Search Results for 'marijuana'
It’s Time to Legalize Pot in Delaware
Senator Margaret Rose Henry has a bill in draft that she has committed to sending to the GA in January to legalize and tax marijuana sales here. She is proposing it in part to help generate more than $21M in new revenue for the state. I hope that this is money that would be specifically earmarked for Education, rather than the general fund. Still — there’s not much detail yet.
Wednesday Open Thread [7.27.16]
![Wednesday Open Thread [7.27.16]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/GettyImages-583545898-240x180.jpg "Wednesday Open Thread [7.27.16]")
Ezra Klein said Bill Clinton’s convention speech encapsulated how Hillary Clinton’s admirers see her, and why they think so much of the criticism she gets is unfair.
There was a moment in Bill Clinton’s winding, loving, and occasionally weird convention speech about his wife that encapsulated how Hillary Clinton’s admirers see her, and why they think so much of the criticism she gets is unfair.
“Speeches like this are fun,” said the former president, who clearly finds giving long, nationally televised speeches to be fun. “Actually doing the work is hard.”
That’s the view Hillary Clinton’s fans have of her. Hell, it’s the view Hillary Clinton has of herself. She knows she doesn’t give great speeches. “I am not a natural politician, in case you haven’t noticed, like my husband or President Obama,” she’s said. But then, she doesn’t think giving great speeches is the real work of politics, even though the media and sometimes the voters mistake it for the real work of politics.
That’s what her husband means when he dismisses speeches as “fun.” He gives great speeches. But he’s also been president. And he knows the difference.
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 14, 2016.
Today’s House Agenda leads off with a bill that increases penalties for talking or texting on a hand-held device while driving. I support the bill, although I question the assertion that ‘novice drivers’ are most likely to ignore the law. Based on my observations, virtually everybody ignores the law. The bill also adds points for a second offense and thereafter. Good.
The agenda is highlighted by two anti-discrimination bills. HB 316 (Heffernan) ‘makes it clear that an employer is expressly prohibited from taking adverse employment action against an individual based on his or her reproductive health care decisions. HB 317 (Rep. K. Williams) ‘prohibits discrimination in employment based upon an individual’s caregiving responsibilities’.
HB 400 (Baumbach) incrementally, and I mean incrementally, expands the use of marijuana oils for minors. This time, by ‘by classifying pain, anxiety, or depression, if related to a terminal illness, as a qualifying condition in the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act for patients under the age 18, who will still be restricted to using CBD and oil products.’ The only thing objectionable about this bill is that it accepts the notion that any minor who could incidentally ‘get high’ via governmental imprimatur must be prevented at all costs.
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 9, 2016
Let’s start with (what I think is) the most interesting bill on today’s docket, and see what you think about it. HB 375 (Bolden) changes the date of Delaware’s primaries from September to the ‘fourth Tuesday in April’. I used to strongly support making the primaries earlier, thought September was too late, but now, I’m not so sure. I think that April is too early. The reason the April date has been chosen is because that’s the date of Delaware’s presidential primary. For now. But that date has floated around for years (remember when Delaware wanted to go head-to-head with New Hampshire?), and there is nothing to guarantee that won’t happen again. Especially since the rules of the respective parties at the national level can and generally do change every four years.
Here’s what’s even worse, IMHO. With an April primary, the filing deadline would be pushed into late February. Meaning, assuming that an incumbent files and isn’t challenged, then announces that they won’t run after the primary date has passed, the party voters would be shut out of the nomination process. It would be done by the district committee and/or county party. It would circumvent democracy, much like Rebecca Walker did in the 9th RD by delaying her announcement until after the July filing deadline. Only it would be in February.
I understand the mantra that campaigns are too long, and they are. However, this bill essentially makes campaign primaries shorter and general election campaigns longer. Except that, in many races, the primary election is the general election. Would we be better off if, say, the primary for US Congress and Mayor of Wilmington were decided in April? I think the advantage would invariably shift to the ‘established’ candidates at the expense of insurgent candidates.
While I think that June would be a desirable alternative, legislators are not gonna support that with the current legislative calendar. As written, I think that the bill protects incumbents and the parties at the expense of challengers, so I don’t support it. But, what do YOU think?
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 7, 2016
It’s shaping up as a quiet June as the Joint Finance Committee has pretty much finished up their work.
Bottom line: State employees get a raise (!) but teachers don’t, other stuff gets cut, no new revenue sources added to mix, corporations extort millions, which is why other stuff gets cut.
Here’s the News-Journal story.
We discussed this last year. There appeared to be a legitimate chance then that additional revenue could be raised via corporate franchise fee increases and/or creating a couple of additional tax brackets for wealthier citizens. Instead, Pete Schwartzkopf cut his own deal with the Senate Rethugs, and gave the finger to progressive members in his own caucus. That essentially doomed any new revenue streams for this year, as the legislators/lemmings were not going to raise taxes in an election year.
However, they were more than willing, desperate even, to throw tens of millions of dollars at DuPont and Chemours, allegedly to ‘save’ jobs and Chemours’ corporate headquarters. I know it’s redundant for me to point out that the sole reason for Chemours’ existence is to enable serial world-class polluter DuPont to get out from under clean-up liabilities. The invevitable Chemours bankruptcy (‘Hey, we’d love to clean up this toxic environmental disaster, but sadly we don’t have the money to do it’) inches ever closer to reality. A sharp-eyed tipster shared this video account with us. It is must viewing. Hey, we all knew it at the time and wrote about it at the time. Doesn’t bother the Generous Assembly. This should be a crime of the highest order, but it’s likely legal thanks to a bought-and-paid-for Congress. Markell, Levin, and the General Assembly are rewarding and enabling this activity by throwing tens of millions at it. The Delaware Way, ladies and gentlemen.
But, I digress.
Chart of the Day — A Data Point on the Failure of the War on Drugs
Interesting, yes? Legalizing marijuana thins out the importers. And certainly increases some legal entrepreneurial activity here. And it takes some money out of the black market and puts it into tax coffers. I can’t even imagine the savings from getting law enforcement out of the business of policing small users and producers.
The Delaware Liberal General Assembly Progressive Rankings
Matt Bittle of the Delaware State News recently did a story on the “Mostly True Blue State of Delaware,” that partly focused on the the legislative ideological rankings of the various party legislators, as judged by the Delaware Chapter of the American Democratic Association (ADA) and the American Conservative Union (ACU). The ADA picked 10 pieces of legislation which they deemed important pieces of progressive legislation. All of them are included in my list of legislation below. The ACU also picked several pieces of the same legislation, though their favored position was opposition.
In reading that Matt Bittle story, I felt inspired to compile our own Delaware Liberal Rankings of all of our lawmakers in Dover. From John Kowalko to Timothy Dukes. From Bryan Townsend to Colin Bonini.
I have primarily used the Delaware ADA’s list of priority progressive legislation from the past two legislative sessions (148th and 147th, covering the years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) in order to judge each lawmaker’s actions regarding such legislation.
Tuesday Open Thread [2.2.2016]
![Tuesday Open Thread [2.2.2016]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Hillary-240x180.jpeg "Tuesday Open Thread [2.2.2016]")
Jason330 has come out for Sanders, though he is happy to vote for each candidate in the end, especially if the primary produces a battle tested Hillary Clinton. I, as you know, am a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton and I am not going to change my mind on that nor apologize for it. I believe Bernie Sanders would fail as our nominee, leading us to a Mondale or Dukakis-style defeat. And if you don’t see that possibility, and the risk inherent in nominating someone who pledges to raise taxes on the middle class, not the wealthy, but the middle class, by 20%, then you are a, what is the term Jason used to describe me, oh yes, a puerile irredeemable naive misanthrope. It’s like you have learned nothing at all about Republicans and Independents and even Democrats your entire life. I mean, the commercials write themselves.
And the worst part is Bernie Sanders has pledged that he will be another Michael Dukakis and John Kerry in that he will not fight back with negative campaigning against the Republicans to defend himself. Fuck that. I’ll go with the fighting Clinton.
I will of course support and vote for him if he is our nominee, if only because to do otherwise will make me responsible for whatever Republican wins, but that does not change the fact that the Democratic Party will be wiped out in Congress and every where else, not that Bernie cares, since he is not a Democrat nor does he support any Democratic candidates with his campaign money.
So game on. The Battle is joined.
Now let’s get back to the politics of it. Hillary got the win, albeit a close one, but she will no doubt take it and be happy. And Clinton supporters should be happy, and Bernie supporters should be concerned. Why? Because the worst case scenario for her campaign and the best case scenario for the Sanders campaign occurred in that the turnout for Sanders was higher than even the Sanders campaign expected, and Hillary still won. She took the punch and kept standing.
Now Bernie faces a no win situation in New Hampshire. Current polls have his lead there anywhere from 15-30 points. He better win by 20-30 points to have his win deemed a win. In fact, I am not sure he should even be campaigning in New Hampshire right now. He should be in South Carolina and Nevada. Because what happens if Hillary gains on him in New Hampshire to finish strong there, losing by 5 instead of 30? It means she will have “won” the New Hampshire primary in terms of momentum. And then she will go steamrolling into Nevada and South Carolina. Bernie needs to be there now to see if he can make inroads in states where Hillary is leading by significant margins, to show that he can win where white progressives are not 90% of the vote.
2015: The Good. The Bad. The Ridiculous.
Because this list is generally a critical review of the year’s events, I’ve decided not to place Beau Biden’s death or Joe’s flirtation with running for President on the lists. Who is to say how one should react under such circumstances? And how does one rank a death? Answer to both questions: I don’t know. So, I won’t do it.
We start as always, with the list with the fewest nominees: The Good. Because, let’s face it, on balance, this was not a good year for Delaware. Much closer to an annus horribilis, or whatever Queen Elizabeth calls it.
Wherever possible, I’ve linked to an article that provides context.
Delaware Liberal in 2015
As we all recover from Christmas, the Eagles losing, and prepare for New Years, it is time to look back on 2015 at Delaware Liberal. We added a new amazing writer here this year in Brian Stephan from the local blog, Those in Favor. He makes a great addition to our team of Jason300, Pandora, Cassandra, Rob Tornoe, El Somnambulo and yours truly.
Inside you will find our most discussed, visited, and viral posts of 2015, and this year, they reflected the most important political stories in Delaware in 2015.
The All-Purpose Question Thread for Presumptive Governor John Carney
It has occurred to me that we don’t really know where John Carney stands on the major issues facing Delaware. So, let’s put together a list for him. You know, to give him enough time to begin thinking about these things. Please add your own questions to the list:
Cons Win When Dems Stay Home
In what should come as no surprise (again) to any fence sitting or left leaning person in the US, Conservatives won big (again) in off-year elections because of poor voter turnout (again) especially among Democrat supporters (again). It seems we’re too addicted to the sh!t show produced by the GOP and right wing extremists in this country to actually get up off our sofas and do something (again). This is not unlike our fascination with “Reality” TV. Except unlike “reality” TV, these election results will continue us on the path toward becoming the ultimate laughing stock in the civilized world.
Delaware: The Next Colorado?
We are at a tipping point in the movement for legalization of marijuana, just as the Hate Amendment in California was the tipping point in the marriage equality movement. The latest Gallup poll shows that 58 percent of American favor pot legalization. Kevin Drum predicts that marijuana will be generally legal by 2019. And 24/Wall Street is now out with an article that predicts the next 11 states that will legalize marijuana. Where does Delaware rank among the most 11 most likely states?
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