Tag: Sen. Bob Marshall Delaware
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., March 25, 2014
Just a few of the items on the GA Agenda:
1. Starting with the Senate Committee meetings. More accurately, the Senate/House Joint Veterans Freebies Committee. Today’s meeting will consider HB 236(Jaques), which gives free surf fishing licenses to Delaware National Guard members. The concern is not merely, or even primarily, the freebie being handed out. The Fiscal Note for this bill is $44,000 annually. While this may not be a big amount, this money all comes out of the state parks budget. A permanent reduction on an annual basis. Since we have given similar freebies to other exalted groups, the state is taking money from parks in order to provide perks. And these are not one-shot deals, these are annual perks. Unto perpetuity, barring legislative intervention. If you support the state park system, you might just want to let your legislators know that you’re tired of these giveaways, as they have real impact.
2. Rep. Johnson’s ‘Box’ bill, which would ‘prohibit a public employer from inquiring into or considering the criminal record, criminal history or credit history or score of an applicant before it makes a conditional offer to the applicant’, comes before the Senate Labor & Industrial Relations Committee Wednesday. It’s in an hospitable committee, so the bill could be on the agenda as early as Thursday.
Honoring the 2013 MVP’s (Most Valuable to the Progressive Cause)
One of the people in the picture to the left is the MVP this year. There were several worthy contenders who just missed the list this year. Superior legislators like Melanie George Smith and Michael Barbieri deserve consideration every year. Ed Osienski is fast approaching that status. Helene Keeley and Kim Williams were on my list at one time or another during my deliberations.
2013 was a great year for social justice in Delaware. Economic justice, not so much. However, I am encouraged that at least three strong voices for progressive principles joined the General Assembly this year, and a couple of Leg Hall vets found their voices as well. The progressive grassroots became more effective this year, and helped ensure historic victories that would not have happened without their support. Marriage equality, transgender equality, and justice for manufactured home owners, being among them.
The most notable omission from my list, and I struggled with it, is Governor Jack Markell. His role in hastening civil rights for the LGBT community will most assuredly be his lasting positive legacy. But, his actions in slowing the passage of minimum wage; his continued pushing for corporate education solutions and favoring charter schools; his granting of a tax cut for Delaware’s wealthiest citizens; his almost-disastrous actions concerning the Port of Wilmington; and several others, led me to omit him from the list. At best, the good and the bad canceled each other out. And, no, you don’t have to take the bad with the good. Or at least you shouldn’t accept it. I don’t.
Now to the list….
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Lotsa fascinating (and otherwise) bills introduced last week. Let’s take a look, shall we? You can follow along here, here, and here. For those with limited time, the first here here has the most there there. There there now, it’ll be alright.
First, and least, we have parts of the Rethuglican legislative agenda, courtesy of Rep. Ruth Briggs King. It’s what you’d expect. Opposition to strong automobile emission standards, and two more shots at prevailing wage, HB 6 and HB 7. Thanks for playing. King also tackles the rampant problem of ticket-scalping at the Delaware State Fair. Ticket scalping elsewhere would presumably still be OK. As far as I’m concerned, anybody willing to pay excessive prices for whatever big empty hat country performer the Fair brings in has a right to pay excessive prices. Although it might not leave enough $$’s to pay for a few rounds of ammo, which would be a shame.
The 2012 MVP Award-Winners Are…
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….
El Somnambulo Predicts ‘Em All For You*. Part 1…
*Well, not all as in ALL. Just every primary where I think I know enough to make a prediction. Some of which, invariably, will be wrong.
National Races:
U. S. Senate D’s: Tom Carper routs Keith Spanarelli. Over/under on Spanarelli: 12%.
U. S. House R’s: Tom Kovach routs Rose Izzo. Over/under on Rizzo: 11%.
Come inside for more, including, as the photo suggests, my prediction on the epic 11th SD race.
Delaware Political Weekly: June 16-22, 2012
Incumbent John Atkins, who is equally adept at burning tires and burning bridges, has an opponent. No, DL loyalists, this isn’t a cause for Bacchanalian revelry (something else with which John Atkins is reportedly not unfamiliar). His opponent is Richard G. Collins, Executive Director of the so-called ‘Positive Growth Alliance’, which of course, is dedicated to “Improving the Quality of Life Through Free Enterprise”. Feel free to read the empty rhetoric. It’s just a downstate spew of what Charles ‘Bouvier de Flandres’ Copeland puts forward upstate. In other words, dog whistles. With multimillionaire bucks behind them.
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