Tom Carper caught giving out bonuses we can’t afford
January 13: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “As chair of the Federal Financial Management subcommittee I’ve been focused on identifying and implementing reforms designed to save taxpayer dollars and make our government work more efficiently and effectively. That’s why I welcome today’s announcement by the President that he is moving forward with efforts to consolidate several agencies that focus on trade and commerce. When the President was first considering this proposal last year, Jeff Zients the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget, approached me for my input and I told him the Administration should ‘go big’ and that’s what they appear to have done. This move is expected to save $3 billion dollars over the next ten years and in this tough budget climate where we’re counting every penny, that’s not chump change. I’ve been saying for years now that we need to look in every nook and cranny of the federal government to find savings, and this Administration continues to be a good partner with me and other members of Congress who are zealous in our pursuit of reforms that will help the government do more with less taxpayer money. As the federal government looks for ways to tighten its belt we have to be careful not to make cuts just for the sake of cutting – there’s always a great temptation to be penny wise and pound foolish in the pursuit of savings – but I think this policy strikes the right balance of streamlining federal operations without fundamentally crippling agencies’ ability to do their jobs effectively. I look forward to working with the Administration to move this – and other cost-saving measures—forward expeditiously.”
………………………………………………………………
January 19: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “The purpose of tonight’s public meeting is to learn more about the AMP study, proposed by Postal leaders in our three-state district. As you know, it would reduce from four to two the number of mail processing centers in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware. The mail processing now done by the center in southeastern Pennsylvania near King of Prussia would be done at the much larger center near the Philadelphia International Airport. Most of the processing done by the center at Hare’s Corner would move to the larger center in Bellmawr, NJ.
“A few days before this past Christmas, our congressional delegation learned that the Postal Service had decided to move forward with this proposal and hold this public hearing in New Castle on January 4. We objected, stating the a hearing on that date provided too little time for any of us to adequately analyze the proposal, obtain answers to questions about it and develop alternatives to the proposal. The Postal Service came back with an alternative date of January 12. Again, we objected for the same reasons, before finally agreeing to hold the public forum tonight.
“Over the past several weeks, Delaware’s congressional delegation and the members of our staff have worked closely together to drill down on the district’s consolidation proposal and develop alternatives to it. Teams from our offices have visited Postal processing centers at Hare’s Corner, Bellmawr, NJ and Easton, Maryland. We have met with and consulted with scores of business and residential customers of the Hare’s Corner facility. We have met with hundreds of Postal employees in Delaware and hosted a traditional town hall meeting last night for hundreds of Postal employees and a tele-town hall meeting last week in which over 3,500 Delawareans participated. We have met and consulted with postal labor leaders, as well as with state and local officials, including Governor Jack Markell and members of his cabinet. We have submitted a number of questions in writing to the Postal Service about the AMP study and sought to obtain a copy of it. And, we have shared our concerns – your concerns – with the Postmaster General, the Deputy Postmaster General and with members of the Postal Board of Governors.
Well, what have we learned from all of these actions? Here’s a sampling.
“We have learned that the processing centers in New Castle, Bellmawr and Southeastern Pennsylvania, all fall within a 40 mile radius of the much larger center adjacent to the Philadelphia Airport. We have learned that the space for processing mail at the airport site is larger than the other three sites combined and, of the four, Hares Corner is the smallest. We have learned how the processing operation is done and how these four centers interact with each other, with customers and with the rest of the Postal system. We have learned how the AMP study, if implemented, could affect major business customers of the Postal Service here in Delaware. We have learned that apparently no option was considered in this study that would have preserved mail processing activities at Hares Corner. We have learned that only one other state besides Delaware appears to be in jeopardy of losing its only mail processing center. That state is Vermont. We have learned that the consolidation of the Frederick, Maryland mail processing center into Baltimore’s last year led to major logjams in the Baltimore facility in recent months as a result of that consolidation. We have learned that the Postal Service has proposed to begin processing in its Baltimore center the mail currently processed at the Easton, Md. processing center, mail that emanates from all over the Eastern Shore of Maryland, except for Cecil County whose mail is already processed in Baltimore. We have learned that the State of Delaware plans to move ahead with a major highway project that eventually will turn Rt. 301 in Delaware into a four-lane, limited access highway from the Maryland line to I-95 in Delaware, expediting the flow of traffic from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to I-95. We have been reminded that ready access to a first-rate mail processing center was a key factor in Delaware becoming the home of many major financial institutions and that losing our center also means losing our competitive advantage in attracting and retaining those institutions to other states. And, we have learned that – unlike our initial understanding – the migration of the Hare’s Corner processing center to Bellmawr will not result in the loss of 200 jobs there. It will result in the loss of 80 percent of the 500 jobs there, and those 100 jobs are unlikely to remain at Hare’s Corner far into the future, leaving the facility empty and very likely for sale.
“Suffice it to say, we’ve learned a lot in a relatively short time. Given all that we’ve learned in the past several weeks, a fair question might be, “What should we do now with the knowledge we’ve gained?” More…
………………………………………………………………
January 23: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “The poultry industry on the Delmarva peninsula provides our region with many benefits,” said Senator Tom Carper. “These benefits include jobs, trade and export opportunities, land preservation practices, and of course, chicken that is enjoyed not only here but around the world. This summit provided a forum for those involved in the industry to learn from each other, address shared challenges, and find ways to keep this industry thriving for years to come.” More…
………………………………………………………………
Sen. Carper to Host 11th Annual U.S. Service Academy Information Night
January 24: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “Our nation’s first-rate service academies offer students a unique opportunity to obtain an excellent education, serve their country and gain valuable leadership skills that will guide them in their future,” said Sen. Carper. “This information night provides students and their families with a helpful forum to come and learn more about the opportunities available at our service academies.” More…
………………………………………………………………
Sen. Carper Reacts to the President’s State of the Union Address
January 24: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “Tonight, the President delivered an honest assessment of the strong state of our union and provided a plan to build on our past success to ensure a stronger America – one, as the President said, that is ‘built to last.’ The President’s blueprint for a stronger America parallels many of my goals and initiatives for the First State, specifically our need to rebuild the American workforce, to support and strengthen our recovering economy and to reinvest in American ingenuity so we can maximize our nation’s great potential.
“While we have made a lot of progress in putting people back to work with 22 straight months of private sector job growth, more needs to be done. One of my top priorities this year will continue to be supporting initiatives that spur job growth and create a nurturing environment where businesses in Delaware and beyond can grow and preserve jobs.
“One thing that has struck me about this economic recovery is that it is being led by a different sector of our economy. In the past, we’ve seen recoveries driven by the housing market, construction, and consumer spending. However, this recovery is being led by our manufacturing sector, as well as an increase in our exported goods and services, specifically within the agriculture industry. Many of us remember a time – not that long ago – when this nation built everything. And with this economic recovery we have seen a resurgence of the signature ‘Made in America.’ We are building and growing things in America again, and our economy has produced 29 consecutive months of growth in our nation’s manufacturing base. Companies like General Electric are investing in skilled American workers to build advanced technologies. And America’s auto companies – once on life-support – are back with full force, building new plants, rolling out new models and hiring thousands of American men and women.
“Right behind the muscle of our manufacturing industry is the success of our nation’s farms and livestock. From the soybean fields in Harrington to the chicken growers in Millsboro, and across our nation to the crops in the South, Midwest, and West, we are producing the foods sold and enjoyed around the world. Between the strength of our manufacturing and agriculture industries, we are on track to meet and even exceed the President’s goal of doubling our exports by 2014.” More…
………………………………………………………………
Sen. Carper Hails EPA Approval of Delaware CAFO Regulations
January 26: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “I’ve known for a long time that Delaware farmers are true environmental stewards and take nutrient management very seriously,” said Sen. Carper. “Today’s news that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Delaware’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulations shows, once again, that Delaware is a leader in nutrient management issues. The EPA’s recognition of Delaware’s CAFO regulations as federally-equivalent allows Delaware’s nutrient management program to continue to serve as a national model for other states. In the First State, we pride ourselves on working together to help protect the quality of our lands and water for future generations. Our leading nutrient management program, which I implemented as Governor, is a testament to our state’s unique ability to work together. A big part of what has made the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission and our nutrient management program distinct – and successful – is that it functions as a shared partnership between Delaware’s Department of Agriculture and Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. I know Delaware’s agricultural community, particularly the Nutrient Management Commission and Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee, as well as our environmental community have worked hard to bring Delaware to this final step in the federal approval process. I congratulate them for a job well done and look forward to working together as Delaware continues to lead the nation in nutrient management.” More…
………………………………………………………………
Del. delegation gave $131K in bonuses
News Journal: January 15: The Delaware lawmakers saw the bonuses as a way to acknowledge hard work and help retain staffers, many of whom earn much less than they would in the private sector.
Sen. Tom Carper “is dedicated to providing exceptional service to the First State and he strives to balance responsibly the need to curb spending in his office with the need to protect vital services for his constituents,” said spokeswoman Emily Spain. “This includes ensuring that he has the resources to hire and retain sufficient and well-qualified staff.”
Of the three lawmakers, Carper gave the most in bonuses. Most of his staffers received $1,500 at the end of fiscal 2011, totaling $58,500.
Carper has awarded bonuses throughout his Senate career, usually around $1,500 per staffer, according to his office. More…
………………………………………………………………
Call to action, songs and dance part of tribute to Dr. King at Delaware State University
Dover Post: January 16: In addition, Gov. Jack Markell, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and U.S. Rep. John Carney (D-Del.) each gave guest speeches in which they relayed what the Martin Luther King holiday meant to them personally. Carper, for one, relayed how former DSU President Dr. William B. Delauder first approached during his time as governor.
“He said, ‘We have a dream of what Delaware State College could be. We’d like to be a university … that people all over the state and the country admire,’” Carper said. ”’We’d like to be a university that’s beautiful, a university where the dropout rate is going down and the retention rate is going up.
A year later, he signed the legislation passed by the General Assembly to make the college Delaware State University, he said to applause. More…
……………………………………………………………….
Delaware GOP announces 2012 candidates. Where’s Christine?
NewsWorks: Jan Ting: January 17: U.S. Senator and former Governor Tom Carper is seeking a third six-year term in the U.S. Senate this year. To run against him the Republican party is putting up, Kevin Wade? Kevin is a first-time candidate, not counting a brief run at Delaware’s congressional seat in 2010 before he dropped out after a weak showing at the Republican state convention.
I knew Kevin in 2008 when he was a leader of the Giuliani for President campaign in Delaware. I joined Kevin in that campaign because I thought it would build and broaden the Republican base to have a national standard-bearer who was both pro-Choice and pro-Gay rights. I should have known that campaign would go nowhere.
Is Christine O’Donnell’s political career over? Or is she waiting in the wings to make a dramatic announcement? The Republican nominating convention is in April, but the primary election isn’t until September. Christine has shown that she can win the primary even after losing the party endorsement at the spring convention.
Nothing would generate more interest in Delaware politics and guarantee a higher voter turnout this fall than another Christine O’Donnell run for the U.S. Senate. What’s she going to do if she doesn’t run again? More…
………………………………………………………………
‘Public service’ can be quantified in millions
News Journal: January 16: Apropos of Sen. Tom Carper’s Christmas bonuses to his staff, ask him how much taxpayers’ money has he spent every year on staffing his offices in Washington, D.C. and Delaware.
If he says less than $2 million per year over those years, ask him to provide an independent certified public accountant’s audited statement of any lesser amount.
Multiply $2 million by all members of Congress, then one has a better idea of the cost of that so-called “public service” by our dedicated “servants.” That should bring into perspective the “cost-benefit” of each of them.
Henry R. Horsey, Rehoboth Beach
……………………………………………………………….
New Indian River Inlet Bridge opens to traffic
News Journal: January 20: The new Indian River Inlet Bridge opened to its first cars at about 11:30 a.m. today in Sussex County.
Gov. Jack Markell, Sen. Tom Carper, Delaware Department of Transporation Secretary Shailen Bhatt, state Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf and his 5-year-old grandson rode in the first car across the southbound lane of Del. 1
One southbound lane is open to traffic, and in the coming days, a northbound lane will open. DelDOT says demolition work will soon begin on the old bridge. The bridge will be fully open – including pedestrian and bike paths – in the spring. More…
………………………………………………………………
Congress, not EPA, needs to act on emissions – Alexander
Environmental Finance: January 26: Congress should move on legislation to deal with nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and mercury emissions so the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have to devise regulations for these pollutants, a Republican senator said Monday.
In February 2010, Senator Tom Carper (D-Delaware) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) introduced a “3P” bill to significantly reduce SO2 emissions by 2018 and NOx and mercury emissions by 2015, and considered expanding it to a “4P” bill to also reduce carbon emissions.
“I don’t deny that carbon is important, but I think we know what to do about the first three,” Alexander said during a World Resources Institute event on the Clean Air Act on Monday. “We ought to go ahead and do it and then we can continue to discuss how to deal with carbon.”
“I think Congress ought to get more involved so the EPA could be less involved,” he added.
New Jersey utility PSEG, which spent more than $1.3 billion to retrofit emissions controls at its coal plants, was supportive of both the 3P and 4P proposals, said Ralph Izzo, PSEG’s president and CEO.
“We’d like to see that happen,” he said. “I don’t want to put a [selective catalytic reduction system, to deal with NOx emissions] on a power plant today if five years from now it’s going to be dead because of its mercury and sulphur emissions.”
The impetus for the Carper-Alexander proposal was the July 2008 DC Circuit Court decision that vacated the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and threw the SO2 and NOx markets into chaos. Those markets received a fresh dose of uncertainty in December when the court prevented the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which the EPA developed to replace CAIR, from being implemented until it could decide the fate of the programme.
Alexander said he supports CSAPR, although he is the co-sponsor of a proposal to give utilities an additional year to prepare, because the current rule “requires things to move more rapidly than they need to get a result”. More…
Carper, Coons, Carney announce more than $700,000 for HIV prevention
January 5: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “Wellness and prevention programs are essential to diagnosing and treating illnesses before they become severe,” Senator Carper said. “I believe we need to change our country’s health care system from one that treats the sick to a health care delivery system that focuses on keeping Americans healthy. Targeted public health programs are useful tools to promote healthy lifestyles and practices that can reduce the occurrence of chronic diseases as well as bring down medical costs. This grant will help the Delaware Division of Public Health’s HIV Prevention Program do just that. With the help of the Department of Health and Human Services, the HIV Prevention Program will provide coordinated care for Delawareans affected by HIV/AIDS by connecting individuals with the appropriate counseling, testing, and referral services. Thanks to the implementation of this grant, the HIV Prevention Program will help foster a culture of prevention by providing Delawareans at risk for HIV/AIDS with the support they need and deserve.” More…
………………………………………………………………
Carper, Coons, Carney commend Delaware’s progress on education reform efforts
January 11: Tom Carper–U.S. Senator: Pressroom: “Ensuring that Delaware’s students receive the highest quality education has always been one of my top priorities,” said Sen. Carper. “Today’s report reinforces the First State’s commitment to improving education for our children of all ages. While Delaware has made remarkable progress implementing the innovative and ambitious reforms supported by Race to the Top, we still have more work to do. I will continue to work with the Congressional Delegation, Governor Markell, Secretary Lowery and the Obama Administration to make sure that Delaware remains a national leader in educational achievement and overcomes the challenges that lie ahead in enacting further reforms.” More…
………………………………………………………………
Mind-altering drugs overdone in foster care
News Journal: January 2: A government report says thousands of Medicaid patients in foster care are routinely overprescribed psychotropic and psychotic drugs.
Sen. Tom Carper is more than alarmed. As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, he’s ordered concrete steps from the Obama administration to tackle the problem and legislative recommendations for Congress.
Fortunately, the decision to use these drugs to control foster kids is not rampant in Delaware, said Julia Pearce, executive director of Delaware’s Child Placement Review Board.
“We support the recommendations to develop specific guidelines or to look at the guidelines in place to be sure we are meeting the standards,” she said, also backing close examination of “quality of life” medications as well.
“You have to be sure that you are treating the true cause of the behavior,” Pearce explained. “These kids have a lot of problems. Sometimes they mimic behaviors as a cry for help related more to abandonment, or attachment and loss issues, than as a result of an attention deficit disorder.” More…
……………………………………………………………….
Only one Senate Democrat supports Obama’s recess claim
Daily Caller: January 7: Only one Senate Democrat, out of 51 asked, told The Daily Caller that President Barack Obama was correct when he claimed the Senate was in recess Jan. 3. That’s the day Obama announced that he had exercised his executive authority to fill four top posts during a Senate recess.
Their GOP counterparts slammed Obama for claiming the power to decide when the Senate is in recess.
Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware said he believed the Senate was in a recess when Obama made the controversial appointments, according to a statement from his office.
A spokesperson for South Dakota Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson said he “supports the appointments,” but wouldn’t answer whether Johnson thought the Senate was in recess. More…
………………………………………………………………
Student No. 1 in nation in cyber security contest
News Journal: January 7: There are some young thinkers at Charter School of Wilmington who are considered among the top in the nation when it comes to cyber security.
The national winner of the 2011 United States Cyber Foundations fall competition goes to the charter school. The contest aims to help develop talent who have the interest and ability to help build safer ways of protecting online information.
Winner Gavy Aggarwal, a sophomore at Charter, said his success in the fall competition came after focusing his studies following the spring competition. His winning score of more than 28,008 points for the online challenge earned him a $2,500 scholarship from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium Inc., a trade group.
Aggarwal said with his new knowledge, he began to look into security problems with smartphone applications and noted that he found some problems. He thought that people might benefit from knowing how vulnerable they can be even with seemingly innocuous technology such as iPhone applications.
At an awards ceremony Thursday, several state and local leaders praised Aggarwal and other Delaware students who participated. The field of cyber security is important to protect the safety of our country and its business interests, said Sen. Tom Carper. More…
……………………………………………………………….
News Journal: January 7: Delaware Republicans finally have a slate of statewide candidates assembled to challenge formidable Democratic incumbents.
Dubbed “real people” candidates, three small-business owners have stepped forward to run for U.S. senator, governor and lieutenant governor after party leaders spent most of 2011 recovering from devastating electoral losses in 2010.
Jeff Cragg, a little-known owner of a Mail Boxes Etc. store in Fairfax, intends to challenge Gov. Jack Markell, who was recently dubbed the safest incumbent Democratic governor in the country by one influential political publication.
Sher Valenzuela, co-owner of an upholstery manufacturing company in Milford, said she will try to unseat Lt. Gov. Matt Denn.
On Monday, businessman Kevin Wade will officially launch his campaign for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Sen. Tom Carper on the steps of the historic Court House in Old New Castle, where Wade lives.
“This is going to be about real issues with real-people candidates as opposed to the political-class candidates,” said John Sigler, chairman of the Delaware Republican Party. “Some of these incumbents are not as well-liked as they think they are. Certainly their policies aren’t as well-liked as they’d like to think.”
Joe Aronson, executive director of the Delaware Democratic Party, dismissed Sigler’s characterization that Markell, Carper, Denn and U.S. Rep. John Carney aren’t in touch with “real people.” More…
