General
Core Problem
California Governor Jerry Brown put his finger on the syndrome in 2012: “Everybody went to school, so everybody thinks they know how to teach, or they think they know something about education.” Especially politicians. So, every couple of years, a new education reform takes hold in politics. And the politicians dictate a new set of…
Read MoreNorth to Alaska
I’m just back from a family cruise to Alaska, a trip I highly recommend if you want to see a part of America that is a different world. (And a big thank-you to the guest bloggers whom I trust kept your interest and blood pressure high while I was gone.) We saw just…
Read MoreNew Wrinkle, Old Politics
There are scads of Super PACs running around attacking Thom Tillis or Kay Hagan so one more came as no surprise except when Planned Parenthood said it was going to whack Tillis I thought, Whoever heard of a government-funded group spending $3.3 million on a Super PAC? It didn’t seem quite right. Planned Parenthood spending taxpayers’ money…
Read MoreAs D-day anniversary approaches, survivor recounts vivid memories
Gary’s stepfather, Joe Dickerson, was interviewed by David Crabtree of WRAL last week. To watch this moving interview, click the link below: http://www.wral.com/as-d-day-anniversary-approaches-survivor-recounts-vivid-memories/13649342/ The WRAL story follows: As D-day anniversary approaches, survivor recounts vivid memories Joe Dickerson nearly died twice in 1944 – first from a near drowning and then from shrapnel. Dickerson, 91,…
Read MoreAn Issue from the East
Gary is taking a break from blogging. Here’s a guest blog from Joe Stewart, Executive Director of the NC FreeEnterprise Foundation; a nonpartisan non-profit organization that conducts research on candidates, campaigns and voter attitudes in North Carolina. Once the match up in the US Senate race was known on primary election night, a reporter asked…
Read MoreCapitol Police: Out to lunch?
Gary is taking a break from blogging. Here is a post from a guest Tapster: We recently complained that the State Capitol Police wasted taxpayer money to install a radar gun in one of its cruisers. It seemed absurd that the Capitol Police need this capability when there are plenty of other police organizations…
Read MoreTillis and Sting
Gary is taking a break from blogging. Here is a blog from a Tapster: We wonder if Speaker and Candidate Tillis thinks his opponent in the fall is the singer Sting: “Every step you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you.” How can the speaker possibly govern effectively while campaigning for US Senate…
Read MoreSick of Ads
When you watch the evening news, you learn two things about people who watch the evening news. First, we vote, because we drown in political ads before elections. And, second, we have every disease and bad health condition known to medicine, especially the pharmaceutical industry. We’re at risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood…
Read MoreKeith Crisco
We were reviewing the Board of Elections’ schedule and making plans for the fall campaign. Then Brad Crone called to say Keith Crisco would concede this morning. Then we were sent reeling by the shock of Keith’s death. Suddenly, campaigns, vote counts and elections-board canvasses seemed not so important. I remembered meeting with…
Read MoreOne Honest Man Getting Shot from Both Sides
Years ago a Democratic gnome sitting in a cloister pouring over reams of polls and demographics had a profound revelation: Most of the people who didn’t vote were Democrats. The word spread from gnome to pollster to politicians where it led to scads of mischief (all dressed in the trappings of government) as Democrats passed…
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