Two Good Bills

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Even for the first week of legislative session, this was the slowest first week evah for the Delaware General Assembly. However, the first worthy pieces of legislation of the 147th surfaced, and both deserve your attention.....

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Session Show: Tuesday, January 8, 2012

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2013 has all the makings of the most momentous year in recent legislative memory. The House and Senate have both undergone major institutional and leadership changes. More progressives now serve in Dover than before. A pro-business governor with aspirations for higher office must decide both what's best for the state and what's best for his political future. A host of important issues await, including, of course, Delaware's economic condition. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR NEWBIES The Delaware State Senate has 21 members,  currently 13 D's and 8 R's. The President Pro-Tempore leads the Senate, although the Lieutenant Governor often, but not always, presides over the senate sessions as a non-voting member. Here is a list of the Senate members. The House of Representatives has 41 members, currently 27 D's, 14 R's. The Speaker of the House presides over the body. You can find the House membership here. The General Assembly is in session from the second Tuesday in January through June 30 each year. The Senate often returns for a special session in the fall to consider nominations. The General Assembly breaks for six weeks at the end of January for Joint Finance Committee (budget) hearings and meetings. There is another 2-week break around Easter, and an additional week's break around Memorial Day.  The Memorial Day break often enables the 'money' committees to finish work on marking up the budget.The typical General Assembly meets in session about 50 days a year. And we are just getting started.

Carper’s Gone Rogue. Make That Rogue-er.

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Poor despairing Tom Carper. Forced to sit in his Senate Democratic Caucus and see his dreams of 'entitlement reform', aka gut the New Deal and the Great Society, go down the drain. From today's unbelievable (but true) News-Journal piece:
Carper said he “sat there in despair” during meetings with fellow Democrats to discuss the deal brokered by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Carper had been telling colleagues for months this was their chance to do something meaningful about tax and entitlement reforms. The deal ultimately passed by Congress does neither, he said.
Don't believe that Carper is going after Social Security? Read this illogic in all its Carperesque rationalization, then read what Sen. Bernie Sanders has to say about it:

An Emerging Working Congressional Coalition?

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I think it's possible, perhaps probable. I also think it's the most overlooked byproduct of the 'fiscal cliff' negotiations. I also think this means that President Obama has more leverage in upcoming fiscal negotiations than many progressives are willing to admit or have yet come to realize. Allow me to explain.

Blevins Does Superb Job on Senate Committee Assignments.

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Really. This is not snark. President Pro-Tempore Patti Blevins has served up an almost ideal set of committee chairs/committees. Thank you, Senator. I have only two caveats before I heap praise on her: The Bond Bill Committee is too downstate-centric, IMHO. With the perceived conflict-of-interest on the SEU, Harris McDowell should not chair the Energy/Transit Committee. That's it. Here's what I like/love (in committee alphabetical order):

The 2012 MVP Award-Winners Are…

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10. LT. GOVERNOR MATT DENN: No one in Delaware fights harder for children. Few, if any, in Delaware, are as committed to quality public education for all. He's also on the list because he ran on what he considers to be his mission. I'm paraphrasing: "If you don't seek office in order to help improve people's lives, then what's the point?" He works at that every day. He's 'only' #10 because he's 'only' Lieutenant Governor. I, for one, hope to see that change in 2016. 9. SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCILPERSON JOAN DEAVER: One of the few sane voices in Sussex County at a time that Sussex County needs more sane voices, but seems to be in full-blown flight from sanity. Successfully winning reelection against one of these 'Agenda 21' Chicken Littles (the 'chicken' reference is deliberate) in a year when Sussex County voters have not yet come to grips with the problems facing them, and the UN is not among them, is a singular accomplishment for someone who is part of the solution in Sussex. 8. REP. EARL JAQUES: It's possible that he's more populist than progressive, but we need more like him in Dover. And we need both populists and progressives. After all, you can be both, and I think that Earl Jaques is. Sponsored single-payer health insurance, opposes the blatant Delmarva 'smart-meter' rip-off, seems immune to 'Delaware Way' incestuousness, votes the right way, and does his homework. He also sponsored and helped pass this bill, which I strongly support. The General Assembly is becoming more progressive, and I look forward to what Jaques can accomplish in such an environment. Come inside for the rest....

On Privatizing the Port of Wilmington, Bob Marshall Says ‘Not So Fast, My Friends’.

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In what I consider to be a masterfully-crafted letter, Sen. Bob Marshall has made clear that he does not intend to let Markell/Levin push a Port of Wilmington privatization proposal through without legislative oversight. As you may recall, a recent Friday news dump by the Markell Administration contained the announcement that Kinder Morgan had emerged as the 'preferred partner' to run the Port. Both Kinder and Morgan made their corporate bones at Enron, and their company specializes in pipelines and the fluids that run through them.

Best Songs of 2012: The Top 10!

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Counting down from #10: 10. Michael Kiwanuka: "I'm Getting Ready": [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wgj6vJDfjY[/youtube] 9. The Walkmen: "Heaven": [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8yDtfGl30s[/youtube] 8. Todd Snider: "Too Soon To Tell": [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaYihBvuGsw[/youtube] 7. Bonnie Raitt: "Used To Rule…

At Least 124 Bangladeshi Garment Workers Perish In Fire

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Guess who they make made clothes for:
Bangladesh exports about $18 billion worth of garments and is a big supplier to companies like Walmart, H&M and Tommy Hilfiger. Workers in the country’s factories are among the lowest-paid in the world with entry-level workers making a government-mandated minimum wage of about $37 a month.
Need I take the guise of Captain Obvious and point out that that's why these garments are so inexpensive? Didn't think so.

So. Who Will Be the Next Speaker of the House?

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Today's bare-bones News-Journal story reports that both Pete Schwartzkopf and Helene Keeley are seeking the position. The News-Journal does not report that each candidate has a slate. If my sources are correct, and it's not certain that they are, each slate has at least one major head-scratcher on it. Here they are: Speaker: Pete Schwartzkopf Majority Leader: Valerie Longhurst (??!!) Majority Whip: Quin Johnson vs. Speaker: Helene Keeley Majority Leader: Bryon Short Majority Whip: John Viola (??!!) I don't know who will win, but I believe that this contest represents the first clear emergence of different factions within the Caucus.