DelawarePolitics.net

Well I have had a busy day.  With the 9-12 Delaware Patriots I stopped by Rep Castle and Senator Carper’s district offices in Dover. Then we visited all of the General Assembly’s offices about the health care take over.  I got a nice picture delivering a copy of our petition against the current bill with Rep. Castle’s aid.  They were very gracious and welcoming.  (I will try to add it to the post as soon as I can get a copy from our photographer.)

At the state house we had company though.  Organizing for America was there with Yellow Shirts on.  We outnumbered them by a fair amount, but they got the spot next to the door while our rally was on Legislative Mall across the street.  We still went in and talked to as many Senators and Representatives as we could though, and delivered information packages to them.  Several of our ‘wonderful’ representative as well as Senator Henry of the General Assembly have gotten together to sponsor a resolution declaring that Delaware supports the National Health Insurance Act.  They want to give the state of Delaware as a rubber stamp for the President’s health care takeover agenda.  We felt it was important to let them know that we do not support the current proposed legislation and that we want a fresh start.

I am sure everyone will be fired up at the 9-12 Delaware Patriots Meetings tonight and tomorrow.  It is always motivating when you can get hands on with your government like we did today.

I am using this day as an excuse to bring up Ireland’s success in dealing with the economic crisis.  It is not Greece.  It is going the opposite way.  The worst of times brings to light the true nature of  leadership.  In Ireland, it has shown itself strong.  The International experts have all praised the results.  Ireland is on course to cut its deficit to 3% of GDP by 2014.   The leadership proclaims that we can not tax and borrow our way to prosperity.  They are right.  I do not agree with everything they propose especially a carbon tax, but it is straight shooting leadership.  Right now Ireland has more than that famous luck going for it.  It has thoughtful leadership.  Imagine if President Obama gave this speech at the State of the Union.  He would be at 65% approval. 

This is from the Minister of Finance Brian Lenihan:

The economy went into reverse for three reasons:

• a steady loss of competitiveness during a prolonged boom;
• the bursting of the property bubble; and
• an international banking crisis which triggered a worldwide recession.

Over the last eighteen months we have put in place a range of far reaching measures to stabilise the banking system. We took those measures not for the sake of the banks but for the sake of our economy.

We have gone through a severe and painful correction in the property market. I know this has dealt a heavy blow to individual homeowners, many of whom are now in negative equity and some of whom are experiencing difficulties meeting their mortgage repayments. But the collapse of the property bubble has also impacted on our public finances by greatly reducing the tax take and increasing the demand for welfare payments. In the last two Budgets, I have sought to address this shortfall by introducing a highly progressive income levy and various other taxation measures.

A key focus of today’s Budget is regaining our international competitiveness.

 

RESTORING OUR COMPETITIVE EDGE

Unless we regain our competitive edge, we will be unable to return to the tried and tested strategy of export-led growth that ushered in the boom in the early 1990s. We must be able to compete and win again in the international marketplace.

In the recent Lisbon referendum the Irish people reaffirmed our place at the heart of Europe. This was the right decision for our economy, for our future and for our children. The single currency has provided huge protection and support to Ireland in the current crisis. It has prevented speculative attacks on our currency and provided funding to the banking system. But, membership of monetary union also means devaluation is not an option. Therefore the adjustment process must be made by way of reductions in wages, prices, profits and rents.

Some progress has already been made. Consumer prices in Ireland are now declining at the fastest rate in the euro area and the European Commission has forecast that, uniquely in the euro area, our unit labour costs will fall this year.

But our prices are still amongst the highest in Europe. Over the last decade wages have gone up 70 per cent, well above the euro area average.

Put simply, we have priced ourselves out of the market. We will not be able to stem the haemorrhage of jobs until our prices and the costs of doing business here move down in line with those of our main trading partners.

 

WHY BORROWING MORE IS NOT THE ANSWER

Some have argued we should continue to borrow and wait for the economy to grow again before tackling the budget deficit. There are three reasons why this is not a viable proposition.

• First, we know from the 1980s how large deficits, left unchecked, can lead to a dangerous spiral of mounting debt and ever increasing interest payments. Never again should we return to a position where all of our income taxes go to pay interest on the national debt.

• Second, international debt markets have become more crowded and more fragile. If lenders were to lose faith in our ability to restore order to the public finances, the consequences for our economic wellbeing would be profound.

• Third, only decisive action will restore confidence. Consumers will only start to spend and business owners will only invest and create jobs if they believe we are tackling our deficit problem now.

In our everyday lives we do not borrow to pay for our household bills. We cut back and seek to live within our means.

The same strictures apply at national level. Borrowing hundreds of millions a week to pay for day to day spending is just not on. Stabilising the deficit is the next key milestone in our plan to deliver economic recovery for this country.

 

WHY WE CANNOT TAX OUR WAY OUT OF THIS

Others have argued for increases in taxes as a means of stabilising the deficit. But those who demand higher taxes fail to recognise what I have already done.

The tax increases contained in my last two Budgets have placed the heaviest burden on those best able to pay. For example,

• a single person earning €25,000 now pays €500 more in tax and levies than in 2008.
• a single person on €100,000 pays around €5,500 more, or eleven times more than the person on €25,000.
• At €250,000 the additional taxes and levies amount to nearly €17,000 or thirty three times the contribution of the person on €25,000.

The progressivity of the recent changes is beyond doubt. But we have reached the limit. We will not create jobs by increasing the penalty on work and investment.

  Continue Reading »

The Pelosi Healthcare Plan is an “Obama”-nation

A 2,700 page healthcare bill is the PROBLEM, not the solution. It’s a desperate grab for more power. Nancy Pelosi is trying to force this massive plan of corruption and mismanagement on the people of America with the battle cry - Pass it first, We’ll read it later.

Glen Urquhart, candidate for the US House of Representatives for Delaware, stands against this liberal nightmare that will increase taxes, limit American’s choices in care and increase our already astronomical debt.

“This is another concoction of lawyers who make sure they, and Congress, are exempt,” said Urquhart. “With no cap on the amount of punitive damages lawyers can seek, this bill will lead to more wastefully defensive medicine, not better medicine. Notice that members of Congress are exempting themselves and their families, but are quick to tell everyone else they must swallow this poisonous pill or that’s all they’ll get.”

Urquhart pledges that if this bill passes, his first act in office would be to work to repeal it.

He wants to be sure that all Americans get the best care - no matter their age or income.

“Please don’t be fooled by the word ‘reform’ being thrown around,” said Urquhart. “The one thing this bill is not, is reform in any way. It’s just more and BIGGER bureaucratic control — that even the Congress rejects for itself!” “Bureaucratic medicine is bad medicine.”

Glen Urquhart is a small business entrepreneur living in Rehoboth Beach, running to be Delaware’s next Congressman. If elected, he promises to keep the big issues the big issues. Better health insurance requires competition and a better economy. We need to insure there will be food on people’s tables, that they have jobs and a future, instead of nationalizing 1/6th of the US economy. Unshackled from government control America can so compete and win again.

For more information on Urquhart go to www.Glen4Liberty.com.

Recently we have heard a lot in the news about the “Slaughter Solution” in relation to Democrat’s efforts to pass the health care takeover.  The current talking point seems to be that there is precedent.  The Republicans have done it before.  In fact they have done it more often than the Democrats.  The idea is that since it has been done before that means it’s nothing new, it’s okay, and we should all stop complaining about it.  On the contrary I think the fact that there is precedent means that we should be more upset.  Rather than voting to pass bills our congress has in some cases merely deemed them to have passed.  The fact that they have been doing this for a long time and I didn’t know about it gives me great cause for concern.

The Republicans in Congress may have little room to speak when it comes to the Constitutionality of the Slaughter solution if they are among the ones that have used or voted to use it in the past; however the American people have plenty of cause to be displeased.  We all too often allow precedent to overcome our better judgment and desensitize us to bad and unethical practices.  If the Slaughter solution is bad the fact that similar procedures have been used multiple times already is even worse.

I was reading up on the Lehman Brother’s failure for class earlier this week and a big piece of what lead up to their crash was the use of a procedure known as Repo 105 to remove assets from their balance sheet played a big role in it.  Though questionable Repo 105’s were created for a specific purpose, and as early as 2001 Lehman Brothers started using them.  However, once the precedent was set they continued to use them and became desensitized to the ethically grey nature of the procedure.  By 2007 and 2008 desensitization had become addiction and their books show that at the end of every quarter the use of Repo 105’s was ramped up.  Lehman Brother’s was using them to manipulated the books and deceive investors that they were still stable in spite of their insolvency.

Will the Slaughter solution be like Congress’ Repo 105?  If they continue to use it that might be the case.  There are lots of little tricks such as the Slaughter solution and the Repo 105 that pose similar dangers to our country.  Rather than embracing them because there is precedent we should reject them and overturn bad precedents.

Nancy Pelosi and company are leading the lambs to the slaughter. They are defying the will of the people. They are in a dream world in which they think that people just misunderstand health care reform. They claim that people are for the bill when it is broken down into some parts and polled.

That is fantasy.  They are correct that some parts have solid support among the people.  I agree with a couple parts.  It should be against the law for insurance companies to raise the rates on existing customers who happen to get sick.  It is a good idea to give people and small business some tax credits to help them.   Many people like the idea of banning the denial of insurance companies turning down people with preexisting conditions.  I do not agree.  The law already mandates that insurance companies do that without a waiting period if your policy is a rollover from another insurance company or with a waiting period if it is a new policy.  To do more is not insurance, it is charity.

The reason it is a fantasy is that the bill is not limited to those items.  The rest of the story is toldby the other numbers.   The individual mandate needed to make the preexisting condition mandate work.  The people oppose it.  When you talk about the half of trillion dollars of cuts to medicare that is not even polled, but the strong opposition of people 65 and over is called a clue.  People do not like the tax on medical devices.  They do not like the fact that it is a trillion dollars in new spending.   Killing Medisave accounts wouldn’t poll well either if you asked.  They do not like increasing regulations on the insurance companies unless it is deals with the problem of the uninsured better. 72% of the public opposes abortion funding in health care reform. The people do not want taxes hiked in this economy.   The majority believes the bill will hurt the economy.Considering the economy is the number 1 issue in America, only someone wanting to commit political sucide would push a bill perceived by a strong majority to hurt it.

This is even before you consider the deals. The reason the deals play so wildly is not just the substance of them, but that Democrats considered the bill so flawed that they had to be bought off. The medicaid mandates are a fiscal time bomb to the states. The medicare advantage cut is eliminating a program that really works (unless you live in Florida). The tax on “Cadillac health benefits” puts a strain on the credibility of the President’s statement that you can keep your own health care.  The fact is that some parts of the bill can’t be that good because the President campaigned against them. 

Remember the campaign against individual mandates and a tax on benefits during the primary.  That is what made Hillary Clinton’s plan so bad.  Now it is Obama care and the people do not like it because the label changed.

The people say start over.  Why not?  If the President’s (wo)men  would have started with the bipartisan Wyden Bennett bill then worked with Coburn and Ryan on right and Waxman and Dodd on the left, they would have had a bill that had 70% support.  Instead they have one with barely 40% support and a situation where almost 70% of the people would rather junk it and start over.   The American people are opposed to single payer and they do not want a government take over of health care real or perceived (this bill would be a real take over because the important decisions would all shift to government panels).

It is just inane to claim in light of these facts that the people really want the bill but Foxnews and talk radio has them fooled. If we just pass it, then people will see the sky didn’t fall and reward us for leadership. Yet, that is the logic of the ruling regime. This is why the Republicans are now more trusted on almost every issue and lead the generic ballot of likely voters. In Rasmussen it is up to 10 points. The only recent poll (with a dubious track record) with a clear Democrat lead was not even of registered voters. If people are not even registered it is unlikely they will do so and vote in an off year election.

The truth is that only 23% of voters want higher taxes and a more activist government. The problem is that 60% of our leaders want it. This combination has led to a rogue government which is disconnected from the will of the people. This situation is untenable. Our government was set up with safety values to prevent a meltdown. I think it is time we use them. This election I am voting yellow dog Republican (any Republican on the ballot even if he is a yellow dog) in order send a message, but I am not stopping there. I am calling, emailing, blogging, faxing, and even made a trip to D. C. to let my voice be heard.

I have no objections to improving our health care system for all Americans. I have serious objections to making it worse.

Tags: cnn poll misleading, individual health components not all popular, Obamacare, oposition to health care reform, out of control government, socialized medicine

At the Monday meeting of the 9-12 Delaware Patriots up in Newark the subject of our national debt came up.  It was suggested that our debts are illegitimate as they are based on fiat money and are not Constitutional. Further, it was suggested that since the debts were illegitimate we should be under no obligation to pay them back.  I in turn stood up and suggested that they might be going overboard.  Being an accounting student issues related to money are of particular interest to me.  As the subject of debt is a topic covered in our Constitution the subject is doubly of interest to me.  I will use this post to discuss some of my thoughts on the matter.

I personally am against debt. I have never had a credit card, nor have I taken out any loans. My lifestyle isn’t as grand as most because of my personal policy, but I have a lot less hanging over my head than some do. I do not think that our nation should be in debt either. I think it was wrong for us to incur much of the debt we have now. I also agree that the structure and vehicles we have been using to obtain our debt have a lot of negatives, and are perhaps even illegitimate. However, whether it should have or not, our nation did in fact incur debts. Those debts should be repaid. I believe it is possible for a debt to be Constitutional even if we now deem that the method or vehicle used to enter into it is not. Continue Reading »

Tags: Debt

The virtual fence just is not up to the real thing. The Washington Times caught this nugget.

Signaling a major shift from her predecessor, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday said she will spend $50 million of stimulus funds originally intended to build a “virtual fence” along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border on other more proven and cost-effective security technology.

The decision to pull back funding on the initiative aimed at protecting the U.S. from terrorists, violent drug smugglers and illegal immigrants comes on the heels of a series of damning reports by the Government Accountability Office, and as Ms. Napolitano attempts to justify to lawmakers a 30 percent budget reduction for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the midst of a raging drug war along the Southwest border.

To date, the U.S. government, through the Secure Border Initiative, has paid Boeing Co. more than $1 billion to build less than 700 miles of barriers between ports of entry, and a costly but flawed system of radar towers, ground sensors and cameras known as SBInet, a $4 billion project that appears to be in jeopardy.

Well I just got my 2010 Census. I have read through it several times . I am sure that many of you have also gotten yours. I have to say that the second question make me wonder who put this together and also to question their ability to walk and chew gum.

  Question number one: “How many people were living or staying in this house ,apartment,or mobile home on April 1,2010 ?” Okay let me say right now that in my opinion this is the only question that is relevent to the census.

  Question number two: “Were there any (additional) people staying here April 1,2010 that you (did not include) in question 1?” Wow they almost caught me in a lie with that trick question number one.

  Question number three deals with whether my home is owned out right or mortgaged or if I live here for free. Someone explain to me why that matters ?

  Number four request my phone number, I don’t think so !

  Question number five ask you to begin listing each person’s name , number six their sex, number seven asks their age and exact date of birth. None of this is relevant to counting how many “PEOPLE” live in this country.

  Now comes my favorite part, before number eight and nine there is a special note:” please answer BOTH question 8 about Hispanic origin and question 9 about race. For this census, Hispanic origins are not races.”

 I guess Hispanics are about to receive some kind of special treatment, gee I wonder what that could be,hum ?

  And by the way if we are in a post race era as the liberal media told us after Pres. Obama was elected, then why does it matter what race you are ?

 Number ten ask if person number one sometime lives somewhere else, like Mexico maybe .

  Alright I know we are no longer living in the times of the founding of the nation and that a lot has changed. But the census is intended for no other reason than to determine how many people live in the several states so that they can receive adequate representation. Each person is a person. This means that a woman is equal to a man, a child is equal to an adult. But most importantly anyone of any given race is equal to anyone of any other given race. To ask about race is racist in itself.

 The census was not intended to be a survey into how many entitlement programs are needed for any congressional district. It is intended to allow the government to determine whether a state needs to add or remove a congressional district.

 Ask me how many “PEOPLE” live in my home and I will tell you. Ask me anymore and you get nothing. My income or mortgage status has no bearing on my state’s need for additional congressional districts. My race has no bearing, my sex has no bearing, nor does my age .

You may have seen the article that President Obama is threatening not to campaign for Democrats who oppose health deform.   Leno had a better solution.

Monday night on “The Jay Leno Show” on NBC: Thank you for coming on the Ides of March. You know, this is March 15. It was on this day in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar met his end. He was stabbed in the back by members of the Senate, ironically, while pleading for health care.

Well, President Obama, turning up the pressure on Congress to pass this health care reform. In fact, he’s telling Democrats, if they don’t vote for this bill, he will go out and campaign for them in November.

Elbert gave a view which reflected the social and moral opposition to expanding gaming in Delaware.  I want to focus a little attention on the practical economic concern.  A state funded study predicted that more revenue would come into the state with the addition of two more sites by 2013.  It predicted that the existing casinos would lose money, but overall the revenue would increase.  We would gain up to 5000 jobs.

The fact is that it would be a pyrrhic victory.  You can not build a successful industry based upon everyone losing money but the state.  Maryland and Pennsylvania passed legislation enabling slots.   The expansion in Maryland has been slowed by financing.  Investors will not fund all of the venues and the fact is that the ones that would be most profitable are hindered by the threat of nonexistent competition.  Greed is keeping any gain from happening. 

Delaware tried to avoid many potential problems by going with established racing venues.  They were highly regulated, experienced, could obtain financing, and had history interacting with the state.  The state became business partners with the racinos.  I question that decison, but my side lost.  Now that we are partners, is it good business to drive them into bankruptcy?  In the long run would it be better to have 4 of 5 racinos that lose money or 3 that make money?  Organizations that make money can innovate to bring new options besides gaming.  They can bring tourists.  They can market themselves to fill different niches like weekend getaways or affordable day trip entertainment for seniors. Day get aways and Mini Vacations are a major trend that Atlantic City and others are not fully exploiting.  No one really has mid afternoon or dinner hour entertainment for senior day trips during the week.  These type of innovations can not be funded if the businesses are fighting for the next day.

The state will not make money in the long run when the temporary jobs are gone.  One of the organizations is closing down, and the others are laying off.  Short term greed is not good policy.  We need to treat the racinos like they are business partners not slot machines.

Three is enough.

Remember Reverend Jessie Jackson predicted that in the Zionist’s controling American foreign policy for decades would lose clout in an Obama Administration.

Jackson said that the most important change in the U.S. administration’s policy under Barack Obama would occur in the Middle East, where “decades of putting Israel’s interests first”, “ as Jackson is quoted, “ would end.

“Jackson believes that, although ‘Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades’ remain strong, they’ll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House,” the Post article continued. It is not clear from the report what part of Jackson’s comments was made before the World Policy Forum and what part was made in a conversation with Taheri.

Jackson said that while he isn’t a confidante or adviser of Obama’s, Obama has been “a neighbor or, better still, a member of the family.” “We helped him start his career,” Jackson said. “And then we were always there to help him move ahead.”

Jackson was critical of President George W. Bush’s approach to the conflict over the Land of Israel. “Bush was so afraid of a snafu and of upsetting Israel that he gave the whole thing a miss,” Jackson said. “Barack will change that,” he added, “because, as long as the Palestinians haven’t seen justice, the Middle East will ‘remain a source of danger to us all.’”

“Barack is determined to repair our relations with the world of Islam and Muslims,” Jackson said. “Thanks to his background and ecumenical approach, he knows how Muslims feel while remaining committed to his own faith.”

The Obama camp denied it.

Obama campaign national security spokesperson Wendy Morigi said: “Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is not an adviser to the Obama campaign and is therefore in no position to interpret or share Barack Obama’s views on Israel and foreign policy.”

Now we know that Rev. Jackson was right. Evangelicals and Jews who support Israel and took comfort at President Obama’s denials were played. Thanks to this continued public dispute, the Palestinian radicals sense blood and are manufacturing protests. They are trying to keep the story alive and gain what they never had. The sad truth is that they need to have the enablers get out of the way. The Palestinian people have been used by everyone. They have a right to pursue a good life just like everyone else. The biggest obstacle to their achieving that has been lousy leadership which refuses to sit down with their neighbors and build a life together. The only way that will happen is when the world stops playing to the dysfunctional leadership more concerned with power, stealing wealth for themselves, and living out hatred and grudges.

There can be no peace by having more Israeli concessions. What is needed is a Palestinian leadership that is responsible enough to help build a successful state.

Professor Paul E. Peterson of Harvard University gave an intersting insight into achieving better student performance.

Yet few doubt that public schools today are troubled, as the president noted on Saturday. What the president left out is that the performance of American high school students has hardly budged over the past 40 years, while the per-pupil cost of operating the schools they attend has increased threefold in real dollar terms. If school districts were firms operating in the market place, many would quickly fall victim to Schumpeter’s law of creative destruction.

Ms. Ravitch and other critics of school choice reverse causation by blaming the sad state of public schools on events that occurred long after schools had stagnated. They point, for example, to President Bush’s No Child Left Behind law (enacted in 2002), mayoral governance of schools recently instituted in some cities, and the creation of a small number (4,638) of charter schools that serve less than 3% of the U.S. school-age population.

To uncover what is wrong with American public schools one has to dig deeper than these recent developments in education. One needs to consider the impact of restrictive collective bargaining agreements that prevent rewarding good teachers and removing ineffective ones, intrusive court interventions, and useless teacher certification laws.

How much of our tax revenue should go to pay debt service? Moody’s is predicting that we will go over the 14% range and loose our AAA status as a nation. I bet that Moody’s gets some killer audits and changes the standard by then.

Losing our AAA rating would mean higher interest rates would be paid on our bonds. It could result in less foreign investment in our government debt. China is already buying gold and less American debt. It has fallen to second in American debt holdings behind Japan. Less foreign investment means that the federal government would be competing with private business for capital. This along with the need for even more borrowing because of higher interest rates will be a drag on the economy in 3 years. There is a debt bubble which would dwarf the real estate bubble which dwarfed the tech bubble. We have to start thinking about addressing it now. That is the big issue of the campaign.

A recent article on the Cape Gazette points out the difficultly several find getting the Sussex County Council to pass a resolution condemning gambling in the county. From the article:

Eric Bodenweiser has appealed to council twice, and at the Feb. 16 meeting he was joined by four others. There is no indication council will place the matter on a future agenda, but at least one member, Sam Wilson, R-Georgetown, voiced support for a resolution.

Councilman Wilson’s comments from the same article:

“It’s a rarity to find people to stand for morals today,” he said. State officials are putting proceeds from gambling first without considering any possible ramifications, he said.

The Cape Gazette reports Councilman George Cole (R-Ocean View) opinions:

…the council is not involved with social issues but land-use matters. In that regard, he has asked county staff to explore a zoning designation specifically for casinos.

I perceive that Councilman Cole’s position is to accept what the state desires to impose upon the county, thus set up ways to deal with the construction of casinos in the county. It would seem that his position is in fact an involvement in social issues, judging that everything is OK with the Governor’s desire to turn the state into a giant casino.

Sussex County needs to say no to the expansion of gambling. As it is pointed out at this link:

Gambling addicts people, ruins marriages, destroys families, exploits children, fleeces the poor, bankrupts communities, raises crime, creates corruption, makes false promises, distorts reality, deceives the public and lies all the way to the bank.

Marginalizing gambling opposition because it is a “social” issue results in creating problems that spill into those areas that are seen at non-social. Recognizing potential problems on those areas, the council should move to oppose gambling in the county, not only by resolution but by banning its operation or at the very least making it impossible to construct or operate here.

That would be just as silly as the regime in Washington being insulted by the announcement that Israel is approving a development in its capitol, Jerusalem. The regime had to make a little fuss to appease the Arabs since the Palestinians decided out of the blue some years ago that they wanted East Jerusalem as their capitol. Why? Just to stab at Israel. When they actually had control over the area, there was no serious consideration for it to be their capitol. On the other had, Jerusalem is the historic capitol of Israel since the 900 B.C. (E.) time frame.

The fact was that 10 months ago, Israel had approved the routine development. Palestinians who demanded that it halt or there would be no peace talks. A moratorium was issued for 10 months. The talks never came about. Now the regime in Washington wants to give radical concessions as a precondition to talks to a dangerous regime dominated by anti-Semitics. Not only do they appear to be against setting favorable preconditions for talks with terrorist regimes, but they expect our allies to give up everything as a precondition for the privilege of talking.

They just won’t let it go. It is time that we raise our voices and our prayers to encourage Washington to back off and support Israel or at least be neutral.

This report on Delaware’s current tax policy is a good excuse to change that.

Seaford School District is seeking permission to repair your schools.

Voting will take place 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 13, at the Seaford district office, 309 N. Market St.

Republican David Vitter has a 23 point lead in his reelection to the Senate seat in Louisiana. Issues matter more than personal attacks. That is a lesson for both sides.

The hand wringing wimps on our side who wanted Vitter to resign haven’t been heard from all year. They are too busy tripping over themselves to be seen backing a winner. The fact is that Vitter sought redemption. That makes him humble. No matter what, we all need redemption. We may not have made fools out of ourselves and hurt those who love us like Vitter did, but we all have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD. We all need redemption. Voters, being human, can relate to that fact. They will be happy to be a part of his redemption as long as he opposes health care deform. The Senator who would be in trouble is the one who sold the voters out for deal. That is something they are far less forgiving about.

The public corruption that is part and parcel of the ruling regime not the private struggles of individuals needs to be our focus. Let the personal remain personal and let the public issues be public. Who would you rather have running a government Burr or Hamilton–Hitler or FDR– Stalin or Churchill, Buchanan or Jefferson? The former had better personal lives, the later served the public better.

Tiger is next to come back.

A column in the News Journal is claiming that Alberto Gonzales is vindicated by recent decisions by the Obama administration for his choices on terror prosecution. Both sides often find that governing looks easier from the outside.

Event: Sussex Lincoln Day Dinner: Guest Speaker Pollster Neil Newhouse
What: Mixer
Start Time: Monday, March 22 at 5:30pm
End Time: Monday, March 22 at 9:00pm
Where: Atlantic Sands Hotel, Rehoboth Beach

The Eastern Sussex Republican Club and the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club invite you to attend the Sussex County Lincoln Day Dinner at the Atlantic Sands Hotel in Rehoboth Beach.

Our guest speaker will be pollster Neil Newhouse, fresh off the Scott Brown campaign in Massachusetts. Don’t miss this opportunity to find out the way voters across the country are trending.

Reserve your seat by mailing your name, phone number and $50 per person to: SCRWC, 414 Mulberry St, Lewes, DE 19958 or call 302-542-0900 for more details and to pay at the door

Despite his politically incorrect stances, Jon Voight is winning new roles on the small screen as well as reprising a major role on the big screen. Maybe others in Hollywood will come out of hiding.

  Ignoring Pres. Obama’s call to remove any state specific pork barrel spending from the health care bill currently in the Senate, both the House and the Senate are working to pass the Senate version as is. First of all since the Senate bill has already been voted on and passed, I don’t believe any changes can be made at this point in the process.

  Just a few of the provisions in the bill that are clearly there to garner votes for a bill that is wildly unpopular with a majority of American citizens are, six hundred million dollars to be paid to Vermont over the next decade and nearly as much to Massachusetts in added federal Medicaid payments.

  Connecticut would get a hundred million dollars to build a new hospital.

  Around eight hundred Florida senior citizens could keep certain Medicare benefits.

  Asbestos-disease victims in the tiny town of Libby, Montana and some coal miners with black lung disease or their widows in West Virginia  would get special  help. There are also prizes for Louisiana, the Dakotas and Wyoming, such as more money for doctors and hospitals.

  James Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said” We are going to do what we have to do to get “A” bill out of the House and Senate”.

 It would seem as if the hogs of Congress are willing to spend any amount of money to lower our health care cost. WHAT? It would also seem as if the quality of the health care bill is not as important as the passage of the health care bill.

Let’s see I support Mike Castle because he has been around forever, is a trial lawyer, is a fiscal conservative, and loves Delaware. I don’t agree with him sometimes, but he will do. That sounds like a great campaign commercial to me. Seriously, it wasn’t quiet that bad, but it wasn’t far off. This is from the Castle Campaign. Watch and enjoy O’Donnell supporters. If this is the best they have as a rationale…. Go back to the drawing board Castle supporters. Just some free advice. Feel free not to take it, but if you do make it past the primary I want you to win in November.

Guest Post by Angel Clark (of the blog Sussex County Angel)
In this, the 21st century, women are not docile, programmed to serve and procreate and nothing else. It seems Emmitt Taylor III was unaware of this. In August of 2007 he killed Stephanie Mumford by bludgeoning her to death with a frying pan because she “disrespected him by not making him dinner”. Before I discuss his sentencing, which occurred yesterday, I want to discuss his crimes.

In 2007, Emmitt Taylor III was on probation in Mississippi for aggravated assault. Despite this fact he was in Long Neck, Delaware, engaged to Stephanie Mumford. Stephanie had three children and three grandchildren. By all accounts she was a loving mother and a kind and spirited woman. The wedding was scheduled for August 18th, 2007. On August 14th, when the pair didn’t show up to their scheduled rehearsal her family went to her house to make sure she was alright. Unfortunately, she wasn’t.

Four times before her death Stephanie had called a family friend in despair. Throughout these calls Taylor could be heard yelling at her in the background. Taylor had seemingly bragged to co-workers about beating her, discussing in detail knocking out her teeth and chocking her until she lost consciousness. Two weeks prior to her death neighbors saw Taylor punching Stephanie in the parking lot of their home. Domestic violence was obviously an issue here, along with Taylor (whom police describe as being 6ft 4in tall and around 200 pounds) having anger management and control issues.

So, it’s time for the reason I’m delving into this gruesome tale. Emmitt Taylor III was sentenced to the death penalty yesterday. I have been reading many comments about how people think the death penalty is barbaric. It is “making society as bad as its criminals” as I have read. Unfortunately, lethal injection (which Taylor was sentenced to) does not include repeated bludgeoning with a frying pan.

Despite its controversy, the death penalty is still legal in Delaware. 36 States currently have legal executions using lethal injection and the U.S military and government still authorizes it as well. Since 1991 there have been 14 legal executions in Delaware including the last hanging in the state (1996). The youngest of these was 27 at the time of death and each committed at least one murder. One particularly gruesome case was Brian Steckel. Steckel was executed in 2005 (the most recent legal execution in Delaware) on three counts of first degree murder. He raped and killed Sandra Lee Long and then set her on fire. After this he wrote letters to her mother gloating about his deeds. It cost approximately $66 a day to incarcerate this creature (I will not call him a man). That’s $24,090 a year. Despite the “immorality” people claim are associated with legal executions, I consider it to be more immoral to the mother of Sandra Lee Long to force her to pay to keep Steckel alive. Before Taylor’s sentencing yesterday there were 17 adults (juveniles do not receive the death penalty in Delaware) listed on the Department of Corrections website as being on “Death Row”. Each of these men has been found guilty of at least one count of murder.

According to the DOC “Death Row” inmates stay in a 13 foot cell which has a bed, a sink and toilet, a desk, a locker, and a television. They receive three meals a day (and probably get fresher vegetables then I do). Each may have visitors and are allowed to interview with the media. They are allowed letters, newspapers, magazines, books, and television and radio privileges. Each inmate is allowed medical and mental care as needed. Housing these murderers costs Delaware state taxpayers a total of $1,122 a day. Now, once we include Taylor, this will be $1,188 a day. We are paying $433,620 a year for these murderers to await their deaths. I consider this to be more barbaric then the act of execution itself.

I wish every …creature… on “Death Row” a shorter wait for their sentences to be carried out. In my opinion Emmitt Taylor deserves his death, and he deserves it as fast as possible so tax payer dollars are not wasted on keeping him alive any longer than necessary. I urge anyone who thinks the death penalty is barbaric to imagine their own children being submitted to the horrific acts those murdered had to go through. I imagine my family being tortured then killed and think lethal injection is too humane. Society is not as bad as its criminals, and these murderers are not victims of society. The families of those murdered and the murdered themselves are the victims and I urge people to remember that.

You can read more about the case and Attorney General Beau Biden’s statements regarding it here.

   I cannot believe the times that we are living in. I almost understand how a certain segment of the nation felt right before the southern states seceded from the union. I can imagine that they felt as if the federal government was not responsive to their views. They must have felt as if the federal government was over reaching and intrusive . They must have felt as if the federal government was usurping their states rights.

  Let me say right now and without any doubt, I am not in any way calling for armed insurrection. But I do believe that it has come time for the people of this nation, those who still believe that we are ,”endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”, to rise up and let it be known in no uncertain terms that we are no longer going to stand quietly by and allow those who are in office at the pleasure of the people, to continue to act as if they have sovereign authority .

  How can we as hard-working citizens, citizens who have paid our taxes on time, citizens who have worked to raise our families and buy the things we need and want. How can we be expected to stand by and allow the government that should be there to prevent us from being robbed, to rob us?

  As we watch the health care debate, and the word debate is a joke in this process, as we watch the Democrat controlled congress extirpate the Constitution , we must ask ourselves, how long? How long will we allow this to continue? How far will we allow these people who have demonstrated that they have no respect for the Constitution, that they have no concern for the will of the American citizens, how far will we allow them to steer the nation down the road towards fascism, towards tyranny, and towards the complete destruction of everything that this nation was founded upon ?

  As I watch the daily news , I find myself becoming angry. At first I was angry because everything I was hearing was telling me that the government wanted to steal my money and give it to other people who had not worked for it and who most likely hadn’t worked for anything. But the longer I watch and the more I hear , the more I realize that the government wants to steal something more precious to me then money or life itself. These bastards want to steal the future that I had hoped to leave to my daughter.

  I am not just talking about any material value that I might be able to leave behind, though they certainly are trying to steal that right before my eyes. I am talking about the future of freedom, the same sort of freedom that I knew while growing up. The freedom to decide how she would live, how she would earn her living, how she would raise and educate her children. But these leaches that are currently in office are attempting to steal even that from myself and her.

 Look around you people. We see the federal government with its fingers in every aspect of our lives. They regulate the cars you drive , the houses you live in, the food you eat. Now some people will tell you that these are for your own good, maybe so. The trouble is that once we turned over control for those areas of our lives, we gave the government the path to total control. The health care bill that the Democrats are currently shoving down our throats could be the final piece of the fascist puzzle.

  We are hearing more and more stories about how the expansive government is failing. School districts closing schools because they can no longer sustain the amount of spending that they have cornered themselves into. States on the verge of insolvency, to the point that some of these states are contemplating withholding tax returns. Do you understand what that means? That means that those states over taxed their citizens, and still they are in deficit, and now are not going to return the money .

 People , that is out right theft. That money belongs to the citizens. If the states can delay repaying it, what is to stop them from deciding to not give it back at all ?

 So with all that is currently going on in our federal, state and even local governments, I ask the question, is it time? Is it time to truly march on our capitals? Our state capitals and yes most certainly on Washington D.C. .

  Now I’m not talking about TEA Party marches or 9/12 marches. I’m not talking about anymore organization then to pass the word of mouth. To gather your groups of two, or ten, or a hundred. But to pass the word by mouth or by the Internet, or by talk radio. It is time to just show up in these capitals and on the steps of the Capital Building. No permit required. Don’t ask permission of those who you are there to protest. Just pick a date and go.

  We are citizens of these states and this nation and for now we are free to travel were we will. We have a guaranteed right to have our grievances heard and if they won’t listen to our phone calls and our letters and e-mails, then by God let them hear us as we stand before their monuments of power.

UPDATE: Kevin Wade responds: I welcome Ms. Rollins to the race, she is well respected for her many good works, dignity and grace. As for me, my focus is with we the people. I am in this race because America losing American is not an option.

Multi-millionaire Greenville resident Michelle Rollins is exploring a run for Delaware’s lone congressional seat. She is an attorney and widow of businessman John Rollins. No one can say that she has not earned the right to be considered by the party. She has been active for many years in the party and has helped a variety of candidates. Her thought of entering the race has already awakened a split within the wings of the party. “I’m the conservative candidate,” Urquhart said. “Michele represents liberal values. I welcome her into the race. I stand for the conservative traditional values that are sweeping this country like a tidal wave.” It should be an interesting convention.

Mike Castle is taking his virtual organization up a notch. Check it out if you are so inclined. The Congressman’s campaign organization is looking serious and formidable this year.

 The congressman at yesterday’s U of D Haiti Benefit Concert

If you are poor and trying to go to work or school, your daycare options are family or warehousing.  The state reimbursement rates are so low that the only way you can get quality day care is by a provider’s generousity.  I call it state sponsored slumming for child care.  The child care providers who open their homes or churches and help the children grow socially and intellectually are paid the exact same as people who drop them in cribs and play pens then sit them in front of televisions all day.  It is a typical socialist mentality. 

Some legislators are actually trying to do something about it.  HB 331 is a bipartisan bill led by Representative Marshall establishes a 5 tier system based upon quality. I applaud this effort. I do find fault in that it eventually mandates participation in the out years. We do not need the state taking over any part of private education (pre-k) and mandating what standards are used. The market will work. I call upon the Republican sponsors to look at the precedent set in that one section and amend an otherwise fine bill.

QRep. Quinton Johnson wants to single out BOXING, MIXED MARTIAL ARTS, AND COMBATIVE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT for paying for non-billable emergency services such as paramedics. This is not a terrible bill. I don’t see it as a great bill either. These services are already budgeted and in some cases funded by dedicated taxes. Should NASCAR, ice skating, hockey, football, or rugby have the same rules? Where does it stop? Will this just be the start of a new regulatory environment?

Markell Introduces Delaware Clean Energy Jobs Act
Effort Helps Create Jobs, Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Industries in State

Newark, Del. (March 10, 2010) – Standing before solar panels that were made in Delaware and could help power the state, Governor Jack Markell today announced his intention to seek legislation that will put more people to work, help homes and businesses secure locally-generated power and expand emerging industries such as wind and solar power in Delaware to create new long-term careers for the state’s citizens.

“The purpose of the initiative – the Delaware Clean Energy Jobs Act – is simple: to create quality jobs, expand local manufacturing and establish Delaware as a national leader in the adoption of renewable energy,” Markell said.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act would facilitate the potential installation of approximately 300 MW of new solar photovoltaic systems by 2029, resulting in the creation of hundreds of secure, quality jobs. The Act would also facilitate the potential installation of over 1000 MW of utility-scale generation, likely in offshore wind power, resulting in as many as 1000 new construction jobs and 150 new long-term operation and maintenance jobs by 2029. Additional jobs would be created by prioritizing Delaware renewable-energy projects and incentivizing the use of locally manufactured systems.

It achieves these goals in part by increasing the amount of renewable energy available in Delaware. By adding a longer-range target to the existing Renewable Portfolio Standard, Delaware will be on a course to receive 30% of its energy supplies from renewable sources by 2029. It would also seek uniformity in the RPS and include a “local generation component” to maximize the economic development potential from solar and wind.

“To restore our economic promise and prosperity, the State can and will lead by example when it comes to creating efficiencies, supporting jobs and being good stewards of our environment,” said Markell.

Markell made the announcement at Motech Americas, a solar company in Newark. Motech Americas currently employs more than 70 people and is in the process of expanding manufacturing capacity. They are expected to add 75 more jobs before the end of the year.

The Governor was joined by leaders from local business and higher education, as well as legislators from across the state, including Senator Harris McDowell, Chair of the Senate Energy and Transit Committee and one of Delaware’s most active proponents for renewable energy, and Rep. Earl Jacques, who represents the district in which Motech Americas is located. The Cabinet Secretaries present reflected the broad scope of people who will be served by more clean energy jobs – the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Labor, Director of Economic Development and Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Some of the quality jobs that a clean energy industry would support include skilled trades’ people, electricians, steel fabricators, IT specialists, electrical engineers, solar system installers, wind turbine service technicians, training specialists, factory workers and support service personnel like accountants, educators and customer service specialists.

“We are working closely with our neighboring states to create a vibrant mid-Atlantic clean energy market, but we also want to maximize capital investment and quality jobs in Delaware. We can move more rapidly, respond to opportunities more quickly and get people back to work,” Markell said.

At the event, the Governor highlighted some of the great work being done by Delaware businesses to move technology and the state’s economy forward. For example: DuPont is emerging as a leader in solar technology components; WL Gore is developing next-generation fuel cells; White Optics has an innovative high-efficiency lighting solution; PTM Manufacturing is producing innovative, green-building materials; Sanosil manufactures green cleaning products; Innospec is working on alternative fuels; Autoport is doing electric vehicle conversions and potentially ground-breaking vehicle-to-grid power; IonPower is designing fuel cells; Ashland is developing green chemistry and water technology; Fisker said it expects to employ thousands of Delawareans, and NRG recently acquired Bluewater Wind, recognizing the value of clean energy to their bottom line.

A factsheet is available at: http://governor.delaware.gov/docs/clean-energy-jobs-act-summary.pdf