DeLuca defends Gambling; Senate approves budget

Following the Obamacare ruling that upheld perhaps the most unconstitutional legislation in U.S. history, the Delaware General Assembly has begun its mad dash to pass as much legislation as it can in the last few days of session.  First up, Senator DeLuca pushes legislation to legalize internet gambling.

Senator DeLuca says that we should allow internet gambling because “it’s already available, it’s just illegal”.  And when you put it that way, who could argue with the logic?  Well until you apply that same logic to prostitution, crack cocaine and heroin.  I mean prostitutes, crack cocaine and heroin are already available, so why not make them legal?  Think gambling doesn’t measure up?  Well ask the millions of people affected each year by the disease of problem gambling if they think that their addiction is not as bad as a drug.  The bill passed the Senate 14-6 and it doesn’t just allow internet gambling but expands table gaming outside of the 3 racinos that the state was promised gambling would remain at.  Full disclosure, I am running against Senator DeLuca in the 11^th District.  I can promise you this, I would not vote for this kind of bill as it sets a unique precedent and endangers our elderly, children and families.  It also will no doubt detract from the casino revenues that our state relies on to balance its budget.  Speaking of budgets…

Delaware State Senate voted 16-4 to pass a $3.6 billion budget that was boosted by a pay raise for government workers that will cost taxpayers $21 million.  $10 million more was added by the legislature as a boost to retiree healthcare and pension benefits.  The final bill breakdown includes $1.2 billion on public schools and over $1 billion for health and social services (which will more than triple next year when the Democrats pass their single payer healthcare bill).  Once again, the single party rule in Dover has spent more money than we can afford and has failed to deal with the major problems of growing government, failing schools and rising healthcare costs (especially now that Obamacare has been upheld).  If we don’t act in November, 2013 will be the end of Delaware as we know it.  Our budget will explode, jobs will disintegrate and we will become a wasteland in the image of Detroit.  Support your local opposition candidates in November. 

New Poll Shows Trouble for Delaware Democrats

11^th State Senate district race takes shape as republican challenger files, new poll shows trouble for democrats

Newark, DE, June 19, 2012:  The Delaware Republican Party is mounting a challenge to Democrat Senate President Pro-Tempore Tony DeLuca.  Christiana area resident and former U.S. Marine Evan Queitsch will file as the Republican challenger in the 11^th district on Friday June 22^nd at the Carvel Building in Wilmington.  Evan has been actively promoting free market, limited government solutions to Delaware’s challenges for the last 4 years and has decided to take action.  “Senator DeLuca embodies all that is wrong with politics and government today.  He holds two taxpayer funded positions, is at the center of a number of scandals and has authored and promoted numerous bills that have been bad for Delaware and especially the residents of the 11^th Senate District.  I’ll bring common sense and clarity to Dover and push for limited government, free market solutions that have been proven time and again to work.” Evan says.  

And the numbers show that the 11^th District agrees with Evan.  In December, an early poll showed Senator DeLuca in a dead heat with Mr. Queitsch with more than 80% of the respondents unsure of who they would choose.  A brand new poll taken this month of more than 1000 registered voters in the 11^th district shows the race beginning to shake out.  While 52% of the district is still undecided, Mr. Queitsch now holds an 8 point lead over Senator DeLuca.  The poll shows Evan carrying independent voters 3-1 over the sitting Senate leader and even claiming 14% of registered Democrat support.  In response to the poll, Mr. Queitsch said, “This poll shows that the residents of the 11^th District are tired of the status quo, more of the same politics that have been going on for decades in Dover.  They want someone who will work to restore fiscal responsibility, fix our education system, enable job creation in the private sector and demand open and transparent government.  These are values that spread across party lines and this poll shows that people are ready for a fresh start and a new approach after more than a decade of one party rule in Dover.  The policies of the elites, taxing and spending at will have led to more than 30,000 Delawareans out of work, failing schools and corrupt cronyism in our state government.  It’s time to clean up Dover, starting with Senator DeLuca.”

The poll also shows that the perceived partisan divide is shrinking among the electorate.  45% of those polled indicated that they would vote for the candidate with the best ideas over party affiliation.  It also showed that the race for President is far from over in the 11^th District as well.  While Barack Obama enjoys a 47%-31% lead over Mitt Romney, 22% of voters are still undecided.  In a district where Democrats enjoy a more than 2-1 registration advantage over Republicans, it would be expected that the incumbent Democrat President and Delaware’s own Joe Biden as VP would safely carry the district.  However, it appears that even Democrat voters are questioning reelecting President Obama as the recession lingers and many see White House policies as the reason for the prolonged economic downturn. 

-End-

 

Poll conducted by Voice Broadcasting Corporation
Margin of Error +/- 3%
Sampling size: 2200

Party Affiliation

Response Metrics:
52% - Democrat
27% - Republican
21% - Independent

Registration Metrics:
55% - Democrat
21% - Republican
24% - Independent

Voting Habits (order randomized during sampling for accuracy)

When voting, which of the following are you more likely to vote for: Press 1 for The Democrat, Press 2 for The Republican, Press 3 for The candidate with the best ideas regardless of party.

Response Metrics:
39% - Democrat
16% - Republican
45% - Candidate with the best ideas regardless of party

Nearly half of registered voters say that they would vote based on candidate ideas not party line.

State Senate Race (order randomized during sampling for accuracy)

For the State senate in District 11, if Evan Queitsch is the Republican and Tony DeLuca is the Democrat, for whom are you likely to vote? Press 1 for Evan Queitsch, Press 2 for Tony DeLuca or Press 3 for Not Sure.

Response Metrics:
52% - Undecided
28% - Evan Queitsch
20% - Tony DeLuca

Breakdown:

14% of registered Democrats would vote for Republican Evan Queitsch over Democrat Tony DeLuca
49% of registered Democrats are still undecided
Senator DeLuca has only 39% support among his own party
Evan Queitsch is winning independents 3-1 over Tony DeLuca
11% of those who say that they would vote for Obama also say that they would vote for Evan Queitsch over Tony DeLuca
Senator DeLuca has less than 1% support among Republicans

Presidential Race (order randomized during sampling for accuracy)

In the Presidential race, for whom do you plan to vote? Press 1 for Mitt Romney, Press 2 for Barack Obama or Press 3 for Undecided.

Response Metrics:
22% - Undecided
47% - Barack Obama
31% - Mitt Romney

Breakdown:

Obama receives 11% support among Republicans
Obama carries Independents 40% - 30% over Romney with 30% undecided
19% of Democrats are still undecided
Obama carries 75% of Democrats while Romney carries 72% of Republicans

Delaware Health Security Act – Obamacare…Locally

That’s right folks, you thought Obamacare was about to die a brutal partisan death at the hands of the 5 “conservative” Justices on the Supreme Court?  You thought America was going to be spared the pain of trillions of dollars in healthcare costs thanks to the monstrosity that is Obamacare?  You thought that single payer healthcare was about to be defeated?  You thought that finally, public dislike for the healthcare law had won out?

Wrong!  Now, with Obamacare dying a brutal death nationally, the states are taking up the cause and rallying to make sure that if Obamacare is defeated by the High Court, that it will still be implemented.  In a move that can only be described as brazen and a direct show of force, the Delaware Democrat Party, led by Jack Markell (who like Obama, has hidden behind a prominent Democrat Representative with regards to sweeping healthcare legislation) has pushed out House Bill 392, the “Delaware Health Security Act” with just 7 days left in session.  HB 392, is universal healthcare coverage just like Obamacare except, the Delaware Democrat Party isn’t shying away from something that Obamacare had to hide, it’s a single payer system.  In fact, the law specifically calls itself a single payer system a number of times.

What is a single payer system?  A single payer system is where all the citizens are lumped into a single large insurance pool, regardless of medical status and pay into the pool.  The pool owner (in this case the State of Delaware) then becomes the “insurance provider” and replaces any and all private insurance companies.  That’s right, I said REPLACES ALL PRIVATE INSURANCE PROVIDERS.  So if you like your insurance…oh well.  Think of it as if all of Delaware, every person in the state, was suddenly thrust onto Medicare/Medicaid.  That’s basically what single payer is.

It sounds like single payer could reduce costs, has it been tried anywhere else and how did it work?  Like many progressive utopian ideas, single payer healthcare does SOUND great, that is until you look at how it actually works and how implementations around the world have worked – or – well, not worked so well.  See, the large pool of Delaware citizens (900,000+) would cost a lot of money to insure.  Money we don’t have today.  Delaware already has the 8^th highest Medicaid expense per capita in the country according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.  More money is spent today on Medicaid than on education in Delaware which means that Medicaid occupies more than 1/3 of the entire state budget.  This is with 1 in 4 Delawareans receiving Medicaid assistance.  Now imagine if you multiplied that to 4 of every 4 Delawareans on Medicaid.  The budget would explode.  Of course, the folks in Dover do have a remedy for this.  Their plan is to create an additional 4%-9% tax (and we all know that “planned taxes” are always MORE than we’re told) on Delawareans and Delaware businesses.  As healthcare costs rise, so will the tax burden.  Just to make sure we’re not taking this out of context, let’s look at the wording of the bill itself:

§1606. Purpose of the Delaware Health Security Act.

The purposes of this Chapter are to:
(1) Guarantee every Delaware citizen, and out-of-state citizens who receive health care coverage from Delaware employers, all necessary health care services offered by the provider of each citizen's choice;

Where else has this been tried and how has it worked?  The single payer system, also known as “Socialized Medicine” is the system in use in many European nations and in Canada.  Canada is the source most often cited case and so let’s take a look at the Canadian model:





Reuters reported that back in 2010, Canada began to reassess its healthcare system as costs soared.  In the piece, medical costs for Canada’s single payer system ate up 40% of the budgets for provincial governments (similar to our states) and that was at a total cost of $174 billion.  At the end of last year, the Canadian Institute for Health Information issued a report that health spending in Canada topped $200 billion.  They listed three main things as major contributing factors to the increase in costs.  Compensation of healthcare providers, increased use of services and an evolution in the types of services were at the top of the list.  This is an interesting problem because on one hand, you want doctors to be well paid so that the smartest and most talented people will seek out that role as a career, on the other hand, when you’re a government and spending tax dollars, you have to maximize your savings.  This is why government sponsored medicine is such a slippery slope.  How does Canada’s compensation for doctors compare to the U.S.?  Well, recent studies have found that U.S. doctors make far more than Canadian doctors and there are more doctors in the U.S. per capita than in Canada.  The question comes down to this, would you prefer a public system where doctors are paid less and less each year (unless spending soars with the salaries of doctors) and see more and more talented individuals not choose a career as a physician or would you prefer a private market solution where the cream of the crop rises to the top and we get the best care available?  Increases in the use of services, especially as the population gets older (as it is here in America) rose dramatically.  The types of services that Canadian patients are receiving is also a part of that cost increase.  Now, it should be pointed out that routine treatments received here in the U.S., such as CT scans and MRI machines are new technology in Canada.  How much different?  There are nearly 8,000 MRI machines active in the U.S. today while just 281 devices are active in Canada.  To put that in perspective, for every 1 million Americans, there are 26.5 active MRI machines while in Canada there are just 6 for every 1 million people.  The numbers are staggering and if healthcare costs are soaring in other countries who employ socialized medicine with inferior and less costly treatments, what can Delaware expect?

Ok, so costs will rise but what about the quality of care?  Canadians wait for their healthcare.  Today, in Delaware, if you are sick, you can see your family doctor in a matter of a few days or even a few hours based on where you live and the severity of your illness.  Hospital visits are often complained about for wait times in the scope of hours and wait times to see specialists are again days to perhaps a couple of weeks.  A 2009 study by Merritt Hawkins in 15 major U.S. cities found that the longest wait time to see a family doctor or a specialist in the U.S. was 49.6 days in Boston (Massachusetts already practices a form of socialized medicine similar to Obamacare) .  That’s a maximum of 7 weeks and the next closest city, Philadelphia clocked in at just over 3 weeks.  These are maximum wait times.  In Canada, general surgical specialty patients are experiencing average wait times of 11.3 weeks.  That’s nearly double the longest wait times experienced in the U.S.  For neurosurgery, Canadians can expect to wait almost 32 weeks or 7 months and for orthopedic surgery, the wait is expected to exceed 8 months.  These are median actual wait times in Canada.  To put this in perspective, the overall median wait time for specialty treatment, from primary care physician to treatment is 17.3 weeks or 4 months.  That’s almost three times the clinically reasonable wait time of 6 weeks and almost 4 times the wait in Boston.

So, after reading this, are you excited about the new single payer healthcare system, matching Canada’s system that is coming to Delaware?  No?  Me either.  Folks, now is the time to make your voice heard.  Now is the time to stand up for yourselves and tell the politicians in Dover that enough is enough.  Delaware might not be in the same fiscal condition as California (yet) but we’re definitely not helping ourselves by continuing to tax and spend like our economy isn’t in crisis.  More than 30,000 Delawareans are out of work today and our fiscal stability is teetering on the brink of disaster.  We HAVE to stand up and step out of our comfort zones.  It’s time to show these politicians in Dover that we’re not going to keep sending them back to Dover to make things worse.  Send a message, send John Kowalko, Earl Jaques, Ed Osienski, Bruce Ennis and Tony DeLuca home. 

Senator Ennis is facing T. Scott Unruh this November…support him by clicking here and let’s make sure Bruce Ennis goes home.

I am opposing Senator DeLuca this November…visit my website by clicking here and tell the Dover elite that we’re not going to accept the same old thing anymore.

Kowalko, Jaques and Osienski are currently unopposed.  I challenge you to find someone to take on these brazen characters.  Who’s going to stand up and be counted?

Senator DeLuca has a FIOIA problem

Senator Anthony DeLuca seems to have a problem with FOIA requests. Namely, he doesn’t feel like they apply to him. The embattled Senator has escaped prosecution under the HATCH Act for his roles as both an administrator in the Office of Labor Law Enforcement and as State Senator and been challenged for his leadership position by his own party for his ethics and transparency problems. Earlier this year, Senator DeLuca refused to give an account of the time he spent working each of these taxpayer funded jobs. Despite pressure from the News Journal and other journalists, to turn over his timecard records and show that there was no overlap between his work in the executive branch and his work in the legislative branch, DeLuca carried on holding back his timecards for more than six months. When he finally did release them, the records indicated no conflict (of course) but the fact that he allowed the Attorney General’s office to make the case that the release of his time records were a matter of national security is evidence that he simply doesn’t respect the offices he holds. As an elected official who holds a job in both the legislative branch and the executive branch, it’s his duty to disclose to the public when he discharges his duties in each arena. Today, the News Journal is reporting that Senator DeLuca’s office is once again in violation of FOIA compliance and this time he’s not being protected by the Attorney General’s office. His office has once again refused to show the taxpayers of Delaware the records of his department’s work investigating the labor practices of Delaware businesses. For some reason, Senator DeLuca believes that he lives above the law. Maybe it’s the fact that in the 12 years that he has been in office, he has never faced an opponent, maybe it’s that he’s survived leadership challenges in the State Senate or maybe it’s just a complex that he has now that he’s spent more than a decade in the legislature but whatever the case, it’s about time we went ahead and shattered this worldview that he doesn’t need to be accountable to the people who elected him or to the people who entrust him with the ability to govern them.

Delaware voters,
Though you and I may not agree on everything, I think we can all agree on one thing, it’s time for Senator DeLuca to be replaced. He doesn’t feel like the rules apply to him. Whether it’s spending money for extra security doors for his office (as if that REALLY had something to do with his “safety”), failing to comply with the initial FOIA request for his timecards and ACTUALLY ALLOWING the AG to make a ridiculous claim that it would be a national security risk for us to know if there was any overlap in his work with the executive and legislative branches or this latest refusal to comply with FOIA and ethics laws, it’s clear that Senator DeLuca just doesn’t get it. We need a cleaner government with people who value the rules of the system and who genuinely WANT the people to see what goes on in Dover. I’m that person. I will do everything in the open and with complete transparency. I’ll tear the security door down myself, comply with FOIA requests BEFORE the deadlines and make sure that you all know what I’m doing before you even HAVE to ask. Also, I can promise you this, should I be fortunate enough to win, I would only seek two terms. That’s it, just two terms. No dynasty here, won’t have enough time to earn a pension, won’t need lifetime medical benefits or any of the other legislative retiree perks. Save that and give it to the folks who need it. I just want to go to Dover and shed some light and spread some truth. I’m even willing to put this pledge in writing. We have absolutely GOT to change the way business is done in Dover if we’re EVER going to achieve our shared goals of prosperity, transparency and openness.

Sincerely,
Evan Queitsch
Candidate 11th Senate District - http://www.evanqforde.com/

Recap of my Speech to Founders Values

On Wednesday September 28th I gave a speech about our rights and responsibilities as citizens. If you missed it, you can click here to read a copy of it. To summarize, I called on each of us to look at the life of our First President, George Washington who served his God and his nation for the majority of his life, even when he didn’t want to. Below is an excerpt from the speech:

“Each of us has the responsibility to take charge of our government and to ensure that those around us are doing the same. We MUST go where we are called even when we don’t want to. Washington didn’t WANT to serve but he did and at great personal cost. It’s in the teachings of the Bible, the Torah and Qur’an to obey God’s Will and His commands even when it conflicts with our desires. This goes for politics too. We HAVE to get engaged. We can no longer be the “Silent Majority” we must be the active and vocal majority. We have a responsibility to go out and find our inner George Washington It’s time to actively find people to run for office who think like we do or…if we can’t find someone where we live …we have a responsibility to do it ourselves. We have a responsibility to run for office if no one else well. Even when it isn’t something we WANT to do.

I don’t say this with anything short of a direct engagement myself. As some of you know, I have relented to the pressures from within and from without and decided that I can no longer sit on the sideline as a bystander. I can’t watch anymore as jobs drift away and companies stop hiring. I can’t stand by as our children continue in failing schools. I can’t allow the corruption in Dover to continue unopposed any longer. I have decided to stand; I have decided that I must put my case forward. I have decided to run for office.”

And so I have decided to run for the 11th District State Senate seat currently held by Senator Tony DeLuca. Senator DeLuca is also the current President Pro-Tempore of the Senate and the 3rd most powerful person in Dover. I do not enter into this race alone. My family will be by my side, as well good and close friends but I am also counting on you. As supporters of Founders Values, you have given me the courage and the strength to stand up and be counted. You’ve shown me that I am indeed NOT alone and that the values and principles that I hold dear are valued and held by many Delawareans.

When I go to Dover in 2012 I will not just be opposing Senator DeLuca, I have goals. I will work to restore fiscal responsibility, fix education, enable job creation and demand open and ethical government. I will spotlight the corruption in deals like the Bloom Energy debacle, Delaware’s very own Solyndra and I will fight to reduce the size and scope of government. You can read more about what I plan to do when I go to Dover by visiting my website here.

Your commitment to our cause has given me hope that we can indeed turn Delaware around and now, I’m asking for one more commitment. Will you help me defeat Tony DeLuca in 2012? Will you join our team as we go door to door, make phone calls, send letters and contact local businesses for support? Please click here to join my campaign mailing list. Also, if you can help with a donation of as little as $5, any amount will help me to get the message out, I would be grateful. My opponent is a powerful leader in Dover. He is connected to special interest groups, backed by unions and will get much of the lobbyist money in Dover. I will need every dollar that I can raise to defeat him. I can assure you that I will be careful with every dollar and make sure that it goes to defeating what I consider to be the poster boy for the problems in Dover and “The Delaware Way”. If you’re willing and able to contribute as little as $5 (or as much as $600) to help me defeat Delaware’s 3rd most powerful Democrat in Senator Tony DeLuca, please consider clicking her and contributing what you can. Together, we can take back Dover and reclaim Delaware with common sense and conservative values.

Time to Dump the Double Dippers

Delaware is a small state but not as small as our General Assembly makeup might have you believe. Many legislators work for government, are a product of a public union or work in places that receive taxpayer funding. This is simply unacceptable. While tens of thousands of Delawareans are struggling to find work, our state General Assembly members hold two cushy government jobs paying full-time wages. Some legislators have complained about their current salaries which average over $42,750 (Plus a separate stipend of more than $7,000 added to their paychecks for constituent communications), saying that the number is not sufficient to find “decent people”. I’m not sure where these folks are working but for me, $50,000 is full time pay and I know plenty of decent people making at or below that for 12 months of work. Our General Assembly is the 12th highest paid state legislature and among the 41 states whose legislative bodies meet for part time sessions, Delaware ranks 3rd in legislative pay. They serve in Dover from Jan 8th – July 1st and during that time they are actually in Dover on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from around 2PM to 6PM (with a few exceptions when they stay later). The final days of session are usually the most hectic and legislators have been known to stay in Dover well into the night, sometimes till 1AM working on Delaware’s spending bills and budgets. Even with the gravity of their jobs and the rare late hours, I find it hard to justify ANY increase in their already over generous “part-time” pay.

Yet, after State Senator Tony DeLuca’s work records with the Department of Labor were sealed from the News Journal, a spotlight was shone on a problem that is rampant in Dover and the call for higher pay for legislators has begun to grow louder. Senator DeLuca , Representative John Viola and Representative Helene Keeley (all Democrats) are all merit employees within the Department of Labor and Attorney General Beau Biden has run cover for them by citing “national security” concerns among other wild reasons why we the public shouldn’t know what hours merit employees work at their state jobs. In total, 10 of Delaware’s 62 state legislators have jobs within the state government. More than half of our state legislators are either current or former employees of the state or have a job with an entity that relies on state dollars. Delaware is a small state but aren’t large enough that we don’t need to employ our elected officials in other areas of government? Also, how many of these “double dippers” are involved in voting for bills that provide money to their employers or their agency? This is an issue that works across party lines and something that Republicans, Democrats and Independents are and should be upset about.

Delaware is facing an employment crisis and meanwhile our legislators complain that a salary that many of the more than 30,000 unemployed would love to have is too little as a part time salary. This shows just how out of touch our legislators are with the real world, even such a small state. We can change things and we start by changing our representation. Our first stop, the double dippers, let’s tell them to pick a job or we’ll pick it for them. Finally, when I get to Dover I'll support a bill that precludes state employees from holding office or seeking reelection if they become employed by the state while in office (as Sen. DeLuca did) and I will also seek legislation that precludes legislators who represent entities that rely on state money from serving on committees that fund their employers.

http://deleditor.posterous.com/does-anthony-delucas-job-at-the-states-dept-o - Tony DeLuca's job history

http://www.delawarefirst.org/1_government_and_politics/many-legislators-and-hopefuls-dont-quit-their-day-jobs/ - Part time jobs

http://www.delawareliberal.net/2011/06/02/delcogs-and-pdds-joint-statement-to-senator-deluca/ - the issue of double dipping transcends party lines

Another Democrat found double dipping

It's no secret that State Senator Anthony DeLuca (my Senator I might add) is double dipping.  He is the head of the Office of Labor Law Enforcement as well as a State Senator.  Over the years, many politicians have double dipped, much to the chagrin of the voters.  The state has been reluctant to stop these double dippers because, well who wants to vote against themselves?  Our state legislature has been morally bankrupt with only a few shining lights over time.  There's nothing "illegal" at the state level with our politicians double dipping but DeLuca's position may be different.  Since his position recieved federal money, he may be in violation of a federal law that precludes elected officials who hold jobs that recieve federal money from running for reelection.  The News Journal, whose reporters seem to be getting it right much more lately (even if their editorial page is still in the tank for the left) has a great story on the issues DeLuca faces but we have to ask, even if it's not "illegal", is that enough to ignore the immorality?

Tony DeLuca is not the only elected official playing fast an loose. We have labor leaders whose members (and through dues, they themselves) benefit directly from their votes, in office at the County and State level.  Somehow, we still wonder why Delaware is bankrupt.  This is what Al Mascitti, the wild eyed screaming liberal on WDEL from 9 till noon everyday talks about when he talks about the "haves" and the "have nots".  Now, Al incorrectly portrays these positions on conservatives and business persons where the premise is silly.  Entrepreaneurs have WORKED for their profits and deserve the opportunity to enjoy their success.  These elected officials, who have used their name and positions to weasel into high paying government jobs while maintaining their elected offices are the ones gouging the people.