and said state regulators are capable and competent to continue the oversight of the company (insert joke here).
Why Not Invest A Few Shekels in These Candidates?

Why Not Invest A Few Shekels in These Candidates?

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1. Sean Matthews, 11th RD: Even if you backed Dennis E. Williams in the primary, you'd have to admit that Matthews is infinitely preferable to R candidate Judy Travis, whose support comes from far out of the political mainstream. As opposed to your traditional Brandywine Hundred R, Travis is one of only two House candidates to get the support of the Delaware chapter of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. 2. John Mackenzie, 22nd RD: A rarity. Campaign stuff that's worth reading. Click on this and on this.  Not only is it clear that he wrote his own copy, but he comes across as someone who will be a serious legislator and quite the progressive. He perhaps reminds me most of Michael Barbieri, who is one of the most outstanding legislators we have.  We could use several more legislators like him, and Mackenzie is in that mold. 3. Marie Mayor, 20th RD: Well, let's see. She's right on the issues, she's running a great campaign, she never really stopped running after the 2012 election, she almost won last time, and she, too, would immediately take her place as one of the best legislators in Dover. The political stars could also be aligned, as the anti-Obama folks won't overrun the Sussex County results like in 2012.  I also believe that, once she's elected, her constituent work will enable her to get reelected several times over. Let's help her win!
Can We Talk About Pedophilia?

Can We Talk About Pedophilia?

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No, not the act of abusing children and/or engaging in inappropriate behavior with them.  Such activities are criminal and should be subject to the strongest enforcement the justice system can bring. I'm talking about adult attraction to children which never rises to the level of physical contact, but which may include viewing images that we find abhorrent, and may cause acute mental anguish for those with this condition. A thought-provoking piece in Sunday's New York Times argues that pedophilia is a mental illness and makes an effective argument that we're treating it improperly. Read the whole thing before reacting reflexively. Here are some salient excerpts from Prof. Margo Kaplan's op-ed:
‘Bulo Presents Charlie Hunter/Scott Amendola w/the Dinkendo Family Band Tonight!

‘Bulo Presents Charlie Hunter/Scott Amendola w/the Dinkendo Family Band Tonight!

Shameless plug, and I'm totally not ashamed. I'm presenting a superb concert tonight at the Arden Gild Hall. If you show up, first drink's on me. Charlie Hunter is an amazing instrumentalist and plays a hybrid guitar/bass that has seven strings. Yes he plays both the bass and guitar parts at the same time!  He and drummer Scott Amendola have extraordinary telepathy with each other that can only happen after years of playing together.  They have been called the 'jazz scene's funkiest duo' for good reason. Come inside for more information....
El Somnambulo Predicts ‘Em All For You

El Somnambulo Predicts ‘Em All For You

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This column will self-destruct sometime around 9 p.m. next Tuesday. Or perhaps Saturday, according to Dave Tackett's latest mailer (seriously, he has the wrong day for the primary on his mailer.) Time to pick the primary winners (and losers). State Senator-SD 11 (D):  Even with pretty good name recognition, it's hard to win a D primary against a popular incumbent when your ideological base resides within a right-wing evangelical church. Bryan Townsend gives Dave Tackett a well-deserved whooping, I mean whoooping, 62-38. (Memo to Dave: Next time, try Spell Check. Despite what it says on your latest piece, there are only two o's in 'trooper', not three. Oh, and political mailers should have a disclaimer as to who paid for them. You're welcome.)
Delaware Political Weekly, Or An Approximation Thereof: August 16-22, 2014

Delaware Political Weekly, Or An Approximation Thereof: August 16-22, 2014

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This article got lost in the Chip Flowers Implosion, Version 4.0, but it shouldn't have.  House D's facing primary challenges sending out thinly-veiled campaign lit on the public's dime. A practice that was discontinued under Speaker Gilligan (Terry Spence was the Godfather of this practice), but reinstated by Speaker Schwartzkopf just in time for the primaries. Now here's the rest of the story. Complaints regarding this practice were filed with Elaine Manlove of the State Department of Elections. She determined that she had no legal jurisdiction over the complaints, that they did not technically violate state law, and referred them to...The House Ethics Committee. Did I mention that the House Ethics Committee is chaired by Valerie Longhurst, one of the two legislators who it's been confirmed have sent out these mailers on the taxpayers' dime? Now, that's the Delaware Way.
House Incumbents Spending Taxpayer $$’s To Fend Off Primary Challengers?

House Incumbents Spending Taxpayer $$’s To Fend Off Primary Challengers?

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It sure looks that way. Both Valerie Longhurst and Dennis E. Williams have sent out official House correspondence to their districts that are little more than taxpayer-funded campaign pieces. There may well be others who have done the same. The supposed deniability comes in that these are allegedly legislative updates to constituents. They are sent on their personal House letterhead, in House envelopes, and likely through state mail. And they are prepared in-house by state employees on state time. They tout the alleged accomplishments of the legislators, and, as campaign pieces are prone to do, try to mislead voters on issues where the incumbents are vulnerable. Oh, and so far, they've only been sent out by incumbent House members facing primaries. When I worked in the Senate, we were forbidden from doing this. During the brief time that I worked for the House, then-Speaker Terry Spence allowed us to send such mailings. Of course, it's likely not coincidence that this policy was set during the election season that the Rethugs were desperately trying to hold onto their majority, and if they did it, he had to let us do it. Truth be told, most of July and August were spent on preparing and sending these mailings. Only one person can authorize such mailings: The Speaker of the House. It's likely legal, as the General Assembly routinely exempts itself from laws that apply to everyone else. In fact, apparently it's technically legal to send out these sorts of mailings up to 35 days prior to an election. But I submit that it's a wasteful misuse of taxpayer funds.