Anonymous Delawarean

Delaware Primary Results Breakdown: O'Donnell

2010-09-14T21:58:00.003-04:00

Perennial candidate Christine O'Donnell has defeated long-term Republican politician and former governor Mike Castle. Although unofficial, I have broken down the primary by county, using the results from the primary, and the breakdown by representative district. 32% of registered Republicans came out to vote in the primary. O'Donnell won by approximately 3500 votes.

There are three counties in Delaware, with the bulk of the population in New Castle, the capital in Kent, and the beaches in Sussex. Generally New Castle is more Democratic, Sussex is more Republican, and Kent leans Republican. Representative districts (as broken down on the state page) are generally as follows.

New Castle: Rep. Districts 1-13, 15-27
Kent: Rep Districts 28-32, 34
Sussex: Rep districts 14, 33, 35-41

The voting breakdown by county:

New Castle:
Castle - 16942 votes over O'Donnell 12453 votes (Castle carries NCC by 4489 votes)

Kent:
O'Donnell 5069 votes over Castle 2918 votes (O'Donnell carries Kent by 2151 votes)

Sussex:
O'Donnell 13039 votes over Castle 7161 votes (O'Donnell carries Sussex by 5878 votes)

What I find most interesting in all of this is the high voter turnout in Sussex County.

Other things of note:
NCC: O'Donnell carried 10 out of the 26 districts but none of the big ones.
Kent: O'Donnell carried all six districts, the 30th district being the biggest margin
Sussex: O'Donnell carried all nine districts.

I'll leave the commentary about the candidates to the peanut gallery and the 24/7 media since this upset will undoubtedly give them plenty of talking points to bandy about in the news for a while. I stand by my prediction that Coons will now win Biden's vacant seat come November.

On the cusp of the Delaware primary: Castle (will) win

2010-09-14T19:55:00.003-04:00

I have been asked to weigh in on the O'Donnell-Castle primary and for a number of reasons, I choose to decline comment at this time. As fun as it is getting roto-dialed by Sarah Palin, I cast my vote this morning for Castle. Nice try tea party express, but Delaware is different.

Contrary to the RCP poll which puts O'Donnell up 47-44, I highly doubt it will be that close. Election results will be posted on the Department of Election website. I note that while turnout in these primaries is historically low, I have no doubt that it will be enough for Castle to win the nomination. If for some reason he does not, Coons will win in November by an unprecedented landslide.

Apologies also for my long delay in posting. For a number of reasons, I have chosen to remain silent as far as internet posting. Over the next couple of months, however, I plan on returning and posting once again. Until then.

Tax problems and a practical solution

2009-02-03T19:39:00.002-05:00

With Daschle becoming the third Cabinet nominee to face surfacing tax issues, I find myself asking the simple question: why hasn't the IRS clamped down on this issue? There must be a senator tax loophole that the general public isn't aware about.

As far as whether this is egg on the face, I'm still sort of deferential - Obama's plans are to revamp Washington and obviously the roots of the problem are deeper than he thought. Change takes time - these blips are bringing awareness to a problem, which is part of the solution. It makes you wonder how many other senators aren't paying their fair share of taxes.

Obviously nobody likes paying taxes. Contrary to popular myths, most people do pay their taxes. It's just that the system helps those who know what they are doing. Times are changing though. Considering that a significant portion of commerce passes through the internet tax free, I suspect that there will be a closer look at how Uncle Sam can get his paws in on that action. In the meantime, and in an effort to put more people to work by professionally handling tax returns, I offer this unvetted suggestion.

Any certified accountant must handle a certain number of indigent or pro-bono cases a year. Easier said than done, but here are my thoughts as to why this may be a good long term idea. First, more people would be disposed to explore accounting as a career, whether at a private firm or for a public company like H&R block. This will put (at least in the longer term) more people to work. This can be paid for through tax credits for the accountant or accounting firm based on X number of cases taken. Second, there is a chance that with more people reporting their taxes, revenue will go up. I don't think it would be because people are necessarily paying more than they should, but I think that more people would be inclined to file (partly because of my third reason). Audit a higher percentage of people that do not have an accountant to pay their taxes. This would require more auditors to be hired. I'm not sure how this isn't done more with computer technology now but maybe it is and the auditing system is just underreporting. The increase in auditing would also generate income because those who are coming up short (or significantly short in the case of Daschle's $150,000 plus deficit) are going to pay the price.

I will have to give this idea more thought, but it can easily be done at the state level. If Delaware can come up with a good template, we certainly have a connection in the federal executive branch now that can pass our good suggestions along.

Obama's Wilmington Whistle Stop

2009-01-17T17:22:00.004-05:00

I got a chance to go to President-elect Obama's whistle stop in Wilmington today. It was pretty cool (and very cold out). There was a nice presentation by the Kuumba Academy Charter school and introductions by Gov.-elect Markell, the mayor of Wilmington and even by Joe Biden himself. Obama's remarks took about 10 minutes, but it was a pretty cool experience. One thing that was pretty neat was when he started by saying it was (First Lady) Michelle's birthday, and people started singing happy birthday to her.

There is a video on YouTube with the first half of the speech, and the text is posted by the News Journal site. There are also a couple of videos of him arriving and also leaving the Wilmington Station.

Overall, it was pretty cool and something I'll remember for a long while. Right now, the majority of the country has a lot of optimism about things turning around - I hope that they are right.

Using Facebook to stop crime

2009-01-14T07:47:00.003-05:00

The state is always looking for ways to cut costs and save money, and often ideas come from the most unlikely sources. Take the text messaging tips for example. That probably came from some officer or higher up whose kid's text messaging habit resulted in a huge phone bill one day.

Here is a similar technological idea that could be used to identify potential threats: Use Facebook. The police in New Zealand are experimenting with the idea with some immediate success; it may be something the Wilmington or other city departments (or state) looks into. Cost to the budget: $0.

Drudge gives the button movie some much needed publicity

2009-01-06T19:41:00.002-05:00

I think I may have been at the theater at the same time as Sen. Biden to try and watch the Benjamin Button movie. I got in; he did not. Of course, that theater holds like 70 people, so it's no wonder it sells out all the time. For $10.25/ticket, you're almost better off going to the Bridge in Philly for just a couple dollars more ($12.50) and get a much better experience in a much nicer theater. You can even pick out your seats in advance.

It was sort of funny to read the headline Drudge put out about this rather mundane story: "CURIOUS CASE OF JOE BIDEN: No one notices VP-elect at sold out movie; Refused entrance..." Well, I think "refused entrance" is a bit over the top - the movie was sold out and so he would have had to see another show, see the show at another time, or go and do something else. And this is Delaware, we see famous people all the time and nobody cares. This city is like the New York of the east coast, give me a break. I chalk this one up to the "who cares" category right along with that sketch of people who couldn't remember what year was September 11. FYI, the answer (even without the sketch) is sadly pretty low.

Actual population of Delaware and a bad idea about taxing mileage

2009-01-04T16:56:00.004-05:00

Although the census is still a couple of years away, I saw that the Census Bureau released some estimates recently.

Delaware's population estimate from the census bureau is 873,092 on July 1, 2008, up from 783,595 on April 1, 2000, an increase of 89,497 or 11.4%. By comparison, my own estimate a couple months earlier was slightly higher, 876,688. Either way, I was pretty close.

So, Delaware's population of 873,092 in July 2008 remains well under 1 million. Now if only each of those people paid $1000 each in taxes and we'd have no budget problems.

Speaking of budget problems, I saw in the paper the other day that the state is again toying with various tax ideas, and threw out the fact that Oregon is experimenting with a mileage tax.

I tend to agree that this sort of approach, while outside of the box, is a bad idea, and many of the comments in this article explain why Delaware should not move in this direction. Apparently, Oregon is also rethinking this, and hopefully Delaware doesn't jump blindly into the foray just to realize how explosively bad this idea is.

Internet access restored

2008-12-30T07:45:00.000-05:00

Let's just say that the internet access upstate is not as good as the internet access downstate. That, and there just hasn't been a lot of newsworthy stuff going on in Delaware lately, or at least nothing worth commenting about. I do have my election results analyzed and will try and post them tomorrow.

America's most expensive license plates have nothing on Delaware

2008-12-18T21:57:00.002-05:00

An interesting article in Forbes today talks about how old license plate tags are worth a lot of money. Part of the reason this is the case is because they are old collectibles and like rare coins, it's a matter of supply and demand. A license plate from Alaska in 1921 is estimated to be worth $60,000. Of course, what was the driving population in Alaska in 1921, twenty? Of course, in Delaware it's not the tag that is worth anything but the number itself. And the value of these tags, as anyone in the know knows, is far above $60,000. So which state really has the edge on collectibles as far as license plate memorabilia? The first one, or in Delaware's case, tag #6.

Bailout bombs and markets are set to react

2008-12-12T08:09:00.001-05:00

The Senate (as expected) rejected the auto bailout much as they did the initial banking bailout bill. Anybody know any good short etfs or stocks to capitalize on for the next couple of weeks?

UD wants to buy Chrysler plant

2008-12-10T19:59:00.002-05:00

University of Delaware wants to buy the adjacent Chrysler plant and develop the property as either a new stadium or athletic complex. On one hand, I think this is a good idea and fits in with the long term plans of making UD/Newark a more integrated college town. On the other hand, it defeats any new industry from buying that same property and moving its base of operations there.

This debate, however, has dual interests for me. I'm for capitalism and free market industry, and would welcome new businesses coming to the state and providing people work (like Sallie Mae). I am also pro college and like the idea of a community-college-based city, sort of like Redmond, but more college centered. In the end, though, I think my loyalty can be evenly split as there are plenty of other properties that can be developed elsewhere in the state, which would still create jobs and develop industry, which would have the added benefit of letting the Newark campus continue to grow.

California teacher comes up with a way to save his school money

2008-12-03T17:41:00.002-05:00

Here's a clever way that one California teacher has come up with to save the school some money in printing costs: offer advertisements on tests. The same sort of idea already is in play when it comes to programs for games, plays, and yearbooks, so why not for non-extra-curricular activities?

While this does sort of breed commercialism in schools, I see it as minimal compared to the sorts of free advertising that companies already get in terms of brand name clothes and accessories, among other things. Especially for businesses that cater to youth and the under-21 crowd (or even the coveted 18-49 demographic), I'm surprised more schools aren't attempting to pool their collective resources to fix this moderate line item expense.

So is the idea worth investigating further? Of course. With the state facing record shortfalls, it's time to start investigating new ideas. Or pooling resources and contractors.

Walmart stampeding death - seems a bit much

2008-11-30T16:05:00.002-05:00

I heard that someone got trampled to death in a Black Friday mayhem last week up in New York. Are people that desperate for deals that it has come to this? What will likely result from this tragedy is that stores (on days like Black Friday) will have to simply organize themselves much like concerts do - and those who are in line first will get to go into the store in an orderly fashion.

These stores know that people are nutty - bad economy or not. Black Friday has turned into a spectacle of sales and deals which, in all seriousness, can easily be extended or duplicated on other days (and in many cases are). I hope Wal-Mart cuts this family a big check for their role in all of this.

At least if you buy online, the only thing you have to worry about is how fast your internet connection is and whether you have typed in the address correctly.

It's a downstate football championship

2008-11-23T19:21:00.003-05:00

Here's a kudos to the Henlopen Conference and downstate football: For the first time in a long time (if not ever), all four teams in the Division I and II football finals are not from New Castle County. Laurel will play Milford for the D2 final and CR will play Sussex Central for the D1 crown. Championships for both divisions will be at Delaware State University this year, so nobody downstate will have to travel very far. I will predict Sussex Central over CR and Milford over Laurel.

Pope predicts economic collapse in 1985? I can do the same thing right now

2008-11-21T07:50:00.003-05:00

This article made me laugh. According to the article, the paper, written by Pope Benedict XVI when he was just a cardinal, made a rather bold and general prediction: "German-born Ratzinger in 1985 presented a paper entitled 'Market Economy and Ethics' at a Rome event dedicated to the Church and the economy. The future pope said a decline in ethics 'can actually cause the laws of the market to collapse.'"

Well, there were crashes in 1987 and 2001 that arguably fall into this same category, so I guess his Nostradamus-type prediction was just as applicable then. I'm not questioning the paper, nor have I read it, but I cringe when I see organizations like Bloomberg latch onto articles like this to the point they actually make a real headline.

Here's a bold prediction: Sometime in the future, the market will be well above 14,000 again, and probably approaching 20,000. Economic crisis will occur and the market will go down. And again, sometime after that, the market will rebound and things will be great. And after another time of great economic prosperity, the economy will slow down and the wallets will tighten as the market experiences tumultuous turns. There also will be a presidential election in 2036, and again four years later. Mark my words. All of this will come true. Just remember you heard it hear first, in 2008.

Follow up to Capital School District post: A second comment

2008-11-15T10:14:00.005-05:00

Out of fairness of giving additional exposure to yesterday's less articulate comment, I thought this comment to my post about the new grading policy at one of the school districts downstate was particularly insightful, in large part because it is written by someone who is actually experiencing said grading policy change:

"Note: This is a fairly long comment, but it clears up some misconceptions that have been floating around various places (not to accuse anything of having incomplete information though)

I am a student in the Capital School District. The grading scale (i.e., A=94-100, B=85-93....) has been that way for at least 5 years, with the exception of 50% as the lowest possible score. On the other hand, the 50-below-is-a-50 policy only applies to each quarter's score. In addition, a formative/summative grading system has been adopted for grades 5-12. Formative assignments, such as homework (which has a newly updated policy and is not supposed to be "busy work") and classwork, are intended to be for when students are still learning the concepts, and make up 20% of the grade. Summative assessments, such as tests and projects, are designed to assess a student's knowledge, and are worth 80% of the grade. These percentages are approximate, and may vary by 5% if my understanding of the policy is correct.

The purpose of making marking period grades under 50% a 50% is so that a student does not dig him/herself so deep into a hole that it would be impossible for them to pass that course, while "still reflecting that a student has failed". Under the grading system, 280 points (out of 400, 100 for each of the four quarters), are required to pass a full-year course. If a student gets, say, a 10% in the first quarter, that student would have to get at least a 90% every subsequent quarter in order to pass. With the 50% system in place, that student would need a 77% per quarter, which may be much more realistic for that student.

The formative and summative policy, at least in my school, is rather unpopular. Some (including teachers) despise the policy, while others take a more moderate view, preferring a change to the scale (A=90, B=80....) or a rebalancing to 70-30%,, and one of my teachers actually commented that she previously did a 90-10% system. Under this policy, class participation is not graded, and no assignment is allowed to be worth more than 20%. This means that teachers are required to give four summative and one formative assignment per quarter. For students, this results in their grades hinging heavily on their performance on tests. Previously, each teacher would set the weighting of each category of assignment. That tended to work well due to individual differences in course content, and it left some room for the teacher to adjust grades to ensure an accurate measure of student's performance.

This new grading system does cause stress for some students. In Capital, progress reports are released roughly halfway through each quarter, and reflect the student's current grade. Students scoring poorly on a test early on the quarter do not always have a chance to boost that grade before the progress report, and since the test makes up most of the grade when there are few other summative assignments, the student's grade will be much lower than what it should be. While some teachers do offer "make-up tests", essentially a re-test, not all will. An extreme example, but still showing the point, is one of a classmate whose average dropped about 15 percentage points in the beginning of the quarter due to a failed test.

The system places an emphasis on test grades, and so those that perform well on tests (showing that they do understand the concepts) but don't always do their homework will benefit, at the cost of those that do not always do well on tests, but always do their homework. It has been said that this promotes laziness, since it is not necessary to do any formative assignments at all if the average summative grade is at least 88% (resulting in a 70.4% average). Those that do work hard, but that are not good test-takers, are penalized.

A semi-recent Dover Post news article stated that the Board was open to suggestions for the policy. Several parents were present at their meeting and did voice their concerns about the new system. Topics mentioned included changing the percentage of each, class rankings differing large amounts dependent on the use of a 80-20 or a 70-30 split, and the first marking period grade of seniors hoping for early admission that are still adjusting to changing standards.

Some people do support the new system though. One of my teachers has said that summative assessments actually should be making up the majority of the grade, since the point of a course is to gain knowledge in a subject and be able to use it. Another important argument is that colleges do not have formative grades, and most students are college-bound. I have heard that another school is piloting a summative-only program (failing to do homework results in a detention). As to whether or not we are better prepared for college because of it, we will not know for several years, and by then the policy may have changed again.

A Dover Post article from several weeks ago stated that the board had been monitoring the situation, and that several concerned parents had brought up some issues. A look at grades revealed that the number of grades that were lower compared to last year was only about 3% higher than the number that were higher. If I remember correctly, the board was also open to changes to the policy.

As for my opinion on the changes itself, I am largely undecided. My grades this year have largely been unchanged, although the summative category has caused some large drops in my average. While I do agree that the policy is better for college preparation, it is important that it is not college, which may have been the reason for the formative category. I personally would prefer either a change to the grading scale, or a change in the percentages to a 70-30%. As to whether this system will be modified or removed, we will just have to wait and see."

In response to a comment

2008-11-12T21:50:00.002-05:00

Someone posted a comment on a post I had written a few months ago about a grading system change in the Capital School District. The comment, in its entirety (and unedited), speaks for itself. It reads:

"This is the most ridiculous argument for a flawed policy I have ever read. The process is designed to help pore students while penalizing the ones achieving beeter results. I have a student that regulary scores in the 80's and 90's she just recieved a b after achieving a 92 percent in english. This in most other scool districts in the country would be an A. He sister also earned a 75% and recieved a D again most otehr school districts in the US and many schools in Delaware this would have been a solid C. Yes, if she would have recieved a 10% on a test and was unfairly given a 50% she would have benefitted. Instead her lowest score was a 70% and is now unfairly saddled with a grade that does not reflect the national norm. How is this a good thing? How is this fair? How is this benifiting anyone other than the student who is failing."

I am going to start posting more frequently; for now life upstate has been interestingly busy and I will try and update over the weekend with some commentary on new news, as well as my post-election thoughts and prediction comparison.

Lines at voting only a few minutes wait

2008-11-04T20:35:00.003-05:00

Watching the news, I am surprised that the other states can't get on board like Delaware and adopt some sort of electronic voting machine. You can watch updated results on CNN's website as well as the Department of Elections website. As of 8:38, nothing is up yet, although the networks have already concluded what I did a few weeks ago with much more precision. I'll figure out next week how close my actual prediction was.

The real question is whether any non-Delaware elected officials (presumably President Obama if it comes to that) will come to Return Day with Sen. Biden and the rest of the Delaware politicians to "bury the hatchet."

After wednesday, one thing will be certain: 50% of America will be disappointed

2008-11-02T23:18:00.002-05:00

This article is worth reading. My only addition would be that everybody needs to rally behind whoever gets elected so that our country can get back on track.

And all this talk of socialism from Sarah Palin is mildly amusing considering that her decision to reward the Alaskan taxpayers with a percentage of oil revenue "taken" from certain oil producers in that state has practically the same effect of "spreading the wealth around." Maybe after Tuesday these red herrings will simply go belly up.

Phillies and the Comcast center statute end the curse

2008-10-29T22:02:00.003-04:00

Good for the phillies as they win the 2008 world series. And, as pointed out at the end of the broadcast, William Penn was recently back on top of the city of Philadelphia. Of course, that was last year, but who is counting.

At least Tampa Bay got a taste of Delaware while they were in the mid-atlantic, while they stayed in the city's luxurious 5-star Hotel duPont. You can stay there too. Make sure you try the macaroons.

Getting used to the new (to me) comcast channel lineup

2008-10-28T18:14:00.003-04:00

One gripe I have about the upstate cable service is that the news channels are all over the place. Although both services are offered through Comcast, I'm surprised that the downstate channels are much more structured. Particularly (and to support my point), the news channels downstate are all grouped between channels 25 and 29, with the sports channels in the early thirties. Upstate, they are all over the place. It's just going to take a bit to remember where the right channel is.

Phillies rain delay

2008-10-28T08:10:00.002-04:00

I was shocked to hear how many times Joe Buck kept saying "well, this is an official game", implying that they should just call it (which was not going to happen). Add to the shots of the doppler radar and it gives some credence to the local newscaster pondering whether this was the curse of billy penn in action. Give me a break - this is the world series, it's not going to be called for rain. So the question that is going to be on everyone's mind for the next few hours (or years even) is what effect this weather will have on tonight's game.

Here are a couple of my thoughts - phillies are at an advantage since Hammels now has a day to rest before retaking the mound and ryan howard can think about not striking out again. tampa has a minor advantage since they tied the game and got everyone to shut up about calling the game on account of weather. Advantage: Phillies.

The curse of William Penn...almost over?

2008-10-27T07:59:00.003-04:00

Internet has been sporadic lately, but hopefully it will be fixed sometime this week. With the Phillies only a game away from finishing off Tampa Bay, it is almost time to say that William Penn has finally let bygones be bygones. I'm not going to go as far as to guarantee that the Phils will win the world series though.

On environmental advocacy: Thoughts for the new governor

2008-10-19T10:25:00.004-04:00

Well, at least with oil at 50% of its highest levels, the price at the pump should be a little lower for a while. It will be interesting to see if all the calls for drilling offshore continue, and to what extent. (The answer is that they should - the problem has not gone away).

Many of my entries dealing with state-based proposals have some environmental overtones to them (solar panels on houses, economic plan, gas surcharge speeding tax, etc.). I will discuss another macro idea briefly: recycling.

Now, recycling itself is not a very worthwhile endeavor. While in Delaware, you have to pay into the recycling program, in Pennsylvania and other states, you do not. Cost deterrent aside, that is only one factor that may act more as a stick than a carrot. The more significant one is simple numbers: no matter how much we recycle in this State, or in any of the other 49 for that matter, there are countries whose recycling policies are decades from any we have developed, and their actions certainly offset any of ours. Rationally, the response to this argument would be to say that there is rationally no reason to recycle (a glorified "why bother" excuse). I say to act irrationally on this one: the point is for us to set an example for the rest of the world to follow and if it changes international perception even a fraction, that would be significant. (After all, it's the effort that accounts for more than the immediate result sometimes).

If the State of Delaware is serious about setting about recycling goals and encouraging the practice, the current efforts to simple merge all recycling bins to force the workers themselves to sort them falls a bit short.

Here is one solution. Cities in parts of the midwest have two trashcans covering their sidewalk corners - one for trash and one for bottles/newspaper. Granted, there is probably a lot of mixing of the two, but at least these cities are attempting to give people a choice to recycle or not.

Similarly, in at least two western/midwestern international airports, they also employ a similar recycling strategy. There were regular waste bins and recycling bins within a few feet of each other. Just like in the cities, and even more so because of what you are limited to buy food-wise and drink-wise in an airport, this sort of effort makes perfect sense. Of course, Philadelphia International had no such program, but the fact they did not was decidedly noticeable, which brings me to my point.

This sort of strategy can translate over here to Delaware just as easily and at a minimal cost to the state. In the cities (and particularly at the beach), the dual trashcan system, once implemented, would have the same effect as the current Delaware recycling plan that does not require individual sorting. Except that instead of having to travel to the outskirts of the cities or wherever to find these bins, simple recycling of a water bottle can be thrown out as you are walking to your next destination. This pilot could start at the beach where bottled water constitutes half the liquid economy down there.

Would it work? I think it depends on how one defines the end goal. But from a fiscal perspective, the price tag is quite nominal all things considered. At the very least, some people, given the choice, would put their recycled goods in the recycle bins. My guess is that the value of "some" would actually be "a lot." Something to think about.

Moving back to Wilmington

2008-10-11T10:41:00.003-04:00

My work has transferred me back to Wilmington, so I'm going to be out of internet access for about a week or so. Hopefully the internet doesn't go under next, otherwise we're all in trouble.

Food for thought: A clean house (of representatives)

2008-10-07T23:21:00.003-04:00

I watched the debate, but will hold off commenting on it, if at all, until I think about it some more. My sole thought, separate from this debate, stems from this financial bailout and all this talk for increased/decreased government spending. McCain's plan to buy mortgages, in light of last week's bailout bill, seems contradictory to his position to lower taxes or keep them the same. How are we supposed to pay for it? He says government freezes, but we've seen how that has stifled the Delaware economy, so multiply that by 50 and I can only imagine how worse the economy will get. At least with Obama, you know taxes are going to go up to some degree. Obama's plan to keep taxes the same for the middle class (i.e., those making less than $250,000/year) seems little more than a pipe dream, however. In either case, it seems that only Bob Barr has recognized that taxes are going to have to go up, probably significantly, although I'm at a loss for how that will help the economy either.

But focusing on last week's bailout bill for the moment, what I would like to see is a complete revamping of the House of Representatives. Since all are up for re-election next month, it is theoretically possible that all can be ousted for a new house of Congress. Granted, some are probably running unopposed and a certain percentage are probably always elected, but setting those numbers aside, I'm sure that of the 500+ seats, a solid majority could be won by non-incumbents. Could be interesting if it actually happened (notwithstanding the fact that it will not).

So who won the debate really? Biden, of course.

2008-10-05T20:17:00.002-04:00

I watched the debate for the first few minutes before heading out to dinner, mainly to see Joe Biden in action against Sarah Palin. Curiously, there are a lot of parallels between Biden and McCain and Palin and Obama, but after listening to Palin speak for a bit, and having heard Obama speak in the past, I find that whatever experience Obama supposedly lacks, Palin does not make up for it. I listened intently for her responses to whatever the questions she was asked, and compared to Biden's answers, I am much more comfortable having him give advice to the president than Palin. And if that's all the vice president is really supposed to do, other than break ties in the Senate, then I find it difficult to believe anyone who believes Palin won that debate.

Now, if Palin shows up in Delaware driving with a brown tag, that may be another story all together. Delaware, in addition to the black tag phenomena, now offers a brown centennial tag as well.

777 reasons to be scared for what will happen between now and Friday Oct 3

2008-09-29T17:39:00.007-04:00

I remain surprised that the general public has no idea of the depths of this financial crisis and how it will affect everyday life. Nor am I going to spend any time discussing it beyond posing one question: Do you have to pay money for long term loans such as a car or mortgage or are you using a credit card and not paying it off in full every month? If the answer is yes to either of those questions, then you are going to have to start thinking about long term savings.

I write simply express my disgust with how bad our economy has become and wish out loud that the rest of the world economy doesn't get too far sucked down the tubes along with us. Have you ever tried to catch a falling knife? Hopefully President Bush simply creates an executive order to stop this insanity. If your money is still in the market in anything, get it out now!

Regardless of how my voice counts for nothing in all of this, as Delawareans, our lone representative, Mike Castle, certainly is one incumbent who put country above individual partisan politics and voted yes for the bailout bill. So, in one respect, Delaware did its part to try and bandage this national wound. Unfortunately, we needed the other 49 states to step up as well, and without the requisite support, the rest of the world is going to have to step back and think about this a little while longer.

Unfortunately also for every American who is not a Congressional member in Washington, the failure to put out a recovery plan today only means that tomorrow (and at least the rest of the week) will be another rough day for Wall Street. How will this affect "main street"? Just wait until the next time you need money.

Behind the scenes of the Lobby House revealed in a tell-all lawsuit ripe for a made-for-tv movie

2008-09-22T07:59:00.003-04:00

This headline in the News Journal jumped out at me, particular since I frequent the Lobby House often for lunch. The article speaks for itself, and as noted, the jury agreed with the former worker and awarded $1,500 in compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages.

I disagree that its business will be "destroyed" by this lawsuit anymore than Wal-Mart is ruining our economy by failing to unionize. People need a place to go to eat and it's one of the more affordable places with ambiance in Dover. For its location and pricing, frankly I'm surprised the Lobby House isn't more successful. It's menu is decent, and while the service is a little slow, it is on par with the rest of the city. If their business is "destroyed," it certainly is not because of this lawsuit. Personally, I would blame NASA, Canada, and the invention of the biplane. And polar bears.

For me anyway, this piece of news is just that; I highly doubt it will make me more or less inclined to keep going there. Further, this took place at least two years ago, and one would think that even assuming there used to be problems such as those that have come to light, they have since been fixed. Trust me, there are much bigger problems to worry about than how one small business chooses to deal with its employees or if it chooses to continue to operate privately after it has closed. One need only look at the turmoil in the financial markets to recognize this latter point.

Nonetheless, this article is an interesting piece of news for those familiar with it:

Legislative Hangout Has a Lurid Side, Lawsuit Alleges
By Sean O'Sullivan and Ginger Gibson, Wilmington News Journal, Sept. 21, 2008

With its red-brick exterior and patio overlooking Silver Lake, the Lobby House appears to be as staid and conservative as a lobbyist in a Brooks Brothers suit haunting the hallways of nearby Legislative Hall.

Inside, servers in khaki pants and blue polo shirts serve burgers and the occasional beer to the sound of ESPN from several TVs. The Rotary Club meets there Mondays, families enjoy half-price sandwiches on Tuesdays and Team Trivia plays there Wednesdays.

Former state representative-turned-lobbyist Wayne A. Smith said the eatery, which is where Delaware Democrats nominated Lt. Gov. John Carney to run for governor, is "neat, clean and close to Legislative Hall."

But in federal court this month, a different picture emerged that made the Lobby House after hours sound more like the movie "Animal House."

Former bartender Shannon Laymon charged in a lawsuit and testimony in U.S. District Court that wild parties happened regularly – mostly after closing – with waitresses serving shots off their bodies, one offering "lap dances," managers serving liquor from their crotch areas and encouraging, or at least ignoring, waitresses going topless or flashing others.

All of this, Laymon's attorney Noel E. Primos said, created a hostile work environment and amounted to sexual harassment. He said Laymon was fired after she hired an attorney to pursue a workers' compensation claim and complained to a manager about an inappropriate comment by the owner.

After four days of testimony, a federal jury of eight agreed with Laymon.

It unanimously ruled that the Lobby House failed to take corrective action and retaliated against Laymon (who has married since she filed the lawsuit in 2007 and is now known as Laymon-Pecoraro).

She was awarded $1,500 in compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages. At trial and afterward, operators of the Lobby House and their attorney, Ronald Poliquin, disputed Laymon's claims.

Owner Ken Caudill, who used to run KC's in Middletown, said last week he remains stunned. "What she said, it just didn't happen." He said the amount of the jury award is not a problem but believes the negative publicity will "destroy" the restaurant and 30 to 35 people will lose their jobs.

Attorney Poliquin said after the trial he would seek to have the jury award and verdict tossed out.

Primos said Friday that both sides had the opportunity to present their cases at trial. "There were numerous witnesses by both sides, many more by the defendant ... and the jury made its decision."

Legislative officials who frequent the restaurant were surprised by the details that emerged from the trial.

"You've got to be kidding me, it must be after 10 [p.m.]," said Smith, the former lawmaker, when told of the allegations.

Kate Bailey, a spokeswoman for Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, said she has eaten there a half-dozen times and never suspected such behavior.

"It’s not too exciting [at the Lobby House]," she said. "It's a place to eat."

"Holy cow," said state Sen. Karen Peterson, who described the Lobby House as "a handy place to meet people" and a regular destination for her end-of-session staff lunch.

Laymon, 24, began work at the Lobby House in August 2005, a college student in need of a flexible, good-paying job.

Primos told the jury that during Laymon's seven months there, female employees were advised by management to wear more revealing clothes to get better tips – one was advised to stuff her bra – and Laymon said a manager took her into the men's room to see her breasts.

Laymon and an ex-waitress testified there were regular wild parties after closing, including New Year's Eve 2005. That night, a 19-year-old waitress, who Laymon said had been drinking, stripped down to a G-string and bra and danced on the bar.

Managers did nothing to stop the display, according to testimony, and it was Laymon and another female employee who got the woman to get down and put her clothes back on.

"The Lobby House was a place where perverted behavior was commonplace," Primos told the jury in closing arguments. "Where female employees felt free to run around topless and flash their breasts."

Other witnesses disputed Laymon's claims.

One former waitress and a current waitress denied there were regular wild parties, and told the jury that the New Year's Eve incident was an anomaly.

Both also testified that they had flashed their breasts while working at the Lobby House. One bristled at the suggestion that she showed her breasts in exchange for beer, saying she did it because she felt like it.

Laymon also joined in the flashing, they said, showing off a piercing in a private area to two employees in the kitchen one night.

One who saw it claimed Laymon proudly, willingly showed off the piercing. Laymon testified that she felt pressured by a male co-worker to show it.

Primos said his client kept her mouth shut about the situation for months because she worried that if she complained, she would be fired.

Within two weeks of complaining to a manager about hearing an inappropriate remark by the owner, Primos said, Laymon was fired March 17, 2006.

Primos charged managers also were upset with Laymon for hiring an attorney several weeks earlier to pursue a workers' compensation claim for medical bills related to an on-the-job injury in October 2005.

Attorney Poliquin, in his closing statement, began with, "Wow." He told jurors if they believed Primos, everyone who worked at or went to the Lobby House "is a perverted sicko."

Poliquin and Caudill noted that Laymon had been diagnosed with depression before she went to work at the Lobby House – something Laymon acknowledged – and some Lobby House employees claimed Laymon acted erratically.

The case, in Poliquin's view, was about the right of a small restaurant to fire an employee who was hurting the business. He described Laymon as a "know-it-all" chronic complainer with an attitude problem who was bad-mouthing the establishment to customers as she served them.

"The business of the Lobby House is fun," Poliquin said, and Laymon "was miserable to be around in a place that sells fun."

As for New Year's Eve and some of the other incidents, Poliquin told the jury, "It's a bar and a nightclub. Not a corporation. Not a church."

2008 Delaware primary and general election prediction

2008-09-21T18:15:00.003-04:00

This is the last of my three part series on predictions on election turnout and voting breakdowns for the 2008 general election. I have already given a background on the current Delaware population and the 2004 primary and general election data.

There are two things I left off of the 2004 data. The first is the percentage of Delaware voters voting Democratic in the 2004 general election. As the world is well-aware, Delaware has turned a deep shade of blue, contrary to its previous reddish hue in the eighties and early nineties. The total percentage voting "D" in the 2004 general election was 53.3%; in New Castle, the percentage was 60.5%, in Kent, 42.6%, and in Sussex, 38.7%. Keep those percentages in mind.

Another chart necessary for comparison is the percentage of total vote each candidate received in the 2004 general election. That chart is here:

Percentage of total vote
2004	Total	New Castle	Kent	Sussex
Kerry	53.3%	60.5%	42.6%	38.7%
Bush	45.8%	38.5%	56.4%	60.5%
Nader	0.57%	0.55%	0.65%	0.58%
Other	0.33%	0.36%	0.29%	0.25%
% population casting vote	45.3%	46.6%	40.3%	45.2%
% voting population casting vote	60.6%	62.1%	53.8%	60.3%

With the foundation set, here is the 2008 data (compiled from CNN's primary data and related sites).

2008 Delaware Republican primary voter turnout (Feb. 2008):

Feb. 2008 Republican	Total	New Castle	Kent	Sussex
McCain	22,628	13,227	3,598	5,803
Romney	16,344	8,758	2,806	4,780
Huckabee	7,706	3,140	1,568	2,998
Paul	2,131	1,434	289	408
Total	48,809	26,559	8,261	13,989
Population estimate	871,674	530,481	154,592	186,749
Voting population estimate	653,756	397,861	115,944	140,062
% population casting vote	5.6%	5.0%	5.3%	7.5%
% voting pop. casting vote	7.5%	6.7%	7.1%	10.0%

2008 Democrat Primary voter turnout (Feb. 2008):

Feb. 2008	Total	New Castle	Kent	Sussex
Obama	51,148	37,818	6,736	6,594
Clinton	40,760	26,572	5,534	8,654
Biden	2,863	1,758	408	670
Edwards	1,241	575	273	393
Other	362	198	64	100
Total	96,374	66,948	13,015	16,411
Population estimate	871,674	530,481	154,592	186,749
Voting population estimate	653,756	397,861	115,944	140,062
% population casting vote	11.1%	12.6%	8.4%	8.8%
% voting population casting vote	14.7%	16.8%	11.2%	11.7%

Now, this doesn't really mean too much until you look at it broken down by party, and then compare the 2004 data to it. Granted, it's tough to compare exactly because there was no meaningful Republican primary (if there even was one at all) in 2004 because Bush was running for reelection. Nevertheless, nearly 40% of the turnout from the 2004 general election came out to vote in the 2008 primary. That's a huge increase. More interestingly, the turnout of those voting Democrat was statistically increased over the 2004 election. In other words, all three counties "turned blue", so to speak. Most interestingly, however, is the turnout in February 2008 as compared to February 2004. While the population increased only approximately 6% over that time period, the increase in voter turnout represented nearly a 300% increase.

Feb 2008	Total	New Castle	Kent	Sussex
Democrat	96,374	66,948	13,015	16,411
Republican	48,809	26,559	8,261	13,989
Total	145,183	93,507	21,276	30,400
Population estimate	871,674	530,481	154,592	186,749
Voting population estimate	653,756	397,861	115,944	140,062
% population casting vote	16.7%	17.6%	13.8%	16.3%
% voting population casting vote	22.2%	23.5%	18.4%	21.7%
Percentage of 2004 voting numbers	38.7%	38.7%	38.0%	39.1%
Percentage voting Democrat	66.4%	71.6%	61.2%	54.0%

All of this means very little, until you start looking at the population numbers. Using an estimated 1.0137% annual growth rate from July 2007 (which breaks down to a monthly growth rate of 0.061% in New Castle, 0.218% in Kent, and 0.189% in Sussex), and assuming a constant 75% voting population estimate, I derive the following chart (with registered voter data coming from the Department of Elections).

July 2008 Population Data	Total	New Castle	Kent	Sussex
Population Estimate	876,688	532,090	156,235	188,481
Voting population estimate	657,516	399,068	117,176	141,361
Registered voters	580,046	366,073	95,388	118,585

The initial question I had was whether the staggering increase in voter turnout in February would still hold true today. Fortunately for Delaware, the gubernatorial race between Markell and Carney proved worthwhile in a statistical sense, and provides support for my hypothesis that the answer is yes. While the numbers are slightly lower, it still demonstrates that voters continue to be engaged.

September 2008 Democrat Governor Primary	Total (including absentee votes)
Carney	36,112
Markell	37,849
Total	73,961
Population estimate	878,565
Voting population estimate	658,924
% population casting vote	8.4%
% voting population casting vote	11.2%

Thus, I am left to predict using this data (and my previous data calculations) to derive the turnout in November 2008. Because it is impossible to predict exactly how this election will play out, I will simply combine the data to show what the numbers could be using the 2004 percentages and the 2008 party distribution.

November 2008	Total	New Castle	Kent	Sussex
Est. Population	880,566	533,392	157,601	189,914
Est. Voting population	660,425	400,044	118,201	142,436
Using 2004 voting percentages
Total	400,298	248,621	63,557	85,891
Obama	213,547	150,514	27,106	33,250
McCain	183,148	95,839	35,852	51,925
Nader	2,297	1,376	412	502
Barr/Other	1,307	893	186	214
Using 2008 percentages voting Democrat
Obama	265,722	178,005	38,879	46,367
McCain	130,573	68,130	24,042	38,665
Other (1%)	4,003	2,486	636	859

Thus, if Delaware had a similar voting turnout to 2004, Obama will likely carry New Castle County, and carry enough of Kent and Sussex to give him three electoral votes. This is not surprising, and every national poll has Delaware going blue. What I think is more interesting, however, is what happens if Obama (and the Democratic party) is successful in continuing to mobilize this "new" base (as evidenced by the incredible increase in voter turnout in February). Applying those numbers, as the chart indicates, Obama would carry each county, and carry the state with 66% of the vote.

The real question, in my mind, is not whether the February increase in voter turnout will carry over (since the September data results indicates it will), it is a question by how much. If the voter turnout increases from 60% to say, 70%, the numbers statistically favor a Democrat victory.

Now, this is just Delaware. Third party candidates have a statistically insignificant impact, and the population distribution of the state favors the Democrat party. What I find fascinating in this election is whether other states (and I suppose those that are "toss-ups") have similar percentage increases in voter turnout. Assuming for the sake of argument that they do, then that would seem to suggest that the percentages of voters voting Democrat in the various pockets of other states would also increase. My theory concerns that percentage increase in these pockets over those areas that experience a less dramatic increase in voter turnout (a theory that would obviously require analysis of every county in every state, which is simply beyond the scope of my three-part series). In the end, it becomes a simple numbers game. For those states where Democrats come out strong (such as in Virginia, Colorado, and other "toss up" states), the mobilization certainly favors the Democrats.

At this point, the only remaining question, which we will find out in a couple more months, is whether the voter turnout stays the same as in November 2004, or meets or exceeds that of February 2008. For John McCain, the answer to that question may very well depend on a mobilized base, which, in this year of it not being good to be the party in power, probably is a long-shot. Thus, while the election polls are running their regular polling data, and they should, I simply look at this data and conclude that the numbers are not taking into consideration the higher-than-predicted voter turnout. This x-factor certainly will be something all the reporters will be examining more heavily on the day and night of the election.

2004 Delaware primary and general election data

2008-09-17T19:54:00.004-04:00

This is the second of a three-part discussion in support of my hypothesis that the November election polling numbers are likely underestimated, which could make this election even more interesting (or decisive, as it is). As previously discussed, my estimate of the July 2008 population of Delaware is approximately 875,000. Given this estimate, I set forth the second base for my hypothesis, which involves the 2004 election data.

Approximately 6.35% voted in the primary. Similarly, in the 2004 election, assuming for the sake of argument a stable population, there were 554,194 registered voters, or approximately 60% of the total voting-eligible population. Of those registered voters, 375,190 cast a vote, or 67.7% of the registered-voter population. Combining data from these two sources, I can extrapolate an average population growth of 1.0012% per month per county in 2004, and those estimates are illustrated in Chart A below.

The following charts illustrates the breakdown of Delaware votes in the Democratic primary and in the actual general election.

Chart A. 2004 Delaware Democratic Primary: Feb. 3, 2004 (compiled from CNN reporting data and from estimated census data).

2004 Primary	Total	New Castle County	Kent	Sussex
Kerry	16,729	11,425	1,802	3,502
Lieberman	3,683	2,427	538	718
Edwards	3,657	2,207	474	976
Dean	3,439	2,554	312	573
Clark	3,145	2,358	357	430
Sharpton	1,885	1,622	165	98
Kucinich	343	265	30	48
Total	32,881	22,858	3,678	6,345
Population estimate	822,717	514,241	138,000	170,476
Voting population estimate	617,038	385,681	103,500	127,857
Registered voters	517,742
% population casting votes	4.0%	4.4%	2.7%	3.7%
% voting population casting vote	5.3%	5.9%	3.6%	5.0%

The 2004 General Election data (Chart B) is compiled from census data and from the 2004 data compilation from Dave Leip’s Atlas of Presidential Elections: National Data, Delaware overall data, New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. I used an average growth rate of 1.0012% per month and a 75% estimate for voting population for the three counties.

Chart B. 2004 Delaware General Election Data.

2004 Presidential Election	Total	New Castle County	Kent	Sussex
Kerry	200,152	146,179	23,875	30,098
Bush	171,660	93,079	31,578	47,003
Nader	2,153	1,336	363	454
Other	1,225	867	164	194
Total	375,190	241,461	55,980	77,749
Population estimate	828,756	518,031	138,813	171,912
Voting population estimate	619,000	388,523	104,110	128,934
Registered voters	554,194
% population casting vote	45.3%	46.6%	40.3%	45.2%
% voting population casting vote	60.6%	62.1%	53.8%	60.3%

The only thing I am going to draw from this data is that approximately 5-6% of the voting population voted in the 2004 February primary, and that number increased to a little more than 60% of the voting population in November 2004.

In the third entry (hopefully tomorrow, but more likely sometime over the weekend), I will use my extrapolated 2008 population data and the actual primary election data from this past February to posit a couple scenarios of the actual voting distribution 48 days from now. Does this advance any further discussion of anything important? Perhaps not. So why do it, given that Delaware will likely give its three electoral votes to the democratic party? I believe that if Delaware's polling increase is indicative of similar voting increases around the country, and those increases hold come November, the actual popular vote in these so-called "swing states" could be much different than any of the current polls are suggesting.

The Estimated Population of Delaware

2008-09-10T20:54:00.003-04:00

I am in the process of researching polling data from the past few elections to posit a hypothesis that the voter turnout in November will be approximately 10-15% higher than in years past, and if that hypothesis is correct, and further assuming that Delaware voting trends are representative of the trends around the country, why the current polling numbers are likely underestimated. I'll get to that in a day or two.

In the meantime, as a means of setting up my theory, I offer the following assumptions, which are based on census population data compiled over the past seven years. Obviously my numbers are going to be slightly lower since I am using an average calculation rather than attempting to figure out the actual exponential growth variable.

The average population growth per year from 2000 to 2007 is 1.013652%, which would make the total state population approximately 876,570 in July 2008. Broken down by county (NCC, Kent, and Sussex, respectively), the average population growth is approximately 1.007%, 1.026%, and 1.023%, respectively, for each county north to south, making the respective populations approximately 532,090 in New Castle, 156,235 in Kent, and 188,481 in Sussex. Because of averages, my numbers don’t exactly add up (876,806 and 876,570), but I can project that the population is somewhere in the middle of that, so I will use the average for the population. Thus, the July 2008 population of Delaware was approximately 876,688 people.

Of course, not all of those people are eligible to vote. According to Dave Leip’s Atlas of Presidential Elections, in 2004, the total voting population (that is, the population over 18) was 619,000, or approximately 74.6%. These numbers are obviously a little skewed because felons can’t vote, people move and do not deregister, etc., but for these purposes, the number is at least as accurate as the numbers used generally.

According to census data, in 2006, the population over 18 is approximately 649,740, or 76.1%. I’ll conservatively estimate that that number has remained constant but will use 75% as the eligible percentage of voters, notwithstanding the fact that it probably still overestimates the actual eligible voting population. Using this number and my July 2008 estimates, my voting population of Delaware in July 2008 was approximately 657,516 (in July 2007, it was approximately 864,764). According to the Delaware elections data, the number of total registered voters is approximately 88% of my estimated voting population. The below chart illustrates my compilation:

July 2008                         Total             NCC           Kent            Sussex
Population estimate       876,688      532,090     156,235      188,481
Voting pop. estimate      657,516       399,068     117,176       141,361
Registered voters            580,046      366,073      95,388       118,585

For comparison, the estimated Delaware population in July 2004 was 827,617. Of these, approximately 619,000 were eligible to vote. In the 2004 primary, 517,742 were registered to vote, or approximately 83.6% of the voting-eligible population.

Tomorrow or the next day, I'm going to combine this data with the 2004 primary and general election data, along with the 2008 election data so far, and make a couple predictions as to voter turnout in November.

Primary day - And the winner is...?

2008-09-09T18:53:00.004-04:00

Once again, the state has held another primary, and while the gubernatorial race for the Republicans is pretty one-sided, for Democrats, it will come down to either Markell or Carney. I still say that given the low primary turnout for what has turned into a three-party race should lead the runner-up (be it Markell or Carney) to continue running for another two months and let the entire state decide who the governor should be.

Given the non-likelihood of that scenario, I simply will speculate on who will be appointed to Sen. Biden's seat if the Democrats take the White House in January. While I initially thought that the runner-up in today's primary would get the nod, or Beau Biden, now I'm thinking it may change depending on who the governor is. Ideally, the Republican Party wants Lee to win in order to change Biden's potentially open seat to a republican one. If Markell emerges as the new governor, I would guess that it would be either Gov. Minner or Carney; if Carney emerges, I think it's more likely to be his predecessor than anyone else, leaving a much more interesting race in 2010.

So, what is my guess for the Democratic Governor winner for today? If I had to break it down by county, I would guess that it's going to be close, but Markell will edge out Carney in all three counties. We'll see what happens.

Is Sarah Palin running for president or is John McCain?

2008-09-04T09:54:00.004-04:00

The media and press sure seems to be focused on the vice president and comparing her to Sen. Obama...it's almost to the point that he is running against her and not McCain? It's amazes me how quickly the public can lose focus of the real issues, or how clever the Republican party is at throwing up a lot of smoke and mirrors. Palin's speech was excellent, however.

Nevertheless, I am confused by the conservative message that she brings to the ticket - on one hand, she wants to promote teaching creationism in school and does not wish to teach sex education in school (an abstinence only education, if you will). What follows from this approach is that sex education should be taught through the family and not through the schools. If that is the case, however, doesn't her teenage daughter's pregnancy seem to show that either her approach is incorrect or that her ability to manage her own family is a little off-centered? I'll be anxious to see how she fares once she exposes herself to Meet the Press, Bill O'Reilly and the like.

The Atlantic had a very well-written article about this topic which expresses the concern much better than I could. US News had an interesting op-ed piece as well.

Palin? Has the world forgotten about Geraldine Ferraro?

2008-08-29T22:32:00.003-04:00

I'm going to have to find out more about this Alaskan governor Sarah Palin. On the surface, I am not very impressed from what I have read so far. I am mildly surprised by how soon the world has forgotten that another woman, over 20 years ago, has already been the VP nominee: Geraldine Ferraro. Whether or not this was a smart move or a shot in the foot instead of across the bow...well, we'll find out soon enough.

But all I know about Alaska is they just had some corrupt senator get indicted for accepting various funds through allegedly improper channels. And since Alaska has a population smaller than that of Delaware, I just wonder how much leadership she has over anybody else. But if someone can point me to some intelligent source that provides an unbiased review of her credentials, that would be great.

I am also mildly disturbed with McCain touting her as someone ready to be president. Isn't he running to be president?

Biden gets VP nod

2008-08-25T19:01:00.002-04:00

Looks like my predication came true. Now the question becomes what happens if the dems take the white house. Assuming Markell wins the governor's race, he'll get to appoint Sen. Biden's replacement until the special election in two years. If that scenario happens, I predict that Sen. Biden's son, Beau, will get the nod. If Judge Lee wins the election, I think it becomes much more interesting of a guessing game as to who would go in. Any guesses?

If Biden is VP, is this a good thing for DE? Absolutely.

2008-08-18T20:24:00.008-04:00

For the most part, I have avoided commentary on the national political race (or the state ones for that matter) because whatever my comments are, at least on this particular forum, are going to be lost as white noise. Hopefully my comments regarding Sen. Biden will hopefully come across as more thoughtful than some other random rants I have seen on the internet on this topic. My own political affiliations and philosophy are disclosed below.

With rumors swirling about Sen. Biden being a potential vice presidential candidate, I think it works out much better than the media is letting on. So my point is clear, I think he's a good pick. Will he get it? That I don't know, but I think the answer is yes. At the very least, I'm sure he's in consideration for a cabinet position, which also works out well.

The reason why I think Biden will be good is not just for the wealth of his foreign policy experience, but that he's from Delaware. He will be able to make sure that whatever Obama's economic policy is, it will not fiscally bankrupt the corporate universe. That will have to make Wall Street happy. Whether the average Delawarean realizes the impact Delaware has on the rest of the country is of little consequence; my point is that Biden does, and if he does, and is VP, that means Obama does too. In other words, Delaware, and more importantly, the American economy, should be pretty safe.

Of course, the top 3% of the individual tax world will probably be screwed regardless of who the next president is because our country is on the verge of a fiscal calamity, but I would suspect the ultimate tax plan of either candidate can be massaged to protect those relevant business entities (i.e., those small business owners who are shaking in their boots over worry over how they will be taxed on their less-than-stellar earnings for FY08). Biden only helps to ensure that that in fact happens, or so that's the assumption I'm going to stew over for now. We'll find out in a couple of days of what exactly his role is going to be in this process, and whether Sen. McCain is able to effectively respond with his vice presidential candidate.

Then comes the matter of who will take over for him in Senate. That, of course, will be a much less national issue, but most definitely an interesting one. Go Delaware!

Disclosure: Politically, I am fairly conservative on most issues, particularly financial ones, and moderate on some others. In one sentence, I disfavor big government, favor state's rights, and favor minimal government interference with state's rights to the extent that the government should dictate national policy and provide guidance to the states. To the best of my understanding, that makes me a modern Reagan Republican, although most younger Democrats probably have similar beliefs (which suggests that we probably are closer to a one-party system than the partisan one that plagues the current media coverage). I am not affiliated with, nor endorse with these comments, any candidate for state, local, or national office.

That being said, I may have discussed a few months ago whether Sen. Biden should be considered for the presidential nomination, and agreed with the majority of pundits that the answer was that he probably would not be considered, even though he was significantly more qualified than either of the then-front runners. Personally, right now I am more in favor of Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain, at the very least because he is much closer to my age. I speculate that age will be an underlying issue more than it is currently playing out, but I'll save that commentary for a more intelligent poster. If anything, watching their debate on the tv the other day suggests that one candidate is quick to respond without thinking and the other thinks about what he's going to say, but sometimes it's difficult to get the point. Is one method better or worse? Again, I'll defer that pregnant pause for someone else or another day.

Loockerman Exchange set to reopen

2008-08-17T11:14:00.003-04:00

I saw in the paper today that the Loockerman Exchange in downtown Dover will be reopening soon under new management. I had written about its close a few months ago. I already threw out the paper, but I remember specifically that they said one of the things they will be changing is the speed of service for lunch and that lunch entrees will run between $5 and $10, which will keep them in line with the other lunch venues in that area. The old website is here; I'm not sure if it is still actively updated or not or will change when the new site opens.

Particularly, the article implies that they will be striving for lunch to take less than an hour. That only jumped out at me because I did eat there for lunch a couple of times and the lunch took well over an hour, and probably closer to two hours (which is really slow). I have written about the pace of lunches downstate on other occasions, and it still amazes me that (as compared to Wilmington), that it is a struggle for a group or even two people to get in and out of some of these places for lunch under an hour.

But maybe this attempt to pick up the lunch pace will rub off on some of the other fine eating establishments in Dover. For now, the record for the best service in terms of food, speed, and price remains the Amish Market (Spenses, which is near the hospital).

(Still not sure where they expect people to park if they really want to get non-Doverites to return to downtown Dover at night, but maybe they have worked out some deal with the post office and a shuttle service of sorts). Maybe I'll check it out once they reopen.

MSNBC email takes over the CNN email spam

2008-08-13T19:47:00.004-04:00

In a rather quick turnaround of spammers, the CNN spam I wrote about last week has evolved into a similar scam from MSNBC. This one purports to be from "MSNBC Breaking News" and has the subject line "msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS:" and then some headline. I didn't bother clicking on it, but it should jump out to anyone who thinks two seconds about it as being a spam/scam.

Several other sites have also written about this less than clever scam. It will lead you to some malware website, so again, use your head. The only reason these clowns still operate is that people still fall for it. Here's a thought: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Would it really make sense that you won some lottery in a foreign country or have some dead millionaire cousin who you never heard of and left you and nobody else (other than thousands of other fools) money? Of course not.

Take a look at Security Watch (providing great detail on the scam), Can Talk Tech, MX Logic IT Security Blog for more information about it. A couple of other bloggers have also reported on it: CyberCrime and Doing Time and Panda Security (with a screenshot of the email). Again, just use your head and delete the email and these dummies will get the hint eventually. And update your virus software.

CNN Custom Alerts spam/spoof email - it is a virus

2008-08-08T18:58:00.002-04:00

Most junk mail and spam mail is pretty easy to spot. I noticed today that I had gotten several emails from "CNN Alerts" with the subject line "CNN Alerts: My Custom Alert." Since I had not signed up for this sort of thing, I thought it was strange, but opened it to see what it was nonetheless (no file was attached, obviously).

It seems to send you to a link and sends you to CNN sites that are otherwise accurate. But if you mouse over the "Full Story" link, you'll see it attempts to take you to some international website. Another blogger reports that the link in fact sends you to a malware site, so be smart, use your head and don't click on it.

Other sites also have reported on this particular spam and confirm that it is another attempt at scamming the innocent and unsuspecting email public: Donna's Security Flash, Spyware Techie, CNET Spyware; Can Talk Tech (which has the screenshot).

Like the IRS email scam attempted a few months ago, use your noggin and keep this particular in your spam folder.

Annual Credit Reports and the misleading commercial for a free one

2008-08-04T19:33:00.002-04:00

NPR reported this morning on the "Free Credit Report.com" commercial, which you can see on YouTube through a simple search. What is misleading about the commercial, as the NPR article reports, is that the report is only "free" after you pay the $15 monthly fee. The New York Times also reports how various consumer groups have targeted this company for running what is, effectively, a misleading (and therefore deceitful) advertisement. It also notes that the company that runs this free credit reports company (Experian) is one of the three major credit bureaus for which you can already get a free annual credit report. Hey, these companies are allowed to make money, so why not capture a bigger share of the market?

The bottom line is that under federal law, you can get a free annual credit report through AnnualCreditReport.com, which will provide your report from each of the three credit reporting companies. The site's frequently asked questions is here.

Unlike other commercials I have heard and remarked on, I can't knock this one too much because it's very effective. But like all commercials that purport to give stuff away for free, just remember to use your head and double check the fine print along the bottom line. As a wise economist once said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." (TANSTAAFL) Similarly, if it wasn't for this Congressional act, there would be no such thing as a free annual credit report.

The emergence of a three (or maybe even four) party system

2008-07-30T18:33:00.005-04:00

I am not going to wade into the political waters of Delaware too much beyond making a simple observation that maybe this debate between Markell and Carney should go beyond this upcoming "primary." Given the numbers of people that vote in primaries generally, is whoever gets selected truly going to be a so-called "representative" candidate? If the answer is no, there is no reason why either candidate should defer to the up and down vote a fraction of Delawareans will give in what will amount to be a worthless endeavor in basic democracy. Heck, even the teacher's union says they both are qualified.

What is far more interesting, and what should happen (although it will not), is that Markell and Carney should both be listed as candidates along with Lee and Protack (to the extent he is a viable candidate) and then see how the votes play out. The downside is that Markell and Carney split the vote and Lee wins the office. The upside, however, is that the will of the majority wins. While I acknowledge the downside scares people (although for no good reason), I think it's far more likely that one candidate will get a near majority of the vote, leaving one candidate to emerge as the true governor pursuant to the vote of the people. And even if it does wind up being one person by virtue of a split vote, is that really a bad thing? I submit the answer is a resounding no.

The time is coming where we need to start thinking more about the worth of keeping the existing two-party system when neither really purports to stand under its founding principles. In all reality, Delaware is a fairly conservative state by political standards, and whether people label themselves as Democrat or Republican has not caused the sky to fall or the corporate revenue to drop. The same will happen regardless of who the governor is.

Admittedly, I will have to give this new party system some more thought. There are some writings about it, but not very many. The threat of one party dissolving certainly can be real, and perhaps on the national level, the threat is past conception. Regardless, one thing is clear: the system we have now needs some sort of upgrade. Perhaps letting the Delaware governor race proceed in a three- or four-way run isn't such a bad thing.

Zero chance lottery tickets

2008-07-27T21:54:00.003-04:00

This was an interesting article about lottery tickets and how they may be sold even after the grand prize has been won. According to the executive director of the Virginia State Lottery, "there were times when there was a scratch game out there that might've said "zero" in terms of the number of top prizes, but our players knew that." That seems sort of deceitful. It makes me wonder how many Delawareans have been duped by this same sort of shenanigans. This may be one of those cases of "buyer beware" since nobody is forcing you to buy a lottery ticket, but given the target market of lottery tickets, it seems more like a scam than a golden ticket to a better life.

Of course, with gas prices the way they were, someone should just create a lottery for free gasoline and make a bundle off those willing to jump in the raffle bandwagon.

Energy Commentary Part III

2008-07-16T20:55:00.004-04:00

This is Part III of a three part commentary on energy letters that were recently published in the State News. Part I advocates for immediate drilling; Part II advocates for drilling as part of a comprehensive energy plan; this third and final part is a letter which advocates for more big government as part of a "credible commitment to reducing oil consumption.

This letter appeared as a letter to the editor/guest commentary in the July 10, 2008 edition of the Delaware State News (page 4):

Plan would conserve energy, create jobs
David Benevy, Effort, Pennsylvania

I own a building that used 4,000 gallons of heating oil a year. I decided to just say "no" to oil and installed electric heating. Oil has gone up to $4 a gallon, so, I would have spent $16,000 heating with oil. I've been offered oil next year at $5 a gallon, so, I would have to spend $20,000 next year if I still used oil. The electricity I used for heating cost me $2,500 for the entire heating system. That's like buying heating oil at 63 cents a gallon! Now, that's energy conservation! How can this experience be repeated all over this country? Here's my suggestion.

Create a federal Department of Energy Conservation. Start with a crash program to reduce the use of home heating oil and propane. Invest $150 billion the first year. Hire and train thousands of energy-conservation specialists to develop an energy-saving plan for each homeowner desiring to participate. Get funding from investors by offering them an 8-percent tax-free return. Charge the homeowners 3-percent interest and have the federal government make up the difference. Insist that all products purchased for these projects be at least 90-percent American-made.

The benefits of this plan are far reaching. First, it will put people to work as energy-conversation specialists. The products required to implement the projects will range from new windows and insulation to heat pumps, geothermal systems, electric hot-water heaters, etc. A large number of jobs will be created to install these products. Since they must be of 90-percent American origin, it will put this money to work across America. By paying only 3-percent interest, homeowners will be able to repay the loans with less money than they would have spent on oil. This is money that will not go out of the country and will be spent locally.

By reducing the demand for heating oil, the supply of diesel fuel (basically the same product as heating oil) will increase, reducing its cost. This, in turn, can reduce the cost of everything that is transported by diesel fuel. The 8-percent tax-free yield will encourage foreign investors, and hence, the demand for dollars, which will improve the exchange rate, which tends to lower the cost of oil.

There is a federal weatherization program which provides windows and insulation to lower-income Americans. This program will have a wider scope and be available to everyone, regardless of income, because its goal is to benefit the country rather than lower-income people.

A realistic goal for the $150 billion would be to cut the nation's use of home heating oil and propane in half. Each house is different, and there is a different strategy for each house. A house with central air and an oil-fired hot-air system can easily be converted to a heat pump using the oil or propane system for backup heat. Geothermal savings would offer even greater savings. Houses using oil furnaces for hot water could turn the furnaces off when not needed for heat and use hot water heaters instead. Poorly insulated houses could be made to use less oil by insulating and installing modern windows.

Unlike current plans floated by our presidential candidates which include spending $150 billion over the next 10 years or offering a prize of $300 million for a better battery, this plan can be implemented using existing technology and bring about an immediate and dramatic reduction in our use of oil and propane. Moreover, when everything is taken into account, the federal government will probably end up making money with the venture. The interest cost to the government would be $7.5 billion the first year. But since the program moves money back into the American economy, it creates jobs, profits and consequently, taxes. The money saved by homeowners not buying oil and propane will go back into the economy.

Most significantly, by making a credible commitment to reducing oil consumption, this program should help lower the cost of oil. This will lower everyone's fuel bills, including the government's fuel bill, and results in less money leaving the country to pay for oil, leaving more money in the country to help the economy recover.

Energy Commentary Part II

2008-07-15T19:33:00.002-04:00

This is part II of a three part commentary on energy letters recently published in the Delaware State News. Part I was a letter about the benefits of immediate drilling. This second letter, a response to that letter, also discusses the benefits of drilling, but as part of multi-faceted approach. The headline is misleading though.

This commentary appeared in the July 8, 2008 edition of the Delaware State News as a letter to the editor/guest commentary. Again I have attempted to add links where I was able to find support for the points.

Drilling will not solve oil crisis
Andrew Alea, Dover, Delaware

This is a two-fold response to Franklin Wright's June 30, 2008 commentary, "Drilling Answer to Gas-Price Woes." I first offer a counterpoint to Mr. Wright's letter, and then a starting point for a more productive discussion on approaching our nation’s energy concerns.

We both agree that the price of and our dependence on oil will continue to be a central issue for both candidates this fall and to this country for at least the next decade. In none of Wright's hyperbole and rhetoric, however, does he offer any substantive approach for the candidates (and more realistically the voting public) to think about given that the price of gas is not coming down anytime soon. Unlike Wright, I will not attempt to summarize my understanding of either Obama's or McCain’s positions beyond what they agree on, leaving the readers to their own resources to check Wright's allegations for accuracy and form a sound, independent opinion.

Wright begins by arguing that both parties have "distinct solutions" to the energy problem. I believe he has misspoken. Everybody agrees on the solution: we need to increase our oil reserves and alter national perceptions and trends regarding energy policy and use. Obama and McCain agree that one way to reach it would be through offshore domestic drilling. They also agree that this is only one means to increase supply, it should not be undertaken at the expense of the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, and is, at best, a long-term, insubstantial fix. What distinguishes the candidates is not in their "solution," then; it is with their "approaches," which aren't that distinct.

Wright and I also agree that drilling even as early as next year will not affect oil prices significantly for at least a decade (or at least the 2016 election). Thus, we both conclude that the only logical reason for making a concerted public push to drill domestically serves no purpose, save a political one.

After reaching this conclusion, Wright and I have divergent reactions. He focuses on a senator's comments (implying that he supported nationalization of the oil refineries) as gospel that the Democratic party has become a Trojan horse for a socialist agenda. Not only does this position overlook the fact those comments were clarified the next day, it dodges the likely purpose behind them, which is probably as political as the push for domestic drilling. Regardless, Wright uses them to bolster his personal theory that the Democratic party (and by implication, their candidate) is attempting to tie the invisible hand of the free market to benefit OPEC and domestic oil barons. I have not found any source that supports that theory (for either candidate or party), which ultimately led to my confusion as to the point of his commentary beyond the simple idea of more drilling to lower gas prices. As should be clear, more drilling serves little to accomplish that goal in the short term. His reaction to the idea of increased drilling as the only viable approach prompted me to write this response.

I offer a short and long term approach which may start to reach the issue. The only short term (and immediate) method for lowering gas prices would be for the federal (and perhaps state) government to implement a gas tax credit. The credit, available to anyone who files a tax return, could give, for example, a maximum $400 credit to qualifying tax payers. The credit could be adjusted for mileage, whether they own or lease a car, or maybe for the type of car they drive in order to influence nationwide purchasing trends. According to a 2004 report by the California Energy Commission, the average American guzzled 464 gallons gas (Delaware was 541.6). At $4/gallon, this adds up to around $2150/year. Those taking the maximum credit would magically have their yearly gasoline expense drop to $3.26/gallon. Of course, tax credits are only a quick solution, and would have to be made up somewhere, and certainly the General Assembly or the Congress can work out the details for either of these approaches better than I can. The longer term solution would be to revamp the tax code and modernize it to reflect our current society and economic trends. I haven't heard either candidate float that albatross out yet, but perhaps it is coming.

My long term approach to the oil problem would be for Congress or the President by executive mandate to direct each state’s government to examine, pass, and begin to implement (within a certain time frame), an individual state energy policy. Thus, if a state wants to start drilling for oil, either within their borders of offshore, build a field of solar panels in the desert, build a nuclear reactor, wind farm, hydrogen plant, or whatever, the federal government will have to work with these states and decide how their plans fit within the national scheme. The federal government could also mandate through fiscal bullying a reason for the car companies to use existing plants in cities like Newark and Detroit to start producing some sort of fuel efficient concept car on a mass scale.

States (like Delaware with the wind farm) would be able to use their independent policies to help other states develop and implement similar strategies, which in turn would provide a steady stream of revenue and work for those initial states and their citizens. Letting each state develop the technology best for its citizenry would not be easy, and the role of the federal government, Republican or Democrat, would have to be to work with the states to implement their plans quickly and in harmony with the refined national goals and policy.

The candidate who makes the most common sense with his energy plan and gets the most votes is going to be the winner. The question each of us is going to be asking, sooner or later, is who should that person be. Just don’t be fooled by Wright into thinking that increased drilling will solve the problem anytime soon.

Three interesting commentaries on energy: Part I

2008-07-14T20:49:00.004-04:00

It is rare that I remark over the typical opinions printed in the local newspaper, and I note that other bloggers appear to have done so with more frequency. Over the next couple of days, however, I'm going to post three commentaries from local residents that were in the Delaware State News.

Each presents a different vantage point on energy plans and oil drilling. I'm not sure whether I have anything intelligent to add to theses commentaries, but in light of my suggestion that more prominent national figures have been floating ideas into the general public and mainstream media, why not include some suggestions from Delaware into the mix.

The first commentary appeared in the Monday, June 30, 2008 edition of the Delaware State News (page 5) as a letter to the editor. I have attempted to add links where I found them to support the author's points.

Drilling Answer to Gas-Price Woes
Franklin T. Wright, Milford, Delaware

I had thought that national security would be the main fighting ground for the upcoming general election, but it seems that, as hard as this is to believe, I was wrong. The main issue will be oil, or more specifically, what to do about its price. Whatever candidate can get out in front of this issue will likely win the presidency.

Republicans and Democrats have two very distinct solutions. The Republicans have long argued that we need to be more self-sufficient and that we should drill offshore, in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and at other locations in the country that have oil and natural gas. This is nothing new.

A New York Times article, dated May 18, 2001, outlines President Bush's plan, stating: "President Bush began an intensive effort today to sell his plan for developing new sources of energy to Congress and the American people, arguing that the country had a future of 'energy abundance if it could break free of the traditional antagonism between energy producers and environmental advocates.'" President Bush also talked about how we could be blackmailed by foreign oil suppliers. Imagine that.

President Bush, of course, lost out to the environmentalists and liberals, and of course, now the liberals say that it is because of Bush's policies that we are in this mess.

We have not built a refinery in this country since 1976. We have not built a nuclear power plant since before 1979. President Clinton had a chance to open ANWR to drilling in 1995, but he vetoed the bill presented to him by the then-Republican controlled Congress.

In this country, enhancing our own energy supply will create more jobs, boost the economy, lower the dependence on foreign oil and, hopefully, lower the gas prices. At $4-plus a gallon, I could care less about preserving the mating habitat of some sort of subspecies of fruit fly that I have never heard of.

I know that we cannot drill our way out of this mess and that once we begin drilling, it is estimated that we will not see the results for 10 years. But think were we would be now if we had started long ago when we knew this was going to happen.

Obama, on the other hand has a different view. He says that the Republican plan is just pandering to the big oil companies. These would be who? The same big oil companies whose executives contributed to Obama's campaign.

In April of 2006, Nancy Pelosi proclaimed: "Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices, taking America in a new direction that works for everyone, not just the few." The Democrats have controlled both the Senate and House since then. What have they done so far to implement this plan?

Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-NY, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and one of the most ardent opponents of offshore drilling, had this to say Wednesday: "We (the government) should own the refineries. Then we can control how much gets out into the market."

Is this Pelosi's plan? There is a word for that: socialism. This is a very scary proposition. An industry gets too good at making money, adn the government seizes their business. Maybe the dictator Chavez in Venezuela can get away with nationalizing the refineries, but we cannot.

Here is the bottom line. Politicians on both sides of the aisle make money off of the oil companies, both in stock and campaign contributions. To argue that one side or the other has the right to proclaim a moral advantage in this argument is like two fleas arguing over which one owns the dog.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, this is how capitalism works. You provide a product that people need and you make a profit. If you make obscene profits, as the oil companies have been doing recently, then, there is definitely something wrong that needs to be fixed.

Are we really at the point that we are so intent on not letting the oil companies make a profit that we continue to hurt ourselves to accomplish our goal? Yes, I know. Drilling for more oil in this country and opening refineries will mean the oil companies will make more money. Next time you fill up, if you can affort to without taking out a loan, ask yourself this:

Are you satisfied with paying out the ying-yang for gas as you try to keep the oil companies from making money off of new refineries, when building the refineries will actually bring the price down? That is like an oxymoron, with the emphasis on "moron."

I guess it comes down to this: Whom do you want making money off our gas, U.S. oil companies, or foreign dictators and monarchs? We cannot snap our fingers and the entire country will magically be driving hybrids that get 200 miles to the gallon with zero emissions. That may be your vision of the future, but we still need gas until we get there from here to there. I say drill, drill and drill some more. Maybe if we do it fast enough, Sheik What's His Name over there in Saudi Arabia will have to settle for a gold-plated Rolls Royce instead of a second diamond-encrusted one.

God bless you T Boone Pickens

2008-07-10T22:25:00.003-04:00

I have seen a lot of commercials for T. Boone Pickens' national campaign for a alternative energy plan, to the point that it's almost as if he is running for president. In either case, I have noticed a flurry of newspaper comments written on this topic in the past few days and will be posting my thoughts about them over the weekend. Many topics to write about as of late, and they are coming!

The ice cream man that drives around town

2008-07-06T19:43:00.000-04:00

I have noticed that with the summer months comes what I thought was something that went out of style years ago, and that is the ice cream truck. Yet, every day, at roughly the same time, I hear the piercing sound of music, which is the jingle jangle of the ice cream man.

I can remember buying ice cream from an ice cream truck when I was younger as well as lemonade from a lemonade stand. I also remember (and I'm not entirely sure how true this is because I have not chased after said ice cream truck) that the ice cream was sort of expensive. For something like an ice cream sandwich, which I could get at school for say 30 cents, the ice cream man charged something like $5. I can't imagine the prices have changed too much, but my thought about this subject is this: With gas approaching a level where people are starting to change driving habits, how much longer can this throwback to a simpler time continue to exist?

Maybe the ice cream man does well on these hot days to justify driving around for what seems like hours on end. I just wonder whether he is actually breaking even or driving himself to bankruptcy.

Solar panels to power houses in new developments

2008-06-25T18:55:00.004-04:00

While I certainly don't intend for this blog to turn into my amateur suggestions on how to save electricity or gas, an article regarding one Washington family's attempt to save on their personal electricity bill demonstrates that even houses bought in this market could be equipped to ease some of the strain on the electric grid.

According to the article, for a cost of approximately $25,000, one family installed a series of solar panels on their property to help reduce the cost of their monthly electric bill. Now, the article makes them out to be sort of psycho when it comes to saving electricity, but their cost savings do indicate that the results would be significant, particularly over a long period of time.

If Delaware were to provide some sort of tax incentives for developers to integrate this sort of technology into new developments, and also similar tax credits for citizens who install this equipment, I think it could help drive down energy costs across the board and would ultimately be received positively. The real advantage to this sort of system implemented on the state level is that it would provide a new technology sector to develop, which would in turn put people to work and incentivize our high school students to think more seriously about careers in engineering.

In the short term, obviously the technology is cost prohibitive. In the long term, however, it may be something to consider. That is, the target market for this sort of solar technology is people buying houses they expect to live in for ten plus years. It would certainly not depreciate the house's value.

I'd be interested in hearing about the success or failures of this sort of system from others who have applied this type of technology to their own homes. If it's worth it, perhaps the government should investigate it a bit to see how good (or bad) the greater potential benefit may be.

Gallons per mile versus Miles per gallon

2008-06-24T18:22:00.001-04:00

CNN ran an article that NPR had reported on last week. It suggests a way of thinking of gas mileage in longer terms by looking at gallons per mile instead of the more traditional miles per gallon. It's along the same lines of my gas saving suggestions from the other week.

I also saw that the Bluewater Wind Power contract finally seems to be a done deal. While I have yet to see exactly how much 200 megawatts is compared to the total energy grid (preferably as a percentage), at least on its surface it would seem to be a way of saving money. It also gives me some ideas for a greater energy policy the next governor or president can tout, and I'll have to think about that a little more and write about it another time.

Capital School District comes up with a clever way of balancing the grading scale

2008-06-23T18:39:00.002-04:00

I can't find a link to the article online, but the Delaware State News reported today that Capital School District (which I believe encompasses Dover High School and its subsidiary middle and elementary schools) has altered part of their grading policy from a 100 point scale to a 50 point scale. It's actually a pretty ingenious effort to level the playing field in high school academics.

I'm not going to spend to much time focusing on the negatives, and I'm sure there are exceptions for the absence or refusal to turn in assignments, but the gist of the new system is as follows. The grading scale is failing from 50-69, and passing from 70 and above (with a "D" average falling from 70-76, "C"s from 77-84; "B"s from 85-93, and "A"s from 94-100). The thought process is that if a student fails one test and improves over time, the increasing results have a more realistic possibility of having a final average in the "pass" range.

For example, under the old scale, if a student got a 35 on the first test, a 60 on the second, a 68 on the third, a 72 on the fourth, a 74 on the fifth, and a 76 on the last one, and there was no weighted averages for any, the student would have cumulative average of a 64, which would be failing. Under the new system, the score on the first test would automatically become a 50, and the average would be increased to a 67. It's still failing, but it makes it a little easier for the teacher to objectively demonstrate a progressive increase and possibly justify giving a little more weight to the later tests. Certainly if you play around with the numbers a bit, you can show an average that increases from below failing to barely passing.

In the grand scheme, it's not that much of a change from the system already in place and the discretion given to teachers in grading. Nevertheless, the idea that it's "trying to ensure we don't give kids 69 ways to fail and 31 ways to pass" is a novel one that warrants further consideration, perhaps by the rest of the districts in a similar fashion. Certainly credit can be given to the Capital School District board for trying something new.

And if it works well for Delaware schools, maybe other states would give it some consideration as well.

Another solution to the current budget price: a gas surcharge on speeding tickets

2008-06-18T18:20:00.004-04:00

I fully admit that this idea is an adaptation of an article in today's USA today which reports that some cities (Atlanta in particular) are adding a $10-15 gas surcharge for motorists convicted of speeding. I think this is a great idea. You already have to pay court costs, various compensation fund costs, and other costs to the state, what's another $10-15 on top of $150 or so? I'm not sure how much revenue this sort of plan would actually generate, but I think it's a way to basically stick it to those who break the law and are caught.

There are probably other disincentives and options with regard to this idea that can be more fully explored in committee. But as a revenue generator, this sort of plan (if at the very least, can help alleviate some of the state/city budgets paying for troopers to run their car and enforce the law.

Power fluctuations during a big storm and how boring life must have been last century

2008-06-17T21:53:00.003-04:00

The power in my apartment went out for a while during yesterday's thunderstorm. Without any real source of light (save a small battery powered lantern), it was fortunate that I at least had a cell phone to stay connected to society. In sitting there (and eventually just going to sleep), it made me wonder what life was like pre-internet and pre-tv. I can remember pre-internet pretty well, but pre-tv predates my time. I guess people just read books or played cards or board games. Simpler times I suppose.

During my drive home during the storm, however, it became abundantly clear how poorly painted some of the road lines are, as well as how bad drivers get when it starts to drizzle (or downpour). Why people just don't think to drive at a safe (but consistent) speed is beyond me.

Gas crosses $4 threshhold

2008-06-09T22:04:00.003-04:00

As pointed out by one of the most left-wing cable news programs that I tend not to watch, the price of a gallon of gas in 2001 averaged $1.47/gallon. This morning when I filled up, it was $3.93/gallon. When I drove home, it had jumped ten cents. Well, at least Delaware is consistent with the national average. How unfortunate, and yikes!

One thing it would be interesting to track would be what a price of a gallon of gas was based on the closing price of a barrel of oil the day before. So, when gas spiked to $138/barrel on Friday June 6, the corresponding gas price would have been $3.93/gallon or so. I alluded to the fact a little more than three months ago that it seemed fishy that gas prices had such a quick lock step with the price of a barrel of oil, which would suggest some sort of illegal collusion or price fixing. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

A barrel of oil around that day (Feb. 26, 2008) was approximately $103/barrel. It's hard to tell what the rate of change is based on two random data points, but I think everyone can agree that the price of a gallon of gas isn't going down any time soon. It certainly would come at no surprise that if three months from now, we're paying another dollar more per gallon. The question is how much more is too much more before the working middle class is even more squeezed out from making ends meet.

Here's a thought DART - run more buses to more locations and more often. Or maybe as part of a broader economic stimulus package we should think more seriously about a regional mass transit system running down the middle of the state and along side or in the middle (raised) on parts of 13 and 1. I've suggested as much before; maybe I will have to give that idea some more thought and elaborate to see if it gains any steam.

24 News coverage is skewing the perspective of the country

2008-06-04T19:14:00.002-04:00

One of the major problems without any realistic solution at this point in time is the 24-hours news services. Coupled with the internet, the general public has become almost dependent on up-to-the-minute news updates. The problem with this desire for news is that it has eroded the quality of news overall, and is forcing all journalists to (perhaps) let some stories run that would otherwise be shelved for more research. The idea of the "scoop" does not have to wait until the next morning's front page to be unveiled; with the correct connections or with the internet, anybody can shoot from the hip and, in all likelihood, has an audience to listen to.

Setting aside the free speech implications, I'm not implying that this is a bad thing. My concern is that I believe we are coming to a saturation point. Take the Democratic primaries, for example. All day yesterday, if you turned on cable or the internet were headlines and pundits speculating on what would happen next, reacting almost instantaneously to the candidates' remarks/speeches, etc. To point to an example closer to home, look at the Senator Biden remark about Indians and Dunkin' Donuts a few months ago. And this guy is on the short list for Obama's Secretary of State? My point with all of this is that because of 24/7 news coverage and the ability for anybody to put anything on the internet is that anything anybody ever says can now be taken out of context, exploited, overexposed, and thrown under the bus of public opinion.

For better or for worse, that's the state of news affairs nowadays. I think the bigger problem is that you almost have to read through a dozen websites and three news channels just to figure out the opposite ends of the opinion spectrum and then hope you can figure out which grain of truth is more correct.

Can anyone get a fair shake anymore? Probably not. I just hope that in the desire that we all become more informed and more in-touch, we haven't lost sight of what keeps the spirit of public opinion going.

Thought of the day: Teachers and parental accountability

2008-05-28T07:25:00.004-04:00

Just a quick rhetorical question: If parents were held to the same accountability standards as educators, how many parents would pass the equivalent of the DSTP? Maybe teachers don't shoulder as much blame as some of these comments in the newspaper would indicate.

Sports gambling in Delaware - and the NFL cares because?

2008-05-25T18:38:00.003-04:00

Sports gambling is a viable, albeit perhaps short-sighted way of fixing the budget problems befalling our state. More than likely, the revenue generated will far exceed the projections currently given. The thing I find funny is how the NFL has gone out of its way to cry out against it. My thoughts? Give me a break.

First, if you google "nfl scandals", you'll pull up any number of controversies that show that the NFL, as pointed out by Reps. Cathcart and Wagner, is simply being arrogant in their reasoning why they oppose this bill. The NFL's official position is that they are opposed to gambling because it sends the wrong image of its athletes. Just like excessive celebration will cost your team a 15-yard penalty and smoking dope may get you suspended, the image to the sport isn't tarnished by the third-parties who make the games a little more interesting. The only practical reason they are against this proposal is financial. While I agree that the NFL PR department is doing everything right, it also reminds me a bit about the December 2007 quote from Hillary Clinton that she would have the nomination clinched after Super Tuesday.

Do you know how many millions of dollars are made in advertising revenue generated through watching games and playing fantasy football? Granted, the NFL gets a cut of that, or at least attempts to, and that is the only realistic reason why the NFL is opposed to sports gambling become legalized in Delaware. They just want a little piece of the pie.

Here's a solution the NFL could give to Delaware instead of their holier-than-thou attitude against gambling. Why not give Delaware a percentage of the NFL pot? Or request that some of the teams (or the league itself) reincorporate in Delaware? Play a couple of pre-season games at University of Delaware. There are financial incentives the NFL could present to the State in exchange for this bill to go away. I don't see anything but threats of the degradation of society, which doesn't pay the bills, nor alleviate them.

Will Delaware become the West Coast vegas as a result of this bill becoming law? Of course not. We already have Atlantic City and Delaware is never going to compete with that. Nor is this bill about table gambling (although that would logically be the next step in ten years from now when the budget is again facing astronomical crises). This is simply a bill to generate money that people are already ready and willing to gamble. The NFL can counter this simply by running ads on its network that deter it. And make a couple of examples out of athletes who blow their weekly salary on a couple rolls of the roulette wheel in Vegas or stomp on opponent's helmets.

Wait until the NFL figures out how to get a chunk out of fantasy football and then watch some sparks fly.

Regardless of how this immediate debates turns out, it's a lot of conjecture and speculation. Plus, this bill has only gotten through the House, and whether or not it actually gets through remains to be seen. And the current Governor is, in all likelihood, going to let this one ride on the shoulders of the new guy. What will happen next? Delawareans will certainly be following this one closely. I'm going to bet on it getting held up in the Senate for a little while longer.

Is there any money to be made in investing in wind power?

2008-05-22T18:59:00.003-04:00

I haven't given this wind power much thought other than for its possibility that it could drive down the overall electric bill. Whether or not this current proposal (and all of its related discussion) ever gets some wind in its sails remains to be seen. I would imagine the cost for creating an private on-shore wind farm would probably be cost prohibitive. But in the efforts to save some of the farmland downstate, would it be so bad if (rather than development), a couple public power companies opened up shop?

I'm not familiar enough with the electricity industry or how exactly the industry works to make a decision one way or the other as to whether this idea could work. I see it as a potential growth area for the private sector to jump in and splash around for a bit if it is in fact possible. The fact that nobody really has yet, however, leads me to think the industry is even more regulated than I thought. Given the rising cost of electricity, though, something needs to happen and at least people are talking about methods to drive down the costs.

I would think that it would be in everyone's best interest to require all new developments to implement some sort of centralized electrical service (e.g., solar power cells powering the development or geothermal power) in an effort to defray the costs. There's probably more to this idea as well, and I'll simply have to keep my ears to the ground to see if anybody makes any headway into it.

Some hypothetical Delaware politics

2008-05-19T18:50:00.002-04:00

I would be interested to see whether anyone has any thoughts on the scenario that puts the alternate Democratic gubernatorial candidate as the candidate for Sen. Biden's position if he is elevated to VP or Secretary of State. Isn't that win-win for the musical chairs that sometimes define state politics?

I've also been paying some attention to this sports gambling proposal and have to do more research into whether the same negative spins were also voiced against the slots a few years ago. Not surprisingly, the Delaware pundits seem quiet on what the budget shortfall would be right now if we didn't have that particular income stream flowing into the State.

Gas prices continue to soar and some suggestions to save money on gas

2008-05-13T19:48:00.004-04:00

With gas now topping $3.66 a gallon around Dover, I'm a little surprised by the gas stations that are punishing people for using their credit cards to pay for gas by upping the price of a gallon by as much as ten cents if you use your card. That, at the very least, is the definition of extortion. Of course, you can always choose to go to Valero or some other station that doesn't attempt so blatant a rip off.

One of my friends who has a Prius has been explaining me the virtues of getting 50 miles per gallon (he said he typically averages about 45 mpg). For $30,000, it's nearly worth the price if you can afford it. If not, he tipped me off to some things he has noticed that anyone with a car can do, which should save a few bucks.

The biggest gas rip off, according to the Prius gas mileage meter is accelerating off the line. This apparently has been tested nationally and common sense should tell you that it works. While I can't give you the percentage of gas it saves, it only makes rational sense that if you hear the engine revving up, it means that gas is burning up just as fast. The solution? A slow acceleration off the stop line should increase fuel efficiency. Rather than going from 0-60 in 5 seconds to hit the next light just as fast, just ease into it. Who cares if you get passed by someone on the other side?

The other solution is simply to drive slower. In a state as small as Delaware, sticking to the 55 mph speed limit along most roads will get you there just as fast as going 65. Here's why going that much faster is just dumb or not worth it. There's a light every two miles! The odds of you hitting one somewhere that will slow you down just as much is 100 percent.

Another way to think about it is to look at the drive from Dover to Wilmington (or Dover to the beach), which is about 70 miles. Let's say your car averages 25 mpg and carries 15 gallons in the tank (giving you 375 miles on a tank). Assuming you hit no lights (which is a big and really unrealistic assumption), going 60 mph will take 70 minutes. If you go 55 mph, the same trip will take 76 minutes. If the average savings of 12 percent in gas mileage by driving slower is correct, those six minutes saved translate to a decrease of about three miles per gallon. Put another way, going 60 mph in our hypothetical car, your gas mileage drops to 22 mpg, and you'll get only 330 miles on that tank. Going 55 will get you approximately 420 miles. So the speeder (who gets there, at best, five minutes faster), will get almost 100 less miles on the same tank of gas.

Now for the trick, and why drivers should act rationally and drive slower: Taking four fillups at $3.50/gallon for our 15 gallon tank, that's $52.50 per fillup. At the average of 25 mpg, four fillups is 1500 miles. But the kicker is when you look at it this way: if you speed (even up to a mere 60 mph), your fuel efficiency is giving you only 330 mpg. This means you are filling up 4.55 times. At $52.50, this means you are going to spend $238.63 per 1500 miles. If you slow down and get that increase in fuel efficiency, you are going to fill up only 3.57 times for the same distance traveled, and spend only $187.50. It might only be a savings of $50, but that adds up over time (and who would refuse $50?). If you drive 15000 miles/year, you are saving about $500. That's almost as much as the economic stimulus package if you had filed jointly and qualified. It translates to even more if you used the actual price of a gallon today ($3.60-3.66) or in a few months ($4+).

Things to think about. Obviously the numbers can be manipulated rather easily, but it is just as easy as driving a bit slower and engaging in a slow acceleration off the line. Perhaps this idiotic drivers who seem to be in a big rush to get to work have money to burn, but in this economy, I would venture to say that most, including myself, don't, and all could certainly use an extra $500, even if it's in unrealized savings.

Beach traffic

2008-05-08T06:51:00.003-04:00

The roads to the Beach (namely Rt. 1) have been constantly worked on for months, tying up weekend beach traffic and taking what should be a relatively short trip and tacking on another 30 minutes. I would expect this nightmare to continue through the summer, but when I was down there yesterday, the roads are almost completely paved and it looks like it may not be such a two-lane nightmare after all. Score one for whoever got that contract done in time (presumably). Hopefully the budget has enough saved up if there was some sort of acceleration bonus.

And the record for slowest lunch ever goes to...

2008-04-29T19:12:00.004-04:00

Smithers, which is located in downtown Dover. Although this entry is not exactly fair because I have not discussed restaurant service in Dover other to provide a general overview of a few places that are worth going to, I can state without hyperbole or exaggeration that Smithers on State Street (downtown Dover) broke the world record for slowest lunch ever. Total time from entry to exit? Almost 2.5 hours. And this doesn't count the drive over there. This also breaks Smithers' previous slow record of 90+ minutes, which was set in a different lunch a couple months ago.

I'm not joking, and perhaps I am unlucky in lunch. The previous record for slowest Dover lunch was clocked at 2.15 hours at the Loockerman Exchange, which has since gone out of business. Maybe it's just that part of town that is slow. I've been to other places around there though (Lobby House, 33 West, Irish Mikes, the pizza place across from Loockerman, TGI Fridays, to name a few in that area), and while all of these places are slow sometimes, they are never that slow.

In this particular experience, it took almost an hour to get our first drink, and while my description may imply that the place was hopping, it was not: I saw maybe five or six groups there, mine included. As I mentioned, the food is decent, the wings are great, and you can get a lunch under $10, but who can afford to take more than an hour for lunch? Even La Tolteca and the Olive Garden can get a group of six or seven in and out in less than an hour, so I'm not sure how these local chains can't figure out the concept. Or maybe that's why I only saw five groups there, who knows.

The food Smithers serves is good, don't get me wrong. The outside deck is a good time otherwise also, and I've been to their happy hours several times and they are fun. But for lunch, I highly doubt I will go there again. You don't have to take my word on it, though - check it out yourself. Just be sure to block off a two hour schedule in your day in case your service is as slow as mine was.

In the meantime, I'm going to stick to places on 13 for a while and see if that keeps my lunch hour to a more reasonable length. I think I've been to just about all of them now, but am always open for suggestions as to more.

Ravens climb on the Blue Hen train and take Joe Flacco in the first round

2008-04-27T10:27:00.003-04:00

Unlike the Eagles, who ignited a media frenzy in last year's draft when they decided not to trade up to get Derek Anderson's backup and Notre Dame alumni, Brady Quinn, and instead chose to get Kevin Kolb, the Ravens decided to pull the trigger and trade up and secure a new franchise quarterback, University of Delaware's own Joe Flacco. Guess the Eagles are still confident with McNabb, with their future resting on the shoulders and arm of Kolb. We'll see who gets back to the Superbowl faster.

In the meantime, Baltimore fans can order a Joe Flacco Ravens Jersey today!

Out of state travels limit my internet access

2008-04-24T07:31:00.001-04:00

I have a brief chance to hop on the internet this morning, but haven't had time lately to see what is going on back home in Delaware. I am due back Sunday. Maybe this budget crisis will be resolved by then.

Like your tunes? Better make sure someone has paid for them - copyright crackdown in Delaware bars

2008-04-15T19:19:00.004-04:00

The News Journal recently posted an article regarding the enforcement of musical copyright in some upstate bars. Basically, the copyright owners of certain music acts and groups have decided that these delinquent bar owners have ignored their calls for a license to play their music long enough. Because of the importance of copyright and paying for things that people worked hard for, businesses that feature music need to be aware that the copyright man cometh. And you thought the tax man was bad.

These licenses, according to the article, run a business between $1,400 and $1,900 each to the respective copyright groups. Granted, for how much profiteering these companies probably have made in the years they failed to get a license, the cost is minimal. In these hard economic times, however, the licenses may be cost prohibitive. While I've never given any thought to who pays for the music at a bar, it does make sense given the adage that "nothing in life is free."

Can some sort of medium between the copyright owners and the barkeeps be found? Probably, but the answer isn't going to please these bar owners by any means. Is this going to have an effect on bars, such as Lobby House or Irish Eyes that feature weekly trivia games and DJ-hosts playing music from their laptops in between questions? One would think. Are the bars going to react positively or negatively to the threat of having to actually pay for entertainment? I think the answer to that one is pretty clear.

So what results? Either these bars pony up for the license and pass the costs onto those who frequent the establishment (or those who set up those fun karaoke nights) or they are going to have to figure out another way to attract the young and entitled MTV generation. Some things may work, such as setting up Guitar Hero nights and hope that Gibson doesn't bring a lawsuit against them. Other ideas might work, such as hiring more live bands (unlikely beyond the beach zones and the shortage of local bands that can be a draw), forcing the DJs to pay a percentage of the license costs (which will in turn force DJs to have to show that they are properly licensed and pass those costs onto the bar), installing more jukeboxes (that do not have burned CDs in them), or switching to some sort of satellite radio system (that may or may not be covered by these laws). In all likelihood, though, I foresee drink specials becoming even stingier than they already are if these bars are boxed into the corner of the first option.

The final score of this battle? Wasn't there a similar outcry when the smoking ban went into effect? I think the edge goes to the copyright owners.

UD wants to start a satellite in Sussex County - why not merge with DelTech?

2008-04-10T07:36:00.003-04:00

I admit I haven't read the article in full nor the proposal, but I would hope that the fact that University of Delaware wants to open a Sussex County campus includes the suggestion to merge with Del-Tech. As a matter of efficiency, I highly doubt that the population down here can support one Wesley-type college, let alone two. I proposed as much a few months ago, but the fundamental idea remains the same given UD's interest in expansion: Expand Deltech into having 2-year and 4-year degrees, and make it like the Penn State satellite campuses. Deltech already has some sort of arrangement with the main campus, and now the credits would simply have to translate 1:1 instead of into whatever algebraic rip-off formula that currently is in place.

Penn State created its satellite campus system over twenty years ago and it has worked out fine. There is no reason for UD to reinvent the wheel on this one by creating a separate University of Delaware Sussex Campus, which would only serve to compete with Del-Tech, and quite frankly, would fall flat on its face. I caution these comments with my caveat that perhaps the proposal has this idea as an alternative, but if it does, the news certainly did not do a good job of reporting it.

Besides, what is the fiscal note that comes attached with this new campus as opposed to some sort of merger agreement? If UD is really anxious to create some sort of new school, why not open a med school? There certainly are enough shortages of them around Delaware.

Pontiac BMW ad - would someone in the market for a BMW actually make the switch?

2008-04-08T19:04:00.003-04:00

I saw a rather odd commercial on tv the other day; it essentially pits the Pontiac against the BMW. At least one version of the campaign is available on YouTube. Another article writes how the Pontiac G8 embarrasses the BMW 5-Series in this commercial. Well, that's what the spot advertises, but does it really accomplish the goal? I think not. The only thing I thought when seeing this commercial was "who would ever mix up a Pontiac with a BMW?" Further, who in the market for a BMW would trade down for a Pontiac? It seems to be targeted at two very different consumer groups.

But maybe I'm a snob when it comes to this type of ineffective advertising. Or Pontiacs. For me, the spot was too long and too cluttered to follow. But maybe the spot is designed for those who pay close attention to television commercials. Or it hopes to gain some sort of viral status that will increase Pontiac's market share by a half of a percentage point over BMW. Sometimes I have to wonder about who approves these ad campaigns and what they are hoping to accomplish. This particular campaign misses the mark.

These funeral stickers on the back of people's cars - enough already

2008-04-01T17:36:00.002-04:00

Certainly people mourn in different ways and they can mourn in any way they want. I fail to understand, however, how these car stickers with "in memory of..." accomplish this task. Personally, I see them as pretty tacky. To each his own, I suppose. My point is simply to ask rhetorically, at what point do these memoriam stickers extend their stay? I would answer that if you had to order these custom stickers, the time has passed before you've even put it on the car.

Speaking of other ways you can devalue your car, I also saw a questionable sticker ad for some toy company while I was sitting behind some car at a light the other day. It seems to be for a kid's toy company, but the decal was a skull and crossbones. To me, this sends a mixed message, unless the sticker was operating to generate negative advertising. I can't remember the name of the company other than it was a toy company in Delaware, so it obviously wasn't that effective.

Enough with the bumper stickers/rear windshield stickers "in memory of" someone the driver knew. I can't be the only person who would rather be remembered in other ways when my time on the roads of 13 are passed.

In other news, I hear the General Assembly broke even on their gambling venture of which I mentioned yesterday. Probably the best they could hope for.

General Assembly decides to take a gamble on nearly $50 million of the budget

2008-03-31T18:16:00.005-04:00

For those of you who have not heard, the General Assembly approved today an emergency measure to address the budget shortfall this pending fiscal year. In a questionably close, bipartisan measure, the Senate approved by a narrow vote of 10-7 (with 4 abstentions) to pass House Resolution 214, what I am calling "The Blackjack Bill," which, according to the title, is "an emergency act to close the gap between the FY2009 budget." Governor Minner is expected to sign the blackjack bill tonight.

Presuming her approval, a group of nine Delaware delegates (3 from the House, 3 from the Senate, the Governor, Lt. Gov., and the Treasurer) will take $42.5 million from the general fund to Atlantic City tomorrow morning. According to the measure, gambling will commence no later than 1:00 EST. Although the press seems silent on where they are going (which I must assume is to keep away the riff-raff), my guess is they are going to Borgata.

Most of the blackjack bill looks like it deals with how the nearly $50 million can be gambled. For example, the money will be divided evenly among the delegates and left to various games of chance. Particularly, H.R. 214 limits the contingent to roulette, craps, and blackjack. Because Atlantic City casinos will not permit the entire $42.5 million to be bet at once, some minimum maximums have been set. Interestingly, any money bet at roulette must be either bet on red or black. I just hope they don't simply place $1 million on red and another million on black in the same spin.

An amendment to the resolution originally provided for an additional $2.5 million for slots, but after a questionable and then devastating $100,000 bet on a Wheel of Fortune machine earlier this afternoon, the Senate Revenue & Taxation committee rejected any further games of chance from being played. Surprisingly, however, another amendment provides for an additional $50 million to be allocated in case the committee comes back with over $200 million.

According to one senator, he expects the majority of the money to be spent on blackjack and roulette: "Even if we lose a million on one spin of the roulette wheel, the odds are in our favor that we'll win it back on the next spin." Another representative predicted that the measure could "yield results of at least 75%, if not 150% of the money we have allocated toward this process."

Creativity of fixing the budget appears to have no bounds. I hope the group is able to double up. Not sure what is going to happen if they lose their shirts.

Chick-Fil-A's clever marketing scheme

2008-03-27T07:33:00.003-04:00

I usually don't give away anything for free, but I have to give props to the marketing team of Chick-Fil-A. According to the radio yesterday, and as talked about at work by nearly everyone I spoke with, there is a new "free-standing" Chick-Fil-A opening in Camden (a town five minutes south of Dover) near the super Walmart. While that isn't that interesting, this certain is: part of their "grand opening" was to offer free meal combos once a week for a year for the first 100 people that showed up when it opened today at 6 AM. And what is even more quirky is that people started camping out around 8 am yesterday morning. I drove by the place last night to get a frame of reference and I counted 15 or so tents. I would say that their marketing ploy worked like a charm.

Now, the trick was that you would get 52 combos of choice, or one per week for one year. I'm assuming they are only good at that Chick-Fil-A. So on its face, this would cost the national office/local chain (assuming a $5/meal average) around $250 person (assuming they used up all 52 coupons). Multiply that for 100 people and the total incurred cost (less advertising and other related marketing expenses) is roughly $25,000. I would guess the actual cost will be about half that, if not less, for a number of practical reasons. Regardless, this free-combo-a-day-giveaway is marketing cleverness worth mentioning and a relatively inexpensive campaign for the buzz they created by this gimmick.

A quick budgetary fix: Increase the bottle deposit

2008-03-25T18:57:00.004-04:00

Under certain Delaware legislation, certain bottles are subject to a bottle deposit. In most cases, this deposit (which effectively operates as a tax) makes one's purchased bottle of soda go from being $.99 to $1.04. Whether this money goes into the state general fund, or in the hands of the store, I am not sure. Whether the bottles actually get recycled when they are returned is also questionable. While I can't find it, I think there's also a deposit for wine or beer now also, but that may also depend on where you buy.

My point is with this 5 cent deposit is that it only represents approximately 5% of the cost of the item, at least if we're talking about soda bottles. Wasn't the bottle deposit either 3 or 5 cents when sodas were half that price, or even a fraction of that price? Let's say for my argument's sake that years ago, the bottle deposit on a 15 cent bottle of soda was 3 cents. So way back when, the bottle deposit was about 20% of the cost of the drink. Given that everything else has increased or at least kept pace with inflation, why not this bottle deposit? Nobody cares about 5 cents. The trick is to figure out the line just below where people will stop caring. I see it probably at 15%, but argue a point why it could be even higher.

If the bottle deposit was 20% or even 25% of the cost today, per bottle, I think a lot more people would be inclined to recycle. And if not, the state could figure out a way to account for the money and the increased bottle deposit would be an easy and straightforward solution to inject a few million into the general budget. Soda sales alone should generate this - if they did the same thing for newspaper, beer bottles and other things DNREC wants everyone to recycle, maybe it would align the financial interests of both the purchasers and the environmentalists. Just a thought.

A double standard for governors and the women they sleep with

2008-03-18T18:03:00.004-04:00

This is a rather simple observation: Obviously the New York Governor Spitzer's sex scandal involving a $5500 call girl is all the rave as of late. Ultimately, the embarrassment and nature of the offense led to his resignation and political and personal humiliation. If this event basically undid his political career, why is the same society so anxious to reward his escort, the now famous and in-demand Ashley Dupre? Between music downloads, a book deal, offers from particular movie and magazine companies, she seems to be coming out on top in this situation. It just seems rather backwards to me.

I'm almost of the mindset that if she's been rewarded this much, maybe he was not as in the wrong as the media made him out to be (notwithstanding his previous prosecutorial conduct in that particular area). Almost.

Vatican damns non-recyclers to hell

2008-03-11T18:26:00.003-04:00

The Vatican has updated the "7 Deadly Sins." In addition to the original seven deadly sins (avarice, pride, lust, gluttony, sloth, wrath, envy), the following actions subject one to, shall we say, less than comfortable afterlife conditions. The world, so it seems, is in big, big trouble.

The new sins, at least according to one article, are polluting, genetic engineering, obscene riches, taking drugs, abortion, pedophilia, and causing social injustice. I'll leave alone all but four.

Polluting: This one alone is enough to damn just about everybody who drives a car or spits out their gum. I'm not sure how far this sliding scale of pollution goes, but if it reaches into the world of electricity, we're all in trouble.

Obscene riches: Again, this seems to be a sliding scale. Don't most people with obscene riches do more for aiding social injustice than those without obscene riches? I find this one puzzling. Luckily, "obscene" depends on who you're talking to. And given that the Catholic Church and Vatican City have "priceless" works of art, I think most, if not everybody, is safe on this one.

Taking drugs: This must exclude illegal drugs, but who is to say what is illegal? Marijuana is legal in Canada but not in the U.S. Further, isn't almost everybody immunized for something, and had to have been immunized by some drug? Maybe this sin will serve to reveal what exactly is in the Coke formula to be sure we aren't drinking ourselves into eternal damnation with the drug of caffeine. This one works sort of hand in hand with the sin of genetic engineering, particularly most of our food has been genetically modified for vitamin-y goodness since the turn of last century. Case in point: corn, cotton, and any other crop that has been grown to be resistant to insects. Hopefully the mad cow disease isn't worked into this one or everybody will be in trouble for eating meat (and not just on Fridays).

Causing social injustice: I'm assuming this refers to the jackass that cut me off this morning.

At the very least, perhaps the goal behind of all this is just to get people talking about the Catholic Church again rather than other things that flood the news, such as the upcoming presidential election. I admire and respect the Church for showing that "the new seven [have] a social resonance," and maybe it will start, as indicated by these new rules, people thinking that their actions affect others. It's a good idea in practice; time will tell if this idea morphs into madness or fanatical beliefs.

A couple good places to eat in Dover

2008-03-04T18:35:00.003-05:00

I've been in Dover for a few months now, and as compared to Wilmington anyway, getting lunch down here is a bit of a chore. Rather than come up with a laundry list of the good and bad places I've found to eat, I'll highlight some of the places (non-chains) I've been to more than once that are decent.

Fancy places: Iron Gate near the Dover Air base, Cool Springs, and Michelles (at Dover Downs) are probably the top of the line places in Dover. The Buttery down at the beach is good too. Probably fancy for lunch though.

Seafood: Shuckers on 13 is pretty good and you can get lunch in a little under an hour for about $10 plus tip. Sambos is well-known as the best place to get crabs in Delaware, and in Smyrna, it's much closer than driving from Wilmington (but worth the drive in either case).

General Food: 33 West, Smithers, Lobby House, Romas all are okay. Of the three, 33 West is usually the fastest; Romas is the cheapest (and nearly as fast); and all have lunch specials that are usually around $10 including tip. There are a few other places I could lump into this list (Ruby Tuesday, TGI Fridays, Applebees, Lone Star, Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden, Uno Pizzaria), but they aren't any different than any others you may have been to. Nikos is a decent pizza place that is pretty quick.

BBQ: Amish Market (Spenses) and Where Pigs Fly. The Amish Farmers Market is only open Tuesdays and Fridays, but is probably the best bang for your buck. Plus you can buy other items (ice cream, cookies, ham, cheese, bread, vegetables, etc.). Where Pigs Fly can get you in and out in an hour for around $10-12 including tip. The ribs are fantastic.

Ethnic: There is a good indian buffet place that is in a hotel, but I can never remember the name of it. There is also a great chinese takeout place on Water Street next to 7-11 near Spenses. Both of the Chinese buffets on 13 are decent for a quick buffet lunch. I'm going to lump the Dover Downs lunch buffet in this also. For sushi and other japanese foods, the Habachi and Ichiban restaurants are good times. The better sushi places (around here anyway) remain in Wilmington and the beach.

There are a few others that I'm forgetting now, but these are some that I can think of offhand. If there are others I'm overlooking or should sample while I'm down here, I'm all for taking suggestions.

The rising cost of gasoline

2008-02-26T19:37:00.004-05:00

Every week it seems that the price of oil hits a new high and the price of a gallon of gas is in lockstep behind it. In Delaware, at least in Kent County, it ranges from somewhere between $2.99/gallon and $3.05. Soon, or so the news is starting to scare us into thinking, it's going to be $4/gallon. I would not be at all surprised when this happens. Here's some thoughts on what should be done about it.

My curiosity begins with how the price of a gallon gas can jump so high (and even more quickly) on oil futures. Last week the price of a gallon of gas was $2.90, and then poof, the price of a barrel of oil jumps over $100, and like clockwork, gas jumps to over $3.00/gallon. Exxon, Valero, Sunoco, and the rest of these energy corporations must have secretly developed some sort of supersonic oil refinery jet that can take these pricey oil drums from the Saudi oilfield directly to the tanks at the local Exxon in a matter of hours.

I'm all for profits and business, but it strikes me as even more curious that the country is heading into a recession (or, more likely, is already in the shallow waters of one), and all of the major oil companies are receiving record profits (profits, not sales) on a quarterly basis. Something about that just doesn't sit right. It shouldn't be sitting right with the Federal Government, and it shouldn't be sitting right with any of the 50 state governments. As put better by Hamlet, something is rotten in the state of Denmark and it smells like gasoline.

Notwithstanding our economic troubles and the unfundable concept of universal healthcare pedaled by the candidates daily, the price of gas and travel is just as major an issue for the candidates, if not more so. But it need not wait until November to be addressed; the Congress (including these current Senators) could be doing more about it now. The fact that the Congress is in need of some oil leads me to think that it's no longer a congressional problem, but an executive one.

The cries of foul by the States have gone unanswered long enough. It's been almost two years since the president has called for an investigation, and yet the price of gas continues to rise. Frankly, this tax rebate isn't going to even put a bandaid on the problem.

As much as I loathe for the government to get involved in private enterprise, maybe it's time for the Attorney General (of both the US and the individual states, to the extent that the profiteering is hurting states) to crank up the wheels of justice and do some good old fashion trustbusting. Or at least start regulating this industry a lot closer. I can't imagine that the Sirius-XM merger nearly warrants the expenditure of so many resources.

I concede that this is primarily a federal issue, and in the end, the government may have to regulate this industry a little closer by either a tax on all profits over X% or some sort of disgorging of profits if there actually is collusion at the expense of the public. Nevertheless, I'm surprised that given the state of economic affairs, at least in this recession-vulnerable side of the country, more isn't being done about it at the state level. After all, everyone is paying for gas, and the rising cost of this luxury-commodity is breaking the banks of everyone. Everyone, that is, except those running the oil show.

IRS scam phishing alert

2008-02-22T18:30:00.005-05:00

Various spammers and hacks are once again suspecting to fool the general public into thinking the IRS sends emails that purport to calculate your taxes for you. An example of these emails have the subject "Tax Refund Notification" and are from the Internal Revenue Service." These are fake and are designed to steal your money. Use your head and common sense and delete them. The IRS is aware of this particular scam as well as the others. As Snopes points out, this particular scam is not new.

The fake IRS emails to me have said something to the effect of:

"After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of [some amount of money; e.g., $9950.55]. Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 2-3 days in order to process it.

A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline. To access the form for your tax refund, please click here [taking you to a fake website].

Note: For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time. Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated.

Regards Internal Revenue Service."

Use your common sense and realize that the IRS isn't going to calculate your money for you. I would go as far as to say that if you're stupid enough to fall for this you deserve to get taken to the cleaners, but nobody should be taken advantage of like this. Don't be another statistic.

If you understand headers and your email settings, you can trace their IP address. The IRS emails to me came from 82.128.5.211 (Lagos, Nigeria) through a routing server in 195.4.92.23 (Kiel, Germany). Because it will be years before this type of scam is fully addressed by the Nigerian government, your best bet in the meantime is to rely on an accountant to do your taxes and not use some fishy email offer.

Delaware Tag No. 6 goes for $675,000

2008-02-18T18:20:00.003-05:00

As I discussed before, these low digit black tags, while nifty, are not really that great an investment for most Delawareans. Granted, the bulk of these people have held onto tags for thirty or forty years, and, much like a house, they have appreciated in value. But other than for the vanity of the vanity plate, how much are you really making on this "investment?"

As pointed out in the article in today's paper, Tag #6 sold for a whopping $675,000. (By comparison of apples to oranges, the No. 1 tag in UAE sold for $14 million). Here's one way to look at this investment, other than potentially being the envy of a very select group of people.

The auction commission for these types of things varies between the ebay cost of approximately 5% to the Wilson auction cost of about 20%. If this tag had sold on ebay, the fees would have been approximately $35,500. At a 20% rate, the fee would have been $135,000. I'm sure the auctioneers of this auction took a commission somewhere in the middle. So, for my argument's sake, let's say if you sold your plate at auction, it would cost you about 10% in commissions based on final sale price.

Even at a conservative 2% interest rate, compounded quarterly, your $675,000 investment would appreciate to about $825,000 over 10 years. Invested in long term safe investments yielding 5% gives you around $1.1 million. The question is really whether you can get that much for the same plate years from now. Maybe. But the ceiling to these auctions isn't at the UAE's ridiculously high selling point. It's probably not that much higher than this conservative interest calculation. Plus, after you sell it, you've got to deal with the commissions. If you only got $825,000 for it, you're only pulling in $742,500 after a 10% commission, which turns out to be a pretty lousy investment. Just to get to the net of $825,000, the plate would have to sell around $915,000. Is that really realistic? I can't imagine that is the case absent some sort of crazy inflation over the next decade.

Of course, if you have this kind of money in disposable income, what is the point?

Busting text messagers on the road

2008-02-14T19:00:00.003-05:00

Want to inject a boost to the general budget? Why not triple all of the traffic violation fines from what they currently are? For an example of why this could be an easy remedy for a problem that probably hasn't been updated in two or three decades, I need only point to the front page article in today's paper, "Bill aims to brake texters." According to the article, House Bill 291 would ban text messaging while driving and make it a secondary offense. Notwithstanding the merits of this bill (and there are several), the proposed law carries with it the hefty fine of $25. Seems like the legislature is trying to attack what they perceive as a major problem with a wet noodle than a big stick.

With all of the budget problems plaguing this state currently, someone really needs to propose a broad brushed measure to double or triple the current Title 21 violations, which would presumably include this secondary prohibition against "TWD" (text messaging while driving). Wouldn't this measure generate revenue while avoiding the need to raise taxes? Just a thought.

Sykes murder conviction affirmed

2008-02-09T14:26:00.001-05:00

Someone posted a comment that the Delaware Supreme Court had recently affirmed a conviction of Ambrose Sykes, who apparently had murdered an elderly woman in Dover a few years back. I don't remember reading anything about this case in the newspaper recently and can't find anything about it online, so this is either a scoop of the entire Delaware press, or everybody is too caught up with the current political winds to care. In either case, maybe someone can provide some legal thoughts about it; it looks like it's about the death penalty to some degree. Here is the link to the Sykes v. State opinion.

I did find an old write-up about the case from the Dover Post from 2005.

Delaware primary results and voter disenfranchisement

2008-02-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

I saw in the paper and by online coverage that Obama and McCain won Delaware. What was funnier was the letter to the editor in today's paper complaining about the fact that independents in Delaware (as well as 18 other states) can't vote in primaries or caucuses. It then cites, without reference, to some statistic that nationwide independents make up about 40% of the voting electorate. It goes on to complain about how the voting rights of the independents are adversely affected by this exclusionary process.

Well, I feel disenfranchised because I wasn't asked to participate in an exit poll (in fact, it appears no Republican was), so my influence on this national electoral-o-sphere was not counted and this is ludicrous. Who can I sue to fix this travesty? This has to be unconstitutional in some way. I have one additional comment, but I'll save it for the end.

Relevant to the point, and probably of more interest to various internet searches curious about the breakdown of the vote in Delaware, the State News broke down the vote slightly differently than CNN, and so for those political junkies worried about the role of the First State in this process, fear not:

For the Dems (according to this morning's paper):
Obama = 50,953 53%
Clinton = 40,587 42%
Biden (who explicitly asked people not to vote for him) = 2,858 3%
John Edwards 1,234 1%
Dennis Kucinich 190 <1%
Christopher Dodd 170 <1%

For the Republicans:
McCain 22,511 45%
Romney 16,280 33%
Huckabee 7,673 15%
Ron Paul 2,122 4%
Giuilanai 1,249 2%
Tom Tancredo 175 <1%

I had to look up Tom Tancredo to learn that he was out of the race before it even started, so I find that he got votes almost as funny as the fact that Biden did.

In either case, the final tally, according to CNN, was 51,124 (53%) to 40,751 (43%), which gives Obama a 9:6 edge on delegates.

One final thought on this (interesting) letter to the editor. I have half a mind to put pen to paper and write a response to it, and I may, but for now, I'll simply say that they are incorrect. You can vote in the general election, so your argument fails. Period. Even assuming that the primary process is a "stage" in the election, and it is not, how does your inability to vote for a potential affiliated candidate possibly disenfranchise your vote when you have consciously decided not to affiliate yourself with a party? Answer: It doesn't. If anything, your vote screws up the result. Alternative answer: If you don't like it, declare a party.

This whole process makes me wonder how many people are under the erroneous impression that you must vote straight ticket based on your party? If the answer is more than ten percent, I see that as a sad commentary on the political system.

Voting machines in DE primaries

2008-02-05T21:23:00.001-05:00

I went ahead and cast my vote in the primary today, which is something that I have never done before (previously my votes have always been during the general election). My question is whether you could have voted for someone in the other party. I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I found it a bit confusing since the machines had the Republican candidates on one side and the Democratic candidates on the other. I voted for the same party that I am "R"egistered for, so at least one of the votes is right. At least with the electronic system, there isn't any concern with potentially hanging chads.

According to CNN, McCain and Obama will emerge with the few Delaware delegates. Humorously, despite Sen. Biden's published letter regarding the fact that nobody should cast his vote for him since he isn't running anymore, he managed to snare about 3% of the Democratic vote.

On an unrelated note, I've noticed that of my previous entries has seemed to have taken a life of its own: The one about the Lockerman Exchange closing. I think there are multiple conversations going on in the comments, but the only one really worth pointing out, and relevant to my initial talking point about that event is from 9:21 AM on Feb. 5.

That comment states, in part: "The original goal of the business was to spark downtown revitalization, with the hope that the economics of the area would improve. I don't think anyone quite realizes what start up costs actually are. If things continue there the way they are going, then no business will succeed there. The people of the town have to want to make their main street area better, it won't happen by magic."

That is actually a very astute point - therefore, I will have to give more thought to how to frame a well-reasoned response. In the meantime, my open ended question is what revitalization project or business would thrive (or be a draw) in that area that could succeed? I threw a few ideas out there earlier within that same post, but given the commentary, the area may have a greater business potential than I give it credit for, so I will examine a few Dover businesses closer and make some additional suggestions as to what may be missing and could succeed in this particular area of the state later. Feel free to make suggestions though - for example, what was there before Lockerman exchange?

Rising rates drive traffic away

2008-02-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note that I saw the other day that the increase in tolls has led to a greater than expected drop in traffic and revenue from Route 1. I find this interesting because I predicted as much when I found out that the weekend rates were going up. According to the article, the revenue generated is up considerably, but traffic took an 11 percent drop (as opposed to an estimated 3-6 percent drop). So what effect does this have on the revenue? I submit, "not too much." Come summertime, I'm sure weekend beach traffic will more than make up the difference.

There are plenty of things to write about, but I'm going to have to get back to it in a couple days. While I'm on the subject of traffic, I will state that I have noticed in my downstate-to-upstate travels that upstate drivers are much better at getting over in the left lane rather than traveling the speed limit in the passing lane.

A new icon for the small wonder? Let's give a warm welcome to Miles the Monster

2008-01-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen a lot of press about this, but apparently, all the t's have been crossed and the i's dotted and Dover Downs will soon sport a giant 46 foot rock monster, aptly called "Miles the Monster." With Dover Downs such a big economy boost to this area, I can only hope that more giant statues are in the works. Before you know it, we'll be the Easter Island of the mid-Atlantic. So, will the Miles the Monster be a new fan attraction? Absolutely.

46 feet is huge, and calling this a monster statue is a bit of an understatement. To give you an idea of how big this monster is (sort of), I have placed it along side some other more famous monuments (call it a fair use comparison). Shaquille O'Neal (left most) is 7 feet tall, the Lincoln Memorial monument is 19 or 20 feet, and the Mount Rushmore heads are 60 feet:

While I could write more, I think the picture speaks for itself. Sometime soon, Miles the Monster will be threatening to throw his car (which is life-sized by the way) to all those traveling along 13, 1, and into the base. Like other less-famous Delaware statues (The Amish Man, The Stainless Steel Mary, and Minnesota's Jolly Green Giant, Miles the Monster is certain to be more than a blip on the Nascar radar.

I for one, cannot wait to see how the rest of the Nascar world reacts.

Nothing says I am better than you than driving with a single digit tag

2008-01-27T13:19:00.001-05:00

I have previously mentioned the allure of the black tag in Delaware. As most Delawareans are aware, the lower the number, the better you are. Tag 1 is for the governor, tag 2 is for the lieutenant governor, tag 3 is for the secretary of state, and the rest are available to the private sector. If your tag number is above 87,000, however, there is an additional inferiority tax imposed by the DMV when you register your vehicle. That's one of the main reasons why people love the black tag. That and it allows you to travel twenty miles over the speed limit without fear of being pulled over.

All license plate numbers, of course, are controlled by the DMV. Only certain numbers (those less than 87,000) are available for the vintage black tag. As has been pointed out to me through comments to my earlier post, only one company is authorized to make the actual legal black tag. There are plenty of fake black tags around that may subject the driver to high crimes and misdemeanors for trying to fake their way into the upper class of driving society. I myself was recently busted for driving with a fake 4-digit tag. When I bought it (also from auction, for nearly six figures) I failed to notice several things that in hindsight, were a dead giveaway:

Notwithstanding this slight snafu, I have a chance to redeem myself because tag #6 is up for auction. Like the rest of the bidders, I must post $50,000 in cash or a cashiers check to show that I am serious. No problem. There isn't anything better I can spend my money on. Apparently tag #9 sold a few years back for $186,500. This one is projected to sell for between $500-750,000. One quote in the paper was from a Smyrna resident that said that "there are a lot of people out there with much more money than they have sense." Well, whoever said high social status was cheap? I will bring an extra $100k just to be sure that I win. After all, I just found out that I inherited millions of dollars from an unknown relative in Africa, so this is chump change.

So, if you're in it to win it and think you can outbid me, No. 6 goes on sale at 2 PM on Feb. 17 at the Rehoboth Beach Civic Center. Remember, nothing in Delaware says I am better than you like a low digit license plate. And this one is about as close as you can come to saying I am the best without doing any sort of public service.

With investments like this, who needs gold or other precious medals or even stocks with a steady rate of return? The greatest thing about the black tag, besides the fact that it doesn't pay dividends taxable by the IRS, is that you aren't even taxed on it until you sell it, and even then, it would only hurt you if you sell it for a gain. Without hyperbole, this tag is undoubtedly the greatest investment one can make as a Delawarean.

Of course, I've also heard rumors of other wealthy individuals who would rather spend their money on a giant five-story statue of a Frankenstein-type rock holding a car. I'll write about Dover Downs' plans for Miles the Monster and the six-story statue that I plan on erecting to compete with it later in the week.

Funny, yet terribly ineffective ad for Price Honda on radio

2008-01-24T18:58:00.000-05:00

I hope I hear this commercial again just to laugh at its absurdity. I'll save my commentary on how one inch of snow appears to shut this state down for another day.

On the radio the other morning, I heard an ad for Price Honda in Dover. I think this is the Honda place by the Camden Walmart. The gist of the ad (and this is an accurate paraphrase) was "It's inconvenient to get to us, but we're not inconvenient in our prices" or something to that effect. This commercial isn't quite in the "missing the point of targeting your customers" category (I'll save that one for the cat herders commercial from a couple years ago that few people bother to remember what product it was advertising). This "inconvenient commercial" is pretty close though.

But enough free advertising for this company. My point is that my first thought was "why would I want to drive to some inconvenient place to get a car?" But maybe I'm not the target market they are seeking. That may or may not be a correct assumption, but I can't be the only one that found this car spot funny. And way ineffective for that particular market segment.

Better luck next time Dover radio advertising wizards. I'm sure the cat herding advertising team is looking for some new talent.

Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association wants to adopt NCAA Rules

2008-01-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

The trash has already come to take away whatever paper it was in, but I saw the other day that the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (formerly the Delaware Secondary School Athletic Association) wants to implement a rule that, with certain exceptions, if you transfer to another school for sports, you've got to sit out for a year before you are eligible to play again in that sport. This rule is generally the rule for college athletes and exists for the same educationally-centered reasons. Generally, I'm fine with it; however, I will offer a tongue-in-cheek response for the sake of playing devil's advocate.

Let's say I was a good enough baseball player to go on to play for a college team like Texas or Florida, but probably not good enough to go straight to the majors. I think there have been a handful from Delaware in the past few years who fall into this category and even fewer who actually make it to the majors (and by majors, I mean the MLB).

So, if I want to get recruited for D1, I need some major exposure. Otherwise, I'm just a big fish in a small pond and my season will end when my 2-12 Blue Hen or Henlopen conference schedule finishes. Unacceptable. If I go to a conference champion school, I can be a big fish plus have a longer season. While this type of exposure isn't necessary for sports like football that already get plenty of Delaware fan coverage, the length of my season is contingent on my team being good. So what gives DIAA?

Obviously all of the schools in the state are held to the same basic educational standards. So what does it matter if I go to Delmar or Brandywine? Aren't you essentially punishing me for basically random selection of property location and school districting?

My point to this isn't really to question the DIAA authority to create this rule, and it's precisely the reason there is a procedural requirement for comment by the general public. My point is that the DIAA may be inadvertently hurting some athletes who may not fall into the general category of switching ponds just to be a bigger fish. All of this presumes of course, that these transfer athletes mesh with the new team and coach. Talent, after all, only takes you so far.

No real point here other than to push the envelope a little. If some parent really wanted to try and live vicariously through their sons or daughters, they would hold them back in middle school so that they are one year older than anyone else in high school and "adjust" their eligibility that way (assuming that rule hasn't changed). I would suspect that happens just as much as athletes transferring to other high schools, although probably at a far lower spot under the radar.

Downstate's American Idols

2008-01-17T19:49:00.001-05:00

I did happen to catch the premiere of American Idol, and by coincidence, I saw all three Delawareans perform. I'm glad two from "downstate" made it through, and every time a clown appeared before the judges, I simply hoped that they were not from Delaware. And with the exception of the one, there were none.

So, as Simon said, Ben Haar (Newark) wanted to get on tv and despite his claims that he never saw the show, he got his wish. Since his 15 minutes of fame are likely winding up, I wonder whether Dover's Chris Watson and Smyrna's Jonathan Baines clocks are still ticking. While they have repeated indicated that they are contractually unable to discuss what happens until after the show airs, I can only hope (from a public relation's perspective) that both make it to the final 12.

I seem to recall hearing that someone else from downstate made it through on another talent show over the summer, so if both of these singers make it, maybe that will inspire some more business to come to this state. (Granted, I know this is sort of contradictory with some of my other positions where I have stated that most of the elementary, middle, or high school students need positive role models; however, I see these successful students can just as easily fulfill that role).

I'm sure the local news will keep everyone informed, particularly if both make it a little further than the next round. It would be nice to have another famous downstater who actually loves the state. From my understanding, Ryan Phillipe (upstate) has a little more love for Delaware than Teri Polo (Dover), but that's just what I've heard on the rumor mill. If you know otherwise, or know of a list of the famous Delaware actors/singers, post away.

The best was the national plug that Watson gave to Del Tech. Can't get much better free publicity than that.

Best dry cleaning in Dover - Emily Cleaners

2008-01-12T11:20:00.000-05:00

Like most people, I'm always looking for good dry cleaning places. I happened across Emily Cleaners a few weeks ago only by happenstance and mistaken directions, but they did a good job in cleaning my suits. Plus, for $1.75 per item, it's certainly a great deal as compared to the normal going rate. They did a good job, were quick, and I give them an enthusiastic recommendation.

I've also heard A plus or A-1 is pretty good also, and that Capitol Cleaners is not, but since I haven't kept real track of these other dry cleaning places, I will simply state for the record that Emily Cleaners at the Dover Mart in Dover will serve you well for your dry cleaning needs. Any other suggestions, please feel free to post.

Next I'm going to have to find a good non-chain restaurant to go to. I hear Cool Springs is good, but have yet to find it.

A response to Robert Klaus's "Iowans are usually wrong" letter to the editor

2008-01-08T19:07:00.000-05:00

With two plus years of campaigning, and regardless of who wins either nomination and ultimately the presidency, the news will finally have something else to talk about other than the primaries in less than 11 months. In the meantime, I feel compelled to respond, and perhaps will even pen a response if someone else does not, to another "letter to the editor."

This one, written by Robert Klaus of Milton, is titled "Fortunately, Iowans are usually wrong" and appeared on page 5 of the January 8, 2008 edition of the Delaware State News. As he is perfectly entitled to do, he gives his opinion on some of the current presidential candidates, namely Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. I care as much about his opinions as he probably does of mine, but he can form them in any way he wants, and that's the way things are and how they should be. What bothers me is the misinformation he uses to form his opinions, and how his opinions may be used erroneously to misinform others.

Of Clinton, Edwards, and Obama, I agree that none are without their faults, and each have things they can bring to the table. Since he doesn't really speak of the Republican candidates, I'll focus solely on his argument about the Democratic ones.

Here's a thought: If Sen. Obama was a white protestant from California, who also had a Harvard Law degree and was a state senator for seven years before becoming a U.S. Senator, would this election even be close? If you think the answer is no, then what do his race, name, or religious beliefs matter?

I'm not going to do Klaus's internet research for him. And while perhaps I have become a little more colorblind in my old age, I'm not foolish to think there isn't still racism prevalent throughout this country. However, I am a little confused as to Klaus's position about the candidates. Are they really just going to vote for or against someone because they are of a certain sex or color? Perhaps, but I'm more inclined to think that for this particular election, the media would kill, politically, any person who tried to take that position or use it to influence potential voters. Nevertheless, it's already started to happen and I'm sure these "goofs" will continue over the next couple months. While that may be part of running for president, I just hope that this doesn't turn into a contest about race. There are far more pressing issues with our economy that need fixing first.

Klaus argues that "he is reticient about someone as inexperienced as [Sen. Obama] is. I think he has not been tried in stress situations as Hillary Clinton has in national politics and as John Edwards has in courtrooms." I would argue that experience is subjective and since everybody is linking the "change" argument with the "experience" argument now, I think Klaus needs to do a little more research. I further disagree with his contention that Obama is a black Muslim; according to Wikipedia anyway, he is a Christian just like the rest of the candidates. That's my point: make an informed opinion, don't speculate.

This next election is about getting our country back on track in terms of economics and world favor. The best candidate, and I submit, the winning candidate, is going to have to convince the American public that he (or she) is that person. And when it becomes clear next month who the two parties are going to run who believe they can do this, I suspect that come November, the American public will certainly speak out (by a clear majority) who they believe that person will be.

The importance of education and why the next governor should focus on this instead of gambling

2008-01-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Concerning education, the economy, and the workforce in this state, there is much to write about. I've save my comments on the fiscal problems potentially facing the state in 2008 for another day. For now, I will respond to a "letter to the editor" I saw a little while back that is a good example of misinformation.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the letter, and obviously thanks to the Delaware State News's questionable new policy concerning their online content, I can't find it online either. Regardless, the gist of the letter said that the DOE may be too focused on getting kids to college when a lot of them only are there to play sports, aren't planning on going to college, and the educational standards may render otherwise non-academically gifted students ineligible, and consequently, they have no reason to go to school. The letter may have said something about school choice also, but I've already expressed why the education system should be unified across the state, so I'm not going to repeat my reasons here.

The problem I have with this letter (other than my general concern that his may not be a minority viewpoint) is that it overlooks the whole policy behind education in the first place. Now, I was a multi-sport high school athlete here in Delaware who had more than my fair share of conference and state glory, so I can certainly appreciate the point he makes. And I certainly am friends with people who were also athletes in high school and went onto college, and I am friends with people who did not. The ones who went on to get a college degree, in some respects, have no better jobs than some that did not. The difference is that their options are much greater.

Take, for example, a police officer. It used to be that you could be a cop right out of high school. Not so much anymore. Most town and state police require some sort of post-high school education (and most now require a 4-year college degree). Granted (and I'm being a little stereotypical here), it probably doesn't matter what type of degree you have; it's more of a door opener than anything else. The real reason why more and more jobs require a college degree is to simply help weed out the applicant pool. And realistically, any salaried job (and even some hourly jobs) is going to want you to have gone to college.

The statistics that a person with a high school degree will make more money over their lifetime is not a joke. It comes with the cost of debt, but so what. Whether you learn anything useful in college doesn't equate to half of what you learn just by being there and listening, absorbing other people's thoughts and just general exposure to a world beyond high school fiefdom.

The point to all of this isn't to rip into this guy for being mad that his kid probably didn't make the cut for a marking period or semester. And obviously, many of the high school students in this area have to work part-time jobs which must be balanced with the school load, and probably have a negative correlation with grades to some degree. The trick is to balance it all out, and just make a goal that once you go to college, you'll just borrow the money to survive. I submit that there is more money in terms of loans and scholarships out there than most people think. This is the job of the guidance counselors in these high schools to become more educated about that aspect of college and inform their students.

So that this entry doesn't go in any more different directions, I'll simply end it here and reiterate my plea for the next governor to sweettalk another MBNA-type organization to come to our state and set up shop. This way those with a college education aren't further tempted to just stay in their college town, or go to a big city to find a job that pays just as much but with a much higher cost of living. And if they can center down here (Kent County) (and the state comes up with some way of getting to the Philadelphia airport a little faster than 95), there may be some more added benefits.

The bottom line is that all of us, including the gentlemen who pled for lower educational standards, to start thinking about ways to improve this state. His point regarding education, however, is incorrect. This isn't the seventies (or the sixties or the fifties) anymore. If you can't finish high school for whatever reason, you're more likely to be an Uncle Rico type person than a real contributor to the economy. Get over it and graduate and quit assuming that high school is the be all end all. Times are changing, and if we don't get with it, the potential decrease in slot and gambling revenue is going to be the least of our state's problems.

One way traffic in Dover can be fixed

2008-01-01T12:17:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned the other day, I was down at the Camden Walmart the other day and couldn't help but notice what a mess of traffic the intersection beyond the light at 13 makes. My thought, quite simply, is that it can be fixed in the same way that the intersection at Lockmeath and 13 was fixed (albeit perhaps only temporarily). Google maps provides an outdated picture of the intersection I am talking about.

First, closing the Lockmeath way intersection solved a lot of problems. The state does not need to spend any money buying out that guy's liquor store in order to widen the intersection. Conversely, the liquor store owner can quit complaining that the fair market value that the state is offering for his property isn't fair. Despite this seemingly inexpensive solution, I would not be surprised if litigation about this property continues. My thought on this subject: Do you really need another light there now? My answer would be no. Let's use the resources for something more productive.

For the longest time before and even after they did anything to the intersection, the paper had been printing various rants and raves about why the intersection needs a light, what will happen if it closed, etc. Well, it closed and the number of accidents since then? Zero (as far as I can tell). If you need to get Northbound, you can go through the limited access roads to get to the Walmart light or do a u-turn down the road.

The foreseeable consequence of the new intersection pattern is that it has increased the traffic near Walmart. If you're trying to get to the light from the first road, sometimes it takes a little while to get out, and even then it poses the danger of some less patient driver zipping through and causing an accident. So here's my pitch how to fix it, with minimal costs to the state and the surrounding property owners: do the same thing there that you did at Lockmeath.

Effectively, this prevents anyone from going across that intersection. If you want to leave Walmart, you'll have to go to exit near the front of the store. Exiting traffic from Lowes would have to yield to any car in the intersection. Entering traffic from 13 to Walmart could still go straight or turn right. To get to Lowes from 13, they would have to enter at the intersection past the light. Also, my idea would close the second back entrance into that shopping complex before the light. It's way too confusing for the average driver.

So there's my first thoughts on how to make Dover a little better. We'll see what deaf ears it falls on.

Next time on Anonymous Delawarean: I'm going to do an entry about the types of jobs that are available to college graduates in Delaware. There was a rather uninformed letter in the State News recently about why the public high schools should not force kids to succeed academically because some people want to drop out and be a drag on our economy. That sort of letter begs for a response.

Traveling from downstate to upstate

2007-12-30T12:46:00.000-05:00

I have a couple of thoughts based on things that have been in the paper lately, but I will save them for tomorrow. In the meantime, I will write a quick entry about how I think I'm beginning to understand, at least slightly, why there is a rift between upstate and downstate. I'll focus on driving, since that's something everyone above and below the canal is used to.

As I've mentioned more than once, drivers downstate are a little slower and tend to drive the speed limit on both lanes of the highway. After being down here for a few months now, I probably have started driving slower as well. Upstate, however, the drivers are maniacs. I was up in Wilmington over the weekend to enjoy the Patriots-Giants game with some friends up there and upon getting on 95, I was surprised at how fast people were going (and I was still going faster than the pace of traffic).

What was funny, to me anyway, was that I thought to myself that downstate drivers aren't nearly as reckless. Granted, some of these nuts were probably out-of-state, but still. Fast downstate is like 60 in a 50, as compared to 90 in a 55 upstate. Thankfully, I adjusted quickly and was able to get to my destination without any incidents. It's no wonder that most of downstate drivers appear to never want to travel beyond Kent or Sussex County. And now, I see why it's no wonder that upstate drivers hate the way downstate drivers drive and vice versa.

Tomorrow or next time I'm going to write about this Lockmeath and Wal-Mart intersection and why Dover should think about closing off more intersections and move toward a more limited access thruway system. And why the Levy Court or city of Camden needs to adjust the intersection within the Camden Walmart property.

Counterpoint: There is value in anonymity

2007-12-26T17:45:00.000-05:00

This letter to the editor appeared in the November 28, 2007 edition of the Delaware State News on page 8. It appears to be a direct counterpoint to another letter to the editor (posted in its entirety here). My personal views are more in line with this author's. Maybe he will chime in and give his thoughts since he beat me to the punch in the paper.

There is Value in Anonymity
Andrew Alea, Dover, Delaware

Having followed the growth of internet communications, I read with interest Judson Bennett's letter ("Require bloggers to name themselves," Nov. 22). I, too, wonder how effective and influential anonymous speech or this "blogging phenomenon" can be. One conclusion is certain: there is value in anonymity.

In exercising my "worldwide expressions of opinion on the Internet," I respectfully disagree with Mr. Bennett's written points, particularly with his general belief that all anonymous commentary represents cowardice. Granted, some anonymous comments are inflammatory and generally uneducated. Others reflect more reasoned thought and value. In the end, all are merely exercises in public speech. Whether they are in so-called "anonymous Delawarean" blogs or by Delawareans or other citizens in anonymous or signed comments (either printed or online), the comments are afforded protection under the First Amendment.

I am neither going to attempt to give a history lesson on the freedom of speech, or give as an example the eighteenth century papers, published under anonymous pseudonyms, that received mass public attention in support or against ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Certainly Mr. Bennett did not mean to include those persons as "gutless phonies," although I am sure his position existed back then as well. Rather, I will simply quote from the U.S. Supreme Court in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission to support my point of why his view is too narrow: "The decision in favor of anonymity may be motivated by fear of economic or official retaliation, by concern about social ostracism, or merely by a desire to preserve as much of one's privacy as possible. Whatever the motivation may be, at least in the field of literary endeavor, the interest in having anonymous works enter the marketplace of ideas unquestionably outweighs any public interest in requiring disclosure as a condition of entry."

Mr. Bennett's efforts at creating a more productive discourse by prohibiting free speech in these new "literary endeavors," while perfectly within his right to do so, misses the point behind the practice. Signing your name to something does not equate to legitimacy any more than by using a pseudonym. Any reader of online commentary recognizes the value differences in commentaries that are fraudulent, libelous, or otherwise uninformed and spiteful with those that are not. At the very least, if Mr. Bennett (or anyone else) is offended by or disagrees with a published comment, he should post the counterpoint on the same forum, which should publish it. Otherwise, the public has only one opinion and Mr. Bennett's hope for a "level of true legitimacy and a high standard that would be honorable and respected" has no hope of existing.

The point of anonymous free speech, according to McIntire, is to protect "unpopular individuals from retaliation-and their ideas from suppression-at the hand of an intolerant society." Mandating disclosure, as Mr. Bennett proposes, overlooks the value of anonymity.

Point: Require Bloggers to Name Themselves

2007-12-26T17:10:00.001-05:00

This commentary/letter to the editor was printed in the November 22, 2007 edition of the Delaware State News on page 7. In a two sentence summary, Judson Bennett argues that the only way for blogging to achieve a level of true legitimacy is for bloggers to identify themselves in their posts and commentary. According to Mr. Bennett, any anonymous blog or post (by virtue of its anonymity) is crap. I disagree, mainly because the implication of his position lumps this blog into the mix, despite my attempts at insightful commentary.

Consequently, I'll gladly debate the merits of this issue, and please feel free to post a comment for me to respond to if it's really a bigger issue than I think. Similarly, I'll gladly provide a link to his blog on this blog (turnabout, however, is fair play). Further commentary (although not the actual letter) is posted on this blog.

Require Bloggers to Name Themselves
Judson Bennett, Lewis, Delaware

The blogging phenomenon has reached a whole new level, and it is indeed addictive. It's a worldwide expression of opinion on the Internet, and it is interesting. I like it myself, and I do definitely participate. This remarkable situation definitely gives folks a venue to share opinions. However, I wonder how effective these venues are in changing people's minds, or if indeed they are truly influential?

The owners of some local Delaware blogs, Delaware folks like Dave Burris, Mike Mathews, Dana Garrett, Jason and others, are actually pure editorialists-interesting, amusing, irritating and provocative. They are much like weekly columnists in newspapers, with the exception of the comment sections. Herein lies the huge rub for me. When I write something, I do it as me-Judson Bennett. When I comment on someone else's blog, I do it as me, Judson Bennett. You know who I am and I take real responsibility for what I say.

Frankly, I hate published anonymity, especially when people take mean-spirited shots at others or about any significant issue. Those who write anything using a "handle" are cowards. Many of these people are, in reality, terrified, insignificant little pipsqueaks who make themselves feel 10 feet tall when they can say whatever they want, while hiding behind a pseudonym. I equate these jerks to some weak sister who gets behind the wheel of a car and suddenly becomes an omnipotent aggressive driver. Otherwise, they would be terrified to open their mouths, because in reality, they do not have the courage of their convictions.

When anybody writes something, they should be required to use their real names or not be permitted to blog. It's that way when someone writes a letter to the editor in a newspaper. The person's name, address and phone number are required by the paper before the comments are published. People who speak or write anonymously are fake, what they say is fake, and it should not ever be given any value or even be presented in the first place. In order to make blogging reach a true level of legitimacy, real names should be required in the comment section.

The bottom line is that those of you who comment, using your real names, are indeed courageous and legitimate citizens who deserve a lot of credit for speaking out. The rest of you handle-users are nothing more than gutless phonies who pump yourself up by throwing darts from the darkness. I challenge the blog owners of the world to make your operations absolutely significant by requiring those who log in to provide their real names before commenting. Indeed, then, blogging would achieve a level of true legitimacy and a high standard that would be honorable and respected.

Governor's avenue - worst drivers yet

2007-12-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

I hate to be so cynical at this time of year, but I started taking Governor's avenue to get around the slower parts of Dover and it's the most ridiculous road I've seen yet in this capital city. Not only are the drivers nuts, they have the incredible penchant for stopping in the middle of the street, or cutting across the other lane to turn without any indication. As an added bonus, not only do you have to pay attention to that, you have to pay attention to any of the walkers who also just cross the street without seemingly paying any attention. It's a mad mad mad world.

Speaking of which, and this is going to be a separate couple of posts over the next couple of days, I finally have time to type in these blogging entries that were in the State News a few weeks ago. Since there is no way to access them, I figure it's in the interest of free speech and the State News's philosophy to provide additional access to them. I also tend to think that these "sound off" or "letters to the editor" aren't covered by any sort of copyright laws, but if they are, I'm sure someone will go out of their way to inform me.

Desk drawer veto bill

2007-12-18T19:42:00.000-05:00

I saw an article yesterday that merits a quick comment. I would link the article, but I can't figure out the State News's new website. They say they are all for free speech and free ads, but without any free substance, it's hard to say what type of audience they are targeting. Unfortunately, I couldn't find this particular article on the News Journal's (arguably equally as bad) website either, but I did find two blog entries about the desk drawer veto currently at issue in our capital: Delaware Watch and First State Politics. There's also some opinion article from the News Journal about the issue here.

My point about this particular article has nothing to do with the desk drawer veto but rather, a simple question of voting. In the article, it states (perhaps overly so), that "Sen. Ennis noted that he voted for a House bill in June - while he still was a member of the chamber - that would subject the General Assembly to [the State's Freedom of Information Act], excluding party caucuses." Does this mean he voted on the bill that passed in the House, and now (by comedy of coincidences) can now vote on that same bill as a Senator?

Granted, this is probably not the case, and I'm just throwing it out there as an interesting hypothetical. First, I am assuming that Sen. Ennis had voted on this bill while he was in the House, and it passed in the House before the Senate sat on it, and now it is still eligible to be passed in the Senate. If these assumptions are correct, and Sen. Ennis votes on it and it now passes by a narrow majority, isn't this sort of cut against the one man, one vote concept?

More than likely, I am reading too into this whole article, and I'm certainly no expert on how bicameralism works in Delaware. In all likelihood, the Senate will simply pass another bill and avoid the gray issues. If my assumptions are correct, however, it certainly makes this much more interesting to follow. If I decide to form an opinion about the whole desk drawer veto issue, perhaps I will write about it at another point.

Loockerman exchange closes

2007-12-17T19:36:00.000-05:00

I heard on the radio this morning that the "world famous" Loockerman Exchange (also self-referred to as "the Lex") has closed its doors. Having visited this establishment a couple of times, I find this as no surprise. Rather than kick a man while he is down, however, I will point out what likely businesses would succeed in that prime piece of commercial real estate.

A few thoughts. First, there needs to be some sort of take out lunch place, like a Panera bread. I think even a local chain like Purebread Deli would do well. Or a Starbucks. In either case, part of that property would need to have that aspect to it in order to make money off the Dover lunch crowd.

I'll even tell you the key to success for any of these restaurants: Lunch under 60 minutes. Too many restaurants in Dover (the late Loockerman included) take far too long to serve your food. Most jobs don't appreciate taking lunch breaks that last longer than an hour (which includes driving). I thought that was a given, but there seems to be a shortage of restaurants in Dover that understand that concept. The non-exhaustive list, from my experience, includes: Lobby House, The Lex, 33 West, Smithers, and TGI Fridays, to name a few downtown. 33 West is the fastest of all of them by about 15 minutes (on a good day).

The second type of business that would succeed in the other half of this space would be a English pub, similar to Catherine Rooneys in Trolley Square or Kid Schellens. I also think an Iron Hill would do well down in Dover. My point is that these bars, unlike Lobby House or Smithers or Buffalo Wild Wings, could target a different crowd and capture an untapped market. Or they could segment the market. Either way, it's all about brand identity, of which the "world famous" Lex did not have.

While the article above cites to construction as costing them revenue, I find this excuse to be more of a red herring. The reason why that business failed is largely due to its business strategy (or lack thereof) and failure to understand the Dover market. I don't purport to say that I am an expert on these issues, but I do know that no business is going to work in that location unless it has multiple draws to get people to come back downtown at night. Parking is a whole other issue.

Perhaps if this new business worked with area businesses such as the Schwartz Center or Dover Downs, it could more effectively reach a more diverse market willing to part with both their time and hard earned money. I, for one, can't wait to see what business will try and succeed there next.

Winter weather sets in and slow drivers

2007-12-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, this weather doesn't do too much other than make my electric bill higher. I went down to the beach over the weekend to do some Christmas shopping and am amazed by the lack of shoppers (as compared to Dover, where it's easier to exit the mall on 13 and get on Rt. 1 south to go south than fight the lights.

Why is it that drivers passing on the right (as they should) don't speed up to pass, but instead, choose to go one mile an hour faster than the car they are passing, and hence, slow down everyone else who is trying to get to where they are going? Sometimes I wish I was in a marked police car so that I could flash my lights and get them to clear the roadway. Maybe that's what the Camden and Dover police (and state police for that matter) should be doing from 4-6 PM on major routes instead of allowing painfully slow drivers to impede the progress of one's ride home.

Nothing else this time other than a mild complaint about the weather. I have recently had the opportunity to check out the movie theater in Dover (at the mall) as well as the movie theater at the beach, and without question, the $9 at Rehoboth is far worth it compared to the $8.50 at Dover. There is no describing how terrible the Dover Mall Carmike theater is, other than awful.

Old Delaware Days

2007-12-10T19:05:00.000-05:00

I've been pretty busy lately, but I did have a chance to go to the Old Dover Days celebration last week and got a brief tour of the Old State House grand reopening. Apparently it is going to be open to the public; it's a pretty historic building (as most buildings on the Green are), and I recommend visiting it to everyone. More about the building's history was written in an earlier article in the State news and on the State's history website.

Inside, the building has been restored to its original colors and you can see the governor's side, the old court, and the House and Senate chambers. There is also a giant painting of George Washington. Overall, I believe the historic society did a superb job fixing this up. Now, to get someone to reopen the Golden Fleece Tavern (either in its original location or somewhere near Legislative Hall and we'll be set. More information about the Golden Fleece Tavern and other historic sites around the Green are linked here.

My hectic schedule should be settling down again this week; I have plenty to talk about, starting with an interesting couple of blogging comments that were in the paper the other day. I still haven't found them online, but they appear pretty short, so I'll put them online soon and add my two cents in.

Biden's points well taken

2007-11-30T19:49:00.000-05:00

In response to my post from the other day, I see that the AP wire that our senior senator has stated that he will not serve as secretary of state. Honestly, I think he's the only Democrat that has a chance of winning when the dust finally settles, and that Iowa will come down to him or Edwards (with Obama edging Hillary). We'll see what happens.

I also note that a couple of interesting opinions have been put in the state news over the course of the last week. I'm looking to find them online and then if not, I may summarize or simply copy them to make my comment about the respective positions stated.