Odds and ends number 116
Since I'm using the concept from monoblogue, I'm keeping the numbering system, too. Here are thinner slices of bloggy goodness.
My e-mail box keeps filling, and I keep finding little snippets worth sharing. Now that I have a nice template for this, here are a few items of interest. Once again, I promoted the first item to become a post that appeared this past Sunday, so we’ll start with something that’s sort of opposite.
It’s (soon) easier to get pot
Delaware already has a medical marijuana law, but that’s not good enough for Rep. Ed Osienski. The Democrat is fretting that adjacent states have already relaxed marijuana laws, and Delaware may be a year or two away from competing. As the Delaware House GOP puts it:
House Bill 285 would remove the need for a patient to have a debilitating medical condition to qualify for a card, instead allowing healthcare providers to determine if cannabis might provide a benefit.
This act would also allow people with out-of-state medical marijuana cards to be served at Delaware compassion centers. Additionally, it would empower state officials to issue cards to residents that would be valid for up to three years.
The bill would also allow those over 65 to “self-certify” their need, meaning Rehoboth Beach might get even more like San Francisco than it already is. (Although: no poop on the sidewalks yet, unless you count excretions from the sea rats.)
Despite a lot of good points from the GOP, it appears the state is just that much closer to a collective high and munchies, as the bill passed the House 26-10. While the Democrats were in their usual lockstep, the GOP had a couple of their more moderate members join the Democrats in passing this. Amount of credit they’ll give you for bipartisanship: zero.
Leaving from Delaware, part 3
I’ve followed a tale from the Caesar Rodney Institute about the people coming and going from the First State, and they’re wrapping it up with a second dose of who’s leaving and why: young people are going west to where the high-tech is.
As previously, the CRI compares Delaware to the West Coast states of California, Oregon, and Washington: in GDP growth Delaware leads only California, and they’ve fallen to last among the peer group in per capita income and educational achievement. The only thing Delaware does just as poorly as the others is their overall tax system.
As CRI asks:
Why would 20% of Delaware outbound migration move 3,000 miles away to the West Coast?
Our analysis indicates that it could be driven by the allure of stronger economic opportunities, higher wages, and much better schools in those states. To paraphrase newspaper editor Horace Greeley, "Go West, young Delaware techie - and bring your family, too!"
In summary, almost half of Delaware's outbound migration heads to FL, TX, NC, CA, OR, and WA, while a majority of incoming residents, especially retirees, originate from PA, NJ, and MD. This scenario is a recipe for disaster. Without significant changes in its tax, regulatory, and education systems Delaware's demographics and prospects will continue to decline.
As a population our state is getting older, sicker, and grayer. While it’s great that our state attracts people who sell their $700,000 houses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, buy a $350,000 house here, and live off the difference and their retirement savings, there’s not much to attract (and keep) young people. Just like a neighborhood that watched its Boomer parents grow old, empty out their nest, and die in place while schools and business closed around it, the state of Delaware needs to stimulate its economy in such a way to grow innovation.
The local truth about guns
Did you know that Delaware law keeps its counties from enacting more restrictive gun laws than the state laws?
It’s not like Delaware is anything great insofar as Second Amendment compliance is concerned, since we have our share of infringements. But we do have that going for us - at least for the moment.
But an article out of ZeroHedge makes an interesting claim: the same Soros-style approach to electing ultra-liberal Attorneys General could be used in lobbying for weaker or removed pre-emption laws at the state level. Without pre-emption laws, the gun grabbers could work at a county or municipal level to take away our rights.
While doing so, it’s worth pointing out that those guns used in the commission of a crime are often stolen. The fine folks at ammo.com have put together a fairly comprehensive report on this, and it’s interesting to note that very few stolen guns are used directly in a crime but work their way to the underground market first. Keep an eye on your guns, people.
Helping the homeless
I just talked about this subject on Sunday, but regardless of the religious aspect the way Bryan is housing those homeless who show up at their downtown shelter is something of a more traditional approach.
However, cities around the nation (including Salisbury and Georgetown) have built “pallet houses” to house the homeless population, with the idea being that of providing a safe, “dignified” place to rest while they work on their other life skills and overcoming their addictions.
State Rep. Bryan Shupe has come out against a similar facility in his hometown of Milford, and he makes some good arguments:
Personally, I do not believe that a pallet homeless village on taxpayer land is the right solution for the town of Milford, especially in the Downtown area. Local families, the City, and the State have invested millions of dollars in our business district to revive the lifeline of our town by creating jobs, recreational opportunities, and improving safety and living conditions. There are state resources, including mobile teams, available for individuals that are homeless.
(…)
The organization that wants to set up in Milford received a $500,000 grant from ARPA funding to set up their first camp in Georgetown and stated at the last Milford Council meeting that grants are a “short-term strategy. Springboard's goal is to eventually be fully funded by municipalities, counties, and the state, similar to how pallet villages are funded around the country."
In essence, what we have is more public housing in a smaller package. But it gets the imprimatur of government as opposed to the hoops I’m certain a faith-based private organization would go through if they had a set of enforceable rules regarding illicit substances and relationships, and regular religious services. On the other hand, the proposed Milford village would be similar to that in Georgetown, which is described as a “low-barrier shelter. In their own words to the council in August they stated this means that there are no rules that the individuals in this camp have to be clean from drugs or alcohol.” So those who have the habit will still be there to tempt others trying to stay clean.
Eventually, the question is going to be one of dollars and cents. If building these houses is no more effective than a traditional approach to addressing homelessness, why spend the premium?
I had one more piece in mind, but I promoted that to Wednesday as well since it was important information to explain. So I’ll close with this:
Until my next edition of odds and ends, remember you can Buy Me a Coffee since I have a page there.
Great picture! Great work!
Keep up the great work!