Delaware

Comment Rescue — What Should Be Done To Make Wilmington a Healthy and Thriving City?

Filed in Delaware by cassandra_m on October 5, 2013 • 30 Comments

That is the core of this comment that Paul Calistro posted in the Daily Delaware thread. It is a good set of questions by someone who thinks about what is going on the city alot and by someone who cares a great deal about what happens here. Add your comments below and I hope Paul will check in and engage in a conversation here:

In Which We Find Delmarva Power Using Ratepayers For Capital Financing

Filed in Delaware by cassandra_m on October 4, 2013 • 3 Comments

Or, Delmarva wants its ratepayers to take on more of the risk of capital project construction while they retain the profits from the use of that project. Via the NJ, they are touting this as an innovative rate approach — one that will allow customers some stability in their bills for a few years:

Under Delmarva’s new plan, the utility and the PSC would agree upon Delmarva’s spending ahead of time, planning four years into the future. Delmarva officials call the plan innovative, saying they are unaware of any other arrangement like this at comparable electric utilities around the country.

Delmarva officials say the plan would give regulators more input into the utility’s spending before it happens. “I think it’s a better process when you all work together on a plan,” said Glenn Moore, Delmarva’s regional vice president.

The plan would reduce what the utility calls “regulatory lag” – the time between when Delmarva spends money, and when the PSC approves Delmarva getting the money back from customers, along with a profit margin.

So. Delmarva charges you more and puts the excess in the bank to fund some future capital spending project.

Something I Hadn’t Noticed Until Now…

Filed in Delaware, National by Delaware Dem on October 3, 2013 • 5 Comments

… but, where is Vice President Biden? He had been central to prior negotiations in 2011 with the Republican Default Crisis and with the 2012 Fiscal Cliff. In those deals, he was the peacemaker and dealmaker. He is being kept off canvas now, but not for the obvious reason: so that he could be brought in for another dealmaking opportunity. No, there is another reason….

Foxtail Highlights Wilmington’s Ethics Problem

Filed in Delaware by cassandra_m on October 3, 2013 • 17 Comments

Monday night’s marathon hearing of the City Council Joint Committees turned out to be the longest Council Meeting ever. You’ll recall that this meeting was convened to probe how it happened that the City paid for WPD, WFD and Public Works resources used at the Foxtail Festival. I was there until about 10PM, so missed some of the later testimony. It was demoralizing sitting through this — between the deflection attempts by Velda Jones-Potter, the disregard of the City’s Ethics policy by pretty much everyone including members of City Council and the clear lack of command and control within the Administration. The meeting room was standing room only and many of them came sporting safety orange shirts. Not sure what the shirts were meant to do — for a minute it looked like I had stumbled into a convention of the traffic safety folks that wave you through traffic at construction zones.

At 11:00 this morning, approximately 350 fulltime Soldiers and Airmen from the Delaware National Guard were sent home without pay until further notice. The 350 were uniformed Federal Technicians who serve as part of the 750-person fulltime staff of the Delaware National Guard.

They reported to work at 7am and were on duty for four hours. The time was spent providing instruction, answering questions, and referring them to resources available (unemployment, health insurance, financial counseling, etc) with regard to the government shutdown.

The shutdown places significant additional hardships on our workforce, which is already strained by recent administrative furloughs, said Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, Delaware’s Adjutant General. Despite the substantial disruption and challenges, the Delaware National Guard can and will continue to support key military operations both here in the state and overseas.

My Mother’s Story

Filed in Delaware, National by Delaware Dem on October 1, 2013 • 7 Comments

She just posted this on Facebook. I thought I’d share it here:

So… Listening to all the bullshit today. It comes down to one issue – affordable healthcare. At the root of this is money, of course. The Republicans are on the side, always have been, of big business and there is no bigger business than healthcare. I have a very personal stake in all of this – I am one if those people who falls through the cracks. I have a pre-existing condition. I was diagnosed in 2004 with multiple myeloma but it turned out that I did not have that, but a neoplasm of unknown origin. This tumor ate through three vertebrae of my neck – C5, C6, C7 – As it strangled my spinal cord and started to restrict my lower limb mobility. I found a great neurosurgeon who removed 80% of the tumor and stabilized my neck with titanium rods and screws. I am supposed to have a MRI every three months for the rest if my life. Problem is, I lost my job in 2008. I was without healthcare for two months. So I had a gap in coverage, and now no one will cover any costs due to my neck. If I get the tests I need each year, the out of pocket expenses would be $7000+. So while everyone is fighting about why it is fair or not to cover people like me, I sit here and listen to the bullshit. And believe me, that is all it is.