Legislative (In)security

A TAPster (bartender, two cold ones here) offers this thought-provoking caution: “Carter’s brief blog about legislators carrying guns is scary on many fronts. It’s probably only a matter of time before a gun battle breaks out in the legislative cafeteria when a lawmaker tries to take the last piece of fried catfish from a hungry…

Read More

It’s Only Words…

Understanding politics – if you follow the words – is pretty straightforward.   Right now, we’re bombing Qaddafi’s army which is pretty clearly a war but President Obama’s press spokesman says it’s not – he says it’s something called a “time-limited, scope-limited military action.” (Last week he called it an even blander ‘kinetic military action.’)…

Read More

A Stunning Turn of Events

A Civitas Institute critic of Smart Start has twisted himself into an interesting position.   In an N&O op-ed, Andrew Henson acknowledges that “early child care investment has proven to have an effect on children’s lives and should be a key priority for the legislature.”   He then proceeds to argue that Smart Start, which…

Read More

The New York Times… on Libya

There was an article in the New York Times the other morning by a fellow named Max Boot who works with the influential Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Boot’s got the war in Libya all figured out. He says he’s wanted the United States to attack Libya for weeks and finally Obama’s done exactly what…

Read More

Washed Up

  A political tsunami brings ashore strange creatures from the deep. Witness some of the Republicans in the legislature.   A serious Senator, Neal Hunt, comes up with a good idea that could repair burnt bridges for Republicans: pardon Reconstruction Governor W.W. Holden, who was impeached for standing up to the Ku Klux Klan.  …

Read More

Who’s the Legislator with a Gun?

Someone in the State House sure does like handguns. First, legislators sponsored a bill to allow folks to carry concealed pistols in bars and restaurants. Now there’s a bill to require cities to allow concealed guns in parks. And Representative Mark Hilton is sponsoring a class in the legislature on carrying concealed guns.   Legislators…

Read More

We Got Suckered?

President Obama’s great coalition to defeat Libya – NATO, France, Britain, Arab League and the U.S.A. – is fraying at the seams.   The Arab League, the French say, is out of sorts with NATO. The French, as always, are marching to their own drummer and out of sorts with everyone. And our NATO allies…

Read More

Redistrict the Right Way!

This is an urgent open letter to Republican political consultants in North Carolina:   Now is the time to come to the aid of your profession.   Your party is in charge of redistricting. The lonely eyes of all political consultants – Democrats and Republicans – turn to you.   I’m not talking about partisan…

Read More

It Turns Out…

Now that we’re bombing Libya the New York Times reports that, technically, we didn’t go to war to defeat Gadhafi. Technically, the Times says, all the UN Resolution did was set up a no-fly zone to stop Gadhafi bombing his own civilians. The General commanding our attack says pretty much the same thing: “Our mission…

Read More

Reforming DENR

The easy story line is that rapacious Republicans are out to gut North Carolina’s environmental protections.   Not so fast.   In fact, Governor Perdue might want to jump on this train while she’s restructuring state government.   There are economic developers and business people who are responsible on environmental issues AND convinced that DENR…

Read More