The directors of the State Lottery are not only going to get salaries higher than most others in State Government – they’re going to get more time off. At least the top nineteen employees will. Technically, lottery employees are state employees. But that hasn’t stopped the Lottery Commission from giving them higher salaries and more…
Read MoreIt’s only March but I’m for giving Jaume Plensa, the Spanish artist who’s sold Mayor Meeker on $2.5 million in ‘art’ for downtown, the Salesman of the Year award. The good news here is this $2.5 million – it appears – is going to be paid for by Jim Goodman, of Capital Broadcasting, and not…
Read MoreHere’s a point of view on the War in Iraq that is being, unfortunately, ignored. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, in a commentary in the News and Observer today (3-6-06), argues that our problems in Iraq are a result of “President Bush’s decision to approach the Iraq invasion with the Rumsfeld Doctrine, which calls…
Read MoreCarter and I spoke to a class of aspiring political operatives this week. Just before we started, CNN broadcast the story about Bush’s approval rating dropping to 34 percent. Apparently, he is about where Nixon was when he resigned. But Democrats shouldn’t start celebrating. Bush’s 10-point drop came because his administration wants to let a…
Read MoreIt looks like our crusade to get the Raleigh City Council focused on schools is making progress. In his annual State of the City address this week, Mayor Charles Meeker laid out three goals for 2006: reduce fuel consumption, fight homelessness and – according to The News & Observer – “push Wake County to solve…
Read More‘Pay to Play’ is the name the media has given the scandals that are going on in Raleigh. It means, roughly, lobbyists ‘pay’ (by making contributions) – if they want legislators to ‘play’ (listen to them or act on what they want) in Raleigh. To be fair to the lobbyists, they aren’t enamored about raising…
Read MoreFor some time now, the political tide has been running against supporters of abortion rights. That’s because the opponents got smart. They started focusing the battle on issues like parental notification and late-term abortions. I’ve watched these polls for more than 20 years now. Americans are fundamentally split about abortion. They don’t like it, but…
Read MoreThe Democrats in Raleigh have been embroiled in a series of scandals over the last six months that the newspapers have dubbed ‘pay to play’ – and as a result we have a series of investigations underway by everybody from the U. S. Attorney to the State Board of Elections. House Speaker Jim Black has…
Read MoreFrom the first taxpayers’ revolution in California in 1978, North Carolina has escaped a full-scale rebellion over local property taxes. I predict that is going to change soon. Specifically, this fall. And specifically right here in Wake County over the school bond issue. The issue is popping up all over the country again. South Carolina…
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