Posts by Carter Wrenn
Corporations and Politics
I’ve been reading about the recent Supreme Court decision that says corporations can spend as much as they want to elect politicians. Now, pragmatically, there’s not much to doubt this ruling is going to be a financial windfall to anyone in the political consulting business. And, theoretically, I’ve got to say more freedom of…
Read MoreBrad and the Banks
Here’s another example of a politician trying to have his cake and eat it too: The other day Congressman Brad Miller bemoaned the Supreme Court ruling on corporations spending money in elections then wailed he’s in hot water because he’s made the banks mad, saying, “I’ve made a real nuisance of myself to the most…
Read MoreJust Another Washington Politician
Over the last year with every breath he’s taken the President’s shown a burning faith in government (led by enlightened politicians) as the engine of progress – his faith has been so overwhelming he’s fearlessly taken government into recesses of American life where no President ever dared tread. But, the other night, Obama the…
Read MoreSex in Juvenile Prison?
Awhile back the newspapers were running horror stories about patients in state mental hospitals being sexually attacked, beaten and even dying due to neglect – the whole thing sounded like a nightmare straight out of 19th century mental asylums. Now the newspapers are running horror stories about juvenile prisons for young girls – and…
Read MoreA Young Man in a Political Maze
When Ruffin Poole was twenty-five years old and fresh out of law school he went to work for Mike Easley; he’s thirty-seven now and indicted for 51 counts of everything from extortion to racketeering and could go to prison for 85 years. What went wrong – for a small town boy from Kinston? For…
Read MoreMirror, Mirror…
No one was much surprised when John Edwards fessed up and said he was the father of Rielle Hunter’s daughter – but nothing involving John Edwards ever seems to run along the straight and narrow path and sure enough there was an odd line in Edwards’ confession that twisted contrition into a knot. Here’s…
Read MoreThe Artful Dodger
I don’t recall hardly ever seeing eye to eye with State Representative Mickey Michaux but the other day he hit the nail on the head. Governor Perdue’s favorite Cabinet Secretary Lanier ‘The Artful Dodger’ Cansler traipsed over to the legislature for a meeting and after a fair amount of hemming and hawing admitted he…
Read MoreThat’s His Story…
Coming out of a meeting over in the state legislature Senate Kingpin Marc Basnight ran head on into a gaggle of reporters and right off someone asked if it wasn’t a bit underhanded for Basnight to appropriate $25 million for a new fishing pier at Nags Head and then have his own construction company build…
Read MoreNapoleon’s Mother
Sometimes it seems like one of a President’s less enviable jobs is to be a kind of national whipping boy, an outlet for our pent up frustrations and afflictions. And even if pummeling, say, Barack Obama or George Bush won’t put people back to work it sure is satisfying to have someone to blame. …
Read MoreLet’s Bribe the Taliban
Here’s a sure sign we’re in deeper trouble in Afghanistan than anybody’s letting on: The Afghan government (no doubt with U.S. taxpayers’ money) is offering the Taliban soldiers cold hard cash to surrender or, better yet, switch sides; of course being blossoming Afghanistan politicians are wrapping all this up in Washington style rhetoric calling their plan…
Read More