Delaware Park Reaps Lobbying Reward; To See Influx Of Horses, Trainers

Newark Post reports ~

Over the coming days look for an influx of more horses from about a half dozen or so new trainers to Delaware Park Steve Margolis, Neil Howard, Brad Cox, Robert O’Connor, Wallace Dollase and Helen Pitts-Blasi are among the new outfits shifting their operations east to Delaware Park this summer.

...We thought it was a good opportunity to come to new a place and Pat (Pope, racing secretary) has a good facility and program in Delaware. We are just really hoping it works into something good for everybody. We got some 2-year-olds, older horses and some claimers. So, I think we got a nice group that should fit in well.” --Steve Margolis

...While I was in Tampa this past winter, Delaware Park sent a contingent.It was Jed (Doro, assistant racing secretary) and John (Mooney, executive director of racing). They were down there for a while and I spoke with them a couple of different times. They asked me if I ever thought about relocating. I told them I am a good old Kentucky boy and I had to go to the Churchill meet, but they asked me to keep Delaware Park on my mind. I am looking forward to coming to Delaware. I hear a lot of good things about the race track and there are a lot of good things happening at Delaware.” --Robert O’Connor

~*~

God Speed Littleton P. Mitchell

Syl Woolford sent word that Delaware's great Civil Rights leader, Littleton P. Mitchell, has passed.

God Speed Littleton Mitchell

Meet The Delaware Government Performance Review Team

As this morning's WNJ View indicated, Markell's layoff-free dissolution of the Department of Finance is raising more questions than answers.

And I'd guess that the Governor is prepared to make scores more changes going forward. Here is Markell's Delaware Government Performance Review team - led jointly by the Finance Secretary and the Director of the Office of Managment and Budget.(pdf. Jan. 2009) FYI.


-Some Finance Department facts from Ginger Gibson ~

The only personnel casualty of the reorganization was Finance Secretary Gary Pfeiffer, who simultaneously announced his immediate retirement. Although the change would not result in any layoffs, Markell said, jobs ultimately would be eliminated through attrition as services are consolidated.

The department's duties would be absorbed by other state agencies, though he declined to discuss specifics of how that work would be parceled off.

The Department of Finance includes three divisions -- the Division of Accounting, which keeps tabs on spending across all agencies; the Division of Revenue, which collects taxes; and the Lottery Office, which oversees the state's traditional lottery and the video slot machines at the three casinos.

~*~

The Progressive Line Writes: Pacem In Terris' “Making Peace with the Planet” Summer Series 2009

Pacem in Terris Summer Series 2009

Westminster Presbyterian Church - 7 PM

1506 W. 13th Street; Wilmington, DE 19806

Schedule for “Making Peace with the Planet” 2009 Pacem in Terris Summer Lecture & Film Series at Westminster Presbyterian Church

The 11th Hour -- A 2007 Documentary with narration by Leonard DiCaprio Tuesday, July 7, 7 pm The film explores the perilous state of our planet, and the means by which we can change our course. Contributing to this crucial film are noted politicians, scientists, and other ambassadors for the importance of a universal ecological consciousness. 92 minutes. (Community Hall)

A Climate at Peace -- A Lecture by Dr. John Byrne Tuesday, July 14, 7 pm Dr. Byrne is the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) and Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Delaware. His most recent book Transforming Power explores the prospects for, and economic, social and environmental (especially carbon) implications of significant changes in the world energy system. (The Meeting Room, upstairs, enter through the wooden doors.)

Flow: For Love of Water -- A 2008 award-winning Documentary Tuesday, July 21, 7 pm The film investigates why experts label the world water crisis the most important political & environmental issue of the 21st Century & introduces many of the governmental & corporate culprits behind the water grab. 84 Minutes. Discussion leader is Dr. Steven Dentel, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware & a member of Engineers Without Borders who has led student groups working on potable water projects in Cameroon. (Community Hall)

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash -- A 2006 award-winning Documentary Tuesday, July 28, 7 pm The film tells the story of how civilization's addiction to oil puts it on a collision course with geology. Compelling, intelligent, and highly entertaining, the documentary concludes that our industrial society, built on cheap and readily available oil, must be completely re-imagined and overhauled. The film provides not only questions, but also possible solutions to the most perplexing issue of our time. 90 minutes. (The Meeting Room)

Reconciling Mother Earth and Her People -- A Lecture by Marie Dennis Tuesday, August 4, 7 pm Marie Dennis is Director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. Marie is a secular Franciscan, a mother of six adult children and a grandmother. A commitment to simple living and social justice led Marie and her family to live on and work a 65 acre organic farm for nine years and to help found the Assisi Community in Washington DC almost 23 years ago. (Community Hall

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil -- A 2006 Documentary Tuesday, August 11, 7 pm The film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people as they made the transition from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming. Cuba, the only country that has faced the massive reduction of fossil fuels provides us with examples of options and gives us hope. 53 minutes. Discussion by Alice Davis, with Community Gardens, DE Center for Horticulture. (Community Hall)

The 2009 summer lecture & film series is free and open to the public. Free adjacent-lot parking is available. This series is sponsored by Pacem in Terris. For more information, call 302.656.2721 or visit www.depaceminterris.org.

~*~

From The Inbox: GIVING THE STIMULUS TIME TO WORK By Think Progress

ECONOMY
Still Not At The Bottom
Yesterday, during an appearance on ABC's This Week, Vice President Biden reacted to the latest national jobs report by conceding that the administration "misread how bad the economy was" back when the economic recovery act was being debated. "The figures we worked off of in January were the consensus figures and most of the blue chip indexes out there," Biden said. "We misread how bad the economy was, but we are now only about 120 days into the recovery package." Indeed, June's unemployment numbers further prove the widespread weakness in the labor market due to the current recession, with the unemployment rate hitting an almost 26-year high of 9.5 percent. According to Labor Department statistics released last week, payrolls declined by 467,000 in June, following a 322,000 drop in May. However, Biden added that the administration expects the number of jobs created to pick up as stimulus spending quickens in the coming months.

JOBS LOSSES HIT MEN, MINORITIES HARDEST:
Since the recession began in December 2007, the economy has lost a record 6.5 million jobs, and "men continue to bear the brunt of job losses" due to the drastic downturns in the manufacturing and construction industries. In the latest jobs report, 136,000 of the lost jobs were on factory payrolls and another 26,500 were in the auto manufacturing and parts industries. According to the latest data, women currently account for "a record high of 49.8 percent of all payroll jobs," while men account for 74.2 of the jobs lost since the recession began. "The gap between female and male unemployment has never been as large as it is now," noted Sophia Koropeckyj, an economist with Moody's Economy.com. And as Center for American Progress Senior Economist Heather Boushey pointed out, this disparity "has left millions of women nationwide to be the primary breadwinner -- a task made more challenging since women typically earn only 78 cents for every dollar men earn." Minorities have also been especially hard-hit by the recession, with African-American unemployment currently at 14.7 percent and Hispanic unemployment at 12.2 percent.

NOT ALL SIGNS ARE DARK:
However, not all signs are pointing downward. June's rise in the unemployment rate was the smallest in a year. The Commerce Department reported last week that factory orders rose a better than expected 1.2 percent in May, and personal income and consumer spending also rose. The 1.4 percent increase in income was the first such increase since February -- "outpac[ing] the 0.3 percent gain expected by analysts" -- and was driven by increased unemployment benefits and payroll tax cuts that were included in the stimulus. Disposable personal income also rose 1.6 percent, after a 1.3 percent increase in April. "The picture that is emerging with increasing clarity is of an economy that has undergone a wrenching recession the last 18 months but is now gradually transitioning into recovery," said Bernard Baumohl of the Economic Outlook Group. The rise in income also caused the personal savings rate to shoot up to a 15-year high, a welcome development except for the fact that it translates into muted demand in a weak economy. Finally, the interbank borrowing rate dropped to its lowest level ever yesterday, indicating that various Treasury and Federal Reserve programs have at least temporarily succeeded in easing the credit crunch.

GIVING THE STIMULUS TIME TO WORK:
As the Washington Post reported last week, "independent economists generally think that it is too early to judge the effectiveness of the stimulus plan, given that the spending package is only starting to ripple through the broader economy." President Obama has predicted that unemployment will reach 10 percent this year, while Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman noted that "much of the stimulus at the federal level is being undone by budget retrenchment at the state and local level." But while there has been some talk of a second stimulus package, the administration has thus far distanced itself from the idea. Both Biden and Austan Goolsbee of the Council of Economic Advisers called talk of a second stimulus premature, with Goolsbee adding that "there's still a major injection coming down the pike" from the first package. In fact, as Boushey pointed out, "the largest job gains from [stimulus] spending were projected to occur in the late fall through 2010," while the health care and education sectors have both now shown a net job gain since the recession began. In the last few days, stimulus projects have gotten underway in Colorado, New York, and Tennessee. As Obama explained last week, "it took years for us to get into this mess, and it will take us more than a few months to turn it around."

~*~

Some Progressive Initiatives Are Newly Secured Into Law; Some Are Waiting At The Ready And Some Are Yet Languishing In Committee Chairperson's Drawers

Not everything on the progressive wishlist was enacted this term, but who isn't wondering what waiting legislation may yet survive through next year to become Delaware Law?

Markell's staffer sent word that today, July 6, Noon: Gov. Markell will sign Senate Bill 84, which pertains to de-facto parenting, Governor’s Office, Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French St., Wilmington.

Of Note: Last night on Community Crossfire, Hazel Plant said that neither of her bills, on felon's voting rights and on the repeal of the Three Strikes - Mandatory Minimum Sentencing were given a floor vote this session. She and Norman Oliver plan to have our US Sentors on their show soon to discuss health care reform and the ongoing foreclosure scandal.

You may have caught Floyd McDowell's appearance on Channel 28 yesterday to discuss education reform with the NAACP. And Floyd's Single Payer agenda, in the form of SB 120, has yet to get out of Nancy Cook's Executive Committee drawer...sound familiar?

Meanwhile, from the inbox ~ Markell writes: "The legislature approved significant reforms in two top priority areas for the administration -- education and energy -- and passed several other pieces of legislation that address significant public policy areas. "

The administration's legislative agenda included:
-Eliminating the Delaware Student Testing Program
-Giving districts room to innovate and instill greater financial accountability
-Launching a pilot program to reward high-performing teachers.
-The Energy Conservation and Efficiency Act, which will reduce our energy consumption statewide 15% by 2015
Significantly updating our building codes
-Ensuring that customers that generate more renewable energy than they need will be able to sell the excess power
-Removing barriers to the promotion of renewable energy
-Making government more open and efficient by expanding the use of videoconferencing and extending the Freedom of Information Act to cover the legislature
-Outlawing discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation
-Making it easier for Delawareans to protect their vulnerable loved ones from abuse
-Ensuring Delawareans can choose their own hospital visitors
-Extending unemployment benefits for Delawareans hit hard by the economic downturn;
-Enacting three pieces of legislation that reform the Delaware Psychiatric Center by increasing accountability and strengthen patient protections
-Getting drunk drivers off the road and sending a message that the behavior will not be tolerated.

~*~

Frieda Berryhill Writes: Delaware's SECRET Emergency Evacuation Plan

ON the “Emergency Evacuation Hearings “ in New Jersey.

Since an Earthquake shook Salem County the same morning, I, of course took the opportunity to bring up the problem of liquefaction of Artificial Island. Nancy Willing, who traveled with me , (she also spoke) had a conversation with one Official before the formal meeting concerning this matter. His statement contradicted my official testimony.

But Nancy was sharp enough to bring this contradiction up DURING the hearing, (on record). His answer “Give me your name and address and I will get back to you “ He did not answer. My guess is she will never hear from him, if she does, he will have problems . ( I will let Nancy explain that on her site “ Delaware Way ”).

Joe Mangano, Director of Radiation and Public Health Project (RPHP) Author of 3 books and 24 medical Journal Articles (a New Jersey resident) also testified saying the plan as written will never work. “Interstate 295, the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the New Jersey turnpike will turn into a parking lot. Of course I said this about I 95 for years.

I found it astounding that today’s News Journal (Sunday July 5 ) in this huge article on emergency evacuation, IN CASE OF A SERIOUS STORM... never mentions the elephant in the room, the 3 nuclear power plants across the river. Particularly since more (24.000) people live near this plant on the Delaware side.

The Article stated “ more then a quarter of Delaware resident said they would stay…. And a third believe that their homes would be safe. THIS NOT THE CASE WHEN THERE IS AN EMERGENCY AT NUCLEAR PLANTS, CREDIBLE STUDIES SHOW PEOPLE LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.

NOW HERE IS THE CLINCHER !!

The article states: “THAT IS WHY IT IS SO CRITICAL FOR PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO EMERGENCY ANNOUCEMENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO SEND PEOPLE INTO AN AREA OF PROBLEMS “

EXACTLY !!!!!

That is why it is important that the Legislators be held to the promise they made to me over the years that similar hearings be made mandatory in the State of Delaware. Public Hearings for Delawareans, ON RECORD. I am so convinced lives could be saved.

There are several options DEMA has, depending on the extent of the accident, one of which is “sheltering”. People need to know, if “sheltering” is ordered, it is best to obey. It avoids chaos, and accommodates orderly evacuation SHOULD IT BECOCME NECESSARY. It also avoids following the “Plume” rather then escape it etc. etc.

I can not begin to tell you the benefits and the scope of awareness gained from these hearings to the residents of Salem County . So, why it is we can not have them in Delaware ? Politics I know !! Long story !

YES DEMA sends a representative to these New Jersey hearings. The “After-conference” we have with them every year declares everything to be just hunky-dory in Delaware. More an that later. Particularly what indepth studies in other State have found.

On another matter: As we go into Cask storage at the plants you might be interested in the enclosed French video. Not very comforting should we start shipping…someday.

~*~

Banner Weekend For Blogging Sussex Politics

Conservative blogger, That's Elbert, posted a photo of Eddy Parker's Fourth of July Parade campaign car~ "Democrat Eddy Parker’s campaign made an appearance in Laurel’s Independence Day Parade. Parker was just selected Wednesday night, July 1st to run in the special election for Delaware’s 19th Senatorial seat."
Meanwhile, Sussex County blogger and Libertarian Party of Delaware County Chairman, Brian Sheilds, tells his members to go to the SCCOR-hosted forum for the DEMs and GOP on Tuesday night instead of meeting. And the LPD's meeting cancellation gets couched as a back down by the DustPan! Tsk, Tsk.

Overall though, I think that the pols/parties did a good job staying off of the sniping for the fourth...well, everyone but Sarah. The email messages I received, from Barack Obama to Tom Ross, were appreciatively politics-free.

~*~

Happy Fourth Of July - Go Johnny Go!

(WNJ image)
Our Superstar, Johnny Weir, is my Fourth of July icon this year.

In Patriotic Abandonment Of A State

(image from an Atriot)

~*~

Katharine Weymouth's Got Some 'Spainin' To Do

This is eye-popping stuff from the Daily Howler ~ setting the stage for WaPo heiress, Katharine Weymouth. There's money to be made in them there health insurance lobby budgets! Oodles and oodles of OOPs (via CorrenteWire)

~*~

Green Dam May Be Stalled But Is China Patiently Expectant That It Is Just A Matter Of Time Before They Get It?

Tom Legg wrote this fascinating post yesterday ~

After reading this Reuters report on a China Daily story about Green Dam, it may be necessary to throw the yellow hankie and blow the whistle on the excessive celebration by those declaring a people power victory for stalling Green Dam coming to every computer on the mainland.

My original thought on the delay was less of people power than of WTO threats. The last item tossed out by the West in their attempts to stop the Green Dam installation fiasco was the threat of taking China to the WTO over the software. After China whined like a little baby about US proposals for US stimulus money 6-9 months ago to be earmarked as Buy American, the irony of Chinese government fiats to create a Buy Chinese monopoly for Green Dam were a bit amusing.

There is almost no way that a government mandated monopoly could stand at the WTO. And that would have led to the possibility of computers in China being sold with mandatory filtering software that was designed by a foreign company and possibly influenced by the boogey man of "Foreign Powers".

Remembering how Google and Yahoo caved to the lure of the Chinese marketplace, Tom says that China is assuming that it is just a matter of time...

~*~

Jud Bennett Writes: SCCOR To Host First Candidate Forum

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT-- forwarded by Eric Bodenweiser (Event Coordinator) from the Sussex County Community Organized Regiment group (SCCOR).
Booth & Parker to Speak in Forum.

SCCOR to Host First Candidate Forum for the vacant 19th Senate Seat formily held by Senator Thurman Adams - July 7 - http://sccor.org/events/eventlist.html

The Next Sussex County Community Organized
Regiment meeting is this coming Tuesday!
7:30 pm, Tuesday, July 7, 2009
In the Pavillion @ Post 28 (far side of building)
American Legion Post 28, Oak Orchard - 31768 Legion Rd. (corner of Rt 24 and Legion Rd.)Millsboro, DE 19947

The meeting will feature speakers Rep. Joe Booth & Mr. Eddy Parker, along with SCCOR Committee updates.
On Tuesday, July 7 - 7:30 PM at the
American Legion Post #28 - Arrive Early!

37th District Representative Joe Booth (Republican candidate for the 19th Senate seat)- = AND = -Mr. Eddy Parker, Dir Assessment Division for Sussex (Democrat candidate for the 19th Senate seat)
Bring lawn chairs as the Pavilion seats 250 but we expect a HUGE crowd and will pack the outdoor venue full of spectators!

This is the place to be in Sussex County on Tuesday night, July 7! Don't Dare Miss This!
Carpool, Invite Friends, Grab Neighbors
All are welcome - History will be made.
We hope to see all of you at the meeting and remember to bring your like-minded friends. SCCOR Communications Committee
http://www.sccor.org
Poor Irishman Internet Marketing,
4954 Woodland Ferry Rd, Seaford, DE 19973, USA

~*~

Man, That Roseate Spoonbill Sure Gets Around!

Fenwick's own roseate spoonbill was sighted yesterday in California!!! (I kid, I kid! The beautiful creature was featured on a fellow Atriot's blog, Cab Drollery, by Ruth for her weekly ~ Thursday Birdblogging) . It's nice to see little Delaware's lovely and rich critter habitat and our bird-watching industry get some additional attention.

~*~

Obama Cleaning Up After Dick Cheney; Where Is The Wingnut Outrage Now?

(image from the Atriots)
WaPo reports ~ New Evidence Cheney Swayed Reaction to Leak

A document filed in federal court this week by the Justice Department offers new evidence that former vice president Richard B. Cheney helped steer the Bush administration's public response to the disclosure of Valerie Plame Wilson's employment by the CIA and that he was at the center of many related administration deliberations.

The administration's discussion of Wilson's link to the CIA was meant to undermine criticism by her husband of administration allegations that Iraq attempted to acquire uranium, a matter that her husband had probed for the CIA, according to testimony presented in a 2007
trial.

...A list of what Cheney and Fitzgerald discussed appears in a declaration to the court by Acting Assistant Attorney General David J. Barron, who oversees the department's Office of Legal Counsel. Barron said he thinks substantial portions of the chat are covered by "the deliberative process privilege," protecting advice, recommendations and other "deliberative communications" between government officials.

Barron also listed as exempt from disclosure Cheney's account of his requests for information from the CIA about the purported purchase; Cheney's discussions with top officials about the controversy over Bush's mention of the uranium allegations in his 2003 State of the Union speech; and Cheney's discussions with deputy I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, press spokesman Ari Fleischer, and Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. "regarding the appropriate response to media inquiries about the source of the disclosure" of Valerie Plame Wilson's identity.

It isn't lost on CREW that Obama is protecting this creepy former veep ~

The nonprofit group pushing for disclosure, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, responded yesterday with a statement that the Justice Department has subpoenaed such officials without difficulty in the past. "It is astonishing that a top Department of Justice political appointee is suggesting other high-level appointees are unlikely to cooperate with legitimate law enforcement investigations. What is wrong with this picture?" said Melanie Sloan, head of the group.

Indeed, and where is the Republican outrage?

~*~

Cali FAIL

(AP image)
You know it's bad when Sacramento's Homeless March For Land Rights

Meanwhile, a comment rescue from Eschaton last night ~

The State Constitution mandates that education and debt service have priority status, and the Controller will work to ensure there are sufficient funds to continue to make those payments with regular warrants. The State Constitution, federal law and court order also require that State payroll, CalPERS, CalSTRS, In-Home Supportive Services and Medi-Cal providers continue to be paid with regular warrants.
--GWPDA yclept Damaged Historian
California's Controller's website HERE

~*~

Media Matters Writes: Wingnut Media ~ When You're A Hammer, Everything Is A ... Wild Conspiracy Designed To Frighten

Mama-Say-Mama-Saw-Mama-Would have to hear it to believe it. This one doesn't really need much of a setup. While fans the world over mourn the passing of the King of Pop, the King of Talk, Rush Limbaugh, put the death of Michael Jackson this way: He "flourished under Reagan," "languished under Clinton/Bush, and died under Obama." Over on MSNBC, both David Shuster and Chuck Todd poked Limbaugh for his unsavory take on the tragedy, with Todd quipping, "It's always Reagan, right?"
Meanwhile, El Rushbo's pals over at Fox News knew exactly how to interpret the wall-to-wall coverage of Jackson's death. An actual Fox News chyron alleged a "cover-up" because the media were devoting more coverage to Jackson than cap-and-trade legislation. Lord, the fun one could have using this very rationale to pick apart the stories Fox chooses to cover. I guess when you're a hammer, everything is a ... wild conspiracy designed to frighten your audience and fan the flames of their paranoia.

~*~

Frieda Berryhill Writes: Exelon Corp. Calls Off Plans For Two New Nuke Plants

The Wall Street Journal reports ~
Exelon Corp has called off plans to build two new nuclear reactors in Victoria Texas….reason,
the economy and the limited availability of federal loan guaranties
Associated Press In other words as we have always said, nuclear power is too expensive, not to mention too dangerous and too “dirty” and let us
not discard the impact of massive public opposition.

Frieda Berryhill Writes: OOPS They Are Falling Like Flies

Just in: Canada suspends new nuclear reactor construction

In 2007, it announced plans to spend 26.5 billion dollars to replace aging units and renew its entire fleet over the coming years…………

The daily Globe and Mail said recently that Ontario sought assurances in case cost overruns from the federal government, which is seeking to privatizeAECL.The stalled project is a blow to both struggling AECL and international nuclear firms, as this was the first in Canada to be open to foreign bids……………

So lets keep our slow learning legislators informed, the nuclear renaissance is a myth before they throw more and more subsidies at these projects.

~*~

Thank You, Governor Markell! The Hard Work's Just Beginning And We Have Great Confidence That You Will Get The Job Done For Delaware

(presser)

Markell Signs Budget That Responsibly Closes Historic Shortfall; Lauds Passage of Administration’s Education and Energy Reforms

FY 2010 operating budget is hundreds of millions less than last year’s; shrinks the size of government

DOVER – Gov. Jack Markell on Wednesday morning made the following remarks after he signed the fiscal 2010 operating budget into law at the close of the 2009 General Assembly session. The operating budget, for the first time in years, is significantly smaller than the 2009 spending plan. Markell also signed the FY 2010 Bond Bill and Grant-in-Aid budget.

In addition to addressing the historic $800 million shortfall, Markell and the General Assembly worked to pass historic equal-rights and open-government legislation, as well as significant education and energy reforms as well other legislation that will move Delaware forward.

“Good morning. I am very pleased that we were able to resolve this historic budget crisis in a way that is fiscally responsible and maintains the State’s core services.

“This budget cuts more than it raises in taxes, while still maintaining the rainy day fund and only spending 98% of our revenues. It is a responsible financial plan that allows our State to move forward.

“For the first time in years, the state will have a budget that is not only smaller than the one before it – it has a budget that is hundreds of millions of dollars smaller.

“Beyond the budget issues, we proposed a number of initiatives that have gotten a little lost in the budget discussion but are very important

“When I was sworn in as Governor, I said that it was not the historic challenges we faced but “how we meet them that will define us as a people. I believe that we will overcome – and that our best days do indeed lie ahead.”

“This year, in spite of the historic budget shortfall we faced, legislators sent me two pieces of very significant legislation – SB 121 and House Bill 1.

“We have embarked upon reform in two critical areas that are priorities for my administration – education and energy.

“Recognizing that Delaware cannot have the world-class economy we need unless we make our education system even better, I proposed, and the legislature endorsed, significant reform initiatives.

“We are moving past the Delaware Student Testing Program to a system that will better help teachers teach and students learn (SB 68), we are providing some much needed flexibility in our schools (HS 1 to HB 199) and launching a pilot program to reward high-performing teachers (HB 158).

“The Energy Conservation and Efficiency Act is landmark legislation that will require all utilities to reduce energy consumption across Delaware by 15 percent by the year 2015. By reducing energy consumption, families and businesses will save money that can be spent in local communities or used to create more jobs.

“The bill also prioritizes energy efficiency and renewable sources for any increase in demand, before any new fossil fuel generation is added (SB 106).

“We also adopted new energy efficiency building codes and passed Renewable Energy Rights legislation for solar and wind to make it easier for families and businesses to benefit from clean energy and reward investments in alternative energy (SB 59, SS 1 to SB 49, HS 1 to HB 70, SB 85, SB 153).

“There are other important public policy areas where we have taken significant strides this year, including:
· Making government more
and more efficient by expanding the use of videoconferencing (SB 104)
· Protecting seniors from abuse (HB 165)
· Enacting safeguards against predatory lending (SB 108)
· Ensuring Delawareans can choose their own hospital visitors (HB 115)
· Extending unemployment benefits for Delawareans hit hard by the economic downturn (SB 156, HB 170)
· Getting drunk drivers off the road and sending a message that the behavior will not be tolerated (HB 152, SB 177)

“I also want to recognize the state employees who have, along with many others in Delaware, been asked to contribute to this budget solution. I want them to know I appreciate their sacrifice and the hard work they do every day.

“I can tell the press corps needs some sleep, so I will close by again thanking the legislators for joining me in making the tough choices and casting the tough votes.

“Thanks to their courage, we enter the new fiscal year with a budget in place that shrinks the size of government and is, for the first time in years, several hundred million dollars less than the prior year’s.

“As a result, we leave here this morning with a responsible plan to move our state forward and to reduce the cost and size of state government. That is what the people of Delaware expect of us and we have delivered.

“Thank you.”

~*~

Schooley, Sokola And Blevins Get The Job Done; General Assembly Enacts "Kid's Agenda"

(presser)

LEGISLATURE PASSES ALL FIVE BILLS ON LT. GOVERNOR’S “KIDS AGENDA”

New laws will improve education and health care for children

Dover- The Delaware State Senate passed the 3 remaining bills on Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn’s “Kids Agenda” for 2009, meaning that all five of the bills on the agenda were passed by the General Assembly. Three of these bills make up the education reform package that Governor Markell and Lieutenant Governor Denn announced in the spring, the other two bills expand health insurance for children and developmental screening for infants and toddlers.

“I am very grateful to our legislature for making these bills a priority,” Denn said, “and particularly to their chief sponsors, Senator Blevins, Senator Sokola, and Representative Schooley. In the face of the state’s worst budget crisis in modern history, they still found the time and political will to take these important steps forward for Delaware ’s kids.”

“Delaware PTA is grateful to Lt. Governor Matt Denn, Secretary Lowery, the sponsors, Senators Blevins and Sokola and Representative Schooley and the entire Legislature, as well as all the parents and guardians who called to support and pass these bills. It is vitally important that we continue to do these things which will help to improve the lives of all children in Delaware ," said Bud Mullin, Delaware PTA President.

The bills will:

· Senate Bill 68 (sponsored by Senator Sokola): replace the Delaware State Testing Program with a statewide test that will be more useful to teachers, less stressful for students, and more helpful in charting student progress.
· Senate Bill 151 (sponsored by Senator Sokola), create a pilot Academic Achievement Awards program that gives large financial rewards (paid for by federal stimulus dollars) to the schools that make the most progress in educating at-risk kids. This will be Delaware ’s first state run program where schools receive substantial financial rewards for excellence in educating students.
· House Substitute 1 for House Bill 119 (sponsored by Representative Schooley), put procedures in place to direct more public dollars into the classroom and less into administrative overhead, while simultaneously giving schools more financial flexibility.
· House Bill 139 (sponsored by Representative Schooley), allow parents whose income exceeds the current limits for the Children’s Health Insurance Program to purchase coverage for their children by paying a premium that reflects the actual cost to the state of covering those kids. The program has no cost to the state, but will provide an opportunity for many parents with uninsured kids to get their kids insured.
· House Bill 199 (sponsored by Representative Schooley), require insurance carriers to cover developmental screening for infants and toddlers. This has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, to improve our early detection of developmental problems in small children and allow for more effective treatment.

All of the bills have no additional cost to the State.
The education bills were drafted after Lt. Governor Denn and Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery hosted a dozen "Back to School" briefings to get public input across the state, and drew hundreds of participants in person and online. The briefings started a statewide dialogue on education reform that has resulted in legislation with public input that is now law.

~*~

Kim Burdick Writes: Check Out "Howard Pyle and the Pirates" Presentation At The Delaware Public Archives Next Month

From the Spanish Main to Hollywood: The Evolution of Pirate Dress, Real and Imagined by David Rickman
The popular image we have of pirates today comes from what we see in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series and earlier films such as those of Errol Flynn. This romanticized version of pirates originated with Howard Pyle, a Delaware artist who was one of the most influential American illustrators of the late-19th century. Through his art and that of his students and imitators, Pyle’s portrayal of a pirate with a headscarf, earring, and sash became the accepted image and continues to be popular today. This program is presented by David Rickman, an illustrator himself. Rickman will discuss how his admiration of Pyle’s art led him to research why the famous illustrator created the image of pirates that continues to thrive on movie screens and in the world's imagination.

Saturday, August 1, 2009 @ 10:30 am
~~~~~
Hello Kim,
I wonder if you could help me to publicize a talk I will give next month at the Delaware Public Archives. This is my “Howard Pyle and the Pirates” presentation that I gave to the Delaware Bibliophiles earlier this year. I’ve also presented it to the Delaware Art Museum docents. Here is a link to a description of my talk:

http://www.delawarescene.com/event.php?id=1703

Thanks very much.

Best wishes,
David

David W. Rickman
Interpretive Media Specialist
Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation
152 South State Street
Dover, DE 19901
Tele: 302-739-9187
Cell: 302-388-5605
Email: david.rickman@state.de.us

~*~

Tonight - Salem County Courthouse - Review: Emergency Evacuation Plan In Case Of An Accident At The Hope Creek And Salem Nuclear Power Plants

(WNJ graphic)
Delaware has no ongoing emergency evacuation planning? I am going over to New Jersey tonight, with Frieda, to attend the public hearing on THEIR process; the process that New Jersey has in place in case the nuke plant on Artificial Island, let's say, ruptures from an earthquake...what if we all have to flee?

WAKE UP Delaware. This earthquake's epicenter was practically at the plant itself. This is the second earthquake emanating from New Jersey this year.

~*~

FireDogLake Writes: Zero Hedge Starts "Whistleblower" Program For Employees In The Capital Markets And Financial Advisory Services

Dear Nancy,
After observing the complete lack of enforcement activity by traditional regulators such as the SEC and FINRA, in a time when even regulatory insiders have notified us about a culture of utter and incomprehensible complacency, Zero Hedge has recently initiated a "whistleblower" program in which we appeal directly to industry insiders.
http://www.zerohedge.com/node/988

Having received hundreds of unsolicited emails from people embedded deep in the various layers of the capital markets and financial advisory services, we have decided to proactively appeal to the conscience of all those who see wrongdoing unfold before their eyes, yet are powerless to do anything for fear of retaliation.
We will henceforth provide an anonymous venue where we will compile, filter and distribute actionable data to appropriate forums such as FBI branch offices, regional Attorney Generals, the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and the offices of Alan Grayson, Tom Harkin and Brad Sherman. We may also publicly disclose conclusive data via Zero Hedge and other media outlets.In an attempt to proceed with this venture unhindered, Zero Hedge has now moved both its server and ISP offshore, where the chance of malicious intervention is substantially mitigated.
http://www.zerohedge.com/

As this grassroots campaign can only succeed if the general population is aware of its existence, we appeal to readers everywhere to spread the word. If our appointed officials and their crony organizations will not protect the "little" investor, it is our responsibility to uncover dishonest, illicit and illegal acts (and in the process remove those whom we have voted into power, who refuse to do the right thing).
Tyler Durden Zero Hedge

~*~

SEIU.Org Writes: Breaking: Bank Workers Speak Out

Dear Nancy,
The reports are damning. For the first time, Bank of America workers are speaking out about how the bank's practices hurt costumers and employees. According to the Associated Press, Bank of America "encouraged" its employees to "burden consumers with debt and enroll them in high-fee programs." Fed up with these unsavory practices, Bank of America workers are speaking out. But they need our help to do so.

Sign our petition in support of protections for bank employees. We'll deliver your petition directly to Members of Congress working on financial reform.Click here: http://action.seiu.org/bankworkers

What kind of pressure to sell products are employees under at banks like Bank of America? Here's what one former Bank of America employee said:

"From sun up until sun down, six days a week, I was under constant pressure to push products that were usually bad for consumers and were--in my opinion--unethical," said Gabby Ornelas, a former Bank of America Personal Banker from the Washington, DC area.

This is the other, hidden side of the financial crisis: bank employees had no choice but to push products that ended up hurting their customers. Congress will soon debate financial reforms to protect consumers - we need to make sure that those reforms also protect employees that sell the banks' products. In addition to giving bank workers a voice at work with legislation like the Employee Free Choice Act, new financial reforms need to protect both consumers from bad products, and employees who blow the whistle on bad practices at banks.

Bank workers say they are routinely encouraged to push products on consumers that maximize fees, raise interest rates, and max out credit cards in order to meet ludicrously high sales goals. Worse, employees report they're told to target students, the elderly, and non-English speakers who are the most at-risk to end up paying huge fees.Here's what the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday about what Bank of America workers are saying:

The former workers said they were going public to lay out what they saw as a little-known side of BofA's business model: encouraging working-class customers to sign up for high-interest-rate credit and cash advance services and structuring an array of check and debit card services to maximize overdraft fees and other charges. Sign our petition to Congress to protect bank workers.
Thanks for all you do to help bank workers, and workers everywhere.
In solidarity,Michael Whitney, SEIU.org

~*~

Slept In This Morning - Is Delaware Still Open For Business?

Well, I just woke up since I was up half the night checking in on the General Assembly via all those tweets~! Had to click onto Ginger Gibson's twitter to make sure that the GA actually concluded the business of the state last night and, yup, Markell signed off on the works.

Appreciation is definately due to Dennis P. Williams for his leadership of the Joint Finance Committee this year. OF ALL YEARS TO START INTO THAT DUTY!! Good on ya, Dennis!

So, I missed an earthquake this morning? heh. I turned on WDEL just in time to hear Frieda Berryhill's reminding everyone how very dangerous it is that our local nuke plant is sitting in a swamp on an Artificial Island. Nothing like an earthquake to get ya thinkin'.

Of course, --how ironic-- Frieda is heading over to New Jersey tonight for this meeting~ Emergency Evacuation Plan in case of an accident at the Hope Creek and Salem Nuclear Power Plants. In New Jersey these hearings are ordered by the NJ Legislature.More than 20,000 Delawareans live in the shadow of these plants but Delaware is not privileged to such public hearings since legislators (of both parties) who promised me such bills over the years have reneged.I will be there in New Jersey, as I have been year after year. Anyone interested in going, let me know.
Wed. July 1, 2009
6 - 7 p.m. DEP public information session; 7 p.m. - public hearing
County Courthouse - Freeholder Rm, 1st floor, 92 Market St., Salem, NJ

~*~