A ban on toys… nice CA, nice…

In Santa Clara, California, officials have decided to ban an aspect of what many adults remember fondly, Happy Meal toys. Most Americans growing up had a Happy Meal at one point or another in their lives, the food being quick and easy, and the toy keeping children happy. In Santa Clara these toys are being blamed as part of the “obesity epidemic” and in 90 days the toys will no longer be included in what supporter Ken Yeager calls “high-calorie, high-fat, high sodium kids meals”.

Supporters of this ban say it would encourage restaurants to provide more nutritious meal choices for children and make unhealthy meals less appealing. Many fast food restaurants, including McDonald’s, offer nutritional information online so parents have the chance to pick the healthiest option for their children. If a parent orders a Happy Meal with Chicken Nuggets, Apple Dippers, and milk, their child would be consuming only 390 calories.

Momlogic.com claims that parents will still take their children through the drive-thru because it’s fast and easy. It seems that Santa Clara officials are blaming obesity on McDonald’s and other fast food companies even though the original idea of toys in Happy Meals was “to make a child happy and not cost Mom any additional money”.

Santa Clara restaurant owners are outraged as this law will only cover about a dozen fast-food chains in the area. A parent truly wanting to give their child the Happy Meal toy may simply drive a few miles to get the toy. This is simply a bit of background however; there is a deeper issue here.

How is this law Constitutional? Is this under the new Health Care Bill? Is it really just Happy Meal toys that are making kids fat or is a lack of exercise associated with obesity as well?

Officials in Santa Clara are effectively saying here that they know what is best for children and not the parents. Will they next be banning video games and enforcing a mandatory exercise period as well? There is a fine line here that, well, these officials have crossed. This ban is unconstitutional. This act is not legal. Is this what’s considered providing for the General Welfare? If this ban is allowed to stand who knows what will be next.

McDonald’s corporation is currently unavailable for comment.

What is “Organic Campaign Financing”?

What is “Organic Campaign Financing“? Is it a new eco-friendly commitment? Organic, in this sense, seems to refer to “homegrown” financing. Scott Spencer, a Democrat candidate for the House of Representatives has adopted Organic Campaign Financing (OCF) as an important part of his platform. Spencer pledges to accept no campaign funds from businesses, individuals that live outside of the state of Delaware, organizations, political action committees, or from political parties.

This means Spencer will only accept campaign donations from individuals eligible to vote in the election.
Spencer lists his reasons on his website for OCF as thefollowing:

“The political influence of campaign financing from special interests has been a key reason government does not represent and serve the best interests of the people.

Disproportionate amounts of campaign financing from special interests dissolves the voice of the people in the political process. Since elections are decided by the individual voters of Delaware, candidates would be more responsive to the people they are elected to serve if they only accepted campaign donations from those citizens.”

Spencer is implying that the corporations donating to political campaigns do not have the best interests of the voter at heart. These corporations may not care about the rights of Delawareans or of the constituents in other states. One wonders why most large corporations would donate to a campaign fund. It may have to do with the platforms candidates stand upon or it may have to do with control regarding future legislation. OCF would mean the rights of the constituent would be protected as opposed to the rights of the corporation or the political action committee.

Currently there are four Republican candidates, one other Democratic candidate, a Libertariancandidate, Constitution candidate, and other unaffiliated candidates running for the same seat as Spencer. Some of these candidates are financial powerhouses having already reported over half a million dollars in campaign funds to date. John Carney, as an example, is the other Democrat candidate. CampaignMoney.com reported Carney as having over $110,000 in campaign contributions from political action committees (PAC), over 50% of those PAC being labor related groups. Interestingly enough, as of 1/25/10, not even 70% of Carney’s campaign contributions were from Delaware.

Although Spencer may have alienated himself by not accepting donations from groups that may contribute to what will be an undoubtedly expensive campaign, he holds firm to the ideals created in OCF. DE2010.com describes him as “a natural civil servant waiting to happen”. Spencer has taken his campaigning to groups such as 9-12 Delaware Patriots and Founders Values, places where the average Democratic candidate and even some Republican candidates are afraid to show their faces. The prospect of speaking to informed voters may be daunting to some, but Spencer has discussed OCF at these places and more.

The question must be asked, is Organic Campaign Financing the standard that voters should expect of their elected officials or is it a pie in the sky dream? In 2010 it was reported that in January of this year there was over 1.5 billion dollars donated to political campaigns. Can someone with the values that Organic Campaign Financing implies compete with numbers like that?

An election series about rights – Brent Wangen for Congress

Brent Wangen is the Libertarian nominee for House of Representatives.  His website (including blog) may be viewed here.  His responses can be viewed below. Once again, the original questions are on top and the candidates answers appear inbold.

1) This year there was a controversy regarding state housing. It was brought to light that people who live in state housing were not allowed to own firearms. Once this was brought to light the Newark Housing Authority withdrew the ban. Do you agree with this and why?

I agree that there should be no ban on firearms. The Second amendment states “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

2) There has been much discussion lately regarding the consolidation of the school districts. There would be four school districts in the state, one for each county and one for the technical schools. Would you prefer to consolidate the districts or leave them as they are?

I believe that the best governing decisions are usually made at the lowest possible level. Schools are too important to put under large bureaucracies, the Department of Education is a perfect example since its inception it has a consistent record of decreasing performance for more cost. I do not believe the people of Delaware want to turn over the decision making on schools over to a county level organization.

3) There has been controversy recently regarding the newly passed healthcare reform bill. How do you feel about the healthcare bill and how would you have voted if you were in the position to have done so? Does the healthcare bill cover your needs well or do you feel it is over protective?

The Healthcare law is Un-Constitutional, and based on that I would have voted against it. Outside the Constitutionality, I take issue with the nature of the bill. We have a healthcare cost problem in this country, not a healthcare insurance problem. We need to address the cost issue using free market principles not by trying more regulations and control. We must realize and educate people that we don’t have a right to healthcare but a right to the healthcare we can afford to pay for. If you cannot afford healthcare then you don’t have the right to make someone else or government pay for it for you. So if we want quality healthcare that all people can afford we need to allow the free market to address the cost issues of healthcare.

3) House Bill 353 is related to state sovereignty regarding the healthcare bill. This bill is set up to protect the citizens of the state of Delaware from any kind of forced mandated healthcare. Do you support this bill?

I support House Bill 353 fully. The 10th amendment of the Bill of Rights states that whatever powers not delegate to the Federal Government is reserved to the States and then to the People. The Federal Government has overstepped its bounds with the current healthcare law, the State must act to preserve its sovereignty, and protect its citizens from the actions of the Federal Government.

5) Immigration reform has long been an issue on the minds of many in Delaware. Do you feel the system needs reform and if yes, how would you set up a reform package?

Immigration is a “hot topic” now. I think the key for the short term is enforcement. We must enforce the laws we have now. While we are enforcing the current laws we should review them to see if they need reform. However, because the Federal Government decided not to vigorously enforce the immigration laws doesn’t mean we need immigration reform. In 2007 1,052,415 immigrants became legal permanent residents of the U.S. if that many people can follow the process from start to finish, it cannot be that flawed. To look to reform the process for those that broke the law to be here, is a slap in the face to those 1,052,415 citizens of our great nation.

If you personally are hoping to be an elected official in the state of Delaware, please email me your responses and I will see they get shared with the voters of Delaware.

Wade calls for Phillips’ resignation

This press release just came out:

Wade Calls on Urquhart Campaign Manager to Resign

(New Castle) Delaware Congressional Candidate Kevin Wade today called for Glen Urquhart’s Campaign Manager to end his conflict of interestand resign one of his positions. In recent days, Vance Phillips’ dual role as the President of the Sussex County Council and the Campaign Manager for Glen Urquhart has provoked questions about his conflict of interest.

“This is the same type of insider, good old boy politics that we see every day in Washington,” said Wade.  “To remove any doubt about where his loyalties lie, Glen Urquhart should ask Vance Phillips to choose between his taxpayer duties and his campaign duties.”

As a developer, Urquhart is employing a public official who holds sway over possible zoning or regulatory matters before the Council. Wade believes that this situation reflects poorly on Republicans and Delaware.

“We only get to send one, so let’s make sure it’s one of us,” said Wade. “Republicans lost the House and Senate in part because of an ethical lapse. We need to send people to Washington that we can be proud of and trust.”

Kevin Wade is an engineer from New Castle. You can find more information at www.wadefordelaware.com.

An election series. Matthew Walsh for Mayor of Georgetown

Matthew Walsh is running for Mayor of Georgetown.  This election is on May 8th, 2010.  His website and campaign videos are open for all to examine.  He can also be heard on the 93.5 The Beach morning show as part of the personality duo “Matt and Crank”.  His responses can be viewed below.  Once again, the original questions are on top and the candidates answers appear in bold.

1) This year there was a controversy regarding state housing. It was brought to light that people who live in state housing were not allowed to own firearms. Once this was brought to light the Newark Housing Authority withdrew the ban. Do you agree with this and why?

Hm, let me go back to my copy of the Constitution and check the second amendment to see if people who live in state housing are supposed to be excluded…

checking…

checking…

Nope. Don’t see it. What I do see is this:

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Maybe if I circle certain letters and cross other letters out and treat the Constitution like a word search puzzle I can get it to say that people in state housing are excluded from the basic human right of self defense. Look, sarcasm aside, this preponderance of idiots out there who try to part and parcel the second amendment (as well as the rest of the Constitution) to make it say what they think it should say, are really doing serious damage to this country. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Period. End of discussion. That’s what it says. I believe in what it says one hundred percent… Whether you live in state housing, a trailer park, or the Governor’s Mansion (or a one bedroom apartment in Georgetown). In short, I agree with the decision to withdraw the ban.

2) There has been much discussion lately regarding the consolidation of the school districts. There would be four school districts in the state, one for each county and one for the technical schools. Would you prefer to consolidate the districts or leave them as they are?

If we’re discussing school districts why don’t we discuss the fact that the administrators in this state can’t seem to keep child predators out of the schools. Are we ever going to talk about this or shall we wait until another busload or two of students are molested and preyed upon by perverts in the school system? But I digress. Or do I? No, do not consolidate the school districts. If we do that they will just be bigger, clunkier, run (more) poorly, and watched over by an even bigger bureaucracy. Keep the districts as small and as lean as possible. Bigger is almost never better when it comes to government institutions (especially educational ones). And while we’re at it let’s, you know, try to do something about all of that molesting.

3) There has been controversy recently regarding the newly passed healthcare reform bill. How do you feel about the healthcare bill and how would you have voted if you were in the position to have done so? Does the healthcare bill cover your needs well or do you feel it is over protective?

Putting this as lightly as possible: I am not pleased by the bill and I would have voted against it. You ask me if the bill “covers my needs”? Well firstly, no it doesn’t. But more importantly, I don’t expect nor desire to have the government “covering my needs”. I have a job, free will, and a brain. I can take care of myself, but thanks anyway. Look, the Health Care bill was neither an ideological move, nor a logical one — it was purely political. My point is, even Obama knows this thing isn’t going to help anyone. People act like the Health Care bill was passed by a bunch of misguided do-gooders. Wrong. They aren’t do-gooders nor are they misguided. There aim with this was to gain more power and capital by sucking it away from the people. In that aim they were right on target.

4) House Bill 353 is related to state sovereignty regarding the healthcare bill. This bill is set up to protect the citizens of the state of Delaware from any kind of forced mandated healthcare. Do you support this bill?

Yes. Any argument that says the federal government should be allowed to trample over state sovereignty, come barging into our homes, and instruct us that we must buy health care, is purely absurd and, frankly, imbecilic.

5) Immigration reform has long been an issue on the minds of many in Delaware. Do you feel the system needs reform and if yes, how would you set up a reform package?

Of course the system needs reform. The only people who are in favor of our current “immigration policy” (I struggle to even refer to it as a policy, because the word “policy” infers some sort of cogent and definite course of action) are: 1) Illegal immigrants. 2) Those employers that utilize illegal immigration as a modern day slave trade. 3) Naive college kids who have been “enlightened” by some socialist professor in their 8:30am political science class. 4) Politicians who are either too gutless or too selfish (but probably a mixture of the two) to stand up and be a proponent of any immigration policy that actually entails enforcement. Pretty much everyone else recognizes that REAL Americans are suffering from the infestation of illegal immigrants. Not to mention our already crippled economy can not stand the burden, and our national identity has been destroyed. Here’s the reform we need. I’ll give you the step by step guide:

First, build an actual real fence along the entire border. Yes. I mean the entire border. I know, it seems completely infeasible that our government could accomplish a task as monumental as building a freakin’ fence, but bear with me here. Second, we send the National Guard down to the border to do what the National Guard is supposed to do (hint: Just flip the words around — “Guard” the “Nation”). Third, now that the leak is closed up start working on dumping out the water that’s sinking the boat. I know it’s easier said than done, but do it anyway. Fourth, come down hard on employers that are not with the program. At the end of the day any sound immigration policy is going to have to be hinged on American businesses. Meaning, if they stop (or are forced to stop) employing illegal workers, then the problem becomes much easier to deal with.

If you personally are hoping to be an elected official in the state of Delaware, please email me your responses and I will see they get shared with the voters of Delaware.

An election series. Doug Lambert for Seaford City Council

After many issues with the scripting on my Examiner page, it should fix itself given time, I have 2 of these tonight due to time constraints for those running.

Hi! I am Doug Lambert and I am running for city councilman in Seaford and the election is Saturday. The election is taking place at city hall from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, April 17th 2010 and I hope to beat out the incumbent. Here are my responses to your questions:

The original questions are listed above the candidates answers.  The candidates answers are listed in bold.

1) This year there was a controversy regarding state housing. It was brought to light that people who live in state housing were not allowed to own firearms. Once this was brought to light the Newark Housing Authority withdrew the ban. Do you agree with this and why?

Yes, I agree to lift that ban as I am a firm believer in the 2nd amendment and that all law abiding citizens have the right to protect themselves and their property.

2) There has been much discussion lately regarding the consolidation of the school districts. There would be four school districts in the state, one for each county and one for the technical schools. Would you prefer to consolidate the districts or leave them as they are?

I would have to know the pros and cons and the benefits of the consolidation and how that would affect funding and the children before giving an educated answer.

3) There has been controversy recently regarding the newly passed healthcare reform bill. How do you feel about the healthcare bill and how would you have voted if you were in the position to have done so? Does the healthcare bill cover your needs well or do you feel it is over protective?

The health care bill is a travesty! It’s big government takeover of another program that will ultimately mean higher taxes and less health care for the citizens of the U.S. and Delaware. We should instead be providing access to health care across state lines, instituting serious tort reform, and allowing the people to make their choices for health care. Health care is not a right.

4) House Bill 353 is related to state sovereignty regarding the healthcare bill. This bill is set up to protect the citizens of the state of Delaware from any kind of forced mandated healthcare. Do you support this bill?

Yes, I support HB353 because it gives Delaware and its citizens the sovereignty and choice of controlling our health care options and all other forced decisions that the U.S. congress and senate might try to jam down our throats.

5) Immigration reform has long been an issue on the minds of many in Delaware. Do you feel the system needs reform and if yes, how would you set up a reform package?

Yes I do and much like other states are doing, I would increase law enforcements ability to arrest, confine, and deport illegals as well as increase INS powers to round up illegals and employers who provide jobs for illegals. I would also make the state language English and require that all children speak and write it in schools. Those that do not speak English would be required to attend English classes. Those immigrants to Delaware would be required to take the naturalization/ citizenship exam in English as well as drivers license tests at DMV.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak out,
Doug Lambert

If you personally are hoping to be an elected official in the state of Delaware, please email me your responses and I will see they get shared with the voters of Delaware

Who for Congress? Let’s find out.

Election time is just around the corner. It has a habit of creeping up seemingly out of nowhere. It may appear to move a lot faster for people actually running for elections and this year that may mean there are a lot of people who wish time would slow in Delaware.
In an effort to better get to know Delaware’s candidates I am starting a series titled “Insight into your candidates’ mind: A poll of political profiles”. Every person running for a political office has been sent the same questions listed below. These are all important civil rights issues and seeing the opinions of a potential candidate may help Delaware voters narrow down who they feel best represents them.
The questions sent are listed below in the same format the candidates received. The chance to read the verbatim answers of a candidate and compare could help many who are unsure of whom they wish to vote for.  Polls will be included to see how our readers feel about answers provided.
Questions for candidates:
1) This year there was a controversy regarding state housing. It was brought to light that people who live in state housing were not allowed to own firearms. Once this was brought to light the Newark Housing Authority withdrew the ban. Do you agree with this and why?
2) There has been much discussion lately regarding the consolidation of the school districts. There would be four school districts in the state, one for each county and one for the technical schools. Would you prefer to consolidate the districts or leave them as they are?
3) There has been controversy recently regarding the newly passed healthcare reform bill. How do you feel about the healthcare bill and how would you have voted if you were in the position to have done so? Does the healthcare bill cover your needs well or do you feel it is over protective?
4) House Bill 353 is related to state sovereignty regarding the healthcare bill. This bill is set up to protect the citizens of the state of Delaware from any kind of forced mandated healthcare. Do you support this bill?
5) Immigration reform has long been an issue on the minds of many in Delaware. Do you feel the system needs reform and if yes, how would you set up a reform package?

If you personally are running in an election in the state of Delaware, please email me your responses and I will see they get shared with the voters of Delaware.

Is it something in the milk? Or is it the screening process?

When considering after-school programs for children, many parents don’t think about the integrity of the personnel heading the program. In Delaware, it looks like that is about to change. Thomas Ott, the head football coach at Cape Henlopen High School, was recently arrested and chargedwith four counts of second-degree unlawful sexual contact, four counts of second-degree rape, two counts of fourth-degree rape, one count of first-degree unlawful sexual contact, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, and unlawful imprisonment. Considering the recent amount of young rape victims in the state, one might wonder what steps each school takes to protect students from such occurrences.

In the case of Thomas Ott, 39, it is alleged he had been sexually abusing a young girl repeatedly for years. A teacher in New Castle County, Umar Ahmad, 37, of Denny Circle in Bear, was charged with felony first-degree rape and felony sexual solicitation of a child recently. Last month Joshua Bowman, 22, of Milford was charged with two counts of fourth-degree rape, one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of sexual solicitation of a child, all felonies. Bowman was a teacher at Lake Forest High School. The list could continue but it’s easy to see where each would lead.

In the news one seems to be hearing wave after wave of sexual abuse. In many of these cases it seems the situation was escalated through cell phones. Ahmad had allegedly been sending text messages and nude photographs to female students and in fact was reported by a concerned parent who found messages on his daughter’s phone. Bowman also had allegedly been texting female students and was also trying to coax a 15 year old female he knew from Facebook into a physical relationship.  A few days ago word was released of another social networking site case where a young girl actually fled from her family and left the state based on the internet writings of an older man.

Delaware schools have a requirement to the state to keep their students safe and there are many lawsto ensure this happens. Every public school employee (except instructors in adult corrections institutions, instructors in adult education programs, directly supervised professional artists, and substitute food service workers) is required upon employment to undergo a criminal background check. A federal background check is also conducted. Many other states are not as rigorous in the screening of their after-school employees yet it seems teacher rape cases are becoming common news.  A website featuring teachers that have been accused of rape exists and has numerous stories from Delaware.  One wonders what more the schools could do.

Sexual predators on the internet, Richard Morgan of Dover

Richard Morgan, as far as anyone knew, was a 26 year old man living in Dover, Delaware who apparently liked Star Trek and frequented a particular Star Trek gaming site. He was acquaintances with a Jonathan Sevieri of Canton, Massachusetts from the Star Trek site. Morgan also spoke with a fourteen year old unnamed girl on a social networking site.
On March 27, 2010 that girl went missing from her home in Peabody, Massachusetts. Police seized the computers in the home and as it was believed she had fled to Florida to be with someone she had met on a social networking site. It seems the police and family had the right idea, just the wrong location. She was found in Dover with Richard Morgan. It is alleged that Morgan could not afford a train ticket to bring the girl to him, and so he asked Sevieri to drive her to him.
Most websites ask for a birth date and year upon registration. Although it is unsure whether the unnamed female lied regarding her age, it is alleged Morgan knew she lived with her parents. Sevieri is being charged with child enticement while Morgan hasnumerous charges, including second-degree rape and being held on $31,000 bail.
The first charge of child enticement, as of 2006, is enforced in 42 states, including both Massachusetts and Delaware. These laws specifically make “online enticement of a child for sexual activity a crime by using the Internet or electronic communication.” It can be a felony in all states, but depends on the age of the child and this area varies by state.
In Delaware, Morgan faces at least a class C felony. Second-degree rape in Delaware is to “sexually penetrate a person under age 12 if the actor is 18 or older.” This crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a 10 year minimum. If the child had been two years younger the punishment would be 15 years to life in prison.
The police involved in the search recommended parents monitor more closely their children’s internet usage. Many children with access to the internet seem to underestimate the nature of some of the predators using the same social sites. Currently there are no laws in Delaware excluding sexual predators from using social networking sites. Parents and their children are urged to keep this fact in mind. Parents are strongly urged to keep computers in a public room in the house while watching closely for pornography or other graphic material which may be sent to their children by someone with sinister motives. While the first amendment and freedom of speech is extremely important in regards to the internet parents still need to ensure the safety of their children.