National

In my continuing attempt to understand the hobbled and frequently diseased mindset of conservatives, I've noticed that thinking of everything as a zero-sum game is huge with them. When I think of my Grandpa (or this blog's own resident grumpy racist grandpa, ...yes you Dana) I marvel at how they can view every dollar paid out to someone on welfare as a dollar taken out of their pockets. I wonder why they are so blinkered in their thinking that keeping the economy on the rocks is fine if the alternative is a healthy economy in which a non-white person might possibly get a health care subsidy. There is no sense of "growing the pie." The aphorism "a rising tide lifts all boats" makes no sense to them. I was reminded of that mindset again when I read that conservative Catholics are worried that the Pope is paying too much attention to the needy, and that attention means that they aren't getting enough Pope love. [...]

This is shocking. It is downright unAmerican tell 'ya.

Bucking the incredibly lucrative trend for retailers to stay open during Thanksgiving, bulk food utopia Costco has announced that they would stay closed during the holiday, which is seriously blowing our minds with its lunacy.

Shopping on Thanksgiving is for losers. Sorry losers. I'm calling you out. [...]

So how are those budget talks going in DC? Remember, if there is no budget deal by December 15, the government shuts down again. The Delaware Young Farmers program has selected 10 new participants. I know I am cynical, but I wonder how many of these young farmers downstate are also tea party Republicans decrying government handouts.

The Delaware House Republican Caucus recently posed a question to Facebook page asking whether the House Judiciary Committee should vote to release Senate Bill 19, which repeals the death penalty in Delaware and converts existing death sentences to life in prison without parole, for a vote on the floor by the full House. The Senate has already passed the bill by a razor thin 11-10 margin, and in the House, there was both bipartisan support for and bipartisan opposition to the bill, leading to House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Rebecca Walker to table the bill. But imagine that! Republicans possibly in favor of allowing votes on the floor on controversial bills. These Delaware House Republicans may have to teach their national counterparts a thing or two. However, I suspect the motives of the GOP here are not pure.

Sarah Palin says she's disturbed that many of Pope Francis' pastoral pronouncements have "sounded kind of liberal." That is only because the new Pope is following Jesus' example and teachings. Remember Mrs. Palin, Jesus did not hate. Sarah Palin also says that the federal debt is like slavery. Interesting that she would put it like that, since debt is a prime component of capitalism and our free market economy. Businesses and people use credit and incur debt all the time all over our country to buy homes, to buy inventory for their businesses, to pay their employees, to make improvements to their house, to buy a car, etc. Is she saying that debt in those circumstances is slavery too? She has to be. And I guess that means Sarah Palin opposes capitalism. She is a dirty communist now. Probably happened when she saw Russia from her house.

I got some shit for calling Carney a millionaire. Maybe it is technically true that his net worth isn't a million today, but it will be tomorrow or next week sometime. It is simply inevitable. What isn't inevitable is that he become a Tom Carper clone in the house. He represents a solidly blue state and actually seems to have some decency and empathy that Tom Caper is wholly lacking. It is not a given that he have a mediocre career in Congress chasing the affection of fifty or so Klansmen in western Sussex county. [...]

I always loved Church. The saying "hi" to people. The singing. The occasional thought provoking talk on living a life with meaning. I just couldn't buy all the God and Jesus stuff. The Sunday Assembly would be perfect for me if I only lived in London or Melbourne or New York. Why should churchies get to hog all the fun?

We have Sarah Palin talking about her version of healthcare reform, and it sounds very familiar. We have poll results from the first post reelection Christie v. Clinton poll, and the result will be surprising to those living in fear of the bully. We have Senator Tom Harkin bringing the truth about religions and bigotry. And did you now that the U.S. is not actually in debt. Actually, no where close to being in debt. Come inside...

The race to decide Virginia's next attorney general is still undecided. 3,000 Democratic absentee ballots that were "lost" have been found and now it is down to counting up the provisional ballots. Just in time to preserve Republican Mark Obenshain's razor thin 100 vote lead, a new wrinkle to provisional ballot counting rules threatens to disenfranchise more Democratic voters.

Last week, the deadline for applications to be received by the Judicial Nominating Commission passed with only four applications being submitted. Who knew you actually had to "apply" for the job? Hell, if I knew that, I might have applied, despite being pretty ill-qualified for the post. According to Jeff Mordock at Delaware Law Weekly, the four candidates are Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Berger, Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden, Court of Chancery Chancellor Leo Strine Jr. and Superior Court President Judge James Vaughn Jr. The next step in the process is that Commission will review the names and submit a list of three names out of those four to Governor Markell, who will make the final selection. The nominee would then have to be confirmed by the State Senate in January. Who is the favorite?