Saturday Open Thread [1.17.15]

Saturday Open Thread [1.17.15]

5 Comments
So the Supreme Court has decided to take up the whole issue of marriage equality once and for all. Specifically, the questions presented and to be decided by the Court are as follows:
The cases are consolidated and the petitions for writs of certiorari are granted limited to the following questions: 1.) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex? 2.) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state? A total of ninety minutes is allotted for oral argument on Question 1. A total of one hour is allotted for oral argument on Question 2. The parties are limited to filing briefs on the merits and presenting oral arguments on the questions presented in their respective petitions.
My opinion is that the answers to both questions will be yes, by a vote of 6-3. Yes, the four liberals plus Kennedy and Roberts.
The Weekly Addresses

The Weekly Addresses

Now that the General Assembly is back in session, we have our first legislative weekly "address." We also have President Obama's weekly address that previews his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, Governor Markell's weekly address, the West Wing Week, and a special video about Big Block of Cheese Day, which features some characters from the old "West Wing" show.
Friday Open Thread [1.16.15]

Friday Open Thread [1.16.15]

8 Comments
Sorry for my absence this week with the open threads. I was sent deep down south on business (and then my superiors complained about me not being in the office). But this time I didn't see any horrible evil signs or cross burnings, so maybe the region is improving, or maybe there is not a black President during an election anymore. I can't wait to see the white conservative reaction to Hillary Clinton, specifically whether it will be sexist on the part of self hating white conservative women. Here are some fun maps. Is Irish food really the preferred cuisine of Delaware? What is Irish cuisine? Steak and potatoes? Corned beef and cabbage?
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up: Week of January 13-15, 2015

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up: Week of January 13-15, 2015

3 Comments
Talk about your soft openings.  When the most urgent piece of legislation appears to be one that would allow smaller eateries to serve beer and wine, then you get a pretty good sense that it could be a slow January. The other bill on the fast track is a banking bill, and it passed the House unanimously. The sponsors of the bill don't fill me full of confidence that this is simply an innocuous piece of legislation.  It strikes me as a special interest bill, and the interests are those of the banks, not of the consumers.  Could someone please give us some background on the gestation and urgency of this bill? And, um, talk me down?
Wilmington City Council Votes To Not Let In More Charter Schools

Wilmington City Council Votes To Not Let In More Charter Schools

5 Comments
Yes, this is symbolic, but we've come a long way.
The Wilmington City Council sent a request to state leaders Thursday night: Don't allow any more charter schools to open in the city for the time being, and give the city more say over which schools get approved. Council approved 9-3, with President Theo Gregory absent, a resolution urging the Department of Education not to consider any new charter applications in the city to "allow elected officials and community representatives time to assess the impact of charter schools in Wilmington and throughout the State."
Impact is the key word and one of the biggest problem with charters - their impact on surrounding neighborhoods and schools isn't really considered - and even though the new charter law pays lip service to impact, impact alone isn't enough to stop a charter from entering a community. Try building an addition to your house without community approval. Maybe labeling the addition as a charter school would be the way to go! Whether or not a community wants a charter in their neighborhood doesn't matter. As long as a charter follows state law they can pretty much go where they want. Westgate Farms fought against Odyssey Charter moving in.  They eventually won by focusing on the historic location.  Good thing a cemetery was located there. Otherwise, Odyssey could have moved in - no matter what the surrounding community thought or wanted.
John Carney on why he voted to weaken Dodd-Frank (annotated)

John Carney on why he voted to weaken Dodd-Frank (annotated)

13 Comments
I found this early draft of Carney's HR 37 statement on line. "Many of you have asked me why I voted for H.R. 37, featured in the News Journal this morning. Dodd-Frank was passed before I came to Congress, but I support its goal of reining in Wall Street and protecting taxpayers.[Please note that "support" should be enclosed in quotation marks]
Kowalko v Schwartzkopf continues

Kowalko v Schwartzkopf continues

18 Comments
John Kowalko isn't shutting up, and for good reason. It isn't Pete Schwartzkopf's business to decide if someone can be an activist and a legislator. That's Kowalko's constituent's job, and Kowalko's constituents expressly hired him to be an activist and a legislator. Schwartzkopf may not remember, but John Kowalko sat in an Leg Hall energy committee meeting with a gag in his mouth in protest, and that was prior to being hired by his constituents. They knew what they were getting into. Which raises the question - does Schwartzkopf know what he is getting into by elevating Kowlako's status to that of a martyr for a transparent democracy? I sort of doubt it.