The Copenhagen Hustle

You know, I thought all this foo-fah over in Copenhagen was about the ice caps melting – but I was dead wrong.   Now there’s not much doubt with every bone in his Ivy League educated body President Obama sincerely believes if we don’t do something – now – by 2050 Manhattan Island is going…

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A Hissy Fit

A fellow’d rather be wrestling a swamp full of alligators than to be in the new School Board Chairman Ron Margiotta’s shoes. The board’s only met twice and Margiotta’s already been ripped and torn by our local up in arms, mad as Comanche liberals.   What Margiotta’s done to get local liberals upset is trampling…

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Cheap Shot Cal

Young Cal Cunningham seems to have a future in politics or, rather, he may be a real politician – example his latest email; he urgently writes:   “I can’t believe it. This morning Senator Richard Burr voted against funding our troops…as hundreds of Marines at Camp Lejeune held tearful farewells…as they prepared to ship out…

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Political Stories

I guess no one in Raleigh has spent more time pouring over a the lore of North Carolina politics than Rob Christensen and if you want to read the best stories about our politicians’ foibles go to the bookstore and buy his book, The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics.   When the new school board…

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$200,000 versus $2.5 Million

Down at the Charlotte Observer they’re lamenting – editorially – about the state using no bid contracts to buy $200,000 in equipment from Senate Democratic Leader Tony Rand’s company. (They also point out Governor Perdue, former Governor Easley, the former Secretary of Transportation and the former head of the Division of Motor Vehicles all own…

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An Attitude Adjustment

It turns out the eminence grise behind the $30 million no-bid contract to Prodigy Corporation (whose owners – Ramzi Abuldhai and Rich Admanj – were found guilty of patent stealing, went bankrupt and then were accused of transferring millions out of the bankrupt company to hide their assets from creditors) is Secretary Lanier Cansler’s aide…

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Politics Getting Stranger

With the State Board of Elections and a Federal Grand Jury investigating Mike Easley, and the FBI and Securities and Exchange Commission asking questions about Tony Rand manipulating penny stocks Democrats can’t catch a break — and now a state Grand Jury has found probable cause Senator R.C. Soles, one of the Democratic old bulls…

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No Bid Contract Backfires

Secretary Lanier Cansler’s gone and landed Governor Perdue in the soup again with one of his no bid contracts.   This time Cansler got caught by WRAL giving a $30 million contract to a company that’s only been in existence two months and whose owners – Ramzi Abulhaj and Rich Admani – got sued in…

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Putting the Fun back in Politics

The cat is out of the bag – Bernie Reeves may run for Congress against Brad Miller.   Bernie, who publishes Metro Magazine, is a sort of irrepressible force of nature – brash, charming, outspoken and not at all impressed with a single politician walking around on two feet. I’d buy a ticket to watch…

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Penny Stock

It looks like – from the newspaper – Democratic Senate Leader Tony Rand had a scheme to turn 140,000 shares of ‘penny stock’ he owned in Law Enforcement Associates (where Rand serves as Chairman of the Board) into a windfall.   First, it seems, Rand tipped (or otherwise persuaded) a few of his political friends…

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