General
The Bright Side
I just knew there was a pony in the pile of manure that is the new state budget. And, thanks to Laura Leslie at WRAL, I found it. From the start, let me confess: This is all about self-interest. You see, we own a small condo at Nags Head. And one of my…
Read MoreLosing Round One
When I fled the country just before Memorial Day, Governor Perdue had the upper hand in her PR battle with the GOP over the budget. But she lost it. She lost the battle – at least in the short term – because she couldn’t get the votes to sustain her veto. In politics, like…
Read MoreIt Was a Good Deal
John Edwards should have taken the deal. He could have pled guilty to misdemeanors – not felonies. The circus would be over. There would be no trial – and no risk of a worse result. There would be no more leaks, no more tabloid headlines and no more sordid disclosures. Yes, there might…
Read MoreA Presidential Preview
President Obama’s visit to the Triangle today is a taste of what’s to come: a presidential race that turns on jobs and North Carolina. (I told one TV reporter he’s in for a good year: “You’ll have a lot to cover, and your station will sell a lot of ads.” It will be a…
Read MoreThe Biggest Contract in State Government
It’s the biggest contract in state government. The $265 million Medicaid claims processing contract. And it’s awarded by Secretary Lanier Cansler’s department. For years the contract was managed by EDS Corporation, but during Cansler’s first stint at DHHS (when Mike Easley was Governor) the contract was awarded to another corporation – ACS Corporation. Which…
Read MoreWhat I Missed
Here’s what I gleaned from two days of catching up with the news of the past two weeks: John Edwards got indicted. And promptly dug himself a deeper hole by jumping in front of the cameras. The aptly named Anthony Weiner imploded online. Newt Gingrich imploded at sea. (“Imploded” may be to 2012…
Read MoreWhat I Did on My Summer Vacation
Probably nobody ever cares what you did on your vacation. But here it is anyway. We spent a week in Paris and saw most everything, including Notre Dame, the Louvre, Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, the Marais, the French military museum (I didn’t know it was DeGaulle who won the war!), big crowds at the…
Read MoreCansler Strikes Again
Lobbyist turned Cabinet Secretary (and No-Bid-Contract-Awarder) Lanier Cansler has landed himself back in court. Sued for the third time. What’s got Cansler in a mess this time is his predilection for nursing homes – he seems to be about the only person in North Carolina who thinks it’s better to put an elderly person…
Read MoreScreaming Bloody Murder
The Democrat head of the State Board of Education has gotten himself worked up into such a state about the Republican budget and the Republicans ruining public schools he’s one step from either bursting an artery or starting a riot. To hear him tell it Governor Perdue’s budget will bring light to education and…
Read MoreSkating on Thin Ice
Talk about a fellow coming up a day late and a dollar short. Sunday there was a picture in the newspaper of John Edwards standing beside his ‘P.R. specialist’ in front of the courthouse where he’d just been indicted. Unfortunately for Edwards restoring his dented image is beyond the arts of the cleverest…
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