AMT Fix Held Hostage by Republicans

Republicans—The Party Striving to Bankrupt the Government—Today, Senate Republicans showed their true colors, by putting rich donors ahead of our kids. They blocked a desperately-needed extension to the AMT-patch. Why did they do this? A little history is needed to answer that.

The AMT tax is a parallel tax system designed in the 60’s to fix a problem. 255 families avoided paying any taxes through excessive deductions. Congress designed the AMT to assess a minimum tax level on everyone’s income, even without normal deductions. Unfortunately, a lot has changed in the past 30 years, and the AMT does not have an annual inflation-adjustment. Without a patch, the 2007 ‘exemption amount’ not only wouldn’t rise with inflation, it falls 28% to $45,000 for a couple. Without a patch, the 2007 AMT will catch tens of millions more taxpayers than in 2006.

Both Republicans and Democratic Congresspersons want to fix this (since they don’t want to lose votes in 2008). The Republicans, however, want to fix it in an interesting way, by charging it. Yes, this week they objected to following the Democratic designed ‘PAYgo’ system, where a bill with a tax cut has to provide revenue to PayAsYou go. The Republicans merely want to add $51 billion to the deficit, and let our kids and grandkids worry about it.

The Democrats (remember when Democrats were chastised for tax and spend?) instead offered a way to partially pay for it. They wanted to have hedge fund managers pay their fair share. Hedge fund managers typically are paid ‘2 and 20’, 2% on the size of their funds plus 20% of any investment return. So if a hedge fund manager runs a $100 million hedge fund that earns 10% in 2007, they would receive $2 million plus $2 million, or $4 million. Not bad for a year’s work.

You would think that the $4 million the manager receives is taxed as ordinary income, right? Wrong! It is called ‘carried interest’, and enjoys the very low long-term capital gain treatment. Just think if your W2 income was taxed at only 15%--that sure would be nice! By fixing this loophole, Democrats could pay for much of the necessary AMT-fix. There is only one problem—Republicans in the Senate.

If you live in a state with a Republican Senator, contact them and insist that they stop the gravy train for hedge fund managers, that they stop holding AMT relief hostage to maintaining a loophole for hedge fund managers, that they return to their roots of fiscal responsibility, and follow the Democrats’ PAYgo system which protects future generations from a crushing federal debt.

Progressive Update--12/04/2007

Bob Carson--Carson is running as a Democrat for the office of state Representative from the 28th RD district. This seat opened up when Democrat Bruce Ennis succeeded in winning the election for state Senator from the 14th SD district. This is a special election, to be held this Saturday. My very limited sources indicate that Bob 1) is a shoe-in, and 2) is no progressive. I do not plan to pitch in to help in this election.

Mike Terranova--Mike plans to run as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Liane Sorenson in 2008, for state Senator in the 6th SD district. I met Mike last night at the 23rd RD Democratic committee meeting. He seems like a good guy and a good candidate. He cares about law enforcement (he is a retired county police officer, and lobbied for a few years in Dover on behalf of the FOP), fire-fighters and first responders, and education. He mentioned that he is reaching out to labor for support, that he supports open government in Dover, and opposes the desk-drawer veto Senate rule. At this early point, I am hopeful with this candidate.

2008 Strategy--I would like to see progressive Democratic candidates successfully challenge Republican state Senators such as Sorenson in the 6th and Amick in the 10th. In this manner, I am hopeful that the party can replace Thurman Adams as President Pro Tempore with a less conservative Democratic senator. I would like to see Democrats attain a majority in the state House, through victories in districts with heavy Democratic majorities and yet Republican Representatives, such as Spence in the 18th, Oberle in the 24th, and Lofink in the 27th. I would like to see a more progressive candidate than Earl Jacques run against Lofink in the 27th, or perhaps he has shifted a bit since 2006.

If you know of a progressive friend in one of these districts, please encourage them to run. They should feel free to reach out to Rebecca Young at young.rh@comcast.net (or myself at paul@mallardadvisors.com). Rebecca is the executive director of the Progressive Democrats of Delaware at www.progressivedemsdel.com

Progressive Update--12/02/2007

The last broadcast email I sent was almost three months ago. I have, however, posted more than a half-dozen entries to my blog at (http://paulprogressive.blogspot.com/). I have changed my ‘MO’ due to my busy life and yours. I haven’t had time to send out a monthly, or even bi-monthly, progressive email. I suspect that you’d rather check on progressive items on your schedule. My blog permits you to get information when you are ready. I will try to post something every week to month, and I expect the frequency to increase as the elections approach.

CONGRESS

The Republicans are pissed off that the country booted them out of Washington thirteen months ago, as the Democrats grabbed majority of both Houses. To soothe their fragile egos, and to confuse the country, they are pushing the polls that show that Americans are more frustrated with Congress than they are with Bush. This is right and accurate. It is right and accurate because the country (finally) knows that Bush is hopeless, however for a while there we had hope that this Congress could reverse our course, a hope since dashed. We are frustrated, frustrated that Congress can not restrain Bush. We are frustrated that, with a majority in Congress, Democrats are unable to get reasonable healthcare for kids, or an exit timetable from Iraq. This is not due to a weakness of Congressional Democrats, it is due to the Congressional rules, which permit 40 Senators to block most Senate action, and which permit 34 Senators to block an override of Bush’s vetoes. The Democratic Party’s sin is that we follow the US Constitution (unlike Bush), and we follow Senate rules.

The only fault of the Democratic Party is that they were not clearer in 2006—they should have said, give us the majority, and we will be able to stop Bush from making things worse, and we will be closer to getting the country on the right track. You (the country) got us into quite a pickle with so many conservative Republicans in Congress—it will take more than one mid-term election to get us back on track. If the NBA required that Michael Jordon wear lead shoes, we would be quite disappointed in his performance, however we would not be able to properly put the blame on him!

IRAQ WAR

The surge is working! Really? The one thing that this country knows for certain about Iraq is that the Administration can not be trusted to tell the truth. I like the fact that Iraqi’s who are shot in the front of the head are counted differently from those shot in the back. Thirty to forty thousand more troops on the ground makes a difference in security? What news! Does that mean that this ten-month long surge is over? Of course not.

The American people in November 2006 voted for Democrats who called for an end to the Occupation. To address this, Bush sent in thirty thousand more troops. Not until we have thirty thousand troops fewer than we had in Iraq in November 2006 will I be satisfied that we are making progress. I have yet to hear of a single significant political milestone accomplished this year in Iraq. Bring the troops home, and we’ll talk about a working Iraq program.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

I know that many of us were very disturbed by the responses to newly approved US Attorney General Mukasey to the issue of waterboarding. The kindest thing that can be said is that he was evasive. One Democratic Senator (Schumer?) reluctantly voted in favor of Mukasey, based on the ‘worst of two evils’ view that if Mukasey was rejected by the Senate, Bush would appoint a temporary AG for the remaining 13 months, and that Mukasey would very likely be far better than that alternative. I am not pleased with the result, however I feel that our energies should be focused on the bigger picture—torture, and executive excesses.

I find it very sad that the Congress needs to pass legislation that defines, and prohibits torture, however it is clear that this Administration needs such restrictions. I find it even more disturbing that Bush is not alone in justifying immoral torture executed by Americans. Several Republican candidates for President are falling over themselves touting their support for ‘appropriate torture’. If there is a snowball’s chance in Minnesota that one of these folks will follow Bush into the White House, then we need Congress now to pass legislation prohibiting torture. What a sad state!

Similarly, Bush has shredded so many Constitutional rules (eavesdropping on US citizens, for instance), and the balance of power must be restored. Otherwise, the Imperial Presidency will just have begun, rather than ended in January 2009. A friend of mine has nightmares thinking about the country, with the currently exercised presidential powers, under Rudy Guliani (for whom the ends always justify the means). The current Congress has the ability to begin rebalancing the three branches, and a stronger Democratic majority after the 11/08 elections will empower them to complete this restorative work.

WIND POWER

I get really ticked off with the incessant delays in bringing wind power to Delaware. I had my letter to the editor published last week in the Wilmington News Journal. My unedited version read:

Pawns of Delmarva

I was very disappointed with the events covered in the “Last-ditch chance for wind farm” article on the 21^st. I see that the ‘power’ in Delmarva Power doesn’t stand for energy, but rather power over Delaware’s government and citizens, power to line their pockets.

Months ago our state government selected Bluewater Wind in an open bid contest. Bluewater has worked tirelessly to move this process forward. Delmarva is another story. The article’s subtitle is that the state ‘agencies order contract negotiations’. Why must negotiations be ordered? Because at every turn, Delmarva has obstructed this process of bringing clean, sustainable energy to Delaware.

Delmarva is quoted as hoping ‘more companies will get the chance to bid on the wind contract’. That train has left the station; the bid process has already finished, and Bluewater was selected. I’m sorry that Delmarva doesn’t like it, but it isn’t their decision. What Delmarva is hoping, of course, is that more delays can continue their gravy train, at Delaware consumers’ expense. Delmarva’s spin machine had the nerve to complain about the cost increases due to the months and months of delay that Delmarva’s foot dragging has caused! Enough is enough.

The citizens and the state agencies have clearly stated that Bluewater should provide clean energy to our state. It’s time for Delmarva’s regulators to do their job and force Delmarva to stop holding the process hostage. Time (and energy) is wasting.

Keep your ears and eyes open for pressure on legislators and regulators to further delay this program, and speak up loudly and often. Your future wealth and health depends on it.

DEfog—DEfog stands for Delaware For Open Government. This is a new bipartisan, grass-roots group that is dedicated to open up state government to the people. FOIA is the Freedom of Information Act. When FOIA was passed by the state legislature, they conveniently made themselves exempt. Convenient, isn’t it? Senate Bill 4 is designed to have the General Assembly covered by FOIA. We expect that this bill will be mildly amended shortly, and will then have a good chance of passage, with your help. In the next two months I will let you know of opportunities to write to your elected officials and to the media to share your support for opening Dover to the light of day.

Delaware Governor Primary Race—I like both Jack Markell and John Carney. Of the two, Jack seems more progressive to me. Nonetheless, I plan to support neither in the primary race, unless one turns negative. I’d rather have my dollars used in campaigns against Republicans and conservative Democrats. I will support the primary’s victor in their campaign against their Republican rival.

28^th Representative District—State Senator James Vaughn passed away this fall. 28^th RD Representative Bruce Ennis ran for Vaughn’s seat and won, leaving open his seat in the 28^th. Bill Carson was selected to run for the seat. While we are closing the gap to gain the majority in the House from the Republicans, we need this seat to avoid losing ground. I will post more information on this candidate when I receive it. www.deldems.org lists volunteer opportunities for Carson’s campaign.

Election Season—The Delaware Democratic Party (www.deldems.org) is working already towards the 2008 elections. They, and all fifty state parties, are working on developing a high-quality database of households in the state, to better focus campaigning efforts. The national Democratic Party recently noted that face-to-face visits are far and away more effective than phone calls and mailings. I know that I prefer face-to-face visits to phone calls—how about you?

I will keep an eye out for areas of high need, house (or senate) election districts where we can grab a seat from a Republican, like we did in the 25^th with John Kowalko in 2006, and Bryon Short earlier this year. I will also keep an eye out for county and state seats that need some extra help, and will let you know when I see these opportunities

Pennsylvania—There is a website of progressives in southeastern PA: http://www.progressivenetworksepa.org

Paul S Baumbach

Letter to Editor--11/28/2007

The Wilmington News Journal on 11/28 ran a letter that I submitted regarding bringing wind power to Delaware. They whittled my letter down a bit--here it is in its entirety:

Pawns of Delmarva

I was very disappointed with the events covered in the “Last-ditch chance for wind farm” article on the 21^st. I see that the ‘power’ in Delmarva Power doesn’t stand for energy, but rather power over Delaware’s government and citizens, power to line their pockets.

Months ago our state government selected Bluewater Wind in an open bid contest. Bluewater has worked tirelessly to move this process forward. Delmarva is another story. The article’s subtitle is that the state ‘agencies order contract negotiations’. Why must negotiations be ordered? Because at every turn, Delmarva has obstructed this process of bringing clean, sustainable energy to Delaware.

Delmarva is quoted as hoping ‘more companies will get the chance to bid on the wind contract’. That train has left the station; the bid process has already finished, and Bluewater was selected. I’m sorry that Delmarva doesn’t like it, but it isn’t their decision. What Delmarva is hoping, of course, is that more delays can continue their gravy train, at Delaware consumers’ expense. Delmarva’s spin machine had the nerve to complain about the cost increases due to the months and months of delay that Delmarva’s foot dragging has caused! Enough is enough.

The citizens and the state agencies have clearly stated that Bluewater should provide clean energy to our state. It’s time for Delmarva’s regulators to do their job and force Delmarva to stop holding the process hostage. Time (and energy) is wasting.

Progressive US Senate Hopeful Jeff Merkley from Oregon

US Senator Candidate Jeff Merkley from Oregon—A good friend of mine, Carol Boncelet, who owns a Fair Trade store in Newark, DE, has a college friend who is running for US Senate in Oregon. Jeff Merkely has an impressive resume, including nine years in the state House. Last year he was elected Speaker of the Oregon House, and in a single legislative session he chalked up one progressive victory after another.

As I have said before, the 2006 elections were step one, while necessary, they were not sufficient to get the country back on track. Democrats attained a majority of the Senate last year, however 51 Democratic Senators can not override a Bush veto, nor can they stop Bush-enabling Republican Senators from blocking legislation and votes (via fillibusters). The next step we must take is to get more than 60 Democratic Senators, and the country will be far better off if many of them are progressives like Merkley. To keep an eye on the 2008 Senate races, go to http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2007/Senate/senate_races.html

You can find out more at www.jeffmerkley.com; his record and platform is very impressive (read the DailyKos interview). Please learn more about Jeff Merkley. It is very difficult to beat an incumbent US Senator, and Jeff needs financial support from all progressives, including you!

Progressive Update--09/28/2007

Politics Still Stinks in Delaware—Just when you thought that it was safe to feel good about living in Delaware …

Crusty, conservative ‘Democrat’ James Vaughn announced on Wednesday the 26^th that he was resigning his seat as the 14^th district state Senator. He has worked with fellow crusty, conservative ‘Democrats’ Thurman Adams and Nancy Cook to prevent Delaware’s state senate from serving the people. The three ‘crust-kateers’ for years have ruled by iron fists. Adams assigns bills he dislikes to committees chaired by his two buddies, who issue a ‘desk drawer veto’, preventing them from being heard by their committee, and therefore preventing them from reaching the senate floor for a vote. Adams and his buddies continue to vote down a change to senate rules to stop this awful practice.

This oligarchy has permitted good progressive legislation to be held up by a Senate that on paper is in Democrat’s hands, including removing the legislature's exemption from FOIA, the Freedom of Information Act. The Senate isn’t really in Democratic hands, it is in the hands of Adams and his conservative cronies, who have corrupted the entire concept of democracy.

There was hope. Vaughn has been ill for many, many months. He was unable to campaign last fall, and he never made it a single day to work at Dover this year. While I am sorry for his medical problems, and the stress on him and his family and friends, this clearly brought hope that a more reasonable ‘replacement’ could be found. There is a parallel to China, where the population had to wait years until Mao’s generation of leaders had to die off before the next generation of leaders could emerge and offer an alternative vision of the future for the country.

We’re still waiting in Delaware. A few hours after Vaughn submitted his resignation, a joint meeting of the three Representative Districts making up the 14^th senatorial district met and unanimously selected state representative Bruce Ennis to run for the vacated seat. Out of the fire, into the frying pan. Did I mention that Ennis was essentially hand-picked by Vaughn, that he is a good buddy to Thurman Adams? I criticized Wayne Smith, the Republican House Majority Leader who resigned to take a job (the next day) as a lobbyist, handpicked his neighbor to run for his seat. Fortunately, the voters of his district rejected this chutzpah and voted in Democrat Bryon Short. Vaughn and Adams have lowered themselves to Smith's level, and continued 'the Delaware way' of backdoor politics at its worst.

Why wasn’t there some public notice for this important meeting where a candidate would be selected, without a primary, to run as ‘the Democrat’ for this seat? The Democratic Party’s rules must be changed to open up this process. Go to your RD committee and push for this, or else we'll be stuck in this time warp for years to come!

I am incensed that Delaware’s state senate can be run by old-guard professional politicians arguably as bad as President Bush’s worst cronies. I had hoped that when Vaughn eventually resigned, a ‘real Democrat’, one who believes in representing the people, not his power brokers, would replace him, and would help tilt the Senate, finally, towards democracy. I had hoped that soon the state senate would truly reflect and represent today's Delaware. These hopes were dashed this week.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, stated that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice. That was not the case this week in Delaware.

09/26/2007--James Vaughn finally resigns

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070926/NEWS/70926033 has the article noting that state Senator James Vaughn is resigning, effective Friday. His health has prevented him from fulfilling his duties this year.

Delaware Grapevine has an article on the resignation at http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/9-07vaughn.asp and another article from last election season on Vaughn at http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/11-06vaughn.asp

While a Democrat (in name), Vaughn has held up important legislation for years, including legislation prohibiting discrimination in Delaware based on sexual orientation.

There will be an election in a month or two to decide the person to serve as senator from Vaughn’s district 14, in Clayton. The Grapevine notes “The 14th Senatorial District, which spans New Castle County and Kent County along the Delaware River and takes in Delaware City, Middletown, Townsend, Smyrna and parts south, favors the Democrats in registration.”

Progressives should plan to work hard in the next two months to help a 'real Democrat' win the Senate seat for the 14th district.

Progressive Update--09/24/2007

Do-Nothing Democratic Congress—I’ve been hearing a bunch about how the Democrats have not delivered on their promises made before the November 2006 election, that this is a Congress that can’t accomplish anything. Hogwash.

Let’s remember one very important fact, Democrats follow the Constitution. This is in sharp contrast to the current Administration. The Constitution requires that it takes six years for every Senator to be up for re-election. We only had the opportunity to consider one-third of Senators in 2006. The next wave comes up in 14 months.

In the meantime, there are still a bunch of obstructionist Senators, those who believe that President Bush should continue to wage an Occupation of Iraq, or more accurately to defer to the military to make decisions of whether to continue the Occupation of Iraq, Senators who believe that our Reservist soldiers deserve to be in a foreign nation more than to be with their families (or even state-side), Senators who believe in preventing a vote on other critical legislation. These Senators are not wrong, they merely out of touch and no longer reflect the country’s majority. Unfortunately for 160,000 soldiers and unfortunately for every Iraqi citizen, it will take much more time for the country to vote them out of office. That is how our system works. Think of them as lame duck Senators, like our lame duck President. Annoying sons of guns, aren’t they?

Until we clear enough of them out, Congress will move slowly. This is not Pelosi’s fault or Reid’s. It is George Washington’s fault and James Madison’s fault, and the fault of the other framers of the Constitution. Or perhaps, it is bitter medicine that is good for us. I am hopeful that it will serve as a lesson to our country, less we permit our country to be bamboozled again by faux-patriots, and faux-values politicians.

Socialism, Communism—In two very diverse environments this summer, I heard a policy being described as representing or leading to socialism. A nutcase testifying before the Delaware Senate committee claimed that passing legislation that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation is a step towards socialism and communism. A pundit or editorialist claimed that Hillary Clinton’s healthcare program was a step towards socialism.

I suspect that some right-wing think-tank discovered the Socialism is a hot button term for swing-voters, and that they plan to paint all progressive policy as pushing the country towards Socialism (and Communism, it appears that the right-wingers use both terms interchangeably). This appears to be the theme of the scare-tactics that they rely on, now that they can no longer use terrorism and Iraq (since the American people have finally wised up to that strategy).

So what can we do? Again, let’s go back to basics. The preamble of the US Constitution points out that its mission (the constitution) is to, among other goals, to promote the general welfare. I guess that Washington and Madison were Communists well before Karl Marx was born.

Progressives need to hit this head-on. When someone raises that a Democratic presidential candidate’s health care plan (since there are no health care plans by Republican presidential candidates) will lead us to Socialism, don’t be quiet. Ask whether Social Security has helped their parents and grandparents. I know that it did for me, and I appreciate the country standing up for our older citizens. My father died when I was an infant, and I received Social Security benefits when I was a child. This helped to enable me to become a full partner in our society. A social program is not Socialism, rather it is a program designed to benefit society, all of society.

Progressives advocate for social programs such as health care for seniors, for children, and for all Americans, so that fewer Americans fall through the cracks of financial ruin due to the heavy burden of medical care on the uninsured in this country. Progressives believe that our country is strongest when we all stand together, and help each other when one of us stumbles. Progressives further believe that universal healthcare permits our country to better compete in the 21^st century, when every major country other than ours provides universal healthcare, and our out-dated, regressive, conservative patchwork healthcare system puts American jobs, productivity, and growth in jeopardy.

The Democratic presidential candidates have a variety of plans, some stronger than others. Let’s not quibble over the details, if this quibbling reduces the likelihood of a Democrat with health care reform making it to the White House next year. Let’s celebrate that every leading Democratic presidential candidate recognizes that Americans demand a change of our current health care system. And let’s celebrate our Democracy (not Socialist system) that permits us to vote to support programs that benefit society, that Promote the General Welfare.

Progressive Update--09/18/2007

New Attorney General—I’m no legal scholar. My day job is as a financial advisor. I smiled when I read a description of how the White House selected the current Treasury Secretary—‘scraping the top of the barrel’. The prior Treasury Secretary was a disaster, despite being a loyal Bushie. The current one actually has some credentials!

It appears that Michael Mukasey, Bush’s nominee for Attorney General, while not found at the top of the barrel, was certainly not found at the bottom of the barrel with the loyal Bushies.

Mukasey is not someone that a Democrat and/or Progressive would have selected. He has some troublesome positions on civil liberties. However on the issue of law versus politics, he appears to place the law on top. This is an extremely refreshing approach after the Gonzalez years.

Senator Leahy is suggesting that the confirmation will require not only information on Mukasey, but also material requested in the past year regarding the US Attorney firings and domestic wiretapping, material that the White House has refused to release, stonewalling the Senate. That certainly sounds reasonable to me.

You MUST Read This—I’m kidding. When you read that headline, aren’t you tempted to skip it? I am. As a culture, we detest being force-fed anything. Why don’t politicians get this?

Delaware is WAY behind in recycling. One reason is that our legislators don’t get it. Their solution is ‘mandatory recycling’. Sure sounds like something I’d oppose. To state the obvious, ‘mandatory recycling’ is a phrase invented by opponents to recycling. Let’s stop being foolish! How about ‘universal recycling’? Words matter!

I heard some headlines about Hillary Clinton’s Health Care Plan this morning. One of the things I heard about her plan, is that all Americans would be required to obtain health insurance. HELLO. Hillary, find your chief health-care strategist and require them to resign.

I haven’t closely examined the specific health plans of the presidential candidates, other than to observe that Democratic candidates have plans, and Republican candidates have none. Before we hammer on one Democratic candidate’s plan let’s at least be thankful that the Democratic Party gets it—it’s Iraq and healthcare, stupid!

The Delegator in Chief—I like the irony of the self-described Decider relinquishing the responsibility of setting the strategy and goals for 160,000 US soldiers occupying a foreign nation. It’s absolutely amazing.

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group identified recommendations, including political, diplomatic, and military steps and goals. How is a general going to ‘bring success’ to this mess? A lame-duck president who isn’t answerable to the country is delegating to a general who isn’t answerable to the country to set policy and strategy for 160,000 troops? It’s madness!

The stated goal was to bring democracy to the Middle East. Well, a majority of Iraqis want us out of Iraq. At this time, we are clearly invaders and occupiers. A majority of Americans wants us out of Iraq. Can’t Bush’s masterful spinmasters turn an end of the occupation into Mission Accomplished—the Sequel?

Paul S Baumbach

Progressive Update--09/11/2007

On this anniversary of 9/11, let us recommit ourselves to ensuring that this is the last time that politicians have been able to feed on Americans’ fears to mislead our country so very, very badly.

It has been almost two months since I sent out a blast, and updated the blog (http://paulprogressive.blogspot.com/). This is not because there has been any material, but rather there has been so much, and I’ve felt worn down, disappointed that many Americans seem to be falling for this ‘success and victory’ garbage, and by the awful job that the mainstream media (ABC, NBC, CBS, and don’t get me started on FOX) has done with sensationalizing ‘news’. The complete abdication of their investigative responsibilities by the media is abhorrent. If I spend too much time dwelling on it, I just get pissed off.

I will try to post one rant a week on the blog, and then send out an email once a month of the recent rants and perhaps new material. I do this primarily as therapy for myself. Let me know if it helps you!

IRAQ WAR

I submitted the following letter to the editor to the Wilmington News Journal on Monday the 10^th, and they ran much of it today (the 11^th), at http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/OPINION10/709110310/1111/OPINION . Given that they edited it heavily, I list the original submission, and note in blue the sections that the paper struck.

Do you understand President Bush, or the commercials pushing for continuing the occupation of Iraq? I don’t. I don’t understand what victory can be had at this point. There is no army to defeat, merely civil war and chaos. I don’t understand what success can be had at this point. Bush has vetoed every effort to set conditions and timetables for success. Success that requires a blank-check, of time, money, and lives, is not success, but failure.

US citizens want to end the Occupation of Iraq. This past November we ejected 36 Republican Senators and Representatives who failed to hold Bush accountable, who gave him a blank check in Iraq. While a majority of Senators, including some Republicans, want to end the Occupation, there are not yet enough to override a certain veto by Bush.

Iraqi citizens want to end the Occupation of Iraq. In this week’s ABC/BBC/NHK poll of Iraqi citizens, two-thirds say that political dialogue, security in surge areas, security in other areas, and reconstruction and economic development are worse due to the surge, yes WORSE. 100% of Iraqi citizens polled in Bagdad and Anbar want US troops out NOW. It doesn’t get any clearer than 100%, except if you are Bush, the Denier-in-Chief.

Let’s look at the numbers: 27,767 US combat troops wounded, and 3,762 US combat deaths in Iraq. What has the surge accomplished? 222 more US troops were killed in Iraq in the first half of 2007 versus 2006. While 166,000 US troops served in Iraq for 31 days in August, 0 politicians served in the Iraqi parliament in August. In what fantasy world is this is a path to success, to victory?

As the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman has suggested, you can’t want peace for someone more than they want it themselves. US citizens would welcome a solution which brings order to Iraq, however the Iraqi people clearly don’t want it enough to end their civil strife, and feel that we are more a part of the problem than the solution. What they do want is for US troops to leave. Let’s succeed, by fulfilling the wishes of the US and Iraqi people—let’s end the Occupation of Iraq, now.

More on War—If you live in Delaware, call Congressman Mike Castle at 302-428-1902 to let him know that you have had enough of giving President Bush a blank check in Iraq, and you want Rep Castle to stand up for Americans, for the troops, and for the Iraqi people, and demand and end to the Occupation of Iraq. Call today!

There is a march on Washington DC this Saturday. For more information, contact Pacem in Terris (www.paceminterris.com) at 302-656-2721.

A wonderful movie on Iraq, No End in Sight (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912593/ ), is playing the next three nights at 6:30 at the Newark Cinema Center 3. For more information, go to http://www.newarkfilm.com/pages/tickets.html#best

LARRY CRAIG CONTROVERSY

Republican Senator from Idaho Larry Craig hit the headlines in August based on his actions in a Minneapolis airport men’s room. Some have questioned why his transgressions are newsworthy. Let me weigh in.

Guilt—He pleaded guilty to lewd behavior, a misdemeanor. He claims that he rashly chose to not consult an attorney. I find it extremely hard to believe that a US Senator did not understand the implications of not consulting with an attorney before pleading guilty.

Consenting adults—Some have asked how the alleged crime is criminal. I agree that sexual activity between consenting adults should not be prohibited, however most states prohibit soliciting such activity to be conducted in public places, such as public restrooms. This prohibition certainly seems reasonable.

Innocence—Many of us are learning that there is an entire ‘language’ for soliciting sex in men’s restrooms, and this language appears to be developed such that there can be no innocent miscommunication (when is the last time you moved your foot under the wall and tapped the foot of the person in the next stall over?). I conclude that Senator Craig knew exactly what he was doing when the undercover police officer caught him.

Duplicity—Me thinks the man doth protest too much. Craig has a strong anti-gay voting record in Congress. This raises both anger and compassion. I am angry that our culture, and the Republican Party in particular, forces politicians to put on a false, anti-gay public front. I am sorry that Senator Craig apparently had to hide his orientation from his wife, his adopted children, his colleagues, and constituents. This, to me, is the larger crime.

So What—Senator Craig’s problems this year compel me to work harder to end discrimination based on sexual orientation. In Delaware, Senate Bill 141 is designed to enable Delaware to join Maryland and New Jersey in making it illegal to discriminate against someone based on sexual orientation. If your Delaware state senator is Nancy Cook, Charles Copeland, or John Still, please let them know that you oppose such discrimination, and you would like them to vote to release SB 141 onto the full senate. If you are in another district, please contact your senator and ask them to support voting to pull SB 141 from committee onto the senate floor.

DEfog—DEfog stands for Delaware For Open Government. This is a new bipartisan, grass-roots group that is dedicated to open up state government to the people. FOIA is the Freedom of Information Act. When FOIA was passed by the state legislature, they conveniently made themselves exempt. Convenient, isn’t it? Senate Bill 4 is designed to have the General Assembly covered by FOIA.

Jack Markell quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a meeting last night. In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, he distinguishes between just and injust laws. He states “An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself.” DEfog wants the General Assembly to follow FOIA itself. It is that simple. There is only one group that opposes this legislation—legislators. It is time to de-fog the Delaware legislature.

Like cockroaches, bad behavior and bad politics run from the light of day. Bring the light of day to Dover, and look for opportunities to work with DEfog to get Senate Bill 4 passed in Dover. Stay tuned for meeting dates and times.

Delaware Governor Primary Race—I heard state treasurer Jack Markell speak last night. I really like this guy. Disappointingly, he and another very good Delaware Democrat, state lieutenant governor John Carney are both running for the same position. I would not hesitate to contribute to a campaign in which Jack Markell is running against a Republican (or a Democrat whom I don’t like). I plan to contribute to the campaign of whomever wins the September 2008 primary, and if the Republican challenger is strong, I will volunteer for him. But I simply refuse to contribute to a campaign that is against a good Democrat.

There is only one way that I will support Markell or Carney in the primary race—if the other candidate turns negative. If that happens, and the opponent keeps on the high road, I will jump in. Thus far, both candidates are keeping it clean and constructive, which we appreciate and expect.

Election Season—The Delaware Democratic Party (www.deldems.org) is beginning to gear up for the election season. They are looking for neighborhood captains, and to deepen their database of voters. The annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner will be on the riverfront on October 29^th. It’s a great high-energy gathering of the faithful!

I will keep an eye out for areas of high need, house (or senate) election districts where we can grab a seat from a Republican, like we did in the 25^th with John Kowalko in 2006, and Bryon Short earlier this year. I will also keep an eye out for county and state seats that need some extra help, and will let you know when I see these opportunities

Paul S Baumbach

Progressive Update--07/16/2007

The Delaware legislature is out of session until January, so my attention is returning to national matters, after a few Delaware rants …

Stem Cell Research—Senate Bill 5 is designed to define how stem cell research can be done ethically in Delaware. It passed the state Senate, but Representative Deborah Hudson, one of the sponsors, goes Mr. Hyde on us, and adds House Amendment 1 to it, making it a felony to use stem cells for research purposes. In this manner, at 10pm on the last day of the six month session, Hudson eviscerated her own bill. Crazy, incompetent, or merely a liar—I truly don’t know.

Then again, in January 2006 Hudson did the exact same bait and switch, adding an amendment to Senate Bill 80 (the similar bill introduced in the prior General Assembly), and the amendment removed all references to embryonic stem cells (which was the only purpose to SB 80 in the first place). Hudson appears to be a spineless fair-weather friend to the stem cell movement, one who simply can not be counted on to stand up when faced with any objections. She is not someone I’d want on my team. She is 0 for 2—toxic for any stem cell legislation. And they called John Kerry a flip-flopper!

Before January, let your state senator and representative know that you support legislation that makes it legal to work to develop cures using stem cells. The federal Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 passed Congress (with YEA votes from all three DE legislators), but was vetoed by W last month. Welcome to W’s Dark Ages.

Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation—I joined an overflowing conference room of concerned citizens in Dover last month to testify before a Senate Committee to discuss Senate Bill 141 which would ban this discrimination. Like cockroaches who can’t stand the light of day, the three Senators who oppose this bill, Nancy Cook, Charles Copeland, and John Still, refused to stand up and explain why they support this discrimination. Nancy Cook refused to even attend, and Copeland was there for only a portion. The heartfelt testimony by so many individuals who have been directly hurt by this discrimination made clear that there is a great need for this legislation. I am ashamed of those three state Senators who refuse to grant their fellow state Senators the opportunity to vote on whether this bill should be made law. Whether Cook, Copeland, and Still support the passage of this bill, they should certainly agree that there is merit for the bill to be heard by the full Senate. I am astounded that Copeland, who has considered running for state governor, was too gutless to explain at the public committee hearing why he not only opposes the bill, but also opposes letting his Senate colleagues vote on the bill.

Carney versus Markell—I like both Lt. Governor John Carney and state Treasurer Jack Markell very, very much. I like them so much that I refuse to donate a single dollar to either of them during the primary. If the Republicans put up a challenging candidate to run against the winner of the Democratic primary (whether Carney or Markell), I will be amongst the first to contribute and help at that time. Money donated now will be spent by one wonderful Democrat against another great Democrat, and I consider this a tragic waste of precious resources. In my heart, I would have liked Jack to run against Mike Castle for US Representative. I would have liked to financially support both John and Jack, but to campaign against a Republican, not each other. This primary promises a loss to a wonderful Delaware Democrat, and the spending of a lot of Democratic money without weakening the Republican Party. Talk about fiscal irresponsibility!

Economic Development—State Representative John Kowalko wrote the attached letter to the editor to discuss legislation to establish the Delaware Interstate Job Cooperative Task Force, to help with interstate job creation, which is necessary given the Avon plant and Chrysler plan closings, and to take advantage of the opportunities that come with the Aberdeen Proving Ground expansion in Harford County, Maryland.

Common Cause—I would like to share my hope that this group, whose members have worked so hard to bring good government to Delaware can regain its form. We clearly need good government watchdogs in our state, with our atrocious exemptions from FOIA, the Freedom of Information Act, and with our desk-drawer veto power given to committee chairs in the General Assembly.

Volunteering--Go to www.volunteerdelaware.org for information on volunteer opportunities in Delaware.

National Issues—I’ll share my two cents in three areas—the presidential primaries, the Occupation of Iraq, and the rest.

Presidential Primaries—To those of us who are fairly interested in national politics, this is a very exciting time. Candidates are very accessible, and it is not difficult to play a significant role in the local efforts of your favored candidate. To those who are only slightly interested in national politics, it is still an exciting time, for the country is sick and tired of crony capitalism, and the Republican enabling of W. As such, next fall’s presidential election appears to be the Democrats to lose—it would take a Herculean effort for a Republican to win the White House.

What is your responsibility at this point? To learn more about the candidates, so that 1) you can identify which candidate you wish to support with time, talent, and/or contributions, and 2) when you friends ask you about one candidate or another, you can share the reasons why you like the one you support and also the positive points of the candidate that your friend asked about. Thus even if you support Obama, if your friend asks about Hillary, share positive points about both, for if you speak highly of Obama and criticize Hillary, you may end up hurting our ability to put a Democrat in the White House next year. The Republicans call this the 11^th Commandment—thou shalt say nothing negative about a fellow Republican. You should not hesitate to share the strong positives of your favored Democratic presidential candidate, but also share something positive about the others. United we stand …

What are the candidates’ responsibilities at this point? Again, I feel that all Democrats should follow this 11^th Commandment (applied to fellow Democrats). Pointing out differences is fine, note where you have a more concrete health care plan, or your plan to end the Occupation has a shorter timetable, different benchmarks, etc. You can do this without giving ammunition to the neocon bloggers and talking heads on Fox. Remember that the candidate that you may like to shoot down could be your running mate in twelve months.

Iraq—I hate to say it, but our country deserves another 18 months in Iraq. It elected W in 2004, and with only 1/3 of the Senate being elected every two years, we can not override a veto of the president that the country selected until we kick the Republican Party out of the White House and kick even more Republicans out of the Senate next November. The continued military and civilian deaths in Iraq are the consequences of the votes that our country’s citizens cast in November 2004. This is a priceless lesson in civics, and clearly one that this country desperately required. It tears me apart, however I am hopeful that Americans will think twice (or at least once) before voting again for a draft-dodging, silver spoon fed, fear-mongering moron with a well-funded, mud-slinging spin machine.

There is a good debate over whether we could exit Iraq sooner if we work on a bi-partisan compromise. My view is that this is rubbish. We should have a weekly vote in the Senate to set a twelve month timetable to withdraw ALL combat troops, with zero funding for troops that W leaves in Iraq that violates this timetable. Voting against such a timetable is a vote against our soldiers and their families. There is no downside for W to keep our soldiers in harm’s way and veto a bill—W won’t lose any future election. Congress however is not a lame duck; Congress represents the will of the people, and the people spoke loud and clear in November last year. We don’t want some watered down bipartisan ‘suggestion to the President’ with no teeth, no specifics, no repercussions. But there is downside for Republicans who continue to enable W. Don’t open the door for Democrats to be Swift Boated next year, by having them vote with Republicans on a watered down ‘please W, consider slowly bringing our soldiers home’. Make the lines clear—you are either for or against ending the Occupation. Stand up to W, show some backbone, or pack your bags. If Republicans are willing to stand up to end the Occupation, then that’s great, and I’ll call that bi-partisan. But if a Republican is not willing to set a hard timetable, and cut off funds for this President’s lie-based Occupation, then get those Republicans out of the room (John McCain first)—they bring nothing positive to the table.

The Rest—There are so many issues to raise, about which to share outrage: the Supreme Court overturning its own precedents, the Libby sentence commutation, the continued state of Guantanamo, Bush’s assault on healthcare, anything involving Alberto Gonzalez, the politicization of the US Surgeon General’s office, … There is, however, hope. The polls show that the country is finally waking up to the lies issued daily by the White House. Fewer Republicans (congressmen and citizens) are willing to keep drinking W’s Koolaid. Despite some prominent defections over important items like the failure of The Surge, the Republican Party has a critical problem that they can not fix by next November—the history and the platform of the Republican Party. The Party accepted and yet abdicated one-third of the responsibility of the US government since 2000—they rubber-stamped an imperialist, constitution-breaking Executive branch for six years.

Their platform is mired in an Ozzie and Harriet regressive time-warp. Their record on civil rights, labor rights, anti-discrimination is abysmal. Their economic policies are archaic (trickle down economics has no basis in the open, global environment that they promote), and even conservatives look back favorably on the fiscal responsibility of the Clinton years. Association with W has been described as radioactive—I am expecting the same to be said for association with the Republican party by next November, AND FOR VERY GOOD REASON.

In the meantime, until next November, the Democratic Party needs to focus on the big issues, ending the Occupation of Iraq, restoring checks and balance to the three branches of the federal government, and re-opening government. The Party should lead in the area of good government. This means that they should lead on ethics, on identifying earmarks, and they should lead on putting the country before their own individual well-being. This means that even Senators from New York (serving Manhattan) should be amongst the first to stand up and say that enough is enough, and that hedge fund managers should pay ordinary income taxes on their income. The regressive changes to the tax code under W are criminal (especially when they prevent us from providing healthcare to our children, and when they force us to underfund education and infrastructure (does anyone remember New Orleans), and all Democrats must stand united on this issue, even those in districts with zillionaires. Democrats want to hold their heads high, and to do that we need to stand uniformly for higher ethics than Republicans (OK, so that bar isn’t very high).

Paul S Baumbach

Progressive Update--06/13/2007

Presidential Candidates—With eighteen months to go, we are already being flooded with news stories of the candidates—who is raising the most money, who is ahead in New Hampshire polls, etc. There are periodic debates which offer you the ability to hear several of them speak to issues that matter to you—the Occupation of Iraq, healthcare reform, restoring integrity to government. There are ‘debate parties’ where you can join with others who like your preferred candidate. Every candidate has at least one website where you can find out their positions on issues, how to contribute, and how to volunteer.

I asked my friend Matt Kerbel, professor at Villanova University, to comment on the current crop of candidates (both Democratic and Republican) and, like always, he has wonderful insight:

It's too early to say anything with authority about the individual candidates, although it's clear from any number of measures that there is real excitement and satisfaction on the Democratic side and resignation on the Republican side. In my view, the field of Republican candidates, taken collectively, is the weakest either party has assembled since the Democrats offered the "seven dwarfs" in 1988 (the Dukakis debacle). This is in line with the extreme disarray we've been seeing on the Republican side, the result of Bush doing to conservatism what he has done to Iraq. It's hard to know what conservatives stand for at this point, and that's evident when you listen to the candidates debate. I don't think there is a single president in the lot -- Fred Thompson included.

Although Hillary continues to lead national polls, perhaps the most significant inside baseball story thus far is her failure to knock out her opponents with superior fundraising. Obama almost outraised her in the first quarter, and word is he will do exactly that in the second quarter, drawing on a larger base of small contributors. Without that knock-out punch, there is room for others to compete -- Obama for sure, but don't rule out Edwards, who continues to lead in Iowa. Gore was and is the big wild card. I still wouldn't be surprised if he gets in, and if he does I think it's his to lose, because he'll command a powerful combination of grassroots and institutional support. Although I can see the appeal of Obama/Gore [PSB: I raised this with Matt earlier], he would never take the number two job again. Gore/Obama, on the other hand, has tremendous appeal.

National Issues—The ACLU is organizing a Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice, on June 26^th in Washington. For more information go to https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=june_home There are free buses leaving from Delaware.

I imagine that, like me, you are frustrated that despite the clear voice of the voters in November, and a Democratic party majority in both houses of Congress, we seem no closer to ending the Iraq Occupation. I agree with Howard Dean, that we won’t be able to end the madness until the country places a Democrat into the White House. There are too many Republicans continuing to ‘stand by their man’, the Failure in Chief, and the Democratic majority isn’t strong enough to override Bush’s vetoes. Jeff Feldman, author of FrameShopIsOpen (see next paragraph), notes that the party is rightly taking the necessary first step of reclaiming Congress’ share of the federal government’s power, power which the Republican party surrendered to Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Bush for six years, and that this step needs to be successful before and end can be found for the Occupation.

Next week, from the 18^th to the 20^th, there is a progressive conference in DC, the Take Back America 2007 conference. It has most of the Democratic candidates speaking, along with many, many liberals. I read about it at http://www.frameshopisopen.com/ where you can learn more, and register.

There are a wide range of progressive issues at the national level (the increasingly political Supreme Court reversing its own precedents to move towards re-criminalizing abortion, for instance), and I don’t mean to neglect them. My recommendation is that you 1) find the issues that matter most to you, 2) learn what you can about them, to help you frame your viewpoint, and 3) share your view with your legislators and the media. To find your legislator, go to www.votesmart.org, and enter your nine-digit zip code on the top left side panel. You get the names and contact information on your national and state elected representatives.

Delaware Legislation—The News Journal ran an article or two this past weekend on the Delaware state legislature’s pattern of desk drawer vetoes, the manner in which committee chairs let bills die in their committee by never letting their committee consider them, and in this manner never letting the House or Senate decide on the issue. This pattern is alive an well in Dover this year.

Open Government--Democratic-backed House Bill 70 (simple, clear, effective) is in the House House Administration Committee for the past three months (the legislature only works six months a year). Republican-backed House Bill 60 (innumerable loopholes) is in the same committee. These two bills are designed to remove the exemption that the House and Senate currently have from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Senate Bill 4 is even stronger, including caucuses, and it, too, is dieing a slow death.

Lobbying Reform--Democratic Representative John Kowalko's House Bill 68, which forbids senators and representatives from working as a lobbyist for 1 year after they end their service is in the House House Administration Committee, has been stuck in committee for three motnhs.

Equality--There are two bills designed to provide equal rights for all, and there is an event planned to support these bills. Come to Dover on Thursday May 3rd starting at 12:30pm, for Lobby Day.

Senate Bill 10, which provides healthcare and other employee benefits to domestic partners has been stuck in the Senate Finance Committee for over four months. Senate Bill 9 is not yet introduced, would make it illegal in Delaware to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation. Senate Bill 57 has passed both houses, and awaits Gov Minner’s signature. It 'would expand eligibility for Protection from Abuse orders to those in substantive dating relationships and al cohabitating couples.' House Bill 187 permits hospital patients to designation permitted visitors, including domestic partners. It came out of committee yesterday, and awaits a House vote.

Stem Cell Research--Senate Bill 5 passed the senate on March 29th, and emerged from the House Health & Human Development Committee on May 2^nd. There is much information supporting this effort at www.stemcellgo.com, which is also the site where you can donate to support this effort. The site includes an About Senate Bill 5 section, that busts many of the myths that the opponents are spreading. SB5 awaits House vote.

Prison Reform--House Bill 71, which replaces mandatory sentences for drug offenders with empowering judges to set sentences, has been stuck in a Senate committee for two months, having already passed the House. www.surj.com has more information on how this can help 'reduce the injustice, elevated incarcerated population, and excessive cost risked by one-size-fits-all mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws.'

Insurance--Senate Bill 37 is designed to empower the state Insurance Department to review health insurance premium rates just as they do for auto, homeowner, etc. It passed the Senate last week, and is now in a House committee. Senate Bill 31 would forbid insurance companies from using credit scores in setting auto insurance rates. A Senate Substitute (bill) 1 for SB 31 has been introduced, passed by the Senate, and sits in a House committee for more than a month. Senate Bill 6 will establish a statewide health insurance pool for individuals and small businesses to obtain more favorable rates, was passed by the Senate in April, and sits in a House committee. All of these bills have been introduced in the past and have been blocked by the Republican House, and all have been championed by DE Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn, who is running for Lieutenant Governor next year. House Concurrent Resolution 6 urges Congress and the President to enact a comprehensive universal health insurance act, and has been stuck in committee for over two months.

Poverty--House Concurrent Reslution 16 (by Terry Schooley) seeks to establish a Child Poverty Task Force to study and develop a plan to reduce child poverty in Delaware by 50% in the next ten years. It made it through committee, but sits in the House for over a month.

National Guard--House Joint Resolution 4 urges Congress and the President to pass Senate Bill 513 and House 869, which returns control of the Delaware National Guard for domestic purposes from the President to the Governor. It passed the House in May and the Senate in last week, and awaits Governor Minner’s signature.

Volunteering--Go to www.volunteerdelaware.org for information on volunteer opportunities in Delaware.

Paul S Baumbach

Send me an email if you would like to be removed from this email list. You can find this and all past emails at my blog site:

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Countdown to Get Our Country Back

Progressive Update--04/11/2007

National Issues--Where do I begin? What a difference a party-change makes! We no longer have a Congress that rubber-stamps everything that comes out of the White House. White House cronyism and incompetence is finally being challenged (it is sad when the Justice Department is being investigated for injustice).

Election Time Is Now, Really!!--There are two seats in the Delaware House of Representatives up for grabs. Republican Wayne Smith turned from lobbyists' friend to lobbyist in the stroke of a pen. His district (the 7th, in Brandywine Hundred) has its special election THIS SATURDAY, and Democrat Bryon Short is running. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer, including on Saturday. Go to www.deldems.org for more information, and to volunteer.

Republican Representative Adkins, after flashing his Representative credentials at too many drunk-driving stops, and lying to fellow representatives and law enforcement offices one too many times, was forced to resign from the downstate 41st district. Democrat (and former Millsboro Mayor) Lynn Bullock will be running in the special election (not yet scheduled, but expected in May). Contributions and volunteers are needed.

These two elections offer the opportunity for us to narrow our gap in the House, where Republicans currently have a 5 seat advantage (18 Democrats to 23 Republicans), to only one. This can make 2008 a far easier year. Please pitch in!

The 23rd Representative District (with Democrat Terry Schooley as its rep), hosts its annual spaghetti dinner and auction next Friday (the 20th) from 6-9pm at the Unitarian church (www.uufn.org). Seeing Chris Coons emcee an auction is well worth the cost of admission, with the dinner simply a bonus. See me for the $10 tickets. Arrive on time--the live auction begins at 7pm.

Delaware Legislation--Here I run down a bunch of progressive topics and related pending legislation in Dover.

Open Government--House Bill 4 easily passed the House on its second try last month, and is currently in the Senate Executive Committee. This will bring the budget and bond bills into the open a few days before the end of June. Democratic-backed House Bill 70 (simple, clear, effective) is in the House House Administration Committee. Republican-backed House Bill 60 (innumerable loopholes) is in the same committee. These two bills are designed to remove the exemption that the House and Senate currently have from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Senate Bill 4 is even stronger, including caucuses. As such, it likely has a lower chance of passing. It has been in the Senate Executive Committee for three months, dieing a slow death.

Lobbying Reform--Democratic Representative John Kowalko's House Bill 68, which forbids senators and representatives from working as a lobbyist for 1 year after they end their service is in the House House Administration Committee. This bill needs your support--please ask your senator and representative to support this bill.

Equality--There are two bills designed to provide equal rights for all, and there is an event planned to support these bills. Come to Dover on Thursday May 3rd starting at 12:30pm, for Lobby Day.

Senate Bill 10, which provides healthcare and other employee benefits to domestic partners has been stuck in the Senate Finance Committee for over two months. Senate Bill 9 is not yet introduced, would make it illegal in Delaware to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation. Senate Bill 57 has been accepted 'on its merits' by committee and is back to the Senate for a vote. It 'would expand eligibility for Protection from Abuse orders to those in substantive dating relationships and al cohabitating couples.' There is a not-yet-introduced bill to provide hospital visitation rights to domestic partners. Please come to Dover on May 3rd and be heard by your representatives. For more information, contact Drew Fennel at dfennell@acludelaware.org

Stem Cell Research--Senate Bill 5 passed the senate on March 29th, and is currently in the House Health & Human Development Committee. There is much information supporting this effort at www.stemcellgo.com, which is also the site where you can donate to support this effort.

Prison Reform--House Bill 71, which replaces mandatory sentences for drug offenders with empowering judges to set sentences, passed the House last week, and is in the Senate Judiciary Committee. www.surj.com has more information on how this can help 'reduce the injustice, elevated incarcerated population, and excessive cost risked by one-size-fits-all mandatory minimum drug sentenceing laws.'

Insurance--Senate Bill 37 is designed to empower the state Insurance Department to review health insurance premium rates just as they do for auto, homeowner, etc. It is currently before the Senate. Senate Bill 31 would forbit insurance companies from using credit scores in setting auto insurance rates. This, too, sits in the Senate. Senate Bill 6 will establish a statewide health insurance pool for individuals and small businesses to obtain more favorable rates, and was passed by the Senate last week. All of these bills have been introduced in the past and have been blocked by the Republican House. House Concurrent Resolution 6 urges Congress and the President to enact a comprehensive universal health insurance act. It is in the House Economic Development/Banking & Insurance Committee.

Poverty--House Concurrent Reslution 16 (by Terry Schooley) seeks to establish a Child Poverty Task Force to study and develop a plan to reduce child poverty in Delaware by 50% in the next ten years. It is in the House Health & Human Development Committee.

National Guard--House Joint Resolution 4 urges Congress and the President to pass Senate Bill 513 and House 869, which returns control of the Delaware National Guard for domestic purposes from the President to the Governor.

Earth Day is later this month, and there are several related events, including the Sierra Club Film Festival at DE State University (for info email June Satterfield at junesatterfield@juno.com

Presidential Candidates--I have friends who actively support Dennis Kucinich (www.kucinich.us) and Barack Obama (www.barackobama.com). I like some of the information that I have heard from John Edwards, too (www.johnedwards.com). Now is the time for each of us to learn more, and when we find a candidate that excites us, volunteer and contribute to their campaign.

Volunteering--Go to www.volunteerdelaware.org for information on volunteer opportunities in Delaware.