Republicans want to make an issue out of the recent state gas tax increase. They’re shocked – shocked, mind you – at a 2.8 cent tax hike. But they’re unbothered that the oil companies raised the price 15 cents. They’re missing the real problem here. I agree with an opinion piece that ran in the…
Read MoreHere’s all you need to know about George Bush’s depth. Last week he invited to the White House an all-star crew of old Washington foreign-policy and defense gurus – all the way back to Robert McNamara and Mel Laird, for Pete’s sake. Ostensible purpose: a useful exchange of views on Iraq. The discussion with Bush…
Read MoreBill Graham, the NC GOP’s new poster boy (and, apparently, John Edwards wannabe) has jumped on the 2.8 cent increase in the state gas tax. He wants to ride it to statewide office. Democrats in the legislature are so nervous they created a special committee to look into “the state’s largest gas tax increase in…
Read MoreHere is a paragraph – from The New York Times’ story about superlobbyist/supercrook Jack Abramoff – that should chill the spines of politicians throughout our great land. It comes from “a former Republican leadership aide who insisted on anonymity:” “There’s a lot of talk coming out of various quarters that the Justice Department is going…
Read MoreWhat is terrifying about government appointed ‘Task Forces’ – like the one just appointed by the Wake County Commissioners – is they’re like legislators. Almost. They can only propose to spend money. They can’t actually spend it. This new ‘Task Force’ is supposed to come up with solutions to all – or almost all –…
Read MoreI actually read part of Richard Moore’s little speech to the NCCBI in the Winston-Salem Journal. It turns out he’s not quite the towering populist I thought when I read Gary’s blog. There are a lot of good arguments that can be made for increasing the minimum wage. Here’s what Mr. Moore told the NCCBI…
Read MoreI read on the Blue NC blog that “State Treasurer (and likely gubernatorial candidate) Richard Moore is calling for a $1 increase in North Carolina’s minimum wage.” Click here to read the article: The website post says Moore: “made the call at a meeting of the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry, a pro-business…
Read MoreI missed it if it ran in the paper, but I understand that the City Council last night appointed Paul Anderson and Charles Walker to the Planning Commission – by eight votes and five votes respectively. That suggests the anti-growth faction of the Council remains a minority – at least through last night. But it’s…
Read MoreRaleigh city politics are getting more party-centered. Not that thereâs anything wrong with that. But Raleigh Democrats may be heading in a direction that is plenty wrong. An important test will come next Tuesday. The City Council is scheduled to appoint two new members of the Planning Commission then. The appointments have become the battleground…
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