... because I think that I might actually have a shot there . The incumbent has been so ineffective as to be virtually invisible on the issues that matter to Delaware. He (or she, I could never tell) needs to go. My platform is simple: 1) I promise to triple the number of jobs created or saved in the district under the current stimulus programs. 2) I promise to double the number of people in the district receiving Medicaid benefits, even if that means providing completely free health insurance to some people now paying for it, just to hit my targets. 3) I am calling for the dsitrict to receive three times as much beach replenishment funding as it received last year. 4) I am not Mike Protack. 5) I am a firm believer in term limits, so I will pledge not to serve any more terms in the House of Representatives that necessary for me to supplement my State retirement with a Federal plan of equal or greater value. 6) Oh, and I'm not Colin Bonini, either. and, finally: 7) I have a bumper s...

... in my alter-ego secret identity as DSU faculty union chair, commenting on the loooooonnnnnggggg wait between the on-campus interviews for new Presidential candidates and action by the Board of Trustees . Thanks, Rachel.

There are few outstanding question/observations, none of which is yet substantive enough for a complete post, but all of which deserve an answer. Item One: Delawaredem notes Tyler's endorsement of Mike Castle for Senate and wonders what my take would be. Not difficult to figure out, DD, if you look at my comments last year around election time : For US Congress I'm voting for Libertarian Mark Anthony Parks and against Republican Mike Castle. There are no end of reasons to vote against Castle at this point, as much as I like him personally. [Truth in advertising: as Governor, back in the early 1990s, Castle appointed me as co-chair of the State Social Studies Curriculum Frameworks Commission.] But Mike has rolled over too many times for the Bush administration despite an image of bipartisanship. He'll win again this year, but he won't get my vote. I'm choosing Mark Parks not just out of party loyalty, but because Mark is a man who keenly believes in limited govern...

... and this story is actually about ACORN Delaware . Nancy Armstrong is a disabled USN vet and a blogger out of Wichita KS, who is interested in investigating ACORN's funding sources. She is far less sensational than most, and--a pleasant rarity in the world today--actually reports factual information that would run counter to her original thesis. Armstrong recently published an investigative post about where ACORN is finding the money to do foreclosure counseling , and she lays out the organization's profit or potential profit from a number of lawsuits, including actions acainst HSBC and Sherwin Williams. That's interesting, but not germane to my point today. Armstrong apparentely attempted her own sting operation in June 2009 to discover what kind of response people who turn to ACORN for mortgage foreclosure help get. What drew me to this post is that her target was ACORN Delaware. [Who knows why a woman in Kansas calls ACORN Delaware?] Here's what she writes: AC...

Disclaimer: abuse of prisoners, either through commission or omission, is never acceptable. The Caesar Rodney Institute has apparently forced the General Assembly to examine these practices at Sussex Correctional. This is a good thing; the immediate politicization of this issue is not. I have some issues with the CRI report, but not the substance of the allegation: bad--even evil--shit is happening at SCI. However: it is equally true and disturbing that instead of acknowledging a mess made the State and ignored by all of its elected representatives [from both ruling parties] for years, it has already been bundled and politicized with the bizarre false equivalency regarding Gitmo and the interrogation of suspects there. I will use Cato's succinct presentation at Delmarva Dealings of the same case that has been made by a variety of folks on the right, because it adroitly captures the essence of this argument in a couple of paragraphs: It’s ironic that Democrats believe that fo...

Dave Burris has issued an impulsive, insulting, and idiotic fatwah [and, yes, Dave, it qualifies for all three adjectives] about the most recent Caesar Rodney Institute exclusive that only serves to detract from any serious evaluation of CRI's work: Many of you wondered why the administration and the left went after and continue to go after CRI. It’s because they’re scared of things like this. Anyone who opposes the revelation of critical information by trying to shoot the messenger will be given no quarter. CRI has operated and will continue to operate as the highest example of Brandeis’ sunlight on the operation of government. Impressive. Personally, I could care less who writes CRI material, except when it is substandard work with illegitimate use of source material , or when the author's identity and resume are germane to the conscious bias of the paper , and I will continue to report when CRI material fails to live up to any reasonable think-tank standard. That said: m...

... at Delawareliberal in today's paper . Discussing the rumors about New Castle County Exec Chris Coons' potential appointment to a position in the Obama administration, the story says this of the blog that refers to itself as Ground Zero for all things political in Delaware : Coons said Thursday the gossip is completely, utterly, totally false. "I was just dumbfounded," he said about being invited by radio host Allan Loudell to address the idle chatter on the air. "My concern is that if a benign story like this can begin with a groundless, sourceless rumor and run all day , what's that say about the age-old requirement that a news story have a reliable source?" Apparently, there is no reliable source on this one. Coons said he has no idea who is at "ground zero." The blog, Delaware Liberal, which prides itself on its anonymity, offers no clue, either. That would be three hits, actually: 1) The accusation that DL ran a groundless, sourceless...

The rightwing, conservative [did I cover all the bases?] Delaware thinktank Caesar Rodney Institute has created a web page entitled Delaware Spends , which--under the "Payroll" subsection-- provides a database of names, positions and salaries for employees of the State of Delaware, Kent County, Sussex County and Delaware's 19 school districts. This is not new. Those of you who have been around Delaware since longer than last weekend will recall that about 1992-1993 the Delaware State News printed--forty names at a time--the exact salaries of every single State employee, with names and job titles attached. [There were a lot fewer State employees in those days.] I remember that you would go to the paper every morning to see if it was your turn in the barrel. CRI's new database undoubtedly exists for partisan reasons, but as long as it is accurate, should that matter? Some of my friends, who have long been strident advocates for open government and government trans...

Kilroy has up a post on the DSTP ; he and I have exchanged emails on this topic in the past, and his post convinces me that it is time to tell (most) of what I know and witnessed. I say "most" because I am going to explain what happened in some detail, but I am also going to leave out the names--at least 90% of them. From 1992-1995 I co-chaired the Delaware Social Studies Curriculum Frameworks Commission, which was charged with developing new K-12 Social Studies Standards. I also chaired the writing team, and did the bulk of the actual writing and editing of the final document. We produced standards in four different areas: History, Geography, Economics, and Civics. It is important to note that all the curriculum frameworks commissions (SS, English/language arts, Science, and Math) were charged to create standards that were to be tested through a process called authentic assessment . This was one of the big buzzwords in the early 1990s, and it essentially meant that stude...

In the rather bizarre brew-haha over the nature of the Caesar Rodney Institute, this comment got made by one of the many anonymous commenters at Delawareliberal demanding that Charlie Copeland out all the pseudonymous bloggers at Resolute Determination : There is only one progressive think tank in Delaware that I am aware of and it is truly non partisan, based on good government practices, that is: deinformedvoters.org. The link is actually to the organization that calls itself Delaware Unified Civic/Political Association . It is important to note that this site does not appear to have undergone any changes in many months; I could be wrong about this, but there are no listed updates, no new topics, no new research, and everything looks exactly as it did when I consulted the site more than a year ago when writing a post on the proposed DE Single-payer health plan. The site says that the organization intends to file for IRS designation, 501 (4) (C), and intends to be a non-partisan eff...

Although I have explained my disagreement with Libertarian 19th District State Senate candidate Wendy Jones regarding childhood immunizations, I also believe strongly [ contra Barbie ] that people should know exactly what a candidate stands for--particularly Libertarian candidates. So I sent Wendy five questions and requested responses. Here they are: 1. At least one blogger has suggested that in the 19th District Senate race there are really four conservatives running. She says this from the perspective of being an LGBT citizen who does not see anyone in the field addressing the issues that concern her. What do Libertarians (in general) and you (in particular) offer such an individual that is distinct from the Democrat-Republican status quo? Firstly, while I am a hard-line Libertarian, I am also a member of the alternative community & have an alternative relationship. Before I can address the concerns of anyone in that community, I first have to hear from them. Anybody ques...

... probably because she's got the courage to point out the obvious. The WNJ runs a story on the failure of Democratic candidate Barbie [Polly Adams Mervine, as channeled by her husband and other stand-ins] failing to show up for debates, and it's not Republican Joe Booth but Wendy Jones, Libertarian State Senate candidate in Delaware's 19th District, who steps to the plate: "At the risk of being a little critical, I'd say it was bordering on arrogant and irresponsible for her not to appear," said Libertarian candidate Wendy Jones, who attended last week's forum despite having undergone back surgery a few days prior. "I can only guess that maybe she's hoping to ride in on her daddy's coattails to office." Meanwhile, Independent Political Report runs its third story on the Wendy Jones candidacy, and--locally-- Delawareliberal blogger jason is apparently so embarrassed by his Go Wendy Jones! endorsement that he has to pen a ridiculous ...

Back to Gandhi: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Libertarian thought is emerging--one might even say oozing out around the edges--into the political discourse these days. One reason, I suspect [and hope], is that Libertarians are becoming more and more willing to stand up and confront social conservatives, who were never really small-government advocates, and who have proven [at least the political leaders] to be quite willing to use both force and fraud not only to maintain their hold on power, but to remove essential civil liberties from the American people. Or maybe--as Robert Heinlein would have put it--we're just in the silly season . But when you see Libertarianism used in such throwaway fashion as the NYT does here: No one really knows what to call the 150-pound pig roaming free in Panama City, Fla., but by eluding the authorities for five months, shaking off a Taser and four tranquilizer darts on Tuesday, the porker has beco...

No secret that DelDem and I have our issues, but it would be churlish of me not to acknowledge his classy cross-party endorsement of 19th District Libertarian State Senate candidate Wendy Jones over at Delawarelibera l: You know, I am now rooting for Wendy Jones to win this race. It would be something. A shot in the arm for Libertarians, a death blow to conservative Democrats and Republicans a like. This country and state need an honest and strong opposition party, and the Republicans are neither. It is time for the Libertarians to rise. DD also joined me (I can't find the link right this second) in noting that Polly ADAMS Mervine's campaign website was--charitably--a bit short in the issues department. Thank you, DelawareDem, for this statement of support for a new multi-party system. Who says we cannot find agreement in the Delaware blogosphere? Although I don't really think kavips' call for a blogosphere political party is going to take off anytime soon.

As first reported (at least the first time I saw it while traveling this week) at Delawareliberal, Governor Jack Markell has made the decision to eliminate the Department of Finance and consolidate necessary functions among other government offices. This is a good move, a good sign, and a follow-through on a campaign promise that was badly needed to restore confidence following the ham-handed attempt at non-surgical salary cuts for all State employees. I'm hoping that he will eventually get around to looking at the elimination of Homeland Security, folding its major functions into the State Police headquarters, but today I'm just happy to note that--unlike a lot of other politicians of both parties--Jack Markell seems to be trying to keep his commitments.

So now we have kavips, Nancy Willing, perhaps even the folks at Delawareliberal all up in arms and apparently willing to throw down to support a Walgreens boycott. You could do half measures, but visiting kavips will give you the whole program. We are asking all to sacrifice. Many out there lost jobs and have no choice but to sacrifice. And we have a company that will not take a 2% reduction in the payment of medicaid benefits? Well, FUCK THEM. FUCK THEM WHERE IT HURTS. They are getting 0 dollars of my money, and my money is going directly to their competitor… Any legislator who dares walk in to a Happy Harry’s had better pray no one inside has a camera phone. Because their picture will be posted on this site for eternity. Any political officials who dare do the same, had better think twice before venturing through those doors. We cannot afford to let some spineless or forgetful official represent our constituent’s interests. I am calling on Jack Markell and Matt Denn to step up to t...

So Walgreens, told by the State to take it or leave it on new Medicaid prescription reimbursement rates, told Delaware, No thanks . You can read the story with full liberal/progressive angst here , with reality completely dependent upon the self-serving DHSS press release: Walgreens Turns Its Back on Delaware’s Neediest Citizens Illinois-based company refuses to serve state’s Medicaid customers WILMINGTON – Refusing to share in the sacrifice necessary to help Delaware meet its historic budget challenge, Walgreens Pharmacies announced Thursday that it will no longer fill Medicaid prescriptions in the First State, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.... According to Alan Levin, the former CEO of Happy Harry’s who sold the Delaware-based chain to Walgreens in 2007 and is now the Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office, “the State’s offer was fair and reasonable and should allow pharmacies to make a reasonable profit.”... Walgreens, according to its rece...

With many Delaware teachers now working Bell to Bell as the DSEA attempts to make a point about the inequity of across-the-board State employee pay cuts , the blog and public reactions are mixed: Dana stands with the teachers at Delaware Watch. The mostly anonymous commenters at Fix Red Clay mostly think the teachers have pretty good jobs and are acting like spoiled brats. There is no party line at Delawareliberal: some for, some against, some confused. It is interesting to see many supposedly pro-union folks (with Dana as a notable exception) suddenly willing to throw the DSEA under the school bus, and who mouth the narrative so easily: Things are tough all over, you ingrates. Other people have had to take pay cuts. Man up, you wimps. [I'm sort of channeling my inner jason here.] What is truly intriguing about this situation is the absence of any real consideration of the morality of the situation. For example, the operative moral impulse here is, Treating employees like shi...

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which my friends at Delawareliberal will travel to defend an untenable position. In lampooning their continued harping on conservative political views as providing cover for rightwing political violence, as I did yesterday with a brief post about a crafting organization in Colorado called the Handmade Militia, I was trying to make a point that most readers here got, but they somehow ... missed: Quoth DelawareDem : Steve, maybe I missed a post of Cassandra’s, but I don’t think she was concerned about the existence or use of the word “militia.” Rather, the intent behind dangerous right wing extremists in forming “militias” to perform another Oklahoma City Bombing as a means of protest, yeah, that is what concerns us. And, of course, cassandra was quick to play the wronged virgin: Thank you, DD. I stopped trying to fix the misreadings of my posts a long time ago . But there is in his post a great example of what I was pointing out — the need bo...