Public Apology

I would like to apologize to anyone and everyone that has tried to leave a comment or reply on this blog.  Apparently there has been some problems with comments not showing up.  I am not sure exactly what the problem is, I am currently working on seeing if there is a problem with the blog settings.  In the meantime, if your comment does not show up on any of the posts please send me an email so that I can chase down the problem and solve it.

One such comment was left by Jason C. Romeo. It showed that it had published yet does not show up.  I have reprinted the comment on Political Agendas...Voting... lets go people.  It appears that the comment is up and live.  Jason I apologize for this problem.  I encourage everyone to read and investigate both sides of the political situation.  As you know, hopefully you read my blog, I am a bit of a radical in that I hold no affiliation to any political party.  I am a true independent.  No one shall ever know how I vote.

I invite all candidates running for office to send in their articles for this blog.  I will post them unedited and in full.  The only rule that I have is that it not contain any vulgar language and that it not be of a threatening nature.  We of course reserve the write to reject any article submitted.

Knowledge and Voting should go hand in hand

Our little Appoquinimink school board election on May 8th has generated some attention. Here is an article that was originally emailed to me this morning. I thought that I would share the insight. Credit goes to John Young and the Delaware way. Please visit their blogs.

Dr. Tony Marchio hits a home run on School Board Election in Delaware Voice letter. #netDE

By John Young on April 30, 2012

h/t Nancy Willing at Delaware Way

Wilmington News Journal 04/29/2012, Page A31

Just who is running for our school boards?

Anyone who has been fol­lowing national politics will have to wonder what impact the newly permitted “Super PACs” will have on the upcoming presidential campaign.

Many Americans are con­cerned that elections will be won on the basis of money spent and not necessarily on the character and qualifica­tions of the candidates.

While the national election might seem a little far re­moved, surprisingly, a similar movement is occurring in Del­aware with the upcoming board of education elections.

A recent e-mail was sent to various individuals by a group called Voices4Delaware.

It urged recipients to con­tribute $600 to various board candidates that this group supports.

Four districts, including Appoquinimink, were targeted as being “strategically impor­tant” to their mission.

I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on the qualifications of the candidate that was being endorsed for Appoquinimink, nor do I have an issue with him.

The only information that was given about him in the e-mail was that he had attend­ed a Christian school, was an active member of the Repub­lican Party and had attended Leadership Delaware training.

When I contacted the spokesperson for Voices4Dela­ware, I was shocked to learn that none of the other candi­dates running for the board in Appoquinimink were even vetted, leaving me to wonder how could the most qualified candidate be promoted.

School board elections may not have the stature of national elections, but they are abso­lutely critical to the well-being of the communities they serve. I would hope that we would consider all candidates who are running and would ask some very critical questions of each one.

Are these candidates run­ning to serve their schools and community or do they have some personal agenda?

Are these candidates in­volved in our schools so that they understand the critical issues facing education today?

Will these candidates work on behalf of all students in the district?

Do these candidates have enough confidence in the pub­lic school system to send their own children to them?

Hopefully, as the school board elections occur, we will be wise enough to keep ram­pant politics out of the race and elect school board mem­bers who represent kids – not Super PACs or political parties or unions.

Real reform will come to our schools when caring com­munity members who are will­ing to do the right things for the right reasons are elected to boards of education.

Tony J. Marchio is the former superinten­dent of the Appoquinimink School District.

DELAWARE VOICE

TONY J. MARCHIO

Modified Home Invasion Bill Clears House

One of two competing bills to create the new crime of "home invasion" has cleared the House of Representatives on a unanimous vote.

One criticism of House Bill 277 -- its comparatively light penalties -- was addressed with a compromise amendment that was added to the measure before its passage.

The reformed bill would designate home invasion as a class B felony with a minimum mandatory sentence of six years in prison for a first offense.  A subsequent violation occurring within five years of the first would be met with no less than eight years behind bars.

The bill further enhances penalties if the victim is a senior citizen (62 years of age or older).  A criminal committing a home invasion against a senior would be imprisoned for at least seven years, with repeat offenses punishable with at least nine years in jail.

"All legislators recognized the seriousness of this situation - that we don't really have a law on the books for home invasion," said the bill's prime sponsor, State Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South.

A competing bill, Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Sen. Dave Lawson, R-Marydel, seeks to make home invasion a Class A felony, carrying a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for a first offense and a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for a second.  That bill remains in Senate Judiciary Committee, where it has languished for more than three months.

House Bill 277 now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Political Agendas....Voting...Lets Go People!

On May 8^th the voter polls will open to elect the next school board representative.  That said there are a couple of things that have me extremely concerned about the overall election, the candidates and what a run for school board has become in this district.  First off, historically votes for school board elections are dramatically low.  A statistic I find troubling to say the least.  As parents we hold everything our child does so dear and yet when it comes to electing officials who determine the crucial educational outcomes for our very own, we put the responsibility on others to be the voice and cast a vote.  But who are the people behind the voice who end up casting the most votes and for whom?  If you don’t already know the answer read on, clearly elections in this district, even for a school board, have become political warfare with republicans beating up the polls.

Take for example last year’s race.  A man by the name of Richard Forsten, a Middletown resident who has no children but is a republican and is the Parliamentarian and General Counsel for the Republican Party of Delaware, won the open seat on our district school board.  Why would someone who has no children be interested in a school board seat?  Simple, Forsten has an agenda and the word ‘school’ or ‘children’ is not on it.  This is a man who represents several land developers in our area rather than our children’s best interests.  He used a simple district election, ours, to gain leverage in his political status.  He plans to use that leverage to run for a seat in the newly created District 11.  How did he do it?  Giant signs on the side of the road, pockets lined with politician dollars from the Republican Party who supported and funded his campaign, yet no campaigning was carried out.  There were no meet and greets, no public forum addresses and still he won.  The supporters of candidates like Forsten are a woven knit bunch who backs their own in big numbers.  Unfortunately, the parents in our district didn’t back ‘their own’ [children] by getting out and voting last year.  If you aren’t already frustrated read on and if the rest of this article doesn’t get you out on May 8^th, you simply don’t care.

Take this year's campaign, which has quickly become another year of political battle over democrats and republicans than it is over who is the right person for the job.  Did you know that one candidate; Andy Cherry also holds the republican chair for our district, the colonial GOP chair for the region?  While I am not encouraging a larger political explosion over a school board election you need to consider that Mr. Cherry is doing just that.  He is bullying his competition because he knows there is a strong, viable candidate who has a good shot at winning, her name is Charlisa Edelin.  Cherry is rallying his supporters with email blasts and direct mailings to the Middletown residents who are also members of the Republican Party.  He has chosen to spend his campaign funds on billboard sized signs directly outside his competitions home to foster a tactic of intimidation.  He is using our election in the same way Forsten did last year to gain leverage in his political trail.  Do we really want another ‘wannabe’ politician practicing their skills on our kids?

He can be stopped, we can prove that regardless of political standing or how much money you can afford to spend on giant signs, that we are a small, strong community willing to stand up and vote on behalf of our child’s best interest. 

Consider the opposition, Charlisa Edelin, whose campaign motivation is simple; as a parent with school aged children attending our district's public schools, she's not satisfied.  Rather than put the responsibility of creating a better learning environment for the district on those who are looking for their next position on the political trail, she has taken matters into her own hands by running in this election.  She is a strong competitor, well known and respected by many in this community.  Cherry knows it and he will spend every last campaign dollar on giant signs to try and bully her out of this race.  It’s too late to battle over Forsten, he’s already won, but there is time this year by voting Edelin for Education on May 8^th.

Denise Pavona

I guess that I want to say......

That I can honestly admit that I am fed up.  I am fed up with the bullshit rants of the politicians on both sides and in between.  I am fed up with the news media pumping out the liberal AND conservative rants.  I blame both sides of the coin for the crap that is pumped through our televisions, radios and various websites.  I am weary of non-stop reports of how bad the unemployment rate has become.  You know how I feel about that topic.

I am sick and tired of the "Entitlement Generation" that if you haven't noticed is not really interested in voting but for the fact that MTV has developed a "game" that was developed to entice them to become involved in voting..... WHAT? ....  REALLY, have we come to this.  I turned 18 years of age in 1980.  I have voted in every Presidential election since plus most all of the local elections as well.  What ever happened to the fact that voting is a Privilege that can easily be lost.  Do the American thing --- GO VOTE!  For God's Sake PLEASE, I am tired of counting the CHANGE in my pocket hoping that I have enough for the Mortgage payment!  I bet you are tired too!

I bet your tired of working longer hours for the same pay and not seeing any way to get ahead of the bills.  I know I am.  Lets take President Obama's advise from his first presidential campaign and CHANGE!

This message was brought to you by Bob "the pissed off" Johnson.