Real ID is a program that needs the careful attention of Americans concerned with their civil liberties. It basically creates a Soviet style internal passport that every American must show to get a job, do their work with the government, enter government buildings, etc. In some ways it is surprising to see that many states are adopting anti-Real ID legislation . I hope Delaware chooses to adopt anti-Real ID legislation in the same spirit because the idea of a national ID card in this way is a complete contradiction of what a free society is all about. Is that really somewhere we want to go? Yale University has an interesting take on the problems of National ID and how these are related to the genocide committed by Hitler , Pol Pot and others. If you examine the legislation closely , you see that it is the antithesis of being the "first state" because it removes all constitutional protections under the bill of rights . It is important to understand and remind our selves from ...

Folks, I am sorry, I am still new at this so if the spacing or scope of the document is not correct, I apologize. I am not opposed inter-Americanism or pan-Americanism and I never really have been. I like the idea of an "empire of liberty" that Jefferson said his principles would bring about. I think it is the best and most socially responsible model out there for the development of trade agreements. That being said, that model is opposed to our managed free trade agreements in NAFTA and CAFTA which both 1.) create net job loss in the intended countries are fueling immigration, 2.) create jobs on one end, for one class, in the social scale, but are non-reciprocal agreements that do not promise jobs in this country and 3.) create political tensions in each region they are enacted in. Much like Roman trade agreements that assure stability by protecting the propertied classes, NAFTA and CAFTA fuel the problems of immigration normal North Americans are forced to deal with. I am s...

While everybody around was signing Jason's semi-glorious half-naked body and chanting, "OOGA!" for open government, the Snooze J as usual missed a large part of the point. Nowhere in this morning's coverage of the event was there any acknowledgement of the Delaware blogosphere's role in organizing the event. Without the constant support for open government by Delawareliberal , Delaware Watch , and Down with Absolutes , Senator Thurman Adams would have enjoyed a much quieter morning. I guess Gannett doesn't know about the New Media. A hearty cybertoast to all who participated, and a notice to those in power: we may have no television station and one sorry excuse for a major newspaper, but we have the blogs. Open government is coming.

I hesitate to characterize Senators John Still III (R-Dover North) and Robert Venables (D-Laurel) as dinosaurs, because my children like dinosaurs. But this, folks, is absolutely ridiculous. Here’s the synopsis of SB 156 : This is the first leg of a constitutional amendment to prohibit recognition of same sex marriages or other same gender legal relationships – whether originally created in Delaware or elsewhere. And here’s the proposed amendment: Marriage is prohibited and void between persons of the same gender. A marriage obtained or recognized outside this State between persons of the same gender shall not constitute a legal or valid marriage within this State. The uniting of two persons of the same gender in a civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar same gender legal relationship shall not be valid or recognized in this State. (Note, by the way, that that Still and Venables don’t even seem to have the slightest idea that there are transgendered people out there, wh...

Among the dirty little secrets hidden away in Senate Bill 177 , which would establish a single-payer healthcare system in Delaware is the manner in which it is to be funded. They've got to raise a lot of money to have the government take over approximately 11% of the state's economy. In 2003 the total health care expenditures by Delaware citizens, according the UD's Center for Applied Demography and Survey Research was $5.044 BILLION, a figure that has arguably risen to at least $5.45 billion today. (This is a low figure, by the way, as it does not completely capture the money Delaware citizens spend for healthcare out-of-state at places like Temple, Penn, Johns Hopkins, or Sloan-Kettering.) Of that, again according to the Center for Applied Demography and Survery Research, Delaware citizens paid an average of $2,310 out-of-pocket costs for health care in 2003. Most of this went to premiums, co-pays, pharmaceuticals, and dental services (which are reimbursed by insurance...

Over on First State Politics , Dave Burris announces a package of government transparency reform bills that should get everyone's attention

Time to take a serious look at the devils hidden in the details of the Single Payer Delaware Health Security Act Information that I’ve been talking about during the first two parts. According to this document and SB 177, the ultimate authority established to control this system will be the Health Security Authority, composed of a 15-member ruling board will be selected from the following sources: five from elected state officials via two from the House committee concerned with health care, two from the Senate committee concerned with health care and the Secretary of Health and Human Services representing the Governor's office; five representatives from different Delaware organizations representing health care professionals; and five members from Delaware consumer organizations that have endorsed single payer health care system reform at least five years prior to passage of our Act. So what we’re going to do is turn over health care in Delaware to five politicians, five representat...

And now for a look at the enthusiastic but inaccurate claims that Mr. McDowell and the backers of single-payer health care in Delaware make on behalf of Canada, Europe, and Medicare/Medicaid. Please note that all quotations are taken from Single Payer Delaware Health Security Act Information by Floyd McDowell. First amazing claim: “ This Act will provide every Delaware citizen comprehensive health care coverage from conception until ones last breath is taken without a cent from out-of-pocket expense for extra health insurance, co-payments or deductibles.” Really? Well, consider the view of the Munich-based CESifo , which is best described in its own words: The CESifo Group, consisting of the Center for Economic Studies (CES), the Ifo Institute for Economic Research and the CESifo GmbH (Munich Society for the Promotion of Economic Research) is a research group unique in Europe in the area of economic research. It combines the theoretically oriented economic research of the university...

Here's the link to Senate Bill 177 , AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE HEALTH SECURITY ACT. The primary sponsor is McDowell; additional sponsors are Sen. Henry Rep. Williams & Rep. Kowalko; co-sponsors are Sens. Marshall & Sokola, NewLine, Reps. Brady, Ennis, Johnson, Keeley, Longhurst, Maier, M Marshall, McWilliams, Plant, Schooley, B. Short, Viola. Start contacting these folks now to see if you can get them off the list.

Let me be quite honest at the outset: I come to bury single-payer health reform in Delaware not to praise it. I believe, as fervently and honestly as its adherents subscribe to its value, that adopting a Canadian or European-style health care system would be nothing short of a major disaster. The US health care system today has severe problems, and we have millions of people not covered—but this is NOT the way to do it. But there is currently legislation to be introduced (Senate Bill 177) that is claimed to have an initial co-sponsorship of 18 state legislators, and which will impose such a program on the First State. The Delaware Unified Civic/Political Association is making a strong push to pass this bill, and has placed a lengthy, detailed description/justification on its website entitled Single Payer Delaware Health Security Act Information by Floyd McDowell. Not for a moment do I doubt the sincerity of Mr. McDowell and other advocates of this plan. What I doubt is their judgm...

This bill , sponsored by Representative Joseph Miro (R-Pike Creek), is currently in the Hosue Education Committee. Hopefully it will not leave until someone excises certain pieces of arbitrary authority that the Department of Education has been attempting to slip into law for the past decade. This bill would provide the Secretary of Education with “the discretionary authority” to deny or revoke teaching licenses under certain conditions. The conditions listed in the bill’s synopsis include those of teachers or applicants convicted of violent felonies and the like—something nobody would seriously argue. Not listed in the bill’s synopsis, and carefully buried, however, is a provision that both strengthens DOE’s authority with regard to teachers and the dreaded DSTP, and significantly weakens the civil protections of our public school teachers and administrators from arbitrary suspension. Meet the devil in the details: Currently, Paragraph 174 (“Civil Sanctions for Violations”) of Subch...

You'd be amazed what can be hidden deep in the bowels of proposed legislation. Cloning prohibitions are trendy in state legislatures these days, much like anti-porn internet laws were several years ago. There are two problems with this, only one of which is the rampant scientific illiteracy throughout our nation (including many of our legislators). The biggest concern is the definitions. Consider HB 76 , which includes the following: (g) An ‘organism’ is a living whole being, an individual, even if that organism is compromised of just one cell. (h) A ‘human being’ is a living whole human organism, a human individual, from the beginning of the single-cell stage onward, produced by any means. Notice what this language does: by law it defines human life as beginning at conception, which lays some important groundwork for later placing restrictions on abortion. Please understand that I am not taking a position for or against abortion here; the issue is intellectual honesty. Do you s...

Okay, first some truth in advertising: I run a labor union in my spare time. I know it’s not politically correct for a Libertarian to run a labor union, but there it is. I’m the current president of the Delaware State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (which is a longish way of saying, “the faculty union”). A long time ago I did not believe in unions for professionals, and I have certainly never believed in compulsory union membership (the traditional “closed shop”) or even the bastardized “agency shop” that Delaware has heretofore allowed. But when I encountered the current administration at DSU, I changed my mind. Sometimes only collective bargaining stands between employees and employers with radically different perceptions of what it means to follow a contract. That, however, is story for another day. What Representative Gerald Hocker (R-Ocean View) has proposed is to make Delaware a formal “right to work” state. If HB 265 becomes law, n...

I am not sure how I survived my parents’ neglect without ever wearing a bicycle helmet, but with SB 174 , Senator Margaret Rose Henry (D-Wilmington East) wants to make sure that my own children have been protected by the state. Anyone under age fifteen already has to wear a state-approved helmet “when operating bicycles and motorized scooters and skateboards (which can attain speeds up to 35-40 m.p.h.),” and now Senator Henry wants to extend the loving arms of the government’s protection to 16 and 17 year olds. She notes, without the slightest sense of irony in quoting an industry lobbying group, that “the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute supports mandatory helmet laws for all age groups.” Isn’t that a surprise? Next you’ll tell me that the Pantyhose Integrity Institute suggests that consumers purchase new stockings whenever they detect a run. This turkey would seem not only stupid and an example of how we’re paying our legislators too much, if it weren’t ominous. If the General Assem...

This bill , sponsored by Representative Bethany Hall-Long (D-Middletown) , currently resides in the House Analysis & Governmental Accountability Committee, and in its current incarnation should die there. Here’s the synopsis of this bill to strangle internet pharmacies: The intent of this Act is to completely stop the sale and delivery of prescription drugs to the residents of this State by unlicensed internet pharmacies. Currently, there are numerous internet sites which sell or offer to sell prescription drugs to Delaware residents based on nothing more than a brief medical questionnaire which is reviewed by a doctor who is unknown to the patient and unlicensed to practice or prescribe drugs in this State. Many of the prescription drugs being sold by these internet sites are extremely addictive and can cause serious injury or death if abused. The General Assembly considers the practices of these internet sites to constitute an extreme danger to the safety and welfare of the resid...