General
Buck Up, Brad
This is a piece of advice that I hope finds its way to my Congressman, Brad Miller. Brad, Americans love happy warriors. Think Roosevelt, Clinton, Kennedy and, yes, Reagan. We do not go for mopers and whiners. Think Dole (Bob), Hoover and Carter. This week, Brad, I talked to two friends who attended recent fundraisers…
Read MorePandemic of New Taxes Breaks Out in Raleigh
Last week there was an outbreak of new taxes in Wake County. Both the Raleigh City Council and the County Commissioners voted to hike taxes the same day. Lead by Mayor Meeker the City Council voted to increase property taxes 9%. On top of that if the School Bond – which the Mayor supports –…
Read MoreRalph Reed’s Moral Money
I remember Ralph Reed as a baby-faced, holier-than-thou aide to Jesse Helms in the 1984 Hunt-Helms Senate race. Reed went on to run Pat Robertson’s Moral Majority. Now he’s running for lieutenant governor of Georgia. In the meantime, it appears he rang up some big profits from a suspect source. A bipartisan Senate report has…
Read More‘Cooling Off’
A few days ago the state threatened to fire the company – computer giant ACS – it gave the biggest state contract (installing a new Medicaid claims system) to a year ago. That‘s a $171 million contract and, right now, after working on it a year ACS is a year behind schedule. When the company…
Read MoreThe Emerging Republican Minority
Republicans in Washington claim their border-state hearings on illegal immigrants this summer are not a ploy to kill a reform bill. I believe them. The hearings are a ploy to win the November elections. Immigration demagogy is Step Two of the Republican Survival Handbook this fall. (Step One is accusing Democrats of wanting to lose…
Read MoreKerry Rides Again
I thought John Kerry had done all the damage he could do to the Democratic Party in 2004. But no. Now he insists on being the “cut and run” face of the Democratic Party on Iraq. He angered even fellow Senate Democrats by calling for pulling out this year. Kerry was for the war before…
Read More$50 Million in Gifts to Congress
The News and Observer reports (06-13-06) that congressmen and their staffs have taken $50 million in gifts from private organizations. How? By accepting free trips to everywhere from Jakarta to Cancun. How many trips? 23,000 over the last five years. North Carolina congressmen and their staffs took a million dollars in ‘gifts’. For 470 trips.…
Read MoreRaising Property Taxes
The News and Observer reports when the City Council met last week to consider the new budget and a property tax increase plenty of folks showed up “with their hands out” wanting city funds for their organizations (News and Observer, 06-07-06). Legal Aid needs $35,000 more this year, the Symphony Orchestra wants $100,000 and the…
Read MorePolitical Reality Check
The ground can shift quickly in politics. And I believe it has – on both the state and national levels. Here was the conventional wisdom not long ago – like, last week: A national tsunami will hit the Republicans in November. Jim Black’s ethical troubles will sink North Carolina Democrats in November. But I believe…
Read MorePolitical Dexterity
Not long ago when Democrat leaders in the State House were testifying before the State Board of Elections they said optometrists giving blank checks (with the amount filled in but the recipient’s name blank) to Speaker Jim Black – for him to distribute to candidates – was fine. There was not one thing wrong with…
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