DelawarePolitics.net

  Thge Sussex County Council has released their end of year report in which they tell tax payers that the county collected  3.4 million dollars too much this past year.

  Okay, that isn’t exactly what the press release from Chip Guy said, but it is what it amounts to.  The report calls it a surplus, but that is only possible if they have collected more than they have spent. Let me give credit where credit is due. The Sussex County Council has consistently kept spending down while not raising property taxes. Though they have from time to time raised fees.

   Another reason for the surplus is that the transfer tax revenue was higher than projected. This is always good news, since it is a sign that the home market may be turning the corner.

  I do have one reservation about the news of the surplus. That is the news that the council intends to return, in a one time tax credit, a little more than one million dollars on tax bills later this year. The rest will go to the County’s pension funds, local law enforcement, land preservation and various grants.

  The problem I have is why not give more back to the people the money was taken from? Instead the council intends to give the money to county worker in the form of pension payments. They will fund local law enforcement. But what should upset all tax payers is the grant money that the council will hand out as they see fit.

  In the past the council has given tax dollars to fund little league, fireworks display at a church and funding for other private ventures.

  Would it not be more in keeping with conservative principles to allow the tax payers to keep more of their money so that they could decide for themselves which private enterprises to donate to? Shouldn’t local law enforcement receive their funding from their local taxes? As for the county pensions, well maybe we should see a higher percentage donated by the employees themselves.

  We have a county council populated with four out of five, by Republicans. Shouldn’t we expect more from them in the way of conservative principles. I am grateful for their efforts to keep property taxes low. I am grateful for them keeping the spending down. But when we find ourselves over taxing the citizens, then the conservative thing to do is to give the money back to the tax payers.

  I don’t know what a million dollars spread across all of the tax bills in the county will amount to, but I do know that two million would be more.

  I know that it seems as if all we down here in Sussex County talk about is prayer here and prayer there.

  We have become the county of the prayer law suit. Our county council has been sued over its former practice of holding an organized prayer during its monthly meetings and the Indian River School Board was also sued for holding an organized prayer during its meetings.

  This post will center more around the IRSB issue, than the Sussex County Council suit. This is because I believe that the council has solved their issue by now saying a prayer before calling the meeting to order. This has not always been the case and is why they were sued. Continue Reading »

I just want to invite everyone who is close to the Dover area to a charitable chili cookoff for a very affordable lunch or dinner for Open Doors Ministry.  Warm up today and help the homeless and needy.  I am a part of the board of this organization so I know the money is well spent.  The lunch is open between noon to 4 today at Christian Life Center 614 S. Du Pont Hwy.  Dover DE.  The cost is a donation recommended donation is $7 a person and $15 for an entire family $5 for students.  Desserts donated by Sam’s club and the venue by the members of Christian Life Center.  100% of every donation will help the needy.

The Obama stimulus backed electric car company is going into chapter 11 (reorganization not liquidation).  I guess 118 million dollars wasn’t enough to put it on its feet.  3 high profile difficulties in 6 months is not good for the PR of new energy.

Recently, America suffered a tragic anniversary, the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. What can one say that has not been said?

America is suffering from a deficit problem. Sure you know about the financial issues, but that is not the deficit of which I speak. This deficit is costing us everyday in ways that many deny. We have a moral deficit. 50 million helpless children have been brutally killed. Many were ripped limb from limb. Others were chemically burned. Still others were savagely poisoned. Yet, others were partially born and killed inches from life. There is no pretty way to talk about abortion truthfully. Abortion is an intrinsic evil eating away at the souls of a great people.  It is never okay.  It is a savage expression of domination of one’s convenience over the life of another for money.

Abortion is a root of all kinds of evil.  Child abuse is up.  Those who survive the womb are at greater risk in a world where children are only cherished by choice not right.  Self destructive behavior is up.  Suicide, substance abuse, and other destructive behaviors are at all time highs.  The very definitions of morality, family, and spirituality are under assault.   Once a higher morality is rejected, it is open season on the pillars of community and civilization.

The late Mother Theresa said, “The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts–a child–as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the dependent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners.

Mother Theresa also pointed out “The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

There in the solution to our deficit.  We need to return to the old pathways which made us a great people.  We need to turn our hearts to GOD and open our hand to our fellow man.  Life is a gift from our creator.  It is our practice stage for eternity.  We will live then like we train today.  Will we live in a heavenly place or a hell of our own making?  We are judged by how we treat those in need of our love, the sick, the poor, the child seeking love and indeed life itself.  On that score, we are running a deficit.

GOD put in each heart a cry.  The cry of the heart first says I want to live, then it says I want to dream, and finally I don’t want to die.  The cry of the heart is evidence of the special nature of the human spirit.  We are more than self aware.  We are eternal beings seeking meaning.  We cannot find that meaning without each other or without our Creator.  We are designed to live and dream.  When we deprive that of our progeny, we are severing ourselves from our own humanity.  50 plus million beating hearts have been stopped by our selfish cruelty.  Enough is enough.  America is better than abortion.  Humanity is better than this.  Stop abortion now.

Would you like to know if your state legislator actually worked at his/her other state job? HB 176 by House Minority Leader Greg Lavelle would make public documents the timecards of state legislators. Yesterday, Democrats in the House Administrative committee defeated the measure on a party line vote. It was feared too many Democrats would be embarrassed. It is against state law to be paid twice for the same time by the state government therefore the bill is relevant. In the past, members of both parties have been accused of such behavior. This bill has bipartisan support including Senator Katz –Lavelle’s likely election opponent. That did not impress the leadership of the house which runs the House Administration Committee. It was DOA.

The Governor spoke of open government and transparency in his State of the State address last week. If he wants to make a bold move, he could classify these as public records by referencing existing law by executive order. Well, that would be too serious. In the meantime, Crown Prince DeLuca gets to laugh all the way to the bank.

I watched President Obama’s State of the Union last night. It was quite a show. He was at the top of his game. He sounded like a cross between Shawn Hannity and Andy Stern. He advocated tax reform, an all of the above energy policy, and a fair society.

I am intrigued of course by an administration that block a pipeline when its own experts both economic and enviromnental green light it and imposes an illegal moritorioum on drilling off shore then presenting itself as the all of the above, drill baby administration.

What intrigued me more was the statement which put the central goal of the administration policy as fairness not freedom. Now I am not opposing everyone having a fair shot at the opportunities of life, but I believe the best way is more freedom not more regulation.

How is it fair for high tech companies to get double the tax breaks of other companies? How is it fair for new companies to get a break at regulations and not established ones? How is it fair for one type of energy company to get better treatment than another? How is it fair for the rich to be targeted in the tax code?

President Obama identified several areas of the tax code which need to be addressed including the crazy provisions which encourage jobs to leave America. Some of his solutions left something to be desired such as an alternative minimum tax for multi-national corporations that do business here. I have a very simple, fair, and free solution. The President should look at the Fair Tax. Freedom, transparency, and simplicty are solutions not more rules. Try it and we will not know what to do with the all of the prosperity.

From the Cape Gazette, an article about Delaware Politics blogger Don Ayotte, who has entered the District 3 race.  Full story below.

 It would seem as if the battle of the endorsements for the sixth senatorial district in Delaware on going.

 The first shot was fired by Ernie Lopez, when shortly after announcing his intentions to run for the state senate, he was endorsed by four former Sussex County GOP Committee Chairs, Dave Burris, Phyllis Byrne, Bill Lee and Ron Sams.

  The next shot was fired by former candidate for the U.S. House, Glen Urquhart, when he told a local down state newspaper that he had been endorsed by former Republican Governor Pete Du Pont.

  But oh snap! Seems that he was a little premature. It seems that Gov. Du Pont had made that statement when he believed that Mr. Urquhart would be the only Republican candidate. Gov. Du Pont has never endorsed a primary candidate, and sees no reason to start now.

  Gov. Du Pont did however endorse Mr. Lopez in his 2004 run at the New Castle County Council’s President seat.

  There was also some talk that former Lt. Governor who became Governor, Dale Wolf, has endorsed Mr. Urquhart, but oh snap two times up!! Seems this was not the case either, since Mr. Wolf felt it necessary to put out this statement.”I want to be very clear that I have not endorsed Mr. Urquhart, and at this particular time, I have not endorsed either candidate,”

  Now clearly this could well be another case of not wanting to get involved in a primary fight. But one has to ask, how are these so-called endorsements making their way to the public? And without the approval of those who supposedly have made them.

  Well it would seem as if Mr. Lopez has now upped the stakes in the endorsement battle.

  It has been announced that state Rep. Harvey Kenton(R) of the 36th Dist and Rep. Ruth Briggs-King(R) of the 37th Dist have endorsed Mr. Ernie Lopez in his bid for the new 6th Senatorial District.

 One can only wonder what Mr. Urquhart will follow this up with, and will it actually stand the smell test this time.

Some instapundit analysis in no particular order:

First, the win means the end of the “Romney is inevitable” mantra.

Second, even more importantly, it means the establishment is weakened. Establishment picks are being overwhelmed by conservative sentiment. Romney’s support has scarcely ever wavered from about 25%. The rest of the votes have been divided among conservatives. That division is rapidly eroding.

Third, stereotypical views of evangelicals are eroding as well. They didn’t bite when Newt’s marriage became an issue. That issue will probably be put to rest from now on.

Fourth, Newt’s message about the in-the-tank—for-liberalism and Obama media will be taken seriously. The main stream media is on notice that there is at least one candidate who will not kow-tow to them.

Fifth, expect other conservative candidates to begin mimicking Gingrich’s strong stances. The day of the mild mannered Casper Milquetoast candidate who tries to please everybody is at an end, at least for this election cycle.

Sixth, the Tea Party is not dead. It did not disappear. It merely went underground to establish power by voting—fewer demonstrations, and more grass roots groundwork.

Last, expect the counter attacks against Gingrich to include a Pelosi (and Romney, as we have already seen} attempt to resurrect the ethics charges against Newt as well as a liberal effort to present him as crazed and dangerous.

The Thursday CNN debate in South Carolina started with an exchange between the moderator John King and Newt Gingrich about his ex-wife’s ABC interview claims.  King carefully placed the ball on the T and Newt smashed it out of the park while the audience ate it up.

Here is my theory behind the exchange.

I think that CNN set up this opportunity for Newt on purpose, but it has little or nothing to do with who they want to win the nomination or the Presidency.  The media has an interest in a long and active primary campaign.  Political campaigns are a treasure trove of news stories.  If you wish to be more benevolent in your attitude towards the media you could take the argument that a long campaign is also beneficial to the voters, and the media is simply looking out for our interests.  For the voters, a long primary gives more of us in the later states a chance to be a real part of the process.  Regardless of the motivation, a long primary can be seen as a positive thing for the news media, but it was in danger of being cut short.

Leading up to the Fox debate there was some concern that Mitt Romney might win all of the early primary states and run away with the nomination before states like Delaware even had their petition filing deadlines.  Not good.

Then came the FOX debate where, Newt got a standing O, Mitt was roughed up a little, and the polls started showing a shift.  That was both good and bad news for CNN.  The primary would be extended, but FOX might get the credit for turning things around.

Cue the friendly competition between media companies.

CNN needed to be able to take some of the credit.  Otherwise everyone would point to the exchange between Juan Williams and Newt as the moment that won South Carolina for Newt, saved the extended primary process, and its useful life in the news cycle.

How could CNN cut in on this action?  Easy, take advantage of Newt’s propensity and ability to lay into the media, and set up an even more dynamic opportunity for him to show off this strength.  So John King opens the debate by giving Newt the perfect set up to show of his media bashing skills.  This makes King a cruel, out of touch left-wing moron in some circles, the fall guy in others, and a hero in yet other circles.  The primaries will go on.  Some people will point to King v Gingrich as the moment that pushed him over the top in South Carolina.  Now the FOX News debate has been nudged aside in the minds of the voters to make room for the big opening spectacle of the CNN debate.  I think John King is comfortable with the situation, and now that the primary will continue he will have plenty of chances to hone his image further.

To close on a side note I think that Southern Christian Conservatives have successfully made the case that they are not stiff and ridged prudes about adultery and peoples private lives anymore.  They have come a long ways since the 90s.  Forgiveness is in the air, and I think that is generally a good thing, especially if applied equally to people and transgressions.  The main challenge is that liberal progressives will have no problem demonstrating that they are hypocrites in the general election, and they will be calling conservatives out as hypocrites the whole time.  People that have politics in the blood take pride in the double standard, especially if it aids the victory of their candidates and causes.

Note:   Because of a power outage I was not able to post this on my lunch break and since then I came across this article by John Ziegler (Author of Media Malpractice) that expresses similar concerns to my own about how well Newt’s victory by debate strategy will work in the general election.

Faye also posted the video of the exchange (with a different angle of analysis) so I don’t have to.  I agree with her about Newt’s debating skills and tactics, we need people that have some backbone when facing the media. I also think that John Ziegler is overly pessimistic in the article I linked above.  Newt could pull off a win, but only if he builds up his campaign to the point where  his bite is strong enough to enforce his bark.  Maybe Chuck Norris will help, but I think it will take a lot more.

It’s not easy being Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), the least impressive of the four remaining Republican presidential candidates. He barely managed to win the Iowa caucuses after devoting all of his time and money to the state, took a disappointing fifth place in the New Hampshire primary, and is now fighting Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) for third place in the national polls as well as South Carolina, where voters will vote in the crucial “first in the South” primary tomorrow (Jan. 21). Now that Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-UT) and Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) have dropped out of the race, fourth place equals last place, which happens to be Santorum’s current position in that state’s latest polls. Without a third-place finish, his struggling campaign is toast.

If Santorum’s desperation wasn’t already evident, he demonstrated it last night during the CNN debate in Charleston by taking a swipe at Paul on, of all issues, abortion.

Paul has plenty of controversial positions for mainstream Republicans like Santorum to hammer during debates and on the campaign trail, like his support for ending the federal drug war and halting military interventions overseas. But abortion? Paul is a devout Christian who personally delivered more than 4,000 babies during his career as an obstetrician, introduced the life-defining Sanctity of Life Act, and advocates“effectively repealing” Roe v. Wade by taking abortion out of the federal courts.

It’s difficult to imagine a stronger pro-life position than Paul’s, so Santorum’s attack struck observers as bizarre and risky, considering the ease with which it can be refuted.

“Congressman Paul has a National Right to Life voting record of fifty percent,” Santorum claimed, earning an incredulous look from Paul. “So to go out and say you’re someone who stands up for the right to life — you repeatedly vote against bills on a federal level to promote the right to life…”

Paul wasn’t having it. “I follow what my understanding is of the Constitution,” he patiently explained, noting that violent acts like murder and burglary are handled by the states. “So don’t try to say that I’m less pro-life because I want to be particular about the way we do it…If we would allow the states to write their laws, take away the [federal] jurisdiction by a majority vote in the Congress, you repeal Roe v. Wade overnight instead of waiting year after year to change the court system.”

With that, the crowd cheered wildly, the network cut to a break, and — presumably — Santorum’s face colored in embarrassment.

It’s unclear whether Santorum was confused about Paul’s current National Right to Life (NRLC) rating, or was alluding to an old figure. According to a scorecard on the organization’s website, Paul has a current rating of 100%, and was rated 100% and 80% in the two previous sessions of Congress. Only in 2005-2006 was he rated 55%, and only then for voting against the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (probably because of its questionable constitutionality based on a loose interpretation of the commerce clause). In earlier sessions, his ratings ranged from 72% to 95% — hardly an indicator of a weak position on abortion. By contrast, Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-NV) actual rating, contrary to Santorum’s claim, is 0%.

Assuming that the former senator meant to cite the six-year-old 55% figure from the combined sessions of the 109th Congress, his attack was based on a disagreement about one federal law. That’s it.

Of course, an NRLC rating isn’t the fairest way to judge any candidate’s position on abortion, as it simply indicates how often the candidate voted for NRLC-backed legislation during a particular session. The organization favors an all-or-nothing, top-down, federal-level approach to abortion, which is one of the reasons that pro-life conservatives have been losing ground on the issue for decades.

Paul’s constitutional approach, on the other hand, would sidestep the federal courts and enable conservative states to restrict or ban abortion. Under his federal Sanctity of Life Act, which would define life as beginning at conception, the rights of unborn children would be recognized and defended in all fifty states. Admittedly, abortion would probably remain legal in a handful of extremely liberal states, but how many hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved elsewhere? And, for pro-life conservatives, wouldn’t it be preferable for abortion to be legal in only, say, one-fifth of the states, as opposed to being legal in all of them for the foreseeable future?

Perhaps Santorum felt he was being clever by mischaracterizing Paul’s brilliant pro-life solution to abortion on a national stage two days before a primary in a socially conservative state. Or perhaps he just had a brain fart. Either way, he learned a valuable political lesson: Never attack an opponent on one of his strongest issues.

Love Newt or hate him, condemn or exonerate him, Gingrich gave a lesson for teachable conservatives: Don’t let the Left set the terms of debate. Turn the tables and don’t self-defend. Go from defense to offense.

DNREC, DHSS join First Lady Carla Markell in promoting 2012 as a year of volunteer service
New state websites offer volunteer opportunities and events

DOVER (Jan. 18, 2012) – As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy this week, Delaware’s First Lady Carla Markell is issuing a call to volunteers statewide to resolve to make 2012 a year of service. Mrs. Markell is being joined by Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O’Mara and Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Rita Landgraf to encourage Delawareans to make a resolution to volunteer in the new year.

“Volunteers throughout our state are strengthening our communities, mentoring our youth, helping those in need, and enhancing the health and well-being of all Delawareans,” Mrs. Markell said. “As we begin a new year, I encourage more of our citizens to make a commitment to volunteer – to give of their time, energy and talents in service to others and to our state.”

To help find volunteer opportunities and service projects, Mrs. Markell encourages Delawareans to visit two websites – the new Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s “Get Involved” website, www.dnrec.delaware.gov/volunteer and the updated Department of Health and Social Services’ “Volunteer Delaware” website, www.volunteerdelaware.org.

”Volunteering outdoors has a tremendous impact in helping protect and conserve Delaware’s precious natural resources. Outdoor stewardship projects – adopting a wetland, removing invasive species, cleaning up a beach, monitoring water quality of our rivers and streams, or educating youth, to name just a few – not only benefit our state’s natural resources today, but will have lasting benefits for generations to come,” said Secretary O’Mara. “By visiting our new website, volunteers of all ages, from youth groups to families to community organizations, will be able to find the right opportunity so they can make a difference.”

DNREC’s new “Get Involved!” website (www.dnrec.delaware.gov/volunteer/) provides comprehensive information on volunteer opportunities for all ages focused on Delaware’s natural heritage – both environmental and historical. The easy-to-navigate site features a month-by-month calendar of service projects and events, as well as options to search by specific topics listed alphabetically and by general categories – environmental conservation, research & monitoring, education & outreach, recreation, office & administration and internships.

“Volunteer Delaware” and its 500-plus partner organizations promote opportunities for people to volunteer, learn and lead in their communities, while enhancing the health and well-being of all Delawareans. “Volunteer Delaware” is free to the public and has many resources about the State Office of Volunteerism and the programs it promotes.

“This week we paid tribute to Dr. King’s lasting legacy of service,” said DHSS Secretary Rita Landgraf. “Dr. King knew that real success isn’t measured by the length of our resumes or the amount of money in our bank accounts. He knew that it truly comes from the differences we make in each others’ lives. We thank the thousands of Delawareans who volunteer, mentor or serve in another way. For those who are moved by Dr. King’s words to make a difference now, we recommend that you go to www.VolunteerDelaware.org to find opportunities that match your interests. Serving others is the ultimate way to live the promise that Dr. King dreamed of for all of us.”

Vol. 42, No.14
-30-
1/17/2012

My political round up this week has to include the insane attack on Governor Mitt Romney for paying his taxes and paying a higher percentage of his income than in an effective tax rate greater 97% of Americans. The same media that did not bash the Secretary of Treasury for not paying his taxes or the former chair of the Senate Finance Committee or the former Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee for not paying theirs. So Romney is a bad guy for paying every dollar he is legally required to pay and Democrats….

I am not a Mitt fan, but the man is a problem solver who knows economics. America could do a lot worse. Like most Americans in today’s Gallup poll, I would be fine with an Obama /Romney match up and like 80% of Republicans, I would not hesitate to vote for him. There is warning in that poll for the Romney bandwagon, Independents are not excited about him or Obama. If you really want the I’s support Paul. America is tired of civil liberties intrusion and endless war with mountains of debt. So am I.

Governor Markell did a great job with his state of the state address yesterday. Aplause. Now the rest of the story. How about the other issues that he did not address. He is costing us $600 a year in higher utility rates and 2200 jobs will be lost by the end of 2014 if we do not pull out of RGGI- the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. His Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards are insane and may cost us twice that. The hidden tax is as great as our income tax.

He didn’t seem to have any real answers to the fact that we are one of the top 5 violent states in America. Crime has soared and he buys guns from good people. He has no answers while people die.

We spend endless amounts of tax money upstate for jobs even if they start in Europe but promise to come here someday, but put crazy barriers downstate for any building which is costing us more jobs. DelDoT is the enemy of jobs in Kent and Sussex and the Governor could change that with one stroke of the pen. Why doesn’t he?

No Governor has ever challenged the traditional institutions of the family like this one has. The family is where we will find the strength to defeat juvenille crime, fight poverty, and improve education. It is not the magic answer, but it is part of the answer. Any undermining of the family structure by the state makes our work of renewal harder not easier.

That is how I see it. What is your view?

It was a good speech. The Governor’s office put out a release which did a good job detailing the accomplishments and goals the Governor presented today. I would like to look at what was not said, but that will have to come tomorrow.

Dover, DE – Governor Jack Markell’s fourth State of the State address today made clear that to lead in the future, Delaware must stay focused now on creating more jobs, making our schools stronger and governing responsibly. In the speech in the House Chamber, Markell offered new proposals in each critical area and updated the legislature on some successful efforts underway to get people back to work, ensure more Delaware children graduate ready to succeed and make government a sounder steward of state resources.

“This is Delaware’s time to lead. Creating more and better jobs. Improving our quality of life. Providing the best schools and learning opportunities for our children. Getting the most out of each tax dollar. Strengthening the trust of our people in their government. These are challenges even in ordinary times. We don’t live in ordinary times.”

As Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum recently wrote, companies and countries both gain the greatest amount of ground on their competitors “in the turns” which are periods of greatest change and uncertainty. After years spent battling challenges such as inheriting a historic budget shortfall and the effects of a national recession that hit the state particularly hard, Delaware has the chance now to leap ahead and lead forward. The state, Markell said, must seize this chance to “win in the turns.”

“When there are big shifts in the marketplace, when others are overwhelmed and in disarray, they put distance between themselves and their competitors. As tempting as it might seem to take this moment to pause and catch our breath, this is not the time to stand still. This is the time for Delaware to leap ahead, to lead.”

The division and derision that has marked debate in Washington, DC and other governing bodies has been largely absent in Delaware, where citizens and their legislators have pulled together across the state and across partisan lines to keep the state moving forward. The Governor thanked the legislature for their work to set the state up for success.

“At a moment when Washington, D.C. stands for deadlock and dysfunction, Delaware’s strength resides in the capacity of its people, even in challenging times, to work with common purpose, to choose perseverance in place of pettiness and partisanship.”

Job Creation: Capitalizing on our Economic Strength
Expanded Focus on Small Business and Entrepreneurs

Jobs and economic growth have been, and remain, the administration’s top priority.

“We must put ourselves in the shoes of those who create jobs. We’ve got to understand the industries in our State better than any other state. And we’ve got to be more committed to the success of businesses in our state than any other state.”

“Winning the turns” means continuing to make progress with the state’s ongoing efforts at job creation, including fully funding the Strategic Fund, which has helped attract and retain jobs at significant employers like PBF Energy, Sallie Mae, Baltimore Air Coil, Fisker Automotive, Miller Metal, Bloom Energy, Mountaire Farms and Capital One; investing in infrastructure, including the use of the Delaware Infrastructure Fund to attract businesses expansion efforts like Amazon.com; and continuing to modernize the Port of Wilmington to increase our capacity to handle global trade.

It means demonstrating that economic development and environmental protection are compatible goals through existing efforts that have modernized our energy fleet while reducing air pollution by 8,600 tons per year of nitrogen oxide and 33,000 tons per year of sulfur dioxide (equivalent of taking 450,000 cars off the road); and connecting people with the First State’s history and natural beauty including the launch of the First State Trails and Pathways Plan, a $13 million effort to build miles of new and enhanced trails throughout the state for every Delawarean to enjoy.

Seizing Delaware’s time to lead also means adopting new efforts to get people back to work now and in the future by focusing on small businesses. This includes further supporting emerging start-ups and growing companies by applying best practices found at entrepreneurial support centers across the country and helping existing small businesses get access to credit through the federal Small Business Credit Initiative. The state is pursuing innovative ways to give small businesses the edge, including the first statewide partnership with Facebook to help Delaware companies fully engage the powerful potential of social media.

“We already have terrific small businesses but we aspire to see more created and to see them grow quickly. To accomplish that, we must nurture the small businesses and new companies that will thrive in the hospitable soil for job creation that our leading employers and our world-class workforce create around them.”

For their work, the Governor also recognized two members of the Delaware National Guard in the audience, Sergeant Bruce Sevens of Dover and Senior Airman Jason Duricek of Wilmington, both of whom served in Afghanistan.

“The first thanks we owe all of our veterans when they come home is the chance to partake in the abundance of opportunity that they make possible for the rest of us. Their mission puts them in harm’s way, but their morale is high and their skills are exceptional. Let’s work together to ensure they have the opportunity to put those skills to work when they come home.”

Delaware recently added representation of veteran-owned businesses to our Supplier Diversity Council, to ensure that they have a fair opportunity to compete for state business. To encourage the private sector to hire returning veterans, the Governor proposed expanding tax credits to Delaware businesses that hire veterans.

Schools: Creating the Workforce of Tomorrow
Expanded Emphasis on Early Childhood Education

Just as a businesses’ greatest asset in growth is its people, the state’s greatest asset for economic growth can be its workforce. Keeping the state’s commitment to the strongest possible public schools provides significant economic benefits now and in the future.

“The biggest driver for a business when deciding where to locate and expand is the quality of the workforce. That talent will determine whether the business becomes an innovation leader or gets left behind in the creative dust of its competitors. This is why, when the history of our time here is written, the determined push we are making to raise student achievement will prove to be the biggest game-changer of all.”

The state has made significant commitments to making schools stronger, including a reform plan that won national recognition through the first Race to the Top Competition. Working together, parents, teachers, administrators, private employers, foundations and public officials have established high standards to ensure an honest understanding of what is necessary for success in the global economy; improved the assessment system so parents and teachers can track student progress and identify student needs quickly; supported teachers with resources to help them student achievement; and made progress on evaluations for teachers based in part on the progress students make.

Over the past year, Delaware has also launched a World Language Expansion Initiative, increasing opportunities to study the languages needed for global competitiveness and making completion of a world language a graduation requirement. The Governor further proposed to create partial immersion programs in twenty schools over the next five years.

“In today’s global knowledge economy, those who are not pushing forward are falling behind. For Delaware to maintain its position of leadership, it is absolutely vital that we keep pressing ahead. Around the world, young people are working hard in schools that are dramatically improving and if we stop our own efforts now, it will be to the detriment of our kids and their future.”

To press forward, the Governor emphasized the importance of implementing without additional delay the state’s Performance Appraisal System, which has been crafted with the advice of hundreds of Delaware teachers. As a parent, he highlighted the need to ensure that these efforts help children develop a love for learning that inspires their imaginations and creativity, and committed to working with the Delaware State Teachers Association and the state’s business community on a new effort to raise awareness of the truly great things that are happening in Delaware classrooms.

“Finally, pressing ahead means acknowledging what research has clearly established — raising student achievement begins before children enter kindergarten. I’ve heard this message from hundreds of teachers — children receiving quality early care and education are more likely to be successful in school and in life. Investments that promise high yields get my attention and, in the realm of public policy, there is no higher yield investment than this one.”

Delaware announced historic investments in early childhood education during the spring of 2011, and the state was recognized for these plans with significant federal funding through the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge in December. The plan, which Delawareans are working together to implement, includes (1) the professionals who care for Delaware’s children will have the proper training; (2) the early childcare facilities will have the best teaching and learning tools; and (3) the successes and challenges of centers will be closely monitored to ensure continual improvement.

The Governor indicated that the state aims to raise the percentage of high-need children in quality-rated programs from 20 percent to nearly 80 percent over the next four years and committed to introducing a new kindergarten assessment through collaboration with the Delaware State Teachers Association and many kindergarten teachers.

Governing Responsibly: Transparency and Cost Containment
Expanded Focus on Driving Down Health Care Costs

To succeed, Delaware needs to invest in business-supporting infrastructure, quality of life, our children, and our workforce. Governor Markell emphasized that responsible governance is critical to ensuring the effectiveness of these investments.

“This requires a state government that is innovative, efficient and transparent. Governments that are open and transparent are more likely to manage taxpayer resources responsibly.”

Government transparency took several steps forward in 2011, with streamlined procedures for responding to requests for public records from the executive branch. The Governor called on counties, towns and school districts to join this commitment to ensuring citizens have access to information, and he commended the General Assembly for their significant progress over the past three years.

To build on this progress towards greater transparency, Governor Markell announced that the administration would work with President Pro Tempore DeLuca and Speaker Gilligan, and Majority Leaders Blevins and Schwartzkopf to implement a new online reporting tool where citizens can see which lobbyists are advocating for clients on specific pieces of legislation.

“We have been successful in pulling together in tough times in no small part because of faith in the responsiveness of Delaware government. The trust of people in their state government should not be undermined by a perception that lobbyists have hidden access here in Dover.”

The Governor has worked with state agencies and Legislators to make government more efficient through initiatives like the “I Found it Cheaper” website for state procurement, eliminate more than a thousand executive branch positions, slashed the state vehicle fleet, renegotiated leased space, and stopped unnecessary printing. In 2011, leaders from both parties and representatives of employees worked together—in contrast to the pitched battles in other states—to confront the unsustainable long-term costs of state employee pension and health plans, saving more than $480 million over the next 15 years.

Further efforts to increase efficiency are needed, including reforms to the criminal justice system. Through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, state officials are continuing to review opportunities to improve investments to achieve greater impact.

Governor Markell also highlighted health care as the cost driver that “looms above all others and will swamp all the savings we achieve elsewhere if not addressed.” State Medicaid spending increased by $56 million for the Fiscal 2012 budget, and the proposed increase for 2013 will be $21.7 million.

“The incentives we have in place in our health care system reward neither efficiency nor quality. These incentives encourage more services and tests, not better results. We have a system that doesn’t encourage healthy behavior in patients and doesn’t discourage unhealthy behavior. In essence, we don’t have a health care system; we have a sick care system.”

Because the Medicaid population combined with State employees and retirees represents nearly 40 percent of the health insurance market in Delaware, the Governor committed to work with the Delaware Medical Society, the Delaware Healthcare Association, and the community to insist on incentives for providers that are aligned to improve quality and discourage waste.

Some progress has already been made: starting April 1st, Delaware will replace a traditional reliance on institutional care for seniors with a strong emphasis on community living. State agencies are also coordinating efforts to improve the quality and reduce the cost of care for those who have traditionally been cared for in the state hospital and young people aging out of foster care.

The use of technology is critical to improving health care quality and reducing costs for individual patients and doctors. A next step is to leverage technology to create a claims and cost database to enable the state to understand what efforts are effective:

“Business leaders have come to understand the key to improving performance is harnessing the capacity of information technology to aggregate and analyze data. This database will allow us to figure out why some providers get better results and why some providers create more costs without better results to show for it. We will be in a position to reward what works and change what doesn’t.”

The Governor discussed the need to encourage individuals to take responsibility for making healthy choices by building on efforts begun by the Governor’s Council on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, the Sussex Outdoors Initiative, Delaware institutions of higher education, and others. He also announced that state campuses will become smoke-free.

“Turning around this cost curve will not be easy and it will take time. But it is work to which we must commit — urgently and earnestly — if we are to put ourselves on a sustainable financial course and retain the freedom to invest in our children and our future.”

Transcript of the Governor’s 2012 State of the State message

Governor Rick Perry may become the Kingmaker. Speaker Gingrich now has the momentum in South Carolina. We found out that Mitt Romney didn’t really win Iowa. We should have always known that. It was a three way tie with 7 delegates to Santorum, Paul, and Romney. Still congratulations to the winner Senator Santorum.

http://dti.delaware.gov/webcast/

Watch Gov. Markell live at 2:00 pm today.

Guest Post from Dr. Lillian Lowery, Delaware Secretary of Education:

Almost 10 years ago, the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act began requiring states to report disaggregated student test scores. Aggregated results had masked serious deficiencies among many of our country’s most vulnerable students. The law’s great legacy is bringing accountability for states, districts, schools and teachers to the forefront, but it also has its flaws.

Recognizing this, in September, President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan offered states the chance to apply for flexibility from certain requirements of the law in exchange for aggressive state-led reform. Eleven states applied during the first round in November, and Delaware is among 30 expected to apply in February for the second round.

If our plan is approved, Delaware will get flexibility in the setting of realistic student proficiency targets. In other words, schools would not be required to meet NCLB’s requirement that 100 percent of students achieve proficiency by 2013-14 or be subject to sanctions, such as school improvement, corrective action and restructuring. Schools also would gain more flexibility with some funding, such as dollars designated for choice and supplemental education services. The purpose is to allow districts and schools the opportunity to adopt and implement meaningful improvements to benefit their students.

This is a welcome opportunity. President Obama and Secretary Duncan understand the need to move away from the unrealistic and unfair goals of a finite annual target in a finite period of time for all students.

To gain approval, states must address four major reform areas in their applications: college- and career-ready expectations for all students; differentiated recognition, accountability and support for schools based on their performance; supporting effective instruction and leadership; and reducing duplication and unnecessary burden. Thanks to the state’s top-ranked federal Race to the Top plan, Delaware already has initiatives in place to meet the first, third and fourth principles. But the second principle will require major change, namely a new system for school recognition, accountability and support.

Delaware’s proposal targets the state’s achievement gaps, aiming to reduce by half the number of non-proficient students in 11 subgroups by 2017, using the 2011 data to establish the starting points.

Gone would be the old, and confusing, way of ranking schools with the labels of “superior,” “commendable,” and “academic watch” and status designation, such as “under improvement.” Instead, Delaware would switch to a new system — developed by Delawareans using guidance delineated by the U.S. Department of Education — that places schools in classifications ranging from Reward and Recognition (for the top performing schools) to Focus and Partnership Zone (for the lowest performing schools). In addition, there will be a support system for all schools regardless of their possible classification.

Reward and Recognition schools would be eligible for financial awards by revising the current award programs. Focus and Partnership Zone schools would receive the most intense state support and interventions, ensuring these buildings have the assistance they need to meet student needs. Delaware already has some of this work underway, thanks to our Race to the Top-funded Partnership Zone schools, which are undergoing aggressive reforms with the support of the state’s School Turnaround Unit.

The state’s full draft plan is available online for public review here. While this opportunity for change is exciting, I know it also can be confusing. Although flawed, the old system at least is recognizable to educators, parents and other community members. So many new rules, names and school classifications can be overwhelming even to those well versed in education matters.

That’s why I hope you will join us at one of three community meetings this month so we can explain this proposal in more detail. The evening meetings – one per county – aim to ensure all questions are answered and feedback considered before we submit our state’s plan to federal officials in February. I look forward to seeing you there.

Community meetings
» 6 p.m., Wed., Jan. 4 at the James Gilliam Conference Center, 77 Reeds Way, New Castle.
» 6 p.m., Wed., Jan. 11 at Kent County Government Building, Room 220, Dover.
» 6 p.m., Thurs., Jan. 19, Sussex County Government Building, The Circle, Georgetown.

If you can’t make these meetings, we’d still very much appreciate your feedback on the draft plan. You can get in touch with us by email or phone, or connect with us through Facebook.

Senator Lawson’s answer to the statewide wave of terror is Senate Bill 161. It would make home invasion a class A Felony subject to Life imprisonment without parole or probatiion.

Section 1. Amend Title 11 of the Delaware Code by making insertions as shown by underlining and deletions as shown by strike through as follows:

§ 830. Home invasion.

(a) A person is guilty of home invasion when the person knowingly enters a dwelling owned or occupied by another while the person or another participant in the crime is armed with a deadly weapon and when, in effecting entry or when in the dwelling or in the immediate flight therefrom, he/she engages in conduct constituting at least one of the following criminal offenses as defined by the Delaware Code:

(1) Robbery in the first degree;

(2) Assault in the first or second degree;

(3) Rape, of any degree;

(4) Murder, of any degree;

(5) Manslaughter;

(6) Kidnapping, of any degree.

(b) Home invasion is a class A felony. A person convicted of home invasion for a second time shall receive a minimum sentence of life imprisonment at Level V without benefit of probation or parole, notwithstanding any provision of the Delaware Code to the contrary.

(c) Any person charged with home invasion who has attained the age of 16 years shall be tried as an adult, notwithstanding any provision of the Delaware Code to the contrary

According to The Blaze,

“… four residents are asking U.S. District Court Judge Leonard P. Stark to rule that this action [reciting the Lord’s prayer at Sussex County Council meetings] violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment. Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS), a church-state separatist group, is defending the four citizens who would like to see the recitation ruled unconstitutional.

“It affiliates the county government with one single faith — Christianity — and sends a message to the county residents that their county government favors one religion,” said Alex Luchenitser, an attorney for AUSCS. ”The way this prayer is recited has many hallmarks of a religious exercise.”

Full story to be found here:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/citizens-sue-to-stop-lords-prayer-recitation-at-delaware-county-council-meetings/

Excerpt from my recent article for American Thinker:

“The California Teachers’ Association, as reported by the Christian Examiner, held a conference during which the association’s conference presenters and program received materials advocating “gender liberation.”

According to the materials, male-female distinctions must be eliminated in order to “liberate” children from unnecessary stereotypes about what it means to be male or female.

To be absolutely clear, the anti-genderists are not seeking “equal rights,” but obliteration of the distinctions between male and female.

For example, the conference literature included this instruction on “gender etiquette”:
•”Please do not assume anyone’s gender, even people you may have met in the past. A person’s external appearance may not match their internal gender identity.”
•”You cannot know the gender or sex of someone by their physical body, voice, appearance or mannerisms.”
•Pay attention to a person’s purposeful gender expression. We consider it polite to ask: “What pronoun do you prefer?” or “How do you identify?” before using pronouns or gendered words for anyone.
•One way of acknowledging the needs of all people is to designate restrooms as gender neutral.
•”Respectful allies, who learn from and with everyone and then educate others, are important for successful gender liberation.”
•Each of us can decide for ourselves in which bathroom we belong.

Read more about this creepy trend at: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/the_abolition_of_gender.html#ixzz1jpuIuAso

Note: I use the term “gender” as meaning male or female sex, not as a grammatical construct of a given language.

  John Huntsman has announced that he is withdrawing from the race to be the GOP presidential nominee. He has also announced that he is endorsing Mitt Romney.

  Well  how about that ! Are you as shocked as I am that John Huntsman has decided that he can’t win. And one has to wonder what was given in promise to get that highly sought after endorsement.

  John Huntsman was never in the hunt, get it? One would hope that this means that he will not be mounting (another hunting reference if you are counting) a third-party shot (okay I was reaching on that one) and will support Romney right up until Romney loses the nomination to either Santorum or Gingrich.

  One would also hope that he will support whoever is the nominee.

  The field is narrowing, which means that every primary becomes more important. I really don’t think Mr. Huntsman had to actually endorse Romney, who else would Huntsman supporters go to?

  Well now that the NFL season has ended for the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow, the question is who lost the game?

  I have to admit that I was unable to see the last game of the 2011 season for the Broncos, and possibly the last for Tim Tebow as a Bronco. I was working, so maybe someone can fill me in on who lost the game for the Broncos.

   I understand that the topic of Tim Tebow has been covered to the point of being obnoxious. However I feel that it deserves one more look.

   Like many I could not understand the fascination with a quarterback who was universally described as not being ready for the NFL. It would seem that he was attracting most of his attention based on the fact that he was a Christian who was, so-called, outspoken about his Christianity. The fact that he would kneel and pray after a touchdown or a game. That he would give thanks to God first and fore most.

  But really was this  unique? I have been watching football and other sports since I was about nine years old. There has always been players who would first thank God for the blessings that they received. There have been many players who would kneel and give thanks after a touchdown. So why Tebow? Why has  he been embraced by the nation more so say than a Troy Polamalu, he has been making the sign of the cross on the field before and after every play and on the sidelines since coming to the NFL.

  Of course many of the most outspoken supporters of Tebow will tell you that they are just so happy to have a person who is so clearly Christian succeeding. But again Tebow is not the  first. So again, why the stir now?

  To be fair there has been quite a bit of what might be described as being negative attention from some in the media.

  I do believe that his faith has driven both sides of the Tebow question. I also believe there is a political aspect to the topic. We shouldn’t forget that Tebow came to national attention after the Super Bowl commercial he made with his mother with a pro-life theme. Clearly abortion is a huge political issue.

  Let me say, from what I can tell from the public image of Tim Tebow, he is an example to both the young and old. He is an example of how we should all live our lives. But not because he is a football player, not because he is a successful football player. His strong faith should be an example to all who call themselves Christian. This is true whether he is a football player, or a farmer, or a doctor, or a dishwasher.

  I have actually heard some people saying that the Broncos were winning because of Tebow’s strong faith, well maybe, one never knows. Possibly God has been working through Tebow to inspire others to follow the word of Christ. If so, I think many have missed the message, since most of the praise has been for Tebow’s courage, instead of for Christ.

  Ever since Tebow has taken on the role as starting quarterback for the Broncos the story has been Tebow. It would seem to someone who knows nothing about the game, that one man could win alone. Story after story talked about Tebow this, Tebow that.

  So now what? Did Tebow lose the game? Will his supporters now say that it was the defense that let Tebow down? Is God testing the faith of those who felt so strongly about Tebow? Has Tebow done something in his private life, or merely within his heart, that has angered God, so that God removed his football support of Tebow?

  I don’t know what part Tebow’s faith played in his success or his failure, other than I do believe that faith in God can give you an inner strength that allows you to rise above challenges. However, we all know that there are many players in the NFL who have not exactly lived a Christian life. There are many in the NFL alone who have murdered, raped and sold and done drugs who have been what some would call successful.

  I would encourage those who were so moved by Tebow’s demonstrations of faith on the field, to also seek out others away from the field. Look for the person who holds the door for the person behind them. Look for the young man who helps the elderly lady to her car with her groceries. Look for the person who returns the wallet they find on the street, along with the large amount of money within.

  In other words, look for examples of living a moral upstanding life in everyday life. Be it from an NFL quarterback, or your neighbors, or a stranger you have never met. 

  More importantly strive to be an example of living a moral upstanding life. Remember, if Tim Tebow inspired even just one person to seek God through Christ, then he is a success, and if you or I inspire even just one person to seek God through Christ by the way we go about our lives and the little everyday things we do, then we are an equal success.

Saul Alinsky’s book. “Rules For Radicals,” was first named “Rules For Revolution,” and has caused untold controversy since Alinsky published the book in 1971. I realize that one post will not be enough to communicate the content of destruction this book holds for our Republic.
When I first bought the book, I vowed to read it cover to cover before donning my pencil to write even one word. Alinsky opens in the book’s prologue by writing, “The revolutionary force today has two targets, moral as well as material. Its young protagonists are one moment reminiscent of the idealistic early Christians, yet they also urge violence and cry, “Burn the system down!”
Alinsky’s tactics were based not on Stalin’s revolutionary violence, but instead on the neo-Marxist strategies of Antonio Gramsci, an Italian communist. Relying on gradualism, infiltration and the, “dialectic process” rather than bloody revolution. Gramsci’s transformational Marxism was so subtle that few even noticed the deliberate changes.
At this point, I would like to define, “dialectic process:” Reasoning in which question-answer approach (dialectic) is used to examine the correctness, legitimacy, or validity of an assumption, idea, opinion.
Alinsky writes on page 10, “A Marxist begins with his prime truth that all evils are caused by the exploitation of the proletariat by the capitalists. From this he logically proceeds to the revolution to end capitalism, then into a new social order, or the “dictatorship” of the proletariat and finally the last stage, the political paradise of communism.”
A letter from Saul Alinsky’s son David States: “Obama learned his lesson well. I am proud to see that my father’s model for organizing is being applied successfully beyond local community organizing to affect the democratic campaign in 2008. It is a fine tribute to Saul Alinsky as we his approach 100th birthday.”
Obama taught workshops on Alinsky’s theories and methods for years and in 1985, he started working as a community organizer for and Alinskyite group called, “Developing Community Projects.” While building coalitions of black churches in Chicago, Obama was criticized for not attending church and decided to become an instant Christian. He then helped fund the Alinsky Academy. Obama was a paid director of the Woods Fund, which is a non-profit organization used to provide start-up funding and operating capital for Midwest Academy, which teaches the Alinsky tactics of community organization. Obama sat on the Woods Fund Board with William Ayers, the founder of the, “Weather Underground,” a domestic terrorist organization.
Hillary Rodham as a student at Wellesly in 1969, interviewed Saul Alinsky and wrote her thesis on Alinsky’s theories and methods. She concludes her thesis by writing, “Alinsky is regarded by many as the proponent of a dangerous socio/political philosophy. As such he has been feared, just as Eugene Debs or Walt Whitman or Martin Luther King has been feared, because each embraced the most radical of political faiths, “democracy.”
Alinsky offered Hillary a job upon graduation from Wellesley but she decided to attend Yale Law School where she met her husband Bill Clinton.
“Rules For Radicals,” page 113, “From the moment the organizer enters a community he lives, dreams, eats, breaths, sleeps only one thing and that is to build the mass power base of what he calls the army. Until he has developed that mass power base, he confronts no issues.”
Page 59, “But to the organizer, compromise is a key and beautiful word. It is always present in the pragmatics of operation. It is making a deal, getting that vital breather, usually the victory. If you start with nothing, demand 100 percent, compromise for 30 percent, you’re 30 percent ahead.”
In closing, I would urge every conservative or constitution minded person to know your enemy. Buy and read this book. Your adversaries have memorized and are using the principles within its covers to destroy our great republic. Make no mistake, the Progressive Liberals or Radicals’ goal is to tear down the republic and shred the Constitution. The problem is, they have nothing to replace it with; they are only bent on destruction.

A Nation can only be disgraced by the failure of its citizenry to take action in the face of tyranny
Donald Raleigh Ayotte, August 2010

  On the national scene we have had one caucus, one primary, we are less than ten days from the second primary, the media is already quoting polling from Florida which will be the third primary and they are already trying to sell it,  that the race is over and that Romney will be the GOP nominee.

  Did we learn nothing from 201o? Are we really going to allow the media and the establishment to pick our nominee again, as they did with John Mc Cain?

   If the first four states are going to be the deciding factors in the primary process, then we need a new system, or at the very least, a new primary schedule.

  I for one am tired of being irrelevant here in Delaware. I am sure that many citizens across the nation feel the same way, when after listening to the hype of the run up to the Iowa Caucus and waiting for their own home state’s primary, only to be told that it is all over and they have no say at all.

  I am also concerned with the group we have to select from.  Let me include my personal choice out of the current field, Rick Santorum. He is after all a career politician, as is Newt Gingrich and to lesser extent Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and John Huntsman. I know that all have most likely had some dalliance outside of politics at some time in their youth, but let’s face it, they are all politicians for life.

  I don’t think any of them would be confused for what one might call the average man, yet they will all tell you they understand the needs and troubles of the average citizen. I wonder if any of them know the cost of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread.

   Mitt Romney will tell you that he is the only one who knows how to create jobs because he once was in charge of other people money. Oh ! Wait ! That is exactly what political leaders do, isn’t it?

  The problem we have here in America is that the system to elect people to office has itself grown into a business. One that cost a lot of money to run. No longer can the average man or woman hope to run for office. No longer can we tell our children that they too can grow up to be President. That is unless they are bank rolled by some radical leftist leftover bomber from the sixties. Or some radical leftist money changer out to destroy the worlds economic system.

   As we progress further and further our system is creating an elite group of people who are in turn becoming a ruling class. This is not what the founders intended.

  It is not only a national problem. We can look right here at home in Delaware and see the roots of the same poison fruit spreading across the political landscape.

  I am noticing more and more that there is a movement to limit who can run for office in Delaware.  Currently there is proposed legislation to require that all elected officials and I believe also all candidates, to give a list of all family relation who work for the state, right down to if they work for a non-profit organization that receives money from the state.

  On the surface this may seem a good thing. I am sure that it is intended to stop elected officials from giving favor to agencies and organizations that their family members may benefit from.

  There is also a bias against employees of the state from seeking elected office.  Some would even bar from office anyone who might be married to a state employee. I for example would not be able to run for office as my wife is a state employee and my daughter is studying to be a teacher.

 Think of the thousands of people excluded from office, simply because a relative works for the state. So what does that leave us for candidates?

 If we factor in the cost of running for office, and the amount of time that must be committed to the office of say a state senator, we are left mostly with wealthy retired  people or at the very least a candidate must be self-employed so that they can set their own hours.

  If we also bar another group of people and their relatives from elected office we have further shrunk the number of possible candidates. Every time we reduce the number of people who are eligible, we give more power to the ruling class.

 I am not in favor of elected officials receiving state jobs after they are elected, I do however feel that it is a legitimate issue to discuss that a candidate is already a state employee. To ask whether they would be in a position to benefit from the office they seek.

 That being said, I have a serious problem with creating list that may possibly be used to bar people from participating in the governing process.

  It seems as if there is a move by the establishment to set new rules of who can run for office and in so doing, they would solidify their own positions of power.

James O’Keefe shows how easy it is to vote as a zombie in New Hampshire.

19 states require no identification in order to vote. Delaware requires only a non-photo ID. Why doesn’t our state require a photo ID?

You all know the results in NH are Romney, Paul, and Huntsman. Now it is off to South Carolina.

Governor Chris Christie is still popular in his home state with a 53 to 37 approval rating.
Dover Police Department will finally get 2 of the 3 new hires to fill vacancies.

Mr. Ben Mobley will appear before the 31st Republican Committee in Dover Thursday at the 942 Walker Road, Dover, DE 19904, which is the new Headquarters, January 12 at 5:30 p.m.

This blog site has been dedicated to countless threads which involve endless discussion, attacks and counter attacks over local contests, personal disagreements and acrimonious assaults, Republican and Democrat alike.

In the end, it won’t matter.

Concerns about the Delaware GOP’s strategies going forward, promotion of Republican candidates and conservative fiscal policies also have provoked endless discussion.

It won’t matter.

It won’t matter because in the end, UNLESS the current trend toward the dismantling of federalism is stopped and reversed in 2012, states’ rights and states’ abilities to enact laws and to establish policies will be completely eliminated.

In the place of state governments and the exciting and sometimes brawling local politics determined by a deeply involved citizenry; in place of state governments, traditionally the breeding ground for policy innovation, will be a faceless, bureaucratic federal leviathan which will dictate policy from above.

States will be reduced to mere appendages of the bureaucracy, distributing monies, shuffling meaningless paperwork and enforcing regulations according the dictates of entities neither accountable to the electorate nor interested in the individual citizen.

In other words, states will become much like the nations within the orbit of the Soviet Union—still retaining distinct names and local cuisine, but wholly subservient to the orders of the Soviet regime.

We have already seen the stranglehold bureaucracies such as the EPA hold on states and how the endless stream of regulations occupies the energies and monies of our own state of Delaware.

The EPA is only one of many such entities. We have yet to see how thoroughly the predations of the new federal health care system will eviscerate Delaware’s health care system.

How can we make Delaware and other states matter again?

We have to fight for the revival of true federalism, against the burgeoning increase of executive power and the overreach of the courts.

In order to do that, the GOP needs to unify itself by adhering to constitutional principles and to start from the bottom up to reform what is being imposed from the top down.

To that end, local entities need to instill in themselves and their constituents an unbendable resistance, a concerted effort to resist the ever increasing federal intrusion into states, local and personal rights.

Perhaps the example of such states as Arizona might inspire–David against Goliath.

The point is that resistance, well…

It matters.

Apparently, according to the brain surgeon who called in to the Mark Levin talk show, if you’re over 70, you are entitled to “comfort care” ONLY under certain circumstances. If you need brain surgery, administrators, not the surgeons, will decide whether or not you get the necessary operation.

Anyone remember when Sarah Palin was ridiculed for talking about Obamacare “Death Panels?”