General
The Devil and the United Nations
Sometimes you just have to wonder about the United Nations. Last week the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, flew to New York to address the United Nations the day after President Bush spoke. “’Yesterday, the devil came here,’ Chavez said, drawing giggles from the audience as he crossed himself, looked toward the heavens and said…
Read MoreBill Clinton and Terror Politics
The Bush Administration seems to be doing everything it can to lose the war against terror, but I still don’t know if Democrats can win the political battle. The headlines are bad for Bush: Intelligence agencies say the Iraq war has spread terror instead of stopping it. Retired military officers bash Rumsfeld for malpractice. The…
Read MoreNifong’s Logic
I don’t know Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong but, sometimes, he says things that leave me shaking my head. Like when the press asked him why the defense attorneys tried to have him recused from the Duke Lacrosse trial. Mr. Nifong said, in effect, ‘Well, if he was a defense attorney he wouldn’t want to…
Read MoreThey come to bury the Progress Board
An editorial in The News & Observer fondly hopes that Governor Easley’s appointees to lead the Progress Board – Mac McCorkle and John Merritt – will revive the board, which has been wandering in the wilderness for years now. Not a chance. The Progress Board has always been plagued by a fatal premise: Its supporters…
Read MoreRaleigh’s Art Fiasco
Nobody comes off well in the dispute over Raleigh’s downtown art. Would-be benefactor Jim Goodmon looks high-handed and arrogant. Mayor Charles Meeker gets blasted by Goodmon: “He followed the herd.” City Manager Russell Allen started the brouhaha, but couldn’t – or wouldn’t – stop it. Arts lovers sound elitist and condescending. The people of Raleigh…
Read MoreBush’s Grandiosity Is America’s Loss
Now George Bush says this is a “battle for civilization.” No it isn’t. And that’s exactly why he’s bad for America. Like all second-term Presidents, Bush yearns for a place in history. So his rhetoric grows ever-more overblown: The struggle against radical Islam is “the calling of our civilization.” “The safety of America depends on…
Read MoreWhere’s the Governor?
Not to long ago State Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Carmen Hooker-Odom claimed she was going to save taxpayers millions by hiring a new computer vender to process the state’s Medicare claims. Today the new vender is a year behind schedule, the system is not in place, the state is in a contract…
Read MoreRaleigh Hits a Dead End
First the federal government shot down Raleigh’s hopes for light-rail money. Now the State Board of Transportation has cut off the spigot. Who is to blame? Here are some nominees: The Mayor and City Council. Heckuva job lobbying, folks. And now Mayor Meeker is suggesting a half-cent local sales tax instead. The Wake County legislative…
Read MoreMeeker in 07 or 08?
Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker may set the record for most mentions as a potential candidate for statewide office. But my bet is that he runs again for Mayor. Rumors this summer had him looking at Attorney General (if Roy Cooper ran for Governor, which he won’t), State Treasurer (if Richard Moore runs for Governor, which…
Read MoreEminent Domain
There is a controversy simmering around the state about government using its right to Eminent Domain to seize private property. A recent article in the News and Observer – about the Triangle Transit Authority – gives an example. Last year, the TTA took Mr. Bob Morrison’s business, ‘Bob’s Service Garage,’ in Durham because it wanted…
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