Where public policy meets common sense
Posted in National Security, Obama, Open Government, Stuff, War ON TERROR on Jul 25th, 2010
So now it is coming out. The Obama White House gave the unofficial go ahead to the Scottish Government to release the thug terrorist responsible for the brutal murder of Americans over Lockerbie Scotland. Remember last week Obama said, ”that all Americans were “surprised, disappointed and angry” to learn of Megrahi’s release. Well it turns out [...]
Posted in Open Government on May 27th, 2010
Entering a federal facility on false pretenses was the misdemeanor to which conservative activist and ACORN buster James O’Keefe pleaded guilty. His group’s short lived investigation of a powerful Democratic Senator ended badly O’Keefe’s group was trying to determine if Senator Mary Landrieu’s phone lines were working or was she avoiding constituents. They posed as [...]
Posted in Crime, Open Government on Oct 9th, 2009
Attorney General Beau Biden’s Office balked, the second time in as many weeks, in its latest attempt to restrict the First Amendment rights of a well-respected Department of Correction critic. Deputy Attorney General Marc P. Niedzielski was due in court this morning to ask a judge to stop Dover attorney Steve Hampton from speaking out [...]
Posted in Delaware Democrats, Economics, Election 2008-President, Healthcare, Open Government, Spending, Stuff, Taxes, Tom Carper, Universal Healthcare on Oct 2nd, 2009
Delaware’s very own senior U.S. Senator Tom Carper admits that he has no intention of reading the actual legislative text of the upcoming Health Care Bill. Carper calls legislative language gibberish and states that he can’t comprehend this type of language. Carper also “questioned whether anybody could read the actual legislative text and credibly claim [...]
Posted in Greg Lavelle, Jack Markell, Open Government, Transparency on Sep 18th, 2009
The Governor’s office responded to Rep. Lavelle’s FIOA request for Mr. Vince Meconi. The answer is there is no formal contract and no formal standards have been set. He is a casual/seasonal employee with no formal job duties contracted, but his agency sets out expectations. He is paid $38.46 an hour and must keep a [...]
Posted in Greg Lavelle, Open Government on Sep 5th, 2009
How open is state government? It all depends what you want to see. Rep. Greg Lavelle is still waiting for his FOIA request and now has a website to highlight the incident.
Posted in Cathcart, Delaware Democrats, Delaware GOP, Jack Markell, Open Government, Schwartzkopf, State Senate, Taxes, economy on Aug 7th, 2009
Representatives Cathcart and Short swing back: Rep. Schwartzkopf took unjustified jab at House Republicans Dick Cathcart and Dan Short Recently, State House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf wrote a column in which he used one arm to pat House Democrats on the back while using the other to take an undeserved swipe at House Republicans. We [...]
Posted in Earmarks, Ethics, Liberal Media, Open Government on Jul 31st, 2009
“The head of Fry Manufacturing, the Laurel french-fry vending machine firm that got a $50,000 allocation from this year’s bond bill, is married to a niece of Sen. Robert L. Venables — head of the Bond Bill Committee and the legislator who added the money to the bill” screamed the News Journal. Much later in [...]
Posted in Biden, Change, Energy, National Dems, Obama, Open Government, Transparency on Jul 10th, 2009
Remember back when presidential candidate Barack Obama said this: When there are meetings between lobbyists and a government agency, we won’t be going to the Supreme Court to keep it secret like Dick Cheney and his energy task force, we’ll be putting them up on the Internet for every American to watch. Well, apparently that’s [...]
Posted in Budget, Open Government, Spending, Transparency on Jul 7th, 2009
• From January 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009, state employees received more than $76.5 million in benefits. • In fiscal year 2008, the State of Delaware spent over $3.1 billion in check payments to Delaware businesses and over $1 billion to out-of-state firms (over a quarter of the check expenditures), equating to over $3 [...]
Posted in Budget, Open Government, Transparency on Jul 7th, 2009
Caesar Rodney Institute Launches Transparency Web Site DelawareSpends.com unveiled in effort to increase accountability in government through a user-friendly, searchable online database of state government spending. DOVER – In recent years the calls for improving accountability and transparency in Delaware’s state government have increased tremendously. As is evident with the State of Delaware’s recent budget [...]
Posted in Budget, Change, Comment Rescue, Deficit, Delaware Democrats, Open Government, Taxes, Transparency, Waste on Jun 29th, 2009
resolutedetermination over at Resolute Determination has this inspiring report up: I just called the Division of Research at Legislative Hall to get my hands on a copy of the budget. I was told that the public has no right to review the budget until after the General Assembly passes the bill. So how can any [...]
Posted in Charlie Copeland, Comment Rescue, Delaware Blogs, Delaware Democrats, Jack Markell, Open Government, Transparency on May 29th, 2009
Lt. Governor Matt Denn has caused a stir in Delaware’s Blogosphere by starting a blog that he touts as, “the first official blog written by a member of Delaware’s state government.” And as far as I can tell, it is. It’s also, as I pointed out on Down With Absolutes, a blog that doesn’t give [...]
Posted in Budget, Change, Delaware Democrats, Markell, Open Government, Schwartzkopf, economy on May 8th, 2009
This week Governor Markell pulled an astonishing, double-secret-pinky-swear fact out and smacked Delawareans in the face with it: “This isn’t over,” Markell said. “The bottom line is, we still need to find the funding to do all the things we need to do.” Markell said lawmakers who opposed his proposal were voting against something that [...]
Posted in Budget, Carney, Delaware Democrats, Open Government, Schwartzkopf, Spending, economy on May 6th, 2009
Suddenly it’s being peddled by the Governor and the House Majority Leader that voting against the casino gambling bill somehow means a vote against state employees’ pay: “This isn’t over,” Markell said. “The bottom line is, we still need to find the funding to do all the things we need to do.” Markell said lawmakers [...]
Posted in Carney, Change, Crime, Delaware Democrats, Employment, Ethics, Jack Markell, Local Media, Open Government, Quotes, Schwartzkopf, unemployment on May 5th, 2009
Today I found out that my state representative thinks his job is to be the Governor’s waterboy: “Part of my job is to carry the water for the governor and it’s just that simple.” ~ Rep. Pete “The Waterboy” Schwartzkopf We just got out of an election season where John Carney, the former Lt. Governor, [...]
Posted in Delaware Democrats, Markell, Open Government, Spending, Taxes on Apr 30th, 2009
Governor Markell has been dealt a poor hand therefore I have made it point to give him a chance before being critical. The state has little money and huge short falls. His aggressive and expensive agenda has mostly taken a back seat to reality. How has the governor done so far? The Governor is trying [...]
Posted in Alternative Fuel, Budget, Change, Deficit, Employment, Energy, Environment, Ethics, Global Warming, Military, National Dems, Obama, Oil, Open Government, Spending, unemployment on Apr 28th, 2009
$328,835 is the pricetag for the White House’s tragically stupid New York City photo-op according to the Air Force. Check it out: The flight by the VC-25, a modified Boeing Co. 747, and two F-16 fighter jets cost $328,835, Air Force spokeswoman Vicki Stein said. $328,835 for a picture at a time when many Americans [...]
Posted in Budget, Change, Conservatism, Delaware Blogs, Election 2008 - Delaware, Jack Markell, Open Government, Reform, economy on Mar 31st, 2009
Governor Jack Markell held a “roundtable” in Newark this morning with “Delaware Bloggers.” Strangely missing from the “roundtable” were bloggers from Sussex County, the majority all of Kent County, and any blogger anywhere in Delaware that even slightly smacked of conservatism.
Posted in Budget, Change, Delaware Democrats, Education, Election 2008 - Delaware, Jack Markell, Liberalism, Open Government, Spending, economy on Mar 25th, 2009
Fear Mongering And Loathing In Las Vegas Delaware Once upon a time, I worked for a wise candidate who told me that when budget cuts are on the horizon, an administration will threaten teachers’ jobs or pay to scare and anger the masses. That way, when a teacher’s 8% pay cut ends up being a [...]
Posted in Bluewater Wind, Deficit, Election 2008 - Delaware, Open Government, Taxes, Wind Power on Jun 23rd, 2008
The General Assembly is near the end of its session which means a lot of issues will come in rapid fire over the week. There is no way I have time to write full posts on them so I will give them quick analysis and mentions in this format. Please feel free to expand upon [...]
Posted in Cathcart, Earmarks, Election 2008 - Delaware, Liberal Media, Open Government on Mar 14th, 2008
Several years ago, I was visiting family and attending a conference in D. C. and while we were sitting at a light we heard gunfire and saw everyone running. We were sitting at a light which had a no turn on red sign. I said let’s go. My friend who was driving said but the sign [...]
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