Where public policy meets common sense
Posted in Reform, Revolutionary Reform, Taxes on Dec 21st, 2011
..So says 3 of 5 Americans, according to a Pew Report released yesterday. This is why Herman Cain was on to something and Romney is not. President Obama is the defender of the status quo that the people want to trash. The number of Americans who feel they pay more than their fair share in [...]
Posted in DE General Assembly, Delaware Democrats, Reform, Stuff, civil liberties on Jun 27th, 2011
Black Elected Leaders are asking Delaware lawmakers to reconsider the current restricting plan set forth in the General Assembly by the Democratic Caucus. Delaware’s Black Caucus has accused the General Assembly’s Democratic leaders of “racial Gerrymandering,” and are asking that lawmakers, reconfigure the more heavily populated minority Senate and Representative Districts in Bear, Dover, New [...]
Posted in It's our money, Reform, Stuff, Unions on Feb 18th, 2011
Bravo to Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) for standing up for all of the citizens of the Badger State, as a minority of public sector union workers, teachers, correctional officers and other civil servants foment demagoguery and fail to do their jobs. With a $3.6 billion budget gap as a backdrop, the Wisconsin governor must confront [...]
Posted in DE General Assembly, Greg Lavelle, Infrastructure, Reform on Feb 1st, 2011
January 31, 2011 Governor Jack Markell Tatnall Building Dover, DE 19901 Governor Markell, Given recent events, we are deeply concerned that questions over management of the Delaware Department of Transportation have seriously crippled public confidence in the agency and impacted its ability to operate effectively. Our apprehension involves a long and well-publicized list of missteps, [...]
Posted in Reform on Jan 29th, 2011
All Gil Meche has to do is sit down and do what he is told and he will make 12 million dollars in the final year of his contract with the Kansas City Royals. Instead the 32 year old, struggling pitcher is retiring because he doesn’t feel right taking 12 million dollars when he went [...]
Posted in Action File, Reform, Regional Politics, Taxes on Jun 25th, 2010
It is less than a month before the deadline for ballot measures in New Jersey. The Governor is pushing a constittutional cap on property taxes. A more than 2.5% increase in a year would need voter approval. Make it happen my New Jersey friends if you want anyone in the middle class able to afford [...]
Posted in Mike Castle, Reform on May 25th, 2010
Changes approved in the Senate may earn more support in the House of Representatives if they make it through negotiations. Our own Congressman Mike Castle is getting significant attention in today’s The Hill post on this subject. Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), a congressman running for the Senate, said he liked the Senate version of the [...]
From today’s Washington Times, we have won a limited audit of some past Federal Reserve deals in the financial reform. Other votes smack of business as usual. Also Tuesday, senators rejected Republicans’ efforts to force reforms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage companies that many analysts say helped spark the financial blowup [...]
Posted in Reform on May 5th, 2010
The Markell Administration is changing prison health care. Thumbs up to CRI (especially Lee Williams) for its consistent visibility on this issue.
Posted in Liberalism, Reform on Apr 5th, 2010
What insanity would possess a person in a small state to support DE HB 198? It is The abolishes Federalism and insures Delawareans don’t matter Act or at least that is what it would be called if we applied truth to labeling. The Act would disenfranchise Delaware Voters (or insert the name of your state) by [...]
Posted in Reform on Aug 5th, 2009
Another conviction has occurred in true bipartisanship in Washington–the town’s culture of corruption. Former Democrat Congressman William Jefferson from America’s Southern outpost of corruption was convicted of 11 counts of bribery related charges. Most Congressmen are not corrupt. Most are trying to be honest. The problem is that our system seems to go up to [...]
Posted in Antiwar Left, Armed Forces, Books, Change, Education, Ethics, National Dems, National GOP, Reform on Jul 27th, 2009
Rep. John Conyers finally admitted what we already knew, that our elected officials on Capital Hill don’t read those pesky pieces of paper that turn into laws and taxes and even wars because it’s just too darn hard: “I love these members, they get up and say, ‘Read the bill,’” said Conyers. “What good is [...]
Posted in Reform on Jul 15th, 2009
Term Limits were the cure all reform mantra. If we get out those long time guys with out dated ideas, everything will be alright. The truth that we see is that having a CA situation where 1/2 of the state senate is no longer accountable to voters does not lead to better government. Maybe it [...]
In their own words– DOVER – In a move that will reduce the number of checks the state cuts each year, reduce the number of state credit cards and deliver several hundred thousand dollars back from the state’s credit card vendor, Governor Jack Markell announced Friday reforms in the way the State of Delaware pays [...]
Fly away with me– I mean for me. Congressional trips are up big time. Tax payer funded trips nearly doubled since the 2005 ban on funding by outside groups. Both parties do it. Many of the trips are legitimate. Congressman Chris Smith went to Brazil and helped get a high court ruling in favor of [...]
Posted in Guest Posts, Reform on Jun 29th, 2009
Editor’s note: This interesting email from Ellen Miller goes to heart of whether or not we have a 21st century participatory government. Times like these are too important for us not to hold government to the highest possible standards. The House of Representatives is poised to take up debate on a health care bill in [...]
Posted in Liberalism, Reform, Stuff on Jun 10th, 2009
Update: Voted out of committee. What insanity would possess a person in a small state to support DE HB 198? It is The abolishes Federalism and insures Delawareans don’t matter Act or at least that is what it would be called if we applied truth to labeling. The Act would disenfranchise Delaware Voters by insuring [...]
Posted in Reform on May 20th, 2009
The Delaware Financial Management System is Bernie Madoff of financial accounting. It may very well be siphoning 10% of our tax money through its inefficiencies. It’s inability to pay vendors in a timely, but quick system is costing us more in fees. It’s incomprehensibility is costing us unnecessary paperwork. Learning the system is like learning [...]
Posted in National Dems, Obama, Reform, Taxes on Apr 1st, 2009
Governor Kathleen Sebelius made a mistake on her taxes. She deducted mortgage interest payments that she had to continue to make because her house was under water when she sold it. The other alleged mistakes where not mistakes. Some minor documentation was lost over the last 3 years including 3 letter from charities out of [...]
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.
LEAD (Leadership in Educational Achievement in Delaware) committee chairman Marvin “Skip” Schoenhals made a controversial recommendation to limit referendum oversight for operating expenses. It was not a radical proposal. It did not seek to abolish, but limit the people’s oversight. A limit would be set and if the limit is surpassed then a vote would [...]
Posted in Election 2008-President, Reform on Sep 9th, 2008
He doesn’t even need Biden for gaffes, he’s fallen apart fast – Story here My analysis: The piling on Palin thing is either a juvenile response to finally getting hit (which I warned his protectors for months that they needed to see him get bruised) or it seems to be defiance of the obvious that [...]
Posted in Reform on Jul 31st, 2008
170 Million dollars in lobbying paid off for the Fannie Mae and Fannie Mac institutions. They got their taxpayer backed bailout without any of the reforms long pushed by Senator McCain and others. The Reform wing of the GOP was once again abandoned by the White House. Senator McCain’s feelings are as follows: ”the management [...]
Posted in Development, Land Use, Reform, Regulation on Jun 30th, 2008
Miracles can happen even if they are small ones. SB 245 (described in a previous post) is a bill which gave protection against the government using its powers of eminent domain to take property for public use against some individuals to benefit other private individuals without there being a legitimate public use like a road or [...]
Posted in Development, Land Use, Reform, Regulation, State Senate on Jun 30th, 2008
Governor Minner vetoed the bipartisan SB 245. Delaware on line reported the following: Gov. Ruth Ann Minner announced today she is vetoing legislation that would have redefined “public use” in the eminent domain law and made it harder for government agencies to take private land. The Legislature passed Senate Bill 245 on June 12, after [...]
state_cost_savings_with_attachment1.pdf In a memo sent to Office of Management and Budget Director Jennifer Davis, the state auditor’s office found tens of millions in potential savings and recommended adding sports betting to enhance revenue. Mr. Wagner’s office gave some newer suggestions as well as renewing some familiar calls for savings not adopted from recommendations in times past. [...]
What is true of state government is true at the local level. Kent county is facing some tough decisions. We have a new comprehensive plan. We are looking at new library facilities. We want to build new parks. We are grappling with whether to save a new civic center proposal. Crime is showing up in [...]
Posted in Conservatism, Economics, Reform, Revolutionary Reform, Taxes on Apr 15th, 2008
In a year when political leaders are expected to apologize for not only their bland, void, unimaginative statements, but for those of supporters who dare to have their own mind. I have something that we really should demand an apology for–the tax code. Is time for us to recommit to ending the insanity of the [...]
Posted in Conservatism, Earmarks, Election 2008-President, National GOP, Reform, Revolutionary Reform, Sarah Palin on Apr 15th, 2008
Gov. Sarah Palin cut Alaska’s requested eamarks in the federal budget down from 550M to under 200M and from 54 to 31 projects. How many governors are saying they want less federal money? She is providing leadership which could restore the state’s reputation after the bridge to no where. This is one more illustration why [...]
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