Markell, Schwartzkopf lied about CB radio ban

Delaware became the first state in the nation to ban drivers' use of CB radios, when Governor Jack Markell signed HB 229 into law yesterday, along with companion bills HB 493 and HB 494, which were sponsored to "fix" holes in the first bill.

If a bill has to be fixed before it has even been signed into law, it's probably bad legislation.

Specifically, the "holes" were Citizens' Band radios and other two-way radios, which were to be banned along with hand-held cell phones. Several lawmakers dishonestly claimed that the bill was not intended to target those communication devices, and so the additional bills were passed, much to the relief of truckers and other blue-collar types who still use CB radios.

Surprise! It was announced today, after the bills had been signed into law, that the complementary bills do not exempt CB radios after all, as had been promised (FCC-licensed amateur radio operators are now exempt, along with delivery drivers and state workers). However, according to Joseph Fulgham, Communications Officer of the Minority Caucus, "...CB radio operators are not part of these excluded groups." Thus making Delaware the first state to ban CB radios, which have been in use since the late 1950s.

Where do we go from here? Remove all FM radios from vehicles, perhaps? Ban 8-track tape players? Require all cars to have square wheels and run on pixie dust?

It's hard to tell how far the Democratic majority controlling our state government is willing to go in its never-ending pursuit of utter ridiculousness.

We're dealing with a General Assembly that quickly passed HB 487 in the last days of the session, which was specifically sponsored by Rep. John Atkins (D-Millsboro) to make it easier for Denny Cordrey, a Democrat, to challenge Sussex County Council President Vance Phillips, yet was strangely unable to pass SB 293 (which would have protected parents' right to know about controversial material being taught in schools), HB 353 (which would have protected Delawareans' right to choose whether or not to purchase health insurance), or even an efficient budget--indeed, lawmakers grew the state government by nearly 7%!

Who's going to pay for that 6.5-6.9%? Have they heard about the recession?

As citizens, we must hold elected officials responsible for their lies. In this case, Markell, Schwartzkopf, and a number of other officials falsely claimed that the complementary legislation was being passed to exempt CB radio operators from the unreasonable restrictions of the original bill. They lied. It might seem insignificant, but that is precisely why it must be taken seriously. If these fellows are willing to lie about something so small (knowing that the lie would be discovered as soon as the text of the bills were released), then how can they be trusted to handle more serious matters like taxation and defending our liberties?