Posts by Carter Wrenn
Sculpture
Last spring, when Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa sold Raleigh on a $2.5 million outdoor art display with a cloud of floating lights and a wall of mist he opined about the beauty of falling water – how it was special, like rain and waterfalls – and better than the water in old fashioned fountains which…
Read MoreThe Pot Calls the Kettle Black
John Edwards is always exhorting Democrats to have more courage. To stand up for their convictions. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich recently came to Raleigh and challenged Edwards to debate his convictions. “My challenge to your former senator,” Gingrich said, “Who is running around the country prattling about ending poverty is simple: Take on…
Read MoreDemocrats and Budgets
Here’s how the Democrats in the legislature handle the state budget. For five of the last six years they’ve given us deficits from $200 million to $1.5 billion. Their solution: to raise taxes. Then, finally, they raised taxes so much we had a year with a surplus. What did they do? They cut taxes a…
Read MoreBlowing up the Holland Tunnel
Authorities have arrested three men – and are seeking five others – overseas in a plot to blow up the train tunnels beneath the Hudson River that lead to Manhattan. The New York Daily News also reported the terrorists had intended to blow a hole in the wall of the Holland Tunnel to flood it.…
Read MoreCourage Again?
“I believe in a Democratic Party with a little backbone and a little guts.” John Edwards is again calling on Democrats that have ‘guts;’ this time while campaigning in Ohio to increase the state’s minimum wage. My guess is you could search Ohio for a week and not find a single Democrat who votes in…
Read MoreThe Presidential Election
The DemocratsThe Democratic presidential race starts out as two separate elections which take place at the same time during the first Democratic primaries. The first election is for the leadership – to be the standard bearer – of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. The other for the leadership of the ‘New Democrats’ or…
Read MoreNorth Hills Expansion
It’s hard for me to justify the City subsidizing one business at the expense of another. Should the City give the Marriott $20 million and a leg up over its competitor, the Sheraton across the street? Should North Hills get a tax exemption and a leg up over its competitors Crabtree Valley or Triangle Towne…
Read MoreThe Fall Elections
Republican prospects in the elections this fall are looking pretty glum. The President’s popularity has fallen, even some Republicans are having doubts about the war in Iraq, and about the only voters who agree with President Bush on immigration reform are people who will never vote for him – or any other Republican. The Democrats’…
Read MoreRaleigh Spending on a Roll
Local government spending in Raleigh and Wake County is mushrooming. The City Council wants to spend more. The County Commissioners want to spend more. The School Board wants to spend more. The County Commissioners’ Blue Ribbon Task Force wants to spend more. And they all want to borrow and raise taxes to pay for it.…
Read More“That’s Just Pretend Ethics”
Prospects for ethics reform and cleaning up the ‘pay to play’ scandals took a blow in the State Senate last week. Senator David Hoyle told the Senate committee considering reform bills that “the issue is too complicated to take up this late in the session” (The News and Observer, 7-13-06). Other senators said the financial…
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