Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: May 12-14, 2015

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: May 12-14, 2015

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That was quite the interesting little week. HB 50 passes overwhelmingly, Gov. Markell announces he will sign death penalty repeal legislation should it reach his desk, and the General Assembly apparently has come up with a sorta-gimmick to close at least some of the gap in infrastructure spending.  At least the D's have. And my daughter graduated college with honors in Mathematics and Japanese, and now proceeds to a Masters of Arts in Teaching Program.  She wants to teach and inspire high school students to fully realize their potential in mathematics.  I sorta doubt that she sees the 'Smarter Better Test' as a means to that end. While it looks like there's gonna be some new funding for road projects, the Rethugs appear hell-bent on getting some sort of 'right to work for less' concessions in exchange for votes to close the budget shortfall. Because, you know, nothing furthers economic prosperity more than paying workers less. Hey, it's why they're Rethugs. The big showdown of the week takes place in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at 11 am in the House Chamber.  SB 40(Peterson), which repeals Delaware's death penalty, and has already passed the Senate by an 11-9 margin, will be considered.
General Assembly Pre-Game Show: April 28-30, 2015

General Assembly Pre-Game Show: April 28-30, 2015

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OK. Let's put a stop to the idiocy that was the rumor that Gov. Markell would cut some kind of deal with the Rethugs on 'Right to Work For Less'.  It never made sense. Why? Because the bills won't pass the General Assembly, and will not get a single D vote. Plus, the governor has little influence over the General Assembly any more. He would have zero if he made that move.  'Multiple legislators', Nancy? I call bullshit. Any legislator who would float that rumor should recognize that doing so makes it less likely, not more likely, that HB 50 would pass. Yes, Monsignor Lavelle's SB 54 is scheduled for 'consideration' in Wednesday's Senate Labor & Industrial Relations Committee. Now, before you conspiracy theorists get your collective knickers in a bunch, here is the membership of that committee:
Chairman: Marshall Members: Cloutier Hocker McBride Peterson Poore
4 D's, 2 R's, one of the R's generally votes with labor.  Now, do you really suppose that Jack Markell asked Marshall for a 'solid', and that Marshall agreed?  Markell emasculated Marshall's last minimum wage bill, and tried to privatize the Port of Wilmington over his objections.  Use your heads, pipples. You're better than this.
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up: Week of April 21-23, 2015

Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up: Week of April 21-23, 2015

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Common Corporate, Race To the Top, No Textbook Publisher Left Behind, these will be legacies of a lost decade-plus in education reform.  Bloated bureaucracies full of bean-counters will hopefully shrink and vanish. Make no mistake, while HB 50 is just one bill in one small state, it reflects a burgeoning movement nationally to reject the K-12 reform that was foisted on us by people with next to no experience in, you know, educating children. Thinkers like Nicholas Kristof are already focusing on where our efforts would be best allocated in the post-reform era.  Yes, the notion of reform was well-intended, still is, for that matter, in a time when there continue to be inequities in education.  However, charter schools and one-size-fits-all testing have proven to help perpetuate and accelerate those inequities, as opposed to alleviating them.  Which is what happens when there are huge piles of money thrown at the issue, and greedy corporations and individuals looking to pocket the proceeds. In fact, one could argue (and I will) that the most vocal proponents for this reform were those who (or in the case of Dubya, his family) stood to gain the most financially from the reforms. HB 50(Kowalko) is important less for what it would do, than for what it represents.  The bill serves as a reflection of the mounting dissatisfaction with both the disastrous education reform policies of the past decade and also the Bigfoot approach that this governor and his corporate comrade cum  Secretary of Education have tried to impose/inflict on those with the nerve to fight back.  "We may be wrong (although we're not), but we have the power to crush you like a bug" does very little to win friends and influence people.  With knowledgeable education-oriented legislators joining the likes of John Kowalko in the General Assembly recently (Kim Williams, Bryan Townsend, and Sean Matthews, among others), legislators are starting to understand how bad the current policies are.  Plus, teachers, parents, and students have found their voices on these issues. Which is why getting HB 50 out of committee is/was important.  There is also a bipartisan coalition forming on this issue, with many conservative legislators joining their progressive counterparts in support of HB 50.  The question is whether the Chamber of Commerce types still have the numbers to outvote them. Might I point out that the Chamber of Commerce has embraced this disastrous reform going back to Phase One during the unlamented Carper years? If you support this bill, it is absolutely essential that you contact your legislators, especially, for now, your state representative.  Kevin Ohlandt has done all the work for us, so click on this to get your specific marching orders. BTW, thanks, Kevin, for your contribution to the cause! Exceptional Delaware is an exceptional blog.
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., April 21, 2015

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., April 21, 2015

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Something quite remarkable has happened over the past six months. So much so that I doubt that those most responsible for it even recognize what they've accomplished. There is an emerging recognition that the state's education policy is an unmitigated disaster that will, I believe, almost inevitably have to be reversed or, at least, deep-sixed. An education policy that began with Jack Markell deciding to go all-in and do whatever it took to get that Race To the Top money. Students, teachers, and parents have become victims of the Common Corporate Curriculum, and the only beneficiaries have been corporations peddling snake oil in the form of tests and texts, and the oversized education bureaucracy that Race To the Top funded. If the bureaucracy was a burger joint, it'd be called '240 Fat Guys'. The governor's legacy on this issue is already sunk, but he can't/won't admit the inevitable. It is, after all, his legacy. Which is why legislators and emerging policy leaders are taking up the slack. First step is to make sure that the governor does no more harm before he exits. Now, if only Mike Matthews and Pandora would run for the General Assembly... Before we refocus our attention from the Governor to the General Assembly, can someone explain to me why...four years after Markell signed the legislation, we still don't have a single medical marijuana dispensary up and running in Delaware? This quote from Jonathan Starkey's News-Journal article says it best:
"Why did he (Markell) sign the bill if he had no intentions of enacting it?"
Why, indeed. Incompetence or ideology? You decide. BTW, today's Al Show will be a Very Special Primal Scream Therapy Edition. So much bad stuff, so little time (10-12 noon).  Now on 101.7 FM, as well as the traditional 1150 AM. Or, you can just tune in here.
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Week of March 24-26, 1015

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Week of March 24-26, 1015

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Yet another sneaky maneuver from Markell's Merciless Minions in their ongoing war on state employees. After agreeing to postpone their plan to screw state employees and retirees by shifting more health costs onto them, Ann Visalli and her henchpersons nevertheless convened a meeting of the ironically-named State Employee Benefits Commission to 'temporarily' increase premiums. In other words, shifting more costs onto the workers. And going back on their public promises. When it comes to state employees, Markell is taking his cues from Scott Walker. Or perhaps vice versa.  From Day One, Markell has done little to hide his disdain for the worker bees. Guess he admires smooth-talking used car salesmen like himself much more.  Right back at'cha, Jack.  Glibness made you rich and made you governor.  Hey, maybe that's why Jack looks down on state employees...not glib enough for him and, of course, not wealthy enough for him. Memo to the General Assembly: We're watching. It's time to tax Jack's pals. They collected all the spoils of the so-called economic recovery.  Stop Markell's transfer of more wealth to the wealthy.  This. Is. Unconscionable. The Delaware General Assembly has a new easy-to-navigate website.  It's really really good, but does not lend itself to linking as well as the previous website. Rather than doing a cut-and-paste of huge swaths of text, I'll post highlights and encourage you to check out the site.  It's definitely much easier to access and search than it used to be, which makes me even less essential (I know, I know).
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up: Week of March 17-19, 2015

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up: Week of March 17-19, 2015

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That was quite the dust-up between Sen. Karen Peterson and Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf this week.  The argument? Why won't Schwartzkopf allow a floor vote on legislation eliminating the death penalty? Both legislators make legitimate points. Pete Schwartzkopf by and large does control the fate of the bill.  As Speaker, he not only decides what committee receives the bill, he determines the members of the committees. Put the bill in a committee in which the majority does not support death penalty repeal, and the bill isn't coming out unless petitioned out.  Going against the Speaker to petition a bill out has its own set of perils.  So Peterson is correct there.  Pete has taken steps to stop the bill, his protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. However, Schwartzkopf has offered a compromise:
Schwartzkopf has said that he would oppose any repeal legislation that did not include exemptions for those inmates convicted of killing members of law enforcement, including correctional officers. Not including those exemptions would endanger every correctional officer working in the state's prisons, he said. He added that he offered amendments to repeal legislation last year, but those requests "fell on deaf ears." He said that compromise is needed on the bill. Peterson, he said, is not willing to compromise. "This building is bigger than one bill," Schwartzkopf said.
This raises two questions: (1) Would Schwartzkopf take steps to ensure the bill's consideration if this compromise was accepted; and (2) is it worth it to have a repeal bill with these exceptions?
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues. March 17, 2015

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues. March 17, 2015

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The key question facing the Delaware General Assembly as it returns from its six-week hiatus for Joint Finance Committee hearings is: On what issues, and to what extent, will the General Assembly push back on Gov. Markell's policies? We already know that the House Democratic Caucus has raised the alarm over Markell's efforts to impose more hardships on state employees and retirees when it comes to health care. We already know that many legislators are pushing for a pay increase for state employees, something that Markell has refused to do during his time in office, (Memo to Jack: I heard your interview on the Al Mascitti Show on Friday. Cutting wages during a crisis, then restoring them, does not count as an increase.) I highly recommend you listen to the interview.  Note the number of times that Markell dodges Al's questions and goes off on a different tangent.  One notable example. Al asks Markell about not proposing any raises for state employees.  Just listen to his response. Something along the lines of, "Well, I'd really like to, but what parts of my sacrosanct budget would you have me cut?" In other words, he hasn't spent one minute of his time in office seeking ways to pay state employees a living wage.  He's glib, and he's got his lines down pat.  But he only answered the questions he wanted to ask and answer, not the ones that Al posed. We know that the Joint Sunset Committee, with Sen. Bryan Townsend taking the lead, is trying to determine just what the state has gotten for its $200 million-plus that they've given to business in one form or other over the past few years. (Memo to Jack: Asking whether we'd rather have the oil refinery or not, as you did during your response, is not answering the question. Fact is, your administration and the Delaware Economic Development Office have provided next to no empirical evidence to show that the preponderance of this money is paying off at all.)  In fact, allow me to once again link to this New York Times survey which demonstrates that there is next to no verification nationwide, including in Delaware, that these dollars are doing anything more than acquiescing to extortion. We know that we're starting to reach a critical blowback on the Markell/Murphy team's attempt to destroy public education in Delaware as we know it.  Will the General Assembly intervene? We know that the General Assembly has already stopped listening to Markell when it comes to funding infrastructure repairs and projects.  Are both sides really gonna play 'chicken' again this year?
Guess Who Pocketed ALL Of Delaware’s Income Growth During the Recovery?

Guess Who Pocketed ALL Of Delaware’s Income Growth During the Recovery?

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Inexplicably buried at the bottom of page A-3 of the News-Journal's dead tree edition is one of the most important stories of the year. This Jonathan Starkey story tells us the following:
Delaware's wealthiest residents hoarded all of the income gains as the state recovered from the recession, according to a study from the Economic Policy Institute that provided yet more evidence of an imbalanced economic recovery. From 2009 to 2012, the top 1 percent of Delaware earners saw income growth of 15 percent. The bottom 99 percent? Their incomes fell 1.6 percent. The study was based on Internal Revenue Service data of adjusted gross income.
Got that? Yet Jack Markell opposes a decent living wage and opposes restoring progressivity to the tax code. The policies he put into effect during the so-called 'recovery' led to more, not less, inequity in income growth. Actually, you can't call it income growth for the 99% who saw their income shrink by 1.6%. This is obscene.