DelawarePolitics.net

Tuesday, July 22nd
   

Join Bill Lee at one of his many Campaign Kickoff stops throughout the state.

7:30-8:30 Bill invites you to join his Dutch Treat Prayer Breakfast at the Georgetown Family Restaurant, located at 115 E Market Street.

9:00-10:00 Listen to Bill broadcast live from 92.7FM WGMD in Rehoboth Beach.

11:00-11:30 Bill will address the crowd on the grounds adjacent to the Morris Community Correctional Center, located at 300 Water St in Dover.

11:35-12:30 Join Bill as he tours Dover’s historic Old State House, located at 406 Federal St.

1:00-2:30 Meet Bill for Lunch at Bogey’s in Middletown, located at 631 Bayview Rd. Light appetizers will be provided. Continue Reading »

The Liberty Matters News Service  reported in its July 17, 2008 Newsletter the following about Delaware.  Fortunately Delaware is a small state -meriting a short write up, and apparently we got a write up short enough for me to quote without sending money.  Go to http://www.Libertymatters.org for regular updates on important issues of freedom.

Like Texas Governor Rick Perry, Delaware’s Governor Ruth Ann Minner doesn’t believe in the right of the people to keep their homes and businesses out of the clutches of special interest groups.  With one day remaining in the legislative session, Governor Minner vetoed S.B. 245, with the Senate unable to muster enough votes to override the veto.  The bill would have replaced an earlier eminent domain bill that had as many loopholes to appease developers as does the Texas so-called reform legislation.  It would have restricted the use of eminent domain to the traditional uses – roads, schools, parks and public buildings.  “When special interests win, the people lose,” said Steven Anderson, director of the Institute of Justice’s Castle Coalition.  “It’s a victory for big business and big labor, but certainly not for the ordinary homeowner and small businesses.” Ed Osborne owner of Osborne Auto Repair and other business owners along Wilmington’s Christina River waterfront are under siege from the City of Wilmington, which is threatening to confiscate their land to turn it over to a developer to build luxury condominiums and high-dollar stores that City officials figure will bring in more tax revenue than existing businesses.  So far, Delaware officials have used eminent domain to seize 62 properties and 38 businesses for private gain.  “We’re confident Delaware will ultimately get it right,” Anderson opined.  “Where abuses occur, the passion of the people is inflamed, which results in legislative change.  The issue isn’t going away – and neither are we.”

With all of the craziness going on this year and all the talk both for and against Obama, one thing has become clear in this election. It’s not about John McCain.

McCain’s best shot at winning the presidential election may actually rest on his ability to stay out of the limelight.

It is immediately clear to anyone watching this election that Obama certainly has the edge in publicity. His name is on the front page of most major newspapers at least once a week; and hardly a day goes by that he; or one of his close associates; makes the news for one reason or another.

The lesson political candidates should learn from this campaign though, is that more is not always better. That is especially true as it concerns media coverage.

We’re all human, fallen and fallible, so when the media is hanging on your every word you’re bound to slip up every now and then. That wouldn’t normally be a problem. The problem only arises when your campaign is based on a cult of personality.

This campaign launched itself as a campaign of “hope” and “change,” and portraying Obama as transcending everything from race to partisan politics. The immense coverage by the media helped catapult this obscure newcomer into the forefront of American politics and dinner conversations across the country. The wave of news coverage even helped him overcome Hillary Clinton, for whom at the time the presidency was almost a foregone conclusion.

However, this same wave of media coverage has since turned into the vehicle that will probably cause his eventual downfall. The constant coverage has lead to many embarrassing moments for the Obama campaign over the last year. From radical preachers, questions of his wife’s patriotism, outright lies on campaign financing, to his comments on the “bitter” people in small towns, the constant coverage has certainly taken its toll.

No one can argue that as a result of this media coverage that Obama has not become the constant topic of conversation. What’s interesting is that as a result, this election is quickly becoming a contest between Obama and anyone else. Anyone else just happens to be John McCain.

Tags: campaign, Change, Coverage, Hope, john mccain, media, Obama, President

LEE, COPELAND REBUKE DSEA
Lee: “The teacher’s union forgot about kids a long time ago.”

Candidate for Governor Bill Lee and candidate for Lt. Governor Charlie Copeland today strongly rebuked the Delaware State Education Association for their endorsement process, saying that Delaware teachers deserve better.

“Teachers deserve better and kids deserve better,” said Lee. “While our teachers struggle with huge class sizes, discipline problems and unworkable conditions, the union focuses solely on eliminating any competition. It is shameful, and it’s time people knew about it.”

The teachers union was recently exposed by Sen. Charlie Copeland for using members’ hard-earned dues money on a PR campaign and poll aimed at destroying parents’ ability to choose their child’s school.

“The teachers union has lost touch with the needs of children,” said Copeland. “We refuse to let our kids suffer under the weight of a union that puts union first, teachers a distant second and kids last. Bill Lee and I vow to draw a line in the sand to protect the right of parents to choose their child’s school.”

Lee and Copeland believe that school dollars should fund students, not bureaucracy. Their plan will refocus resources to meet the needs of students, parents and front line educators.

“I sent my children to public schools because Delaware’s public education system was once the envy of the nation. Unfortunately, the teachers union has allowed our schools to deteriorate and the endorsement process is a political sham to allow them to choose a Democrat,” said Lee. “There is no way Delaware will bring about the change we need if we continue to elect politicians who preserve the status quo. I know we can do better.

“The union would like to control the selection of the Secretary of Education and the governor’s education adviser; in a Lee-Copeland administration, that would not happen. The union would like to eliminate the competition of charter schools and home-schooling; in a Lee-Copeland administration, that will not happen. We will improve the attraction of our traditional public school by raising their performance, not by elimination educational options that work.

“With 40% of our kids failing to graduate and 22% of kids in New Castle County voting with their feet and heading to private school, it’s time somebody took on these entrenched special interests on behalf of our kids. We will do that. We will improve conditions for our teachers and we will protect and preserve the right of parents to choose their child’s school.”

Press Conference on Wilmington Gun Violence

UPDATE  Here is a summary of the event held Monday 2 PM at the Walnut Street Deli.  Candidate Mike Protack made the following statement. 

“We can longer stand by and accept more shootings and killings in Wilmington , the time for action is now and I am ready to act on Day one as Governor to protect human life.”
 
“ Wilmington has a long record of gun violence with an average of close to 100 shootings a year over the last ten years. As Governor I want to address this issue in a deliberate and professional manner because the City of Wilmington will never thrive unless the safety of private citizens can be assured. Also, the state of Delaware will never move ahead unless Wilmington can be a city where people want to live and do business.”
 
“As Governor I am committed to working with the city of Wilmington to implement the “Shot Spotter” technology which uses passive acoustic and video cameras to combine with proactive patrol work to reduce violent crime and shootings. In other cities violent crime has been reduced by 35%.”
 
  The State will split the cost ($400,000) for implementing the initial program and will split the continued costs ($65K a year) of the system. We will ask for changes in State Law to allow state legislators to use ‘street money’ for the implementation and maintenance of the system.

I have been watching Senator McCain climb up this week in Rasmussen and Gallup tracking polls.  I took my time pointing it out because it could have been a statistical fluke.  Now it seems real especially when I look at the underlying numbers.  Senator McCain is trusted on the economy and has pulled even on energy. The Democrats extreme position on energy is killing their Congressional numbers and is starting to weigh down Senator Obama.

The message is getting through.  Drill here, drill now.  Get serious about alternatives.  Encourage innovation. Look at the excessive speculative bubble caused by the margin changes. We have to do it all.

Senator McCain is now tied in the most recent national polls and is within single digits in all of them.  He shows the most upside potential in the choice of a running mate.

Furthermore, white evangelicals — who typically make up a quarter or more of a winning Republican presidential coalition — seem especially pessimistic. McCain is substantially ahead among these voters, but only 44% of white evangelicals said they were satisfied with their choices this election, compared with 72% at this time in 2004.

All of these trends suggest that McCain would be most helped by choosing a young running mate who would inspire evangelicals, but there is no obvious holder of that political résumé.

I would disagree. There are obvious choices.  Can you say Mike Huckabee–Detroit Freepress?  How about America’s most popular governor, according to Rasmussen, Sarah Palin of Alaska who is a young, evangelical, and a woman who can appeal to working class voters?

Former Press Secretary Tony Snow passed away, Saturday 12 July at 0200 Hrs. He was a man of character, principle, and intellect. He was a man who valued loyalty. There would be no worries about backstabbing books from him. He was the most dynamic Presidential spokesperson in recent memory.  He was a patriot who put the Country first.  He was a man who valued faith and family.

Sympathy and prayers go out to his family (especially wife Jill and the children), and his many friends. The country lost a true public servant.

  I feel that I should start this post by saying I grew up on a farm , my father has been a farmer his entire life, as was his father. This post is not about farmers , it is about another case of government stepping in , in a way that may not be the best for anyone , including the farmers.

   Delawares 2009 fiscal year budget will include a $150,000 funding increase for the Delaware Crop Insurance Cost Share Program (DCICSP). This will bring total funding for DCICSP to $750,000 .  The DCICSP bill was also removed from the “ one time funding status ” and makes it a permanent part of the Dept. of Agriculture’s base budget.

   The program was started in 2004, and has paid out $1,957,589 in crop insurance cost share to Delaware farmers. The program pays 30% of a farmer- paid premium of crop insurance up to $3 an acre. If total calculated benefits exceed available funding , benefits are prorated among participants.

   In 2007 calculated benefits exceeded the $600,00 available , so pay out benefits were prorated to about 91%.

   I think we can all agree that farming is a demanding and risky enterprise , and that farmers are one of the most valued sectors of our economy and should be protected with the best possible policies we can devise. I’m not sure this is one of them.

   First let us get something straight, what is being called Delaware Crop Insurance Cost Share Program is really just another farm subsidy. Subsidies are rarely beneficial to anyone including those they are intended to help.

    In 2008, 8.5% more Delaware crop insurance policies were purchased then in 2007. Part of this is due to the drought we suffered last year, farmers received $17.5 million in crop loss payments for 2007. But some of the increase in the purchase of insurance could be the result of the availability of the DCICSP. When you offer these sort of programs it encourages farmers to buy more insurance. This brings me to why this program may hurt farmers in the long run. Farming without insurance is a huge gamble, but so is buying insurance.  The program pays 30% of the cost of the insurance, the rest is paid by the farmer. This sounds like a good idea for the farmer after a drought year or a year of too much rain. But what of all the money spent in years when there is no significant crop loss. If farmers are being encouraged to buy more insurance , then their out lay in those years is wasted money which they will add to the price of their crops , but wait a minute in good years when there is a bumper crop the sale prices go down , so how will they retrieve the cost of the insurance ? Ah , once again Nanny State steps in with more subsidies.

   Look I’m sure there are arguments for and against whether this sort of subsidy is or isn’t a good idea for farmers. But what truly bothers me is that DCICSP has been made a permanent part of DDA’s budget. This only lessons the amount of debate of the program at budget time. We all know that when these sort programs become entrenched in our budget they never go away, and every year the bureaucrats will find a way to increase funding to justify the need to continue the program.

  Maybe a better way to handle the problem of crop loss would be to offer low interest loans to farmers to cover the cost of insurance that must be paid off either after the harvest season or after a crop loss claim has been paid. Or another way could be for the state to step in only after some predetermined level of loss was reached in a single year and declare an economic crisis, this would mean the state would only be paying out to help farmers in years when there was a real need and not paying money annually to insurance companies .

   There has to be some better way then to create more and bigger budgets and departments and agencies and programs.

The state pension fund isn’t fully funded. 

Delaware:
Total Unfunded Liability: $3.9 Billion
Workers in Plan: 30,000
Average Liability Per Covered Worker: $130,000

This comes to $5000 per person. Who doesn’t think we need change at Woodburn?

Stop whining, said McCain economic advisor Senator Phil Gramm. (click for video) I wondered why Phil didn’t quite catch on when he ran.

Senator McCain said, “I don’t agree with Senator Gramm… America is in great difficulty…Phil Gramm doesn’t speak for me, I speak for me”. This should settle it if there is any honesty in politics. I am holding my breath. I lost. This is the game we play. I think the real issues of energy independence in his statement are what was meaningful. Yet the real issues once again got overlooked in the gotcha media. Not here.

Senator Gramm, don’t worry there are months between now and election–an Ambassadorship to Belarus may not be in your future.(Do you think Senator McCain was hinting that he wanted to put some distance between he and Phil.)