Addressing Congress on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy challenged America and set a seemingly impossible goal- sending a person to the moon by the end of the decade.  Kennedy’s ambitious dream was realized by the Apollo program, and, since that time, manned space exploration has been an intrinsic part of both America’s national character, and [...]

What would you think of officials who spend tens of millions of your tax dollars every year and never check on whether citizens get what they pay for? That’s what’s happening with Delaware’s questionable program to buy jobs. The state regularly gives your tax dollars to companies that promise to create or maintain jobs here. [...]

April 22 marks the 42nd anniversary of the first observance of Earth Day.  There is much to celebrate.  We’ve made remarkable progress in protecting the environment since 1970; today the Cuyahoga River no longer burns.  And we’ve also mustered the political will to addressed major threats to the environment such as acid rain and the [...]

On April 24, Delaware will hold its primary elections, presidential and otherwise. The First State must be expecting a small turnout, because my wife and I cannot vote at our regular polling place. I can’t remember a presidential primary that has generated less local interest. It certainly pales by comparison to 1996, when I proudly [...]

If you own a vehicle or a home, you’ve most likely taken out a loan before. You know the long-term commitment you are making to pay off your debt, plus interest. It is a stable, consistent payment that you make for the duration of the loan, whether it’s five years, 20 years or 30 years. [...]

The scene-stealer in last week’s Supreme Court hearings on Obamacare has been how the folks who fashioned the White House’s legal arguments (and their chums) were totally gobsmacked by the Court’s questions on the constitutionality of the individual mandate.  After watching a parade of obviously literate people with a ‘Martians are landing’ look on their [...]

Like many other governments on the perpetual hunt for new revenue, the Markell Administration is once again looking to gamblers to help feed a hungry and growing state budget. The News Journal reports that a plan unveiled this week would, according to Finance Secretary Tom Cook, bring in more than $3 million a year in [...]

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has just set the new high water mark for the dumbest gambling proposal ever. Markell wants to expand gambling to every corner of the tiny First State so he can give the struggling but influential casinos there a giant tax break. Markell’s policy is a reverse Robinhood: Take from the poor and give to the rich. [...]

Last week, my wife and I attended an ABA meeting in Las Vegas. On our last day there, I played the “quarters” slots machines for less than an hour. I told my wife that I would stop if I lost $40. On the first machine, I won $30. On the second machine, I lost $10 [...]

The Caesar Rodney Institute has updated its Transparency Delaware website with state payroll and vendor data through 2010. Analysis of the pattern of the vendor transactions for 2010 is instructive. State government is a major buyer of the services of nonprofit organizations and a major donor to nonprofits. The 2010 vendor data was examined and [...]